The source of the linked graph goes into more details on page 19 (PDF, 2003 http://www.americanequestrian.com/pdf/US-Equine-Demographics.pdf http://www.american

The source of the linked graph goes into more details on page 19 (PDF, 2003 http://www.americanequestrian.com/pdf/US-Equine-Demographics.pdf http://www.americanequestrian.com/pdf/US-Equine-Demographics...). Recreation 42%, Showing/Competition 29%, Other 19%, Racing 9%. The recreation category itself is broad: > One woman’s recreational horse is in the trailer and on the go to a trail ride here, an overnight camping adventure there, and a special training clinic way out there, week in and week out. Another woman’s recreational horse is one of a half dozen at her home, and she might get a saddle on and ride over to the neighbor’s place a couple of times a month, if she is lucky enough to squeeze in some time for it. > With horses, recreation can be just about anything you please, from primping and pampering to roughing it in the outback; from a zen-like search for the perfect circle or half pass (a lateral movement in dressage) to the discovery of inner peace as a volunteer in a therapeutic-riding program. The joiners have plenty of equestrian organizations, local to national, to add some socializing to the picture. The reclusive types can ride off into the sunset on solitary trails. > That is a major appeal of horse involvement—something for everyone. And for a surprising number, the something is tending to their horses at least twice daily, forking manure and heaving hay bales; worrying over ailments, injuries, and feeds bills 365 days of the year; and having little time left over to actually use the animals. They do this year after year, and, when asked what they do with their horses, the answer is “just for pleasure.”