Pass The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

We, the undersigned members of the American Quarter Horse Association, hereby request that the Congress of the United States co-sponsor and sign SB 311 and HB 503: The American Horse Slaughter Petition Act.

According to the USDA Guidelines for Handling and Transporting Equines to Slaughter, 90% of horses and ponies sent to slaughter are in good to excellent condition. Many are also young, trained horses. Many can have new lives with new owners, a variety of nonprofit organizations, and in law enforcement.

When they arrive at the slaughterhouse, they are herded out with cattle prods then shot in the head with a “captive bolt pistol” or “stun gun”, which is designed to render an animal unconscious, not dead. The horse is often still alive as it is hung by its hooves and its throat is slit. Equating death at the slaughterhouse with humane euthanasia is laughable, as the slaughter process is anything but humane.

In addition to humane concerns regarding horse slaughter, there are also human health concerns regarding the consumption of horsemeat. Horses sent to slaughter are not raised for slaughter and human consumption, as are cows and other livestock. Horses kept as pets are often given medications that are illegal to administer to livestock intended to be a part of the human food supply because of their deleterious effects on human health.

Horse processing facilities themselves create an enormous amount of waste material that can cause public health hazards. The Dallas Crown horse slaughter plant in Kaufman Texas was recently declared a nuisance for this reason. City residents had to endure sewer clogs that forced horse blood and waste to back up into their sinks and tubs.

Recent polls from Kentucky, Texas, and Utah respectively show that 82, 72 and 69 percent of those questioned oppose the practice. In California a 1998 ballot initiative (Prop 6) banning horse slaughter for human consumption passed with 60 percent of the vote.

In closing I offer you this, Humans are the ones who domesticated horses. Ever since then, horses have helped us in time of war, carried us across the country, plowed our fields, and helped give chronically ill children hope. Is slaughter the only thanks they get? On behalf of those horses, which cannot speak for themselves, I would greatly appreciate your assistance in the passage and signing of this act.