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EQUESTRIAN CARE. Above, Joyce Kehrig of Flying Changes Farms in Armada Township, sprays one of her horses with bug repellant before taking it on a ride. A Michigan 2007 Equine survey shows $805 million was spent on horse-related expenditures like feed, fuel, health and transportation.

(Observer file photo by Chris Gray)

2007 equine survey shows
biggest use is recreation

Number of horses in
state increase by 25,000

by CHRIS GRAY
Observer Staff Writer

      Results from the 2007 Michigan Equine Survey have shown an increase in horse activity in Michigan.
       Back in June 1, 2007, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Field Office issued a survey to determine just how many horses were in Michigan and what their uses were.
       Results were released at a conference in early December at a conference at Michigan State University (MSU), but completely compiled and issued in mid-January. Not too surprisingly, the survey found the majority of equine usage was for recreational purposes.
       Vince Matthews, deputy director for the Michigan Field Office, said the offices know they could never have an entirely complete list, but did take the extra steps to interview people in small towns or areas.
       "I would say there is a growing interest (in horses) here," he said. "We did the survey the same way in 1996, but we had that extra component in the study of checking smaller areas this time."
       The last time an inventory was taken was June 1, 1996, which showed a total of 130,000 horses in Michigan. The June 1, 2007 survey shows that number has increased to 155,000.
       Of this activity, recreation/pleasure use is by far the biggest category, with 57,500 of the 155,000 dedicated to it. The next categories, breeding and "idle" have 21,000 each.
       Idle is when a horse is not used for any other purposes the survey listed, he said. In other words, the horse is not for riding or breeding, it is instead maintained for grazing or as a pet.
       The survey totals indicate that Macomb County has 2,300 horses within its boundaries. Oakland County has a total of 6,900, which is also the highest concentration of all counties.
       The number of operations has increased as well, shooting up to 35,000 compared to the 27,500 in 1996. About 63 percent of those equine operations were on land zoned for agricultural use, while the remainder were residential or other.
       Surveys were sent out and returned by mail, Matthews said, with telephone follow-ups to those who did not respond. Small areas were investigated with personal interviews and surveys, with data collected from June until September.
       "Enough time goes by when the data is out of date and needs to be updated, so we determine what it would take to have it funded," he said. "It's a big undertaking, it requires a lot of time and money to do."
       He added that funding comes from outside sources interested in equine, such as MSU. The university provided a majority of the funding, said MSU Equine Extension Specialist Karen White.
       "We were pleased with the results, it's good news the industry continues to thrive and grow," she said.
       She said MSU utilizes the results for equine and other research programs, such as designing programs about nutrition and care for those who own horses for recreation. Other programs use the results for veterinary, land use, and environmental purposes.
       "We weren't tremendously surprised the majority of users were recreational, we all speculated that's where the biggest use was," she said. "It seems as of late, here and across the country, they're used for recreational purposes."
       Unlike the 1996 survey, financial data was also collected from 2006. Equine operators spent $25 million on 4,300 hired workers, though a majority of work was done by unpaid workers or owners since most horses were on smaller operations.
       Excluding wages and salaries, $805 million was spent on horse-related expenditures, such as feed, fuel, health and transportation.
       "Prices to feed and care and such are going higher, so it's an expensive proposition to own a horse," said White.