A total of 11,171 people who own, lease, or manage horses completed the American Horse Publications’ Horse Industry Survey designed to gauge participation trends in the U.S. horse industry. This was the largest survey of hands-on owners and managers of horses in the United States ever conducted, and it was made possible by the sponsorship of Intervet/Schering Plough Animal Health and Pfizer Animal Health.

The electronic survey gathered information regarding the most important issues facing the equine industry and garnered feedback from the participants about solutions to those problems.

The results showed a broad geographic distribution and involvement in the equine industry. American Horse Publications members, including magazines, newsletters, Web sites, Twitter and Facebook social media outreaches, and professional organizations, promoted the survey from Oct. 15, 2009, through Jan. 31, 2010. This is the first time the members of AHP have cooperated to bring such a broad representation to a single survey.

There were five main sections of the survey: demographics, horse ownership, horsekeeping costs, issues facing the equine industry, and horse health care