USDA horse total, 1850-2012
This data set is useful for looking at the rise and fall of the horse population in the U.S., but it has its limits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture collects equine data from farms that qualify. This method fails to capture many recreational horses and appears to leave out boarding, training and lesson stables.
The current definition of a farm, used since 1974, is a place that could or did sell $1,000 of agricultural products annually. In addition, as of 1987, any operation that has five or more equids (other than commercial enterprises such as race tracks) qualifies as a farm, even if it has no other agricultural activity.
The definition used for the 1959, 1964 and 1969 censuses was any place with less than 10 acres from which $250 or more of agricultural products were sold during the census year, or any place of 10 acres or more from which $50 or more of agricultural products were sold.
Also note: For 1890 to 1954, the total equine inventory included mules but excluded burros and donkeys.
For 1954 and 1959, the horse/pony inventory and mule/burro/donkey inventory were combined under the horse/pony inventory.
| Year | Horses and Ponies | Mules, Burros, Donkeys | Total Equine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 4,336,719 | 559,331 | 4,896,050 |
| 1860 | 6,249,174 | 1,151,148 | 7,400,322 |
| 1870 | 7,145,370 | 1,125,415 | 8,270,785 |
| 1880 | 10,357,488 | 1,812,808 | 12,170,296 |
| 1890 | 15,266,244 | 2,251,876 | 17,518,120 |
| 1900 | 18,267,020 | 3,264,615 | 21,531,635 |
| 1910 | 19,833,113 | 4,209,769 | 24,042,882 |
| 1920 | 19,767,161 | 5,432,391 | 25,199,552 |
| 1925 | 16,400,623 | 5,680,897 | 22,081,520 |
| 1930 | 13,510,839 | 5,375,017 | 18,885,856 |
| 1935 | 11,857,850 | 4,818,160 | 16,676,010 |
| 1940 | 10,086,971 | 3,844,560 | 13,931,531 |
| 1945 | 8,499,204 | 3,129,590 | 11,628,794 |
| 1950 | 5,401,646 | 2,202,264 | 7,603,910 |
| 1954 | 4,141,288 | NA | 4,141,288 |
| 1959 | 2,955,256 | NA | 2,955,256 |
| 1964 | NA | NA | NA |
| 1969 | 2,237,981 | 66,128 | 2,304,109 |
| 1974 | 1,595,640 | NA | NA |
| 1978 | 1,957,028 | 56,703 | 2,013,731 |
| 1982 | 2,260,791 | 27,430 | 2,288,221 |
| 1987 | 2,456,951 | 56,520 | 2,513,471 |
| 1992 | 2,049,522 | 67,692 | 2,117,214 |
| 1997 | 3,020,117 | 123,211 | 3,143,328 |
| 2002 | 3,644,278 | 105,358 | 3,749,636 |
| 2007 | 4,028,827 | 283,806 | 4,312,633 |
| 2012 | 3,621,348 | 292,590 | 3,913,938 |
Sources: USDA Census of Agriculture