Photo taken from the American Horse Council website.
Have you filled out the 2023 American Horse Council Economic Impact Survey yet? If you are a horse owner in the USA, you might want to consider it. Not only could you help the American Horse Council advocate more effectively for horse owners, but you could be entered to win prizes including a John Deere mower, a year of horse feed and more.
According to the AHC Economic Impact Study website, “An economic impact study examines the effect of an event or industry has on the economy and usually measures changes in business revenue, business profits, personal wages, and/or jobs . . . The purpose of the census is to demonstrate the value of the equine industry in the national and state economies by analyzing the direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts of horse ownership, recreation, and equine-related services . . . Data collected will inform public and private investments in equine-related businesses, equine health care, education, land use decisions, tax policy, tourism, employment incentives, etc. . . When the industry needs to take aim at an issue, this data is invaluable in helping us paint the picture of the contributions the industry makes and the breadth & depth of its composition.”
The last AHC Economic Impact Survey was conducted in 2017. Since that time, there have been changes in the tax code, COVID-19 and skyrocketing inflation. The American Horse Council wants to assess how those changes have impacted horse owners and the horse industry.
Just so you know, the survey is lengthy. It took me 25 minutes to complete. The longest section for me had to do with estimates of my horse expenses, according to category. Think vet, farrier, hay, feed, tack, barn supplies, lessons, etc . . . If you go into the survey with a general idea of your expense amounts, it will help you move through the survey more smoothly.
The online survey is now live and goes through September 29, 2023.
You can access the survey at
https://horsecouncil.org/economic-impact-study/
The Backyard Horse Blog 
If i lived in the USA i would do this survey. One of the big pluses of horses is that they keep areas from being developed by relentless building. so there is still some open space and trails and forests.
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Thanks, Anne. I don’t know how many surveys I’ve gone to fill out or contests I’ve started entering, only to realize that I was from the wrong country and wasn’t eligible to participate. But development certainly seems to be a threat to the horse industry no matter where we live. I see the development changes to my own rural area coming closer and closer. I used to be half an hour from any grocery store. Now I am fifteen minutes away. It’s disconcerting.
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