Columbus, OH –  The U.S. Trotting Association released the 2020 List of Mares Bred statistics on Thursday (Nov. 12).

As of that date, there have been 12,229 mares bred by 623 stallions. In 2019, there were only 11,513 mares reported by this date.  The numbers indicate an increase of 6.21 percent compared to 2019.

The expectation is that the reports on the numbers of mares bred will increase during the final two months of the year.  Based upon previous years, it is estimated that the reported number of mares bred will increase by 1,500 by the end of 2020.

“We are pleased to report that the 2020 List of Mares Bred numbers are once again up over the previous breeding season,” said USTA Registrar TC Lane.  “This marks the fifth straight year that the number of mares bred has increased.”

Following are the statistics for the List of Mares Bred for the previous five years:

2015    12,811
2016    13,390
2017    14,316
2018    14,980
2019    14,997

Ohio is the state with the most Mares Bred to date with 2,860.  The following are the top five states as of Nov. 12, 2020.

Ohio- 2,860
Indiana- 2,497
Pennsylvania- 2,216
New York- 1,181
Illinois- 997

Another interesting statistic is related to the location of the mares around the country. Following are the top five states by mare location in 2020:

Ohio- 2,530
Indiana- 2,334
Pennsylvania- 2,054
New York- 1,223
Illinois- 933

Some mares have been bred to more than one stallion and more than one report has been submitted for those mares.  Each of those reports has been counted separately in the statistics on the List of Mares Bred. 

“Despite the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of the major sales have been fairly pleased with their results considering all factors,” added Lane.

“Five years ago, with foal crops on the decline, there was some concern about where the industry was headed.  But with purse structures as high as they’ve ever been in many states and the positive trends in breeding, there may never be a better time to be an owner in harness racing.”