COVID’s Impacts, for Better and Worse, on the Horse World

COVID-19 has had a positive and negative impact on horses. Owners who keep their horses at home had more time to spend with them during the pandemic. Those who board their animals elsewhere had less time with their pets. Survey of 11,000 horse owners in North America, Great Britain and Australia showed most equestrians kept riding during pandemics. Australians were more cautious and didn't do many activities around the barn. More people adopted horses during 2020 than the previous year. The trend reversed when stimulus payments ended and unemployment rates climbed. By early 2021 horses had begun to come back into shelters.