Ever since the advent of agriculture some 10,000-plus years ago and its gradual, steady advancement to where the practice is today, humans have increasingly found themselves with more and more leisure time. Humans have played one sport or another – or a handful of them – for thousands of years as a way of passing time, settling arguments, and for exercise. Obviously, humans have been a part of every sport since the very first sport was invented – whatever sport that may have been.

It only makes sense that the first sport was played with nothing but people. As time trudged on, more sports paraphernalia was busted into the mix. One of the first types of paraphernalia used in all of human sporting is the horse. Let’s look at some interesting statistics in regards to horse racing, the lives of horses, and equestrianism in general.

Competitive Show Jumping and Penalties as Part of its Rules

Every sport that I can think of has penalties or fouls to discourage potentially damaging and unfairly advantageous behavior. Take, for example, how basketball players aren’t allowed to enter jump shooters’ cylinder during the process of shooting. One, two, or three free throws are awarded to whichever player whose shot was disrupted.

In show jumping, horses must successfully jump over the 10 to 15 jumps present on the racetrack. They also must not exceed the preset time limit to complete the course at hand. At the Rolex 2017 race, 35 out of 39 horses racked up at least one penalty. Only world-class horses – in general, that is – consistently rack up zero penalties.

Just How Many Horses Are Out There?

Of course, counting the exact number of living horses across the United States is effectively impossible. Still, the current estimate as calculated by the Barents Group at 9.25 million

Incomes of Horse Fanatics

When it comes to competitive equestrian, there are about two million domestic owners in the United States. Statistics indicate that some 36 percent of competitive equestrian households across the United States had more than $75,000 in annual household income.

Horses are great companions to live with and keep around. They can also help humans carry large loads and travel mid-length distances with general ease. They can also jump over horse jump walls and make money while they’re at it! Talk about some magnificent animals.