While horses still perform traditional tasks on Texas ranches and farms, people today use horses mostly for sporting, recreational or therapeutic purposes. No other domesticated livestock has bridged the gap from production-based to a consumer-based role in the economy.

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The horse industry’s enduring success in the U.S. economy, a century after its utilitarian roles largely faded, is attributed not only to its practical contributions but also to the profound and emotional connection it fosters, which contributes to its lasting impact.

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The economic activity involved in caring for Texas’s estimated 749,000 horses, along with the spending by horse enthusiasts in their pursuit of horse events and recreation, directly contributes over $6.5 billion to the state’s Gross Domestic Product.

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From these direct effects, the horse industry’s contribution ripples out into other sectors of the economy. Adding these ripple effects—termed indirect and induced effects—results in an estimated total contribution of $12.3 billion to the Texas economy, impacting 211,356 jobs.