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Pets

What Is the Historical Population of Horses in the United States?

Updated: Jun 04, 2024

The horse population in the United States has historically continued to decline over time, after it reached an all-time high in 1915, with around 26 million horses. By 1960, the US horse population was estimated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be approximately 3 million. This equine population decrease is typically accredited to the mechanization of what used to be the primary uses for horses: agriculture and transportation. After 1960, the equine population wasn’t tracked as closely since horses were mainly only used for personal and recreational purposes. Statistics by the American Horse Council Foundation (AHCF) state that were 9.2 million horses in 2003, mainly used for commercial purposes, such as racing and showing.

More about horses in the US:

  • Texas is the state with the most horses, with over 978,000, according to 2005 AHCF findings.
  • The horse industry is estimated to contribute $102 billion US Dollars (USD) to the US economy each year.
  • The AHCF found that the US is the country with the most horses, followed by China with 7 million horses, according to 2005 findings.
Allison Boelcke
By Allison Boelcke
Allison Boelcke, a digital marketing manager and freelance writer, helps businesses create compelling content to connect with their target markets and drive results. With a degree in English, she combines her writing skills with marketing expertise to craft engaging content that gets noticed and leads to website traffic and conversions. Her ability to understand and connect with target audiences makes her a valuable asset to any content creation team.
Discussion Comments
By bythewell — On Oct 18, 2013

I wonder how many horses are still used for farm work in the United States. I know there must be a sizable population, since the Amish and a few other groups definitely still use work horses.

When I was in Georgia a few years ago, I took a horse carriage ride around a town and chatted with the man who drove the horses. He told me that the Amish were definitely the best place to get trained horses and that it was one of the ways in which they made money, since there were so few other places that knew how to train horses to carriage these days.

By pastanaga — On Oct 17, 2013

@indigomoth - Sadly, I'm sure there are quite a lot of horses being kept as pets and probably a large majority of them are being mistreated. You can keep a horse as a pet, of course, but you have to know how to keep it happy and healthy and that requires quite a bit of specialized knowledge. Most of the people who would keep a horse as a pet won't have that knowledge.

Our family has rescued more than one horse that was bought because a child in the family was obsessed with horses and the parents were too indulgent. Then, they realized that horses need more care than just being stuck in a paddock and occasionally being led in a circle with an excited youngster on their back.

It breaks my heart, because I know that the family often doesn't mean to neglect the animal, but they can end up ruining it for life by denying it basic care.

By indigomoth — On Oct 16, 2013

It's interesting that the horse population went so far down and then it seems to have gone up again. I wonder if it is still going up or if it's relatively stable now.

People can be quite romantic about horses, particularly if they don't have much experience with them. I have to wonder how many of the horses in the United States right now are basically just pets rather than being kept for work or for show.

Allison Boelcke
Allison Boelcke
Allison Boelcke, a digital marketing manager and freelance writer, helps businesses create compelling content to connect with their target markets and drive results. With a degree in English, she combines her writing skills with marketing expertise to craft engaging content that gets noticed and leads to website traffic and conversions. Her ability to understand and connect with target audiences makes her a valuable asset to any content creation team.
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