Equine 2026 Study - Business - Nonrespondents

OMB No. 0579-0269 Exp. Date xx/xx/xxxx

Animal and Plant
Health Inspection
Service

August 2026

National Agricultural
Statistics Service

For more information on this
and previous NAHMS equine
studies, scan the QR code.

Greetings!
In approximately one week, you will receive a request in the mail to fill out a
questionnaire for an important national study, the Equine 2026 study, that is
being conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) and the National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The study will provide valuable data that
will benefit equine owners, managers, and the entire equine industry by:
• Guiding future research and education to benefit equine health,
• Describing trends in equine care, health management, and disease
occurrence over time,
• Describing use and availability of equine veterinary services, and
• Describing preparedness for emergencies and natural disasters affecting
equines.
You are one of the few equine owners/operators selected to participate in this
study, and your answers will represent many other equine owners/operators like
you. Your voluntary participation is essential to this important study. We are
required by law to keep your answers confidential, and your responses on the
surveys will be used only in combination with other responses.
Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting this valuable study. It is
only with the generous help of people like you that the Equine 2026 study can
be successful. To help you prepare, we have included more information about
the study in the accompanying documents. We have also included some
informational handouts that we hope you will find interesting. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact us at 1-888-424-7828.
Sincerely,

Sarah Blasko
Acting Director, Center for Epidemiology and
Animal Health
Veterinary Services, USDA-APHIS-NAHMS

An Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

Lance Honig
Chair, Agricultural Statistics Board
USDA-NASS

Name
Page 2

The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes only. Your responses will be kept confidential and any
person who willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your operation is subject to a jail term, a fine, or
both. This survey is conducted in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of
2018, Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, codified in 44 U.S.C. Ch. 35 and other applicable Federal laws. For more
information on how we protect your information please visit: https://www.nass.usda.gov/confidentiality. Response is
voluntary.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB number is 05790269. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 8 minutes per response, including
the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and
completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden statement or any other
aspect of this information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to APHIS.PRA@usda.gov.

An Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

NAHMS Equine 2026 Study
Study Launch
Overview
In 2026, the USDA’s National Animal Health
Monitoring System (NAHMS) will launch its fourth
national equine study. Equine 2026 will take an indepth look at U.S. equine operations and events
and will provide industry with new and valuable
information regarding trends in equine health and
welfare.
NAHMS studies are:
• National in scope
• Science-based
• Statistically valid
• Collaborative
• Voluntary
• Confidential

August 2025
During this process, six study objectives were
identified:
• Describe trends in equine care, health
management, and disease occurrence over
time, based on data from 1998, 2005, 2015,
and 2026.
• Describe biosecurity and health management
strategies related to the control of important
equine infectious diseases at equine events
and on farms.
• Describe use of equine veterinary services and
equine owner perceptions about availability of
veterinary services for equids.
• Describe issues surrounding equids that are
at-risk (an equid that has an increased
possibility of experiencing neglect, abuse, or
poor welfare), and/or in transition (transitioning
from one home, vocation, opportunity, or
owner to the next).
• Describe owner preparedness for emergencies
and natural disasters affecting equids.
• Estimate the prevalence of equine respiratory
disease pathogens from environmental
samples at equine events.
“Understanding the needs of the horse industry
makes the upcoming 2026 NAHMS study
critically important for the future. Similar to
previous studies in 1998, 2005, and 2015,
information garnered from the 2026 study will be
used to identify disease prevalence and guide
the equine industry in allocating resources for
future research, health care, professional
services, and natural disasters. Owner input is
key to recognizing biosecurity needs and how to
prevent infectious diseases. When invited, I
urge horse owners to participate.”

Study Focus

For the 2026 study, NAHMS asked equine owners,
industry stakeholders, and government officials to
provide input and define the information needs of
the equine industry.

—Nathaniel A. White II, DVM, MS Diplomate ACVS
Professor Emeritus of Equine Surgery
Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center
Past President of the American
Association of Equine Practitioners

Study Activities
Phase I – Farm Study
Participation in a NAHMS study is confidential and
voluntary. Phase I of the study will include selected
operations that have five or more equids1 and
qualify as a farm as defined by the USDA
Agricultural Census.2 In August 2026,
representatives from the USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact
selected equine owners in all 50 States to complete
a questionnaire.

Phase II – Event Study
Phase II of the study will consist of questionnaires
and biologic sampling conducted by USDA’s
Veterinary Services at equine events in 30 States
(see map below). Events studied will represent
many breeds, disciplines, and event sizes.
Data from Phase II are expected to provide
information about ways to reduce incidence of
infectious diseases at events through biosecurity
measures and disease monitoring. The goal is to
describe best management practices at events to
ensure equine health in transient populations
exposed to unfamiliar conditions.

