@Groom -

Actually more than you think, and a small car with minimal ground clearance is less than useless. I don't think you have a firm idea of just how big the outdoor recreation industry is in America - it is huge.

If people arent doing it, they are planning to it.

Good luck pulling horses inside a enclosed trailer up to
Tahoe or over Grants pass with a sedan or a small truck.
Impossible.

Just a little about just the Horses

We have lots of horses in America, with your thinking they would all be stuck at home

This is right from the Horses mouth:

There are 9.2 million horses in the United States.

. 4.6 million Americans are involved in the industry as horse owners, service providers, employees and volunteers. Tens of millions more participate as spectators.

. 2 million people own horses.

. The horse industry has a direct economic effect on the U.S.of $39 billion annually.

. The industry has a $102 billion impact on the U.S.economy when the multiplier effect of spending by industry suppliers and employees is taken into account. Including off-site spending of spectators would result in an even higher figure.

. The industry directly provides 460,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.

. Spending by suppliers and employees generates additional jobs for a total employment impact of 1.4 million FTE jobs.

. The horse industry pays $1.9 billion in taxes to all levels of government.

. Approximately 34% of horse owners have a household income of less than $50,000 and 28% have an annual income of over $100,000. 46% of horse owners have an income of between $25,000 to $75,000.

. Over 70% of horse owners live in communities of 50,000 or less.

. There are horses in every state. Forty-five states have at least 20,000 horses each.

Numbers of Horses

The study concludes that there are 9.2 million horses in the U.S., including horses used for racing, showing, competition, sport, breeding, recreation and work. This includes horses used both commercially and for pleasure.

Specifically, the number of horses by activity is:

Racing 844,531

Showing 2,718,954

Recreation 3,906,923

Other 1,752,439

Total 9,222,847

4.6 million people are involved in the horse industry in some way, either as owners, employees, service providers or volunteers. This includes 2 million horse owners, of which 238,000 are involved in breeding, 481,000 in competing, 1.1 million involved in other activities, 119,000 service providers and 702,000 employees, full- and part-time and 2 million family members and volunteers. That means that 1 out of every 63 Americans is involved with horses.

Warning! Horses can cost you more to maintain than that F430 you might want!