According to Fortune Business Insights, the Europe foal health market was valued at USD 54.2 million in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 56.7 million in 2023 to USD 82.2 million by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% over the forecast period. The report covers a study period spanning 2017 to 2030, with 2022 serving as the base year and historical data drawn from 2017–2021.
This steady upward trajectory reflects the growing importance placed on newborn horse health across the equestrian and horse-breeding industries of Europe, as owners, breeders, and veterinary professionals increasingly prioritize early-life care for foals.
Key Growth Drivers
Rising Disease Incidence in Foals A wide range of neonatal diseases and ailments affects foal health, and closely monitoring foal behavior, recognizing early warning signs, and managing conditions through treatment and care are essential to keeping foals healthy. Newborn foals remain particularly susceptible to conditions such as colic, lameness, septicemia, diarrhea, and respiratory illness. To counter this vulnerability, the industry relies heavily on pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, and supplemental feed additives, and rising case volumes are directly translating into stronger demand for these products.
Awareness and Regulatory Push Growing awareness of foal health issues, combined with mandatory immunization requirements tied to equestrian sporting activity, is reinforcing demand across the region. Veterinary and industry bodies continue to publicize disease-surveillance findings — for instance, a 2022 case of EHV-4 respiratory disease reported by Three Counties Equine Hospital in the Equine Quarterly Disease Surveillance Report — which helps keep disease risk visible to breeders and owners alike.
Long-Term Health and Performance Stakes Beyond immediate illness, foal-hood health has lasting consequences for a horse's future. Research cited from a 2022 Galebreaker article notes that foals are most vulnerable to pneumonia from birth through six months of age, and that thoroughbred racehorses who suffered pneumonia as foals went on to have fewer race starts and shorter careers than horses that avoided the disease. This kind of finding strengthens the commercial case for early intervention, particularly among breeders and racing operations with a financial stake in a horse's future performance.
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Pandemic Impact and Recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic had a modestly positive net impact on the market despite initial disruption. Foal breeding activity paused during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, which softened demand for riding horses and slowed market growth that year. However, momentum returned in the second half of 2020 as pandemic restrictions eased and both foal registrations and demand for riding horses picked back up.
Individual company performance mirrored this pattern. Zoetis Services LLC, for example, reported USD 215.0 million in net sales from its horse segment (including foals) in 2020, before that segment's sales climbed 22.3% in 2021 on the back of renewed global demand for animal medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics. As veterinary visits resumed at pre-pandemic levels, overall market growth stabilized in 2022 and returned to its long-term trajectory for the remainder of the forecast period.
Emerging Treatment Trends
One notable clinical trend shaping the market is the growing use of plasma products to treat a range of foal diseases across Europe, reflecting broader advances in veterinary care and a shift toward more sophisticated therapeutic options for young horses. In parallel, established and emerging animal-health companies continue to focus on developing and launching new vaccines and feed additives tailored specifically to foals, further expanding the range of preventive and treatment options available to the market.
Outlook
Taken together, these dynamics — a persistently high burden of neonatal disease, tightening immunization requirements tied to equestrian sport, rising owner and breeder awareness, and continued product innovation from major animal-health players — position the Europe foal health market for steady, if measured, growth through 2030. The market's recovery from pandemic-era disruption also suggests underlying resilience, with demand fundamentals (breeding activity, competitive equestrian participation, and veterinary engagement) reasserting themselves once external shocks subside.
For breeders, veterinary suppliers, and animal-health companies operating in the region, the data point toward continued opportunity in vaccines, plasma-based therapeutics, and supplemental feed products, particularly as awareness campaigns and disease-surveillance reporting keep foal health issues visible across the European equestrian community.