2009 Unwanted Horses Survey Now Available in Hard Copy

WASHINGTON, DC – September 8, 2009 – The 2009 Unwanted Horses Survey is now available in hard copy from the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC). Copies can be ordered by contacting Ericka Caslin, UHC Director, at (202) 296-4031 or [email protected].

“The Survey can still be downloaded at no cost from the UHC website at http://www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org/,” said Caslin “but we received requests for a printed version and wanted to make it available. The hard copy is $10, which includes postage and handling.”

The survey was conducted from November 2008 to January 2009 by an independent market research company. More than 23,000 horse owners, equine industry stakeholders, rescue and retirement facilities and non-horse owners participated.

More than 90% of those who took the on-line survey believe the number of unwanted horses, as well as those neglected and abused, is increasing. Almost all participants (87%) indicate that in the past year, the issue of unwanted horses has become “a big problem,” compared with only 22% who said the problem was important three years ago.

Participants believe the economy to be a top contributor to the problem of unwanted horses today. The closing of our nation’s processing facilities, change in breed demand/indiscriminate breeding, and the high cost of euthanasia and carcass disposal are also mentioned as major contributors.

Regarding placement options for unwanted horses, 63% of equine rescue/retirement facilities that participated reported that they are at near or full capacity and, on average, turn away 38% of the horses brought to them.

Survey respondents listed the most appealing solutions for solving the problem of unwanted horses as horse ownership education, increasing the ability of private rescue and retirement facilities to care for unwanted horses, reopening U.S. processing facilities, and increasing resources for humane euthanasia and carcass disposal.