A Bright Future

As society changes, so will the horse industry. But this editor has faith that, given the opportunity, each generation of horse-smitten kids will find their way to the barn.

Many years ago, I was a young person getting established in the horse industry. I’d worked as a riding instructor for years and had recently taken a job as an editorial assistant with my favorite horse magazine. I was full of the exuberance and energy of youth and excited about the prospects for the future, both for myself and the horse world in general.

My rosy outlook was soon put to the test when I found myself sitting in meetings where elder industry leaders repeatedly painted a bleak picture of the future. The problem, I was told, was that young people no longer had an agricultural background, and we didn’t grow up watching Westerns on television. We were physically and culturally distanced from farms, the argument went, therefore we wouldn’t connect with horses. And even if we did, how could we possibly care for them, not having had the appropriate rural upbringing? 

This problem, it was explained, would lead to a decline in horse ownership and eventual collapse of the industry. All because the next generation was raised in the suburbs and more comfortable with computer screens than heavy farm machinery. I don’t remember a lot of solutions being offered. Maybe there were, but all I recall is the handwringing.

I’d sit silent in those meetings, not agreeing but also not objecting. Part of my silence came from the realization that it would not be a prudent