With their elegant lines and graceful movement, with their ability and willingness to work, with the love and trust they freely give, horses have endeared themselves to the human race for centuries.
They helped fight our wars, took us on our explorations, hauled our wagons, made possible our ranches.They are an indelible symbol of the Old West. And then along came machines to do the work of the horse.
But if you thought that brought an end to the golden age, you'd be wrong. Even then we kept our horses.
At last estimate, more than 250,000 horses live in Utah -- probably more than at any other time in our history; more than the number of people who live in Salt Lake City and Ogden combined (with Price thrown in for good measure).
And if you count all the things associated with horses -- feed, tack, veterinary costs, trucks, trailers, training, showing, recreational outlets and more -- you're looking at a major industry, says Merl Thurgood, chairman of the Utah Horse Council, a nonprofit trade organization that coordinates and monitors horse-related activities in the state. The council estimates the impact of the horse industry in Utah at more than $60 million.
Nationwide, according the American Horse Council, the horse industry directly produces $25 billion worth of goods and services and has a total impact of $112.1 billion on the gross national product. That puts it ahead of the motion picture and apparel industries, says AHC.
All together, there are 6.9 million horses in the United States, including both commercial and recreational horses, and about 7.1 million people involved in the industry as owners, service providers, employees and volunteers.
"That's a lot of horses and a lot of money," says Thurgood. "Horses have a big, big impact on our economy."
But, he worries, unless you are involved in that industry, you might not appreciate just how important horses are; you might dismiss them as just another hobby.
That's one reason the Utah Horse Council is sponsoring Utah Horse Expo 2000, what it hopes will become an annual event in the state. The Expo will be held March 10-12 at the Equestrian Park in South Jordan and will feature seminars, workshops and booths geared to those both inside and outside the industry.
Thurgood got the idea when he visited the American Horse Council convention last year. When he was appointed chairman of the Utah Horse Council two years ago, Thurgood said, he talked to a lot of horse people, and the feeling was that little was being done to promote and encourage the industry in Utah.
At the national meetings, he got to talking to the representative from Minnesota, who told Thurgood about the annual expo there. "They've been doing it for 18 years, and last year they made enough money to pay all their expenses, put $50,000 back into their council and donate $300,000 to various charities."
So, that's his goal. He knows it won't come this year, but he wants to get the ball rolling. "We hope to be able to put some money back into the industry and then give some scholarships." After all, he says, there are more horses in Utah than there are in Minnesota.
Riding, ranching, racing
What do Utah's horses do?
A statewide survey of Utah horses conducted by Utah State University and funded by the Utah Horse Council in 1994 found that horses generally fall into one of three categories in Utah: recreation and pleasure, working horses (on ranches or such things as trail rides), and show animals (including rodeo, chariot and other races, reining, cutting and dressage events).
By far the most common use is recreation and pleasure -- including riding, hunting and youth activities, but for the most part activities that don't generate any income for the owners.
But competitions are becoming increasingly popular. And Utah's horses and facilities are such that national events are regularly held here.
Like rodeos, most competitions have grown out of the work that horses used to do on ranches, says Thurgood. Cutting, for example. These horses are trained to separate a cow or calf from the rest of the herd and keep it separate so owners could administer medicine, do branding or perform other necessary functions. The same goes for roping, reining or handling a horse, even the use of speed. These were all necessary functions on the ranch but have spilled over into recreation.
The survey also found that quarter horses dominate the horse population in Utah. Other popular breeds include Arabian, appaloosa, paint, thoroughbred, standardbred, ponies and mules.
Horses can be found in every one of Utah's counties, with 18 percent of the horse population residing in otherwise metropolitan Salt Lake County.
The average Utah horse owner has three or more horses. And the number of horses in the state is not expected to decline anytime soon. According to the survey, most owners said they expected to own even more animals in the future.
Power and beauty
Merl Thurgood was practically "born and raised on a horse," he says. "My granddad homesteaded in Syracuse, and my dad had a farm there. I was the youngest of six boys and five girls, and my dad threw me on a workhorse when I was a little kid. I've been around them ever since."
He can't imagine what life would be like without horses, he says. Even though when it came time to choose an occupation, he decided to go into health care and became a hearing aid specialist, he knew he had to have a few horses around. He now has 10.
He spends the day at the office, he says, dealing with clients all with various problems. "I can leave here as tight as a drum. All I have to do is get on the back of a horse, and all that stress is gone. Some people go fishing, some go golfing; I play with horses."
He and his wife, Marilyn, show their horses, specializing in reining and cutting competitions. It's not necessarily an inexpensive hobby, he says; training a good cutting horse can cost as much as $5,000 to $6,000. But it's exciting to see what you and your horse can do together.
They are such wonderful animals, he says. "I love feeding them, I love working with them, I love watching them grow. I just love horses."
It's a sentiment expressed time and again by those involved with the animals.
"They're just like people," says Jim Burton, owner of the Diamond In the Rough Ranch in Pleasant View, a boarding, breeding, training and recreation facility. "Every one has a different personality. And you have to understand that and make adjustments."
What most people want, he says, whether it's for recreation or competition, is what you'd call a "bullet-proof horse, one that is dependable, that you can count on in any situation." And that usually requires training from a young age.
Breeding is also a key component of a good horse, especially those used for competition. And getting good lines can be expensive: Burton knows of cases where breed fees per mare were $17,000 and of colts that sold for $32,000. "We've some good stallions in the state," he says.
On average, though, costs are much less. According to the American Horse Council, for horses purchased in the past three years, the average was around $5,200. That's up from seven years ago, when the average was $2,100.
The AHC also reports that nationwide the average cost of maintaining a horse for one year is approximately $2,000. Thurgood estimates that the cost of maintenance is about half that in Utah.
Still, given those numbers, the large horse population we have in Utah is remarkable, says Thurgood. And it says a lot about the feelings people have about horses.
"They are so fun. Riding and jumping -- it's a blast," says Linda Rink, who has competed in English-style jumping and dressage for the past 10 years.
There is nothing, she says, in all the world that equals the power and the beauty of horses.