The number of Kentucky equine operations has dropped in the last 30 years but the total number of horses in the Commonwealth has increased.
Those results come from the newly released 2012 Kentucky Horse Survey which shows a total horse population of 242,000, up from 204,000 in 1977 which is the last time there was a comprehensive horse survey. The 1977 draft found 63,000 equine operations in the Commonwealth compared to 35,000 in the more recent survey. U-K Agricultural Economics Professor and project lead Dr. Jill Stowe says the findings show Kentucky’s 23.4 billion dollar equine industry to be significantly larger than other states which track the same data. Stowe says county specific data is currently being compiled and should be released in the near future.
