The prevalence of recreational horse ownership in Victoria is believed to be 1-2%. Little, however, is known about recreational horse ownership due mainly to the absence of a compulsory identification and registration system, and the difficulty associated with contacting horse owners that are not members of horse clubs. The welfare of horses has become an increasingly important issue and many of the horse welfare problems involve horses used primarily for recreation. This preliminary study, part of a larger project examining the welfare of recreational horses in Victoria, Australia, examined the prevalence of recreational horse ownership and collected details regarding recreational horse ownership, focusing particularly on owner attributes and the beliefs underlying this ownership. Seven-hundred-and-eighty-two Victorian households were randomly surveyed (via a telephone book, a public domain source) using a properly constructed telephone questionnaire. The prevalence of recreational horse ownership was approximately 3.5%, suggesting some 185, 500 Victorians currently own a horse. Twenty-three percent of these horse owners reside within the city and surrounding suburbs. The main reasons for owning horses in Victoria were recreation and companions/pets. Sixty-eight percent of horse owners had been involved with horses in some form for more than 10 years. More than 50% of horse owners were not members of any horse clubs or societies. When considering that horse ownership in Victoria is not under any regulatory constraints, together with the fact that 3 out of 5 horse owners own more than one horse, the welfare implications for a substantial number of recreational horses are considerable. Clearly further research, as planned in this unique project, is necessary to understand owner attributes and the beliefs underlying horse ownership particularly in relationship to welfare problems. Such knowledge is essential in developing and implementing appropriate strategies to manage recreational horse welfare in Victoria.