Free Publications

The Virginia Horse Industry Board has updated its brochure, "Virginia & Horses-A Natural Partnership," with new photographs and revised copy including statistics from the state's equine industry economic impact studies released in late 2002. The four-color brochure synthesizes the goals of the Board and highlights key information on the industry.

• A Guide to Virginia's Horse Country - a handy pocket guide with information for visitors to Virginia interested in knowing more about the state's horse industry.
• 2007 Directory and Buyer's Guide - a complete resource on the industry in the Commonwealth.
• Activity Pages & Coloring Pages for children & teens.
• Virginia 2001 Equine Survey Report - a 4-page color summary of the study conducted by the Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service and released in December 2002. This study provides information on the total number of horses in Virginia, breakdowns by country, and other key economic data on the industry.

Economic Impact of Virginia's Horse Industry

The Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service for the first time conducted a survey of Virginia's horse industry in 2001 and released the data in December 2002. The survey determined that:

• 170,000 horses make Virginia the 5th largest equine state in the U.S.
• $802.7 million created in business sales for the state
• $1.46 billion = total value of all horses
• 20,000 jobs generated
• $99.4 million dollars of equines sold in 2001 make horses the 7th largest agricultural commodity in Virginia based on cash receipts.
• $2,969/year is the average Virginians spend on their horses. This translates into $505 million annually in direct expenditures supporting horses.
• Some 44.5% of owners use their horses for trail riding/ pleasure.

In addition, the Virginia Horse Industry Board awarded a grant to the Virginia Equine Educational Foundation to conduct a further economic study of the industry. The Wessex Group completed this expanded study and released the results in early 2003. Some of these key data include:

• $55.8 million is paid by Virginia equine owners/operators in direct wages & salaries-creating an impact of $87.2 million in the state.
• Over 800,000 persons participate in/attend some 700 equine events in Virginia each year & spend $167 million.