Facts About Horse Slaughter in the United States

Legislation

• Federal legislation on horse slaughter has not been passed by Congress, and American horses are being transported to Canada and Mexico, where slaughter practices are more brutal. The absence of federal legislation creates a situation in which states with no laws against the practice can open new plants legally. H.R. 503, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, was introduced January 15, 2009. The bill would ban horse slaughter and their transport for such purposes altogether. As of May 2011, the bill is being considered by the 111th Congress.

Horse Transport

• Prior to 2010, horses and pregnant mares sent to slaughterhouses were transported in double-decker trailers intended for pigs and cattle. Horses were involved in numerous inhumane accidents, with horses being seriously injured, trampled and killed. On July 29, 2010 the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, which significantly improved horse transportation in the U.S., prohibiting horses from being transported in motor vehicles with two or more levels stacked on top of each other.

Slaughter Arguments

• Pro-slaughter groups state that the majority of horses sent to slaughter are sick, old, diseased or dying. However, meat from sick and malnourished horses is not fit for human consumption. Research conducted by the Department of Animal Sciences in 2001 titled "Characterizations of Horses at Auctions and in Slaughter Plants" discovered slightly more than 70 percent of horses slaughtered were in good, fat to obese condition. Advocates for horse slaughter argue that the practice is carried out humanely and that the horse is left unconscious as a result of being quickly shot in the head by a retractable bolt before having its throat slit. The Doris Day Animal League states, "Callous treatment at the slaughterhouse often results in prolonged suffering. Panicked horses are often prodded and beaten off the truck and into the kill chute. Improper use of stunning equipment, designed to render the animal unconscious with a swift shot to the head, means that horses sometimes endure repeated blows, and remain conscious during their own slaughter, including throat slitting."

Wild Horses and Racehorses

• Since 2004, a Congressional rider stripped wild horse and burro protections and now the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sells horses acquired during roundups who are 10 years of age or older or not adopted after three attempts at auction. Tom Pogacnik, director of the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program revealed that approximately 90 percent of wild horses go to slaughter. John Hettinger, Chairman of the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and NY Racing Association Trustee states that 7,000 to 9,000 Thoroughbred racehorses are slaughtered every year.

Equine Management

• U.S. horse welfare problems can be addressed by using humane solutions to deal with equine issues and ensuring their care after you relinquish ownership. Estimates by the National Agricultural Statistics Service show that 1 percent of the horse population was slaughtered in 2001. The excess of horses whose owners can no longer take care of them or are unwanted can be absorbed by equine rescues, adoption agencies, therapy facilities, retirement farms and other equine organizations. According to Habitat for Horses, "The overflow can be handled. Responsible breeding and management of horses, combined with the efforts of rescue and adoption agencies, are providing the answer to this issue."