Equine 2026 Participating States –
Phase II

“The 2005 NAHMS Equine Event study has long
been used as an important resource for the
horse industry in identifying biosecurity risks and
needs for equine events. As we look to the
future, the NAHMS Equine 2026 study will
provide critical insights into current disease risks
and prevention strategies at equine events. The
information collected from this study will provide
industry experts valuable insights as to the risks
and challenges related to infectious diseases at
equine events. Ultimately, the results from this
study will help direct future efforts for ensuring
healthy safe events for our equine athletes.
I strongly encourage everyone to participate in
the 2026 NAHMS study, which will only further
help us protect and promote equine health at
our equine events.”
—Katie Flynn, BVMS
Senior Staff Veterinarian
Equine Health and Biosecurity
United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)

Confidentiality
NAHMS relies on voluntary participation. The
privacy of every participant is protected. No name
or contact information will be associated with
individual data, and no data will be reported in a
way that could reveal the identity of a participant.
Data are presented only in an aggregate manner.
NAHMS is recognized as a statistical unit by the
Office of Management and Budget. All information
acquired for the NAHMS Equine 2026 study will be
used for statistical purposes only and treated as
confidential in accordance with the Confidential
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act
(CIPSEA). Data collected under CIPSEA are
protected from Freedom of Information requests.

For More Information:
USDA–APHIS–VS–CEAH
NRRC Building B, M.S. 2E7
2150 Centre Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117
Phone: 866-907-8190
E-mail: NAHMS@usda.gov

1

Horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, and other domestic equine species.

The definition of a farm is a place that could or does actually
sell $1,000 of agricultural products annually or that has five or more
equids (other than commercial enterprises, such as racetracks).

2

www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultrydisease/nahms
#803.1124
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

ACCESS

PEOPLE

 Limit contact between
animals, people, &
wildlife

 Establish clear rules
and protocols to
reduce transmission

 Shared items can
spread disease

 Limit access to only
essential personnel
iStock.com/HelgaMariah

ANIMALS
 Use non-porous,
cleanable materials

 Isolate horses returning
from shows or vet visits

 Control movement
between farm areas

 Regularly remove
feces from fields and
paddocks

 Pregnancy can increase
vulnerability to
infectious disease

 Limit co-mingling of
non-resident &
resident horses

ENVIRONMENT

MOVEMENT

Work with your veterinarian to develop a
biosecurity plan for your facility.

iStock.com/Tribalium

Created by: Brandy A. Burgess, DVM, MSc, PhD, DACVIM (LA), DACVPM
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens GA

©BABurgess

Salmonellosis
Salmonella Infections in Horses
 Salmonella is common in horses and can result
in diarrhea and colic.
 Sometimes, horses with Salmonella do not have
any symptoms, but can still be contagious.
 Stress increases the likelihood that a horse will
shed Salmonella. Sources of stress may include
transportation, changing diets, or illness.

iStock.com/MariaLorenaMendozaSartii

How Does Salmonella Spread?
 Salmonella spreads through contaminated feces.
 It can spread from horses to cause disease in
humans (called a zoonotic disease).
 Anything in a horse’s environment can potentially
be contaminated.
 Flies and other insects may spread the bacteria
from surface to surface.

How can you reduce the risk of Salmonella in horses?
 WASH YOUR HANDS! Do this even if you wear gloves while working around your horse. It
reduces the chance of spreading Salmonella or other germs.
 If possible, house sick horses in stalls with cleanable surfaces (e.g., sealed concrete
rather than sand or dirt).
 DON’T SHARE! Buckets, tack, and cleaning tools should not be shared between healthy
and unhealthy horses. Provide your horse with its own feed and water buckets and do
not feed horses on the ground.
 Scrub the wall’s and floor of your horse’s stall regularly with a detergent and always
clean shared trailers before use.
 ISOLATE new horses and horses that have been hospitalized or are returning from an
event at their arrival in case they are carrying an infectious disease such as Salmonella.

Research indicates that stablemates of infected horses are less likely to become
infected with Salmonella when proper precautions are taken to reduce transmission.

Created by: Brandy A. Burgess, DVM, MSc, PhD, DACVIM (LA), DACVPM
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens GA

©BABurgess

Does your horses
nose look like this?
iStock.com/SimonSkafar

Your horse may be showing signs of
developing respiratory disease.
Watery or snotty nasal
discharge can be a sign
of respiratory illness.

iStock.com/TuracNovruzova

Check your horse for an
elevated temperature
(>101.5°F or >38.6°C).

Separate sick horses
from others & use
separate equipment.
Horses may sneeze or
cough when they have
respiratory illness.
iStock.com/Priyanka gupta

Call your veterinarian if your horse is in distress and ask for medical advice.

Created by: Brandy A. Burgess, DVM, MSc, PhD, DACVIM (LA), DACVPM
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens GA

©BABurgess