Ontario Horse Industry

Economic Impact of the Ontario Horse Industry

Author:	Dr. Bob Wright - Lead Veterinarian, Equine and Alternate Species/OMAFRA
Creation Date:	01 September 2005
Last Reviewed:	01 September 2005

Wright and Cation, 1996, completed an extensive survey of the horse industry over a three-year period and published a summary, the 1996 Ontario Horse Industry Report. In this research, respondent horse owners were cross-referenced to the horse-owner respondents in the 1991 Census of Agriculture.

The Census of Agriculture defines a census farm as a farm operation that has at least $2,500 of gross farm income. It excludes many of the horse owners (and horses) whose properties do not fit the definition of a 'census farm.' Research determined that the 1991 Census data for total horses and total number of farms underestimated the Ontario horse industry in 1995 by a factor of 3.9. However, the census is useful in that it is completed every four years and can be used along with the percentage increase from the previous census to estimate the horse population and number of horse farms on a continuing basis.

Table 1 summarizes the changes in the size of the Ontario horse industry over the past 65 years.

Table 1. Changes in the Size of the Ontario Horse Industry over the Past 65 Years

Census Year	Census Horse Population	Percent Change (from previous census)	Census Farms	Estimated Horse Population (Wright)	Estimated Number of Horse Facilities
1936	562,916	- 2.6 %
1941	533,742	- 5.2 %
1946	491,287	- 8.0 %
1951	260,627	- 47.0 %
1956	139,661	- 50.3 %
1960	95,000	- 32.0 %
1966	75,355	- 20.7 %	25,366
1971	79,869	6.0 %	23,308
1976	N/A		N/A
1981	74,986	- 6.1 %	14,565
1986	74,961	- 0.03%	13,523
1991	75,132	0.2 %	12,353	293,015	48,198
1996	76,553	1.9 %		298,582	49,114
2001	83,337	8.9 %	11,258	325,156	53,485

N/A Not available (horses were not specified separately on the 1976 Census of Agriculture form).

Regional Development Opportunities

There are opportunities to enhance the regional horse industry and development strategies should be planned to encourage the growth and well-being of the local industry and the local economy.

Agribusiness and new entrepreneurs need to be aware of the tremendous size and economic impact of the horse industry in their county/municipality/region, so they can plan the future development of their businesses and recognize opportunities for growth.

Economic Impact of the Horse Industry in Ontario

Table 2 estimates the economic impact of the horse industry for each region and county of Ontario. These estimates are based on the 1991 Census horse numbers by county, adjusted by the 3.9 factor, and by percentage increases from the 1996 and 2001 Census reports. No allowance has been made to the economic impact based on the cost-of-living changes between 1995 and 2001.

Table 2. Economic Impact of the Horse Industry for each Region and County of Ontario, 2001

County/Region	Estimated Number of Farms	Estimated Number of Horses	Annual Economic Impact (Median = $1,781/horse)	Investment in Fixed Assets (Median = $18,250/horse)
Province of Ontario	53,485	325,156	579.1 M	5.9 B
Southern Ontario Region	11,625	77,394	137.8 M	1.4 B
Hamilton-Wentworth Region	874	7,612	13.6 M	138.9 M
Niagara Regional Municipality	1,285	8,534	15.2 M	155.7 M
Haldimand-Norfolk Region	1,221	7,603	13.5 M	138.8 M
Brant County	754	5,271	9.4 M	96.2 M
Oxford County	1,524	8,309	14.8 M	151.6 M
Elgin County	1,064	8,175	14.6 M	149.2 M
Kent County	658	4,008	7.1 M	73.1 M
Essex County	645	3,658	6.5 M	66.8 M
Lambton County	1,250	7,072	12.6 M	129.1 M
Middlesex County	2,350	17,152	30.5 M	313.0 M
Western Ontario Region	19,319	119,923	213.6 M	2.2 B
Peel Regional Municipality	736	10,621	18.9 M	193.8 M
Dufferin County	982	6,358	11.3 M	116.0 M
Wellington County	2,990	18,293	32.6 M	333.8 M
Halton Regional Municipality	1,043	13,901	24.8 M	253.7 M
Waterloo Regional Municipality	2,769	15,017	26.7 M	274.1 M
Perth County	2,026	9,430	16.8 M	172.1 M
Huron County	1,852	8,171	14.6 M	149.1 M
Bruce County	1,788	9,546	17.0 M	174.2 M
Grey County	2,713	14,005	24.9 M	255.6 M
Simcoe County	2,419	14,581	26.0 M	266.1 M
Central Ontario Region	10,460	71,088	126.7 M	1.3 B
Hastings County	1,160	5,202	9.3 M	94.9 M
Prince Edward County	451	2,402	4.3 M	43.8 M
Northumberland County	1,241	7,149	12.7 M	130.5 M
Peterborough County	1,376	6,998	12.5 M	127.7 M
Victoria County	1,576	6,976	12.4 M	127.3 M
Durham Regional Municipality	2,251	18,341	32.7 M	334.7 M
York Regional Municipality	1,515	19,544	34.8 M	356.7 M
Muskoka District Municipality	285	1,710	3.0 M	31.2 M
Haliburton County	130	774	1.4 M	14.1 M
Parry Sound District	476	1,991	3.5 M	36.3 M
Eastern Ontario Region	9,249	43,953	78.3 M	802.1 M
Stormont, Dundas, & Glengarry	1,437	6,041	10.8 M	110.2 M
Prescott & Russell Unit	853	3,401	6.1 M	62.1 M
Ottawa-Carleton Region	1,732	11,339	20.2 M	206.9 M
Leeds & Grenville Unit	1,550	8,002	14.3 M	146.0 M
Lanark County	991	4,588	8.2 M	83.7 M
Frontenac County	793	3,449	6.1 M	62.9 M
Lennox & Addington County	628	2,817	5.0 M	51.4 M
Renfrew County	1,269	4,315	7.7 M	78.7 M
Northern Ontario Region	2,830	12,797	22.8 M	233.5 M
Nipissing District	265	866	1.5 M	15.8 M
Manitoulin District	298	1,026	1.8 M	18.7 M
Sudbury District	198	745	1.3 M	13.6 M
Sudbury Regional Municipality	186	1,684	3.0 M	30.7 M
Temiskaming District	489	2,189	3.9 M	39.9 M
Cochrane District	259	943	1.7 M	17.2 M
Algoma District	451	2,059	3.7 M	37.6 M
Thunder Bay District	195	1,321	2.4 M	24.1 M
Rainy River District	316	1,064	1.9 M	19.4 M
Kenora District	173	900	1.6 M	16.4 M

References

1996 Ontario Horse Industry Report.