About 15,000 horse owners will be surveyed beginning the week of June 24 for a study on Kentucky’s equine industry, officials said June 19.
The University of Kentucky and Kentucky Horse Council partnered on the Kentucky Equine Survey, which will generate information on all breeds of horses in the state. The survey and resulting study are being done in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture and the University of Louisville Equine Business Program.
The last comprehensive study of this type was conducted in 1977, officials said.
“The survey team has been working diligently to set the necessary foundation for a successful launch of the Kentucky Equine Survey,” said Jill Stowe, assistant professor in agricultural economics at UK. “We look forward to a strong response by Kentucky’s horse operation owners.”
The purpose of the study is to get an accurate inventory of all horses in the state by breed and use, and to describe their economic impact at the farm and community levels, through races, shows, trail rides, and other events. The survey will request information relating to capital investments on the farm and in farm equipment in order to better assess the full economic value of Kentucky’s horse industry.
Horses being inventoried include those on farms owned by the horse owner as well as those boarded at breeding facilities.
All farm and individual names are confidential and will not be available to any state or federal agency or those involved in the study. Summary results from the survey are expected in December 2012, with in-depth economic impact results becoming available during early 2013.
The study is partially funded by a grant to the Kentucky Horse Council from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, as well as from The UK College of Agriculture, Kentucky Horse Council, and equine industry supporters.
More information is available at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/equine/kyequinesurvey or on KHC’s website at http://www.kentuckyhorse.org/.
