Hurricane Harvey…there are horses drowning…why the heck should we care about filling out yet another survey?

Because.

Because the horrific footage of Harvey’s biblical flooding and the ongoing rescue efforts of people and animals reminds us that the government, run by and for the people, runs on data – NEEDS data in order to assist, help, provide, DO.

In order to gather data, citizens – horse owners – need to engage. It is incumbent upon us, as citizens, to participate in data-gathering projects, such as the American Horse Council’s survey. And the participation of Maryland horse people this year has been shockingly low.

It is true that the AHC survey is not a USDA census, so will the government pay attention? Yes, and here is why.

On the federal level (and in most, but not all states), horses are considered livestock, which means that it is the United States Department of Agriculture that oversees health and welfare related issues. However, unlike the cattle industry, the horse industry and its equine population has always been more challenging to capture in calculations.

This is where the American Horse Council comes into play. AHC is our voice on Capital Hill, and as such, AHC helps to fill in the government’s calculation gaps.

Because engagement in this survey has been unusually low, AHC has extended the deadline until Monday, September 4th – and we urge all of our readers to click this link NOW and take the survey!

Donations to Help Harvey Horses

Across the country, horse people are doing whatever they can to help the Harvey Horses. Supporting the efforts of emergency response groups and organizations that are helping horses impacted by the flooding, the United States Equestrian Federation is providing financial assistance through the — USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund, established in the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, but now on the front end of Harvey. All money donated to the fund is strictly used to benefit horses and horse owners.

Click here to make a donation to the — USEF Disaster Relief Fund. 

100% of the donations will go to the Houston SPCA and other regional equine disaster relief efforts.