May 2023 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN May 2023 Page 33 Fragmentation, Aging Population Threaten Horse Industry's Health struggle with economic viabili- ty, which can generally be said to require $65,000 to $100,000 in annual revenue. "There's a need and an opportunity for co- operation, including the sharing of economic data," Concannon said. While Texas has the highest population of horses, Maryland has the highest population density of equines, followed by Connecti- cut and New York. "Ten years ago, New Jersey, a state consid- ered very urban, was number one," he said. Rescued by Women "Women rescued horses in the 1950's," said Tom Aronsen of Churchill Downs, formerly of the American Horse Council. The emancipation of women culturally and financially and the ability of women to pursue pleasure sports was the driving force behind the resurgence of the horse industry after World War II. Aronsen, who was involved in the now-defunct Horse Industry Alliance, which tried to bring horse organizations together to promote participa- tion in equestrian sports, said fragmentation killed that effort. "The horse industry is made up of many, many small business- es," he said. "Dover Saddlery is one of the four largest compa- nies in the industry, but it's a tiny spec on the NASDAQ," he said. "Meanwhile there are 10,000 tack outlets in the US. Each interest has had to stay tightly focused. "The industry has been carrying it all, but the tide may not continue to rise. Boomers are postponing the inevitable, but in at some point they will stop riding." Silo Mentality Olympic Gold Medalist and president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, David O'Connor said that people in horse sports suffer from a "silo mentality" in which they compartmentalize their participation and don't see themselves as part of the overall horse industry. He said that horse organizations must unify to create a promotional resource. He drew a parallel between horse sports and track and field events. It's difficult to promote javelin throwing, O'Connor point- ed out, unless it's packaged as part of the overall sport of track and field. Horse people should think of their participation as being part of the overall sport instead of just their individual discipline, he stressed. "None of us is big enough to play on the world stage by our- selves," said O'Connor. "We need to get horses onto the internet, onto TV, and into the mainstream media." (Continued from page 32)