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Proud,
Grateful An
Industry, Careers,
Training Apologies for
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An Industry, Not Just a SportThe ultimate value of horse racing to society, as opposed to other forms of gambling, is that it creates thousands of highly varied jobs. Farms, ranches, transport companies, a myriad of sup-pliers, and dozens of other businesses share small pieces of the pie. Economic impact studies vary between a $350 and $500 million value annually to the B.C. economy, with direct and indirect full time equivalent employment ranging from 7,500 to 12,500 jobs. A study by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture in 1998 determined that the impact of the equine sector of the provincial economy - all matters related to horses - was $771 million per year. This study said that there are 37,000 horse owners and 90,000 horses in B.C. They occupy 158,000 acres of land and employ 10,000 people. No other form of gaming can claim such ancillary value, nor so many multipliers within the economy. Whether it be the tug boat captain who tows the Fraser Downs limestone from Texada Island, the thoroughbred saddle maker in Merritt or countless other specialists, they are part of horse racing. The breeding, care and training of race horses can be big business. The next time you fly into Toronto on a clear day, watch for the farms with training tracks within a 100-mile radius of Mo-hawk and Woodbine Raceways. You will spot many dozen, each of them a small-town employment centre. Consider the tiny country of New Zealand with a national population not much larger than that of B.C. The breeding industry there has thrived so profoundly that it has substantially out-grown the ability of scores of race courses to stage enough races. The result has been an export industry that brings in over $US 70 million per year.
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