Horse industry in Lithuania

Abstract

Unfortunately, the horse-related information is currently either lacking or distributed across different sectors. This research is based on a literature review, analyses of secondary data and interpretative analysis. The horse population of Lithuania is decreasing steadily from 29 thousands in 2010 to 16 thousands in 2017. 47% of all horses in 2017 were involved in studbooks and 12% of them were owned by Lithuanian National Stud. The human population in Lithuania is swiftly decreasing from 3.1 million in 2010 to 2.8 million in 2017. The number of horses per 1000 persons was 5.7 in 2017. This trend is decreasing when comparing the data of 2010, which are 9.2. Number of rider licenses of the National Equestrian Federation was 420 in 2017 and it was stable in last few year. On the other hand, the number of riding schools has greatly increased. In 2010 there was only 42 riding schools in Lithuania, while in 2017 there was already 105 of them. Also the number of licensed trotter trainers and harness race drivers has increased from 24 in 2010 to 57 in 2017. Lithuanians do not have a tradition to consume horses meet as a food. The slaughtered horses are exported. Totally 2250 slaughtered horses exported for in 2010 and 637 horses exported in 2017. In Lithuania there is a niche for horse meat and milk products.