Equine Economic Impact In Pennsylvania
(Paraphrased from The Economic Impact Study of the Equine Industry in Pennsylvania as used in a slide presentation by Ben Nolt to the PA Department of Agriculture - Animal Health and Diagnostic Committee)
In Pennsylvania, when the conversation turns to horses, some people may think only of race tracks or farm animals or, heaven forbid, glue factories. In reality, horses are big business, big recreation. Moreover, the equine industry makes significant social contributions to the stability of communities, to the environment, even to health care.
You'll find horses of all breeds. . .Arabian, American Saddle bred, Appaloosa, Paint, Palomino, Paso Finos, Tennessee Walkers, Quarter Horses, Warm bloods and many, many others including those used for farm work.
Incidentally, the average value of a Warmblood is $12,140. An Arabian brings $6,200. A pony averages $720... a donkey, $440.
Let's, for a moment, look a little deeper into equine economics from data researched by Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Statistics Service:
- 170,000 horses, ponies, mules and donkeys. . .value, $620,000,000.
- 44,000 individuals, partnerships or other owners in Pennsylvania in 1990.
- 8,800 commercial operations involving breeding, racing, show/competition and riding instruction.
- $2,930,000,000. . .value of land, fencing and facilities.
- $370,000,000. . . value of equipment and supplies.
- 7,500 paid workers.
- 490,000,000. . .spent by owners to support their animals.
The statistics, while perhaps numbing, testify in Pennsylvania's overall economy. By the way, while we're talking numbers, you might like to know that average equine consumes 1.6 tons of hay each year.
As the equine industry provides, work, generates income and creates sales for other businesses, so it also offers high-quality recreation for millions of people. 4-H programs abound, along with riding trails, equestrian shows, competitions and, of course, racing.
Pennsylvania has 1,650 commercial enterprises with 4,500 Standardbreds and 4,000 Thoroughbreds involved in the sport racing. Thoroughbred racing in Pennsylvania attracted 1,785,143 spectators who wagered $335,055,973 in 1990, mostly at Philadelphia Park and Penn National. From this activity alone the state received a respectable $515,684 in tax revenue.
Harness racing is also popular in Pennsylvania. In 1990, 815,000 spectators wagered $113,750,496 at the various tracks, including Pocono Downs, near Wilkes-Barre, and Ladbroke at the Meadows, near Pittsburgh.
While some horses excite huge crowds at races, other horses work in lonely fields to help provide food for our table. No look at the equine industry in Pennsylvania would be complete without appreciating the role horses play in the lives of the quiet, hard-working, diligent Amish.
In Amish culture, the horse is a fundamental building block. Most farm implements are horse-drawn. Horses power beautifully crafted buggies. On a more personal note, young men of courting age particularly prize spirited horses. Amish children learn at any early age to respect and understand horses...a respect and understanding consistent with an agrarian way of life.
While most people are familiar with the storied Amish and their carefully cultivated farms, not nearly as many relate to horses in terms of health care. Even now as the nation debates health care, horses are making their contribution to society.
Did you ever hear of a practice called therapeutic riding?
The ancient Greeks and Romans knew about it. So did Thomas Jefferson who, in 1802 advised a friend to take a regulate two-hour ride to help cure "visceral complaints."
In the early 1900's, people throughout Europe began to agree with the age-old adage, "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man."
In the 1960's, therapeutic horseback riding, or as the professionals call it, "equine-assisted therapy," took hold in the United States. Today, nearly 70 programs scattered throughout Pennsylvania offer horseback riding instruction to over 3,000 riders with various disabilities. In effect, horses give the disabled a sense of mobility and a freedom life previously denied them.
4-H, flourishing in all 67 counties of Pennsylvania, offers educational and skill-building opportunities to both rural and urban youth. Covering some 75 subjects. . .from rocketry to nutrition, from crafts to the proper care of animals. . .the 4-H programs are not only educational, but also are designed to enhance self-esteem, a sense of responsibility and leadership skills. Currently, more than 150,000 Pennsylvania youth and 20,000 adult volunteers are shepherding 4-H programs in Pennsylvania.
The horse. . .so graceful, so dependable, so storied in literature and film. . .who owns these beautiful animals?
In Pennsylvania, research shows that equine owners tend to be long-term residents of their community. Seventy-five percent have lived in the same community for over 10 years. Indeed, 31 percent have lived in the same community from 21 to 40 years. . .16 percent, for more than 40 years. Such commitment, for so long a time, is, we believe, a major factor contributing to the economic and social stability of any community.
Now let's consider the land, the environment.
Rapid urbanization of many areas of Pennsylvania is easy to observe. Just drive through the countryside. You can easily see the loss of open space to modern expansion and industrialization. Of course we need housing. And we need industry. But we need open spaces to enjoy, too, for this generation and those to come.
Horses clearly offer a significant incentive to keep land in agricultural production. . .acres needed for feed crops. . .acres that become graceful pastures for everyone to enjoy. Equine owners also preserve open space and trails for pleasure riding as well as acres for training their animals. It is worth recording that equine owners currently operate 2.8 million acres, of which 520,000 are specifically earmarked to equine activities.
While you may not have thought much about it until now in terms of aesthetics, open space in this age of rapid sprawl helps maintain a healthy balance of urban and rural life, a sense of Americana.
So, in these brief minutes, you can see that a horse really is more than an animal we occasionally see standing in a field.
In Pennsylvania, the 170,000 horses touch untold thousands of lives. . .
- in recreation
- in farm work
- in health care services
- in purchase of equipment and supplies from other businesses.
- And, perhaps most importantly from a long-range point of view, in helping to preserve the open space. . .the environment. . .for generation to follow us.
From the Greeks and the Romans, to Thomas Jefferson, to the Amish and the Pennsylvania economy itself, the horse . . . stately and dependable . . . remains our helpful servant.
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