Although many horses have been sold to legitimate, responsible buyers, even more have not.

The majority of people taking their horses to auction are needing to sell the horse the quickest way possible, for one reason or another.  What they may not realize is the kind man that promises to give the horse the best home, is actually a killer buyer or feed lot owner.  The bigger and healthier the horse, the more money it will bring from slaughter.  Desperate to sell, many owners will settle for their minimum price, or "reserve," which the killer buyer or feed lot owner willing pays.

Many people, truly believing their horse is going to a good home, are unaware that their horse is heading to their final journey.

We have rescued horses that are registered, healthy, and sound.  One mare, because of poor training, would kick out with her back foot when being lifted to clean.  This is a gorgeous horse that has all the ground and saddle manners you would want.  With a little understanding and gentle reconditioning this mare no longer kicks out, but stands perfectly quiet to be groomed and for the farrier.

Auctions are the first step to slaughter.  With the passing of HR 503, and the proposed S1915, transport of horses for slaughter will be illegal.  Some feed lots are already seeing a reduction of horses for slaughter.

What about mustangs showing up on the feed lots, heading for slaughter?

Slaughter FAQ's

Polls show that more of the 80% of the American People are opposed to horse slaughter, but each week more than 1,400 horses are still being slaughtered to be served as a delicacy in upscale restaurants overseas! Here are the facts. Ask your Congressman to take action!

Frequently asked questions about horse slaughter

How many horses are slaughtered in the US each year?
According to the USDA, the three horse slaughter plants remaining in the US (two in Texas and one in Illinois) killed 65,976 horses in 2004 for human consumption and about twenty thousand horses were transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. Together, these numbers represent about 1% of the total number of horses in the U.S., and the entire industry is only 0.001% the size of the U.S. meat industry. It is entirely foreign owned, and pays no corporate taxes or export tariffs. The horse slaughter industry is economically insignificant.

What types of horses are being slaughtered? Aren't these old, sick horses?
According to 2001 field studies conducted by Temple Grandin, 70% of all horses at the slaughter plant were in good, fat, or obese condition; 72% were considered to be “sound” of limb; 84% were of average age; and 96% had no behavioral issues. Slaughter plants do not want old, sick horses for obvious reasons.

Isn't the transport of horses to slaughter regulated by the federal government?
Yes, and it is currently legal to transport horses in low clearance double-decker cattle trailers; legal to transport horses more than 24 hours without food, water or rest; and legal to transport horses without separating the stallions from the mares and foals. Approximately 30% of horses are injured from fighting and transportation.

How are horses killed at the slaughter plant?
According to federal law, horses must be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, usually by captive bolt. However, some are improperly stunned, even with repeated blows, and are still conscious when shackled, hoisted by a rear leg, and cut across the throat. The USDA specifies that 10% live vivisection is acceptable! With their long necks and aversion to anything approaching their foreheads, many horses require multiple strikes.

If horses aren't slaughtered, where will all the unwanted horses go?
The annual number of horses slaughtered in the US dropped from over 300,000 in the 1990s to less than 66,000 in 2004, with no special infrastructure needed to absorb the thousands of “unwanted” horses that were not slaughtered. Horses are being kept longer, sold to others, humanely euthanized, or donated to retirement and rescue facilities. The “surplus horse population” is a myth.

Won't banning horse slaughter mean more cases of horse abuse and neglect?
No. In fact, both the Hooved Animal Humane Society (HAHS) and the Illinois Department of Agriculture reported that following the burning of the only slaughter plant in the region, abuse cases quit rising and went down between 2002 and 2003. California banned horse slaughter in 1998, since that time horse theft has dropped 34% and cruelty reports have not increased (Dr. Carolyn Stull). Texas, which had the only two slaughter plants in 2003, had among the nations highest rates of cruelty and theft. The conclusion is clear, slaughter causes abuse and theft!

Many newborn foals & weanlings, as well as donkeys and mules are slaughtered regularly.

The "bolt" is less accurate than accurate in rendering a horse unconscious before it's throat is slashed and body dumped in scalding hot water.  The "handlers" would have to physically hold the horse's head to keep it from flailing from the fear in order for the bolt to work accurately each time.

Not only is the slaughter inhumane, but the so called "delicacy" of the meat is laden with chemicals - wormers, bute, etc.

With no "food animal" regulations applied to horses in the US, the three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses are in violation of US FDA regulations -
See: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+21USC381

The three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses are in violation the European Council's 'Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005' - in other words, they're in conflict with the laws of the country which they export to.

Drugs banned from US "food producing animals" are routinely given to horses, drugs banned in the EU for "horses intended for slaughter" are routinely given to US horses. Here are the EU laws:

See European Council "Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005" described in "Horse Passports - British Equine Vet Association" here:  http://www.beva.org.uk/index.phptopic=2817a0590c849175b918aab8eeb99bbe

Which ultimately classifies US horsemeat as "adulterated" and not eligible for human consumption, hazardous to human health, and "in conflict with the laws of the country to which it is intended for export."

Note also from the EU regulations: "Products which contain active substances which are not entered into one of those Annexes can never be used in horses which might be slaughtered for human consumption at a future point in time so may only be used in horses which have been declared as NOT intended for human consumption in their passport."

Phenylbutazone (aka: Bute) is one of those substances listed that US horses receive, most routinely I might add.

The Federal Meat Inspection Act is another issue - http://www.fda.gov/opacom/laws/meat.htm

§695. Payment of cost of meat-inspection service; exception.

'The cost of inspection rendered on and after July 1, 1948, under the requirements of laws relating to Federal inspection of meat and meat food products shall be borne by the United States except the cost of overtime pursuant to section 394 of title 7.'

Who gave the 3 foreign owned slaughterhouses the right to bypass a US federal act? Oh yeah, the USDA took that upon themselves.

Here's more facts, not myths or baseless predictions -

And please note that the more than 50% decrease did not result in 137,800 horses being left to starve, nor did it result in 137,800 horses in need of euthanasia or 137,800 carcasses in need of disposal (do the math) - www.fda.gov/cvm/Documents/bse2.pdf  - 12-02-2005 - Text Version

Excerpt -
2.9 Profile of Horse Producers

Horse producing, slaughtering, and rendering activities are also among the agricultural operations that could be affected by the FDA regulatory options. In the U.S., horses are not raised for specifically for slaughter, but old (false, facts show majority of slaughtered horses are young, healthy, and sound) horses are sold at auction to slaughterers.

In 1995, 106,200 head of equine were slaughtered at federally inspected plants (USDA, 1996). Horse slaughtering has been decreasing in the U.S. due to public outrage over horse slaughtering and foreign embargoes on the imports of U.S. horse meat. The 1995 figures represent a decrease of more than 50 percent from a total slaughter of approximately 244,000 equine in 1992 (Bauer, 1993).

And here's another Fact of Farmlife - www.rendermagazine.com  -

Rendering as a means of animal disposal offers a safe and integrated system that will comply with all the fundamental requirements of environmental quality and disease control. The rendering industry has to abide by State laws regarding "dead stock" disposal, which establish a time limit within which the disposal must take place (usually 24 or 48 hours after death) to avoid the nuisances associated with odors, and the potential transmission of disease causing pathogens from the carcasses. The "dead stock" are picked up by specially designated and equipped trucks to preclude any possibility of contamination of the roadways. The trucks are also cleaned and disinfected after designated routes, are subject to inspection, and authorized by law in facilities that are also licensed and approved.  The aforementioned processes maximize government's ability to monitor and regulate disposal and assure compliance with sanitation and hygiene that are vital factors in the prevention and transmission of infectious agents and the subsequent spread of disease.
 

A recent report indicates that renderers process roughly 50% of all livestock mortalities approximating 3 billion pounds in 2000. Of this number, beef cattle accounts for the largest proportion of the mortalities requiring disposal, based on a by weight analysis. The rendering industry has typically charged modest fees to collect the on-farm/feedlot mortalities. A comparison to the operating costs and likely fixed costs associated with other animal disposal methods, the rendering option remains highly cost effective.
 

Rendering also offers other environmental and regulatory benefits that are not duplicated by other forms of disposal. Unlike landfill and composting, both methods that increase volume and contribute to ecological challenges, the rendering process reduces mass/volume. Rendering conforms to the traceability aspect of regulations as mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
 

National Renderers Association, Inc. - www.renderers.org