From the Ground Up: Horse industry gallops ahead

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - The thought of horses on a ranch may have you picturing bygone days on the range, but the horse industry is booming and currently outpacing the beef industry.

“The equine industry is a very dynamic, robust industry that’s a part of agriculture, has been since the dawn of time. But it’s changing,” said Craig Huffhines.

Huffhines the the director of the Texas A&M Institute for Equine Sciences and says the role horses play has changed.

“The horse industry has always been a part of the agricultural industry and we used to use horses obviously for utilitarian purposes, so there was a massive number of horses in the United States back in the 1915s-20s that since has declined,” said Huffhines.

While horses aren’t our first choice for transportation, horse enthusiasts haven’t gone anywhere.

“The horse industry has really changed more into a lifestyle kind of an industry, where people can partake of horses from a recreational standpoint that’s turned into a big business,” said Huffhines.

But the horse industry is more than just those with hobbies and passions and it’s substantially contributing to the state’s economy.

“The American Horse Council just completed a national economic impact study for the equine industry, of which Texas A&M University was intricately involved on the Texas component of that,” said Huffhines. “We found that the equine industry contributes 12.5 billion dollars to the Texas Economy in over 255,000 jobs.”

It’s an industry that’s surpassed the beef industry and it’s full of potential.

“You know, cattle receipts in this state, it’s just over 10 billion. So it’s very much a part of agriculture and it’s part of a of a booming industry supporting the economy,” said Huffhines.

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