Legislation to Ban Horse Slaughter for Consumption Overseas Introduced
Edited Press Release

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has introduced legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as the export of American horses to other countries for slaughter. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) introduced the bill, H.R. 6598, known as the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008.

In addition to Conyers and Burton, the original co-sponsors of the legislation include Reps. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio). The legislation has strong support from The Humane Society of the United States and other animal protection organizations.

State legislatures have recently acted to ban horse slaughter, shuttering the last remaining foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the U.S., but the export of live horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter is still in place. More than 45,000 horses have been sent across U.S. borders to slaughter in Canada or Mexico so far in 2008, surpassing the number of exports to date in 2007.

The HSUS is joined by members of Congress, the National Show Horse Registry, American Horse Defense Fund, Veterinarians for Equine Welfare, United States Equine Sanctuary & Rescue, American Walking Pony Association, American Indian Horse Registry, Palomino Horse Association, United States Eventing Association, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Steeplechase Association, Churchill Downs and more than 500 endorsing organizations along with the majority of Americans in support of the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

Source: www.hsus.org

Are these people retarded? How about we sign a bill stating cut off all the vegetables to those who support those bills. It amazes me that the people who are against horse slaughter all claim to be vegetarians. And weigh 200lbs or better. Just look at Oprah Winfrey. Does anyone have contact information for the people who support this bill or are they unheard of people? I would like to contact them. I bet everyone of these people who support this bill have never owned an animal of any sort much less a horse.

I can not believe we have let the bleeding heart dummies get us into the position we are in now in relation to the killing of horses.Shutting down of the killing plants has only broubht the preices of the lower end horses cheap riders down .Also we are seeing old and not wanted animals turned lose on open ranges .It will only get worse.I am for the humane killing of these animals and if their meat will feed people ,at least it is going to a good cause.

I hope that all these people, the "in your words" "majority of the US" and some legislatures that have no idea about horses, horse people, and related costs are prepared to pasture all the horses that have to suffer and starve. Someone needs to take a realistic look at this, possibly look at what the BLM is going through regarding unwanted horses, or look at the large increase in stray horses, since they became a horrific thing to export.

Apparently these people have never been in the position of having a beloved animal fail in health at the same time that the owner has had diminished finances. It costs approximately $50 for the vet to come out and euthanize an equine. The renderers charge more than $350 to take the remains away. So, you have a sick horse that is suffering and you don't have the $400 to humanely euthanize it. What to do? Stand it in the pasture to slowly die while it also suffers from lack of farrier attention? Turn it out in the forest preserve to suffer and perhaps get on the road causing a traffic accident? Good grief. The do gooders do more harm than good if they only look at one side of the picture.

I know that all of these organizations and people think they are "saving" all of these horses but what are we going to do with all the unwanted horses in the US? Who is going to pay to take care of all of the horses that do not have any other place to go? There are many horses that go to slaughter each year that for one reason or another that is the most humane end, otherwise they will starve to death in a pasture or some even worse ends. The horse is a noble creature that should be loved and cared for but in today's economy with hay and grain prices going through the roof it is impossible for some horse owners to support their animals. Banning horse slaughter and the export of horse meat for human consumption is a disservice to our noble friends. Just because US citizens, as a society, do not condone the consumption of horse meat does not make it an inhumane. The use of the meat after an animal has been humanely slaughtered