Investigating the Market Value of Brumbies (Equus caballus) in the Australian Riding Horse Market

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Feral horse (Equus caballus) numbers in Australian national parks are increasing and population management typically requires culling to reduce numbers and deleterious impacts. Alternatives to culling include capture either for permanent removal or relocation, the application of fertility control interventions or rehoming. All these have been proposed for feral horse management globally, and all are subject to challenges, costs, and potential welfare threats. Rehoming as a management tool has wide community acceptance but, to date, there has been no research to determine the number and value of feral horses (brumbies) entering the Australian recreational riding horse market following rehoming. We analysed data from Australia’s leading monthly horse-trading magazine Horse Deals, between February 2017 to July 2022 to determine which factors influenced the estimated market value of rehomed Australian brumbies. Rehomed Australian feral horses were priced differently to similar domestic-bred horses, and most were described as “Unbroken”. Further research is required to determine what niche feral horses occupy in the recreational riding horse market and which rider demographic is best suited to these horses to optimise horse-human welfare outcomes. ABSTRACT: Feral horses, also known as brumbies, are widely distributed across Australia with some populations being managed largely by human intervention. Rehoming of suitable feral horses following passive trapping has wide community acceptance as a management tool. However, there is little information about the number and relative economic value of feral horses compared with cohorts in the riding horse market. We examined 15,404 advertisements of horses for sale in 53 editions of Horse Deals, published from February 2017 to July 2022. Despite the considerable media attention and public scrutiny surrounding feral horse management, rehomed feral horses represented only a tiny fraction of the horse market in the current study. Of the 15,404 advertisements examined, only 128 (0.0083%) were for feral horses. We recorded phrases used to describe behavioural characteristics and other variables. The following variables were found to be not independent: Ridden Status, Height, Age, Sex, Colour, and Warning terms/more work. Using descriptive statistics to describe basic features of the data, the average price for feral horses ($1408) was lower than that for domestic horses ($1790) with the maximum price for a domestic horse being nearly twice the maximum for a feral horse. Univariate analysis showed feral horses were over-represented among “Unbroken” horses and underrepresented among “Ridden”, “Broodmare” and “Harness” horses compared with domestic bred horses (p < 0.001). Feral horses appeared over-represented at shorter heights, among younger age groups (3 years or younger and 3.1 to 6 years) (p < 0.001) and in the dilute colour category (p = 0.008). The multivariable mixed model on price revealed that for domestic horses, the highest estimated marginal mean price averaged across the colour categories was for ridden horses aged 6.1–10-year-old at $1657.04 (95% CI $1320.56–$2074.66). In contrast, for feral horses, the multivariable mixed model demonstrated the similar highest estimated marginal mean averaged was for green broken 3–6-year-old horses that have undergone foundation training under saddle at $2526.97 (95% CI $1505.63–$4208.27). Australian feral horses were valued differently tfromsimilar domestic horses in the recreational riding horse market and further research is warranted to determine appropriate target markets and boost the sustainability of rehoming as a feral horse management tool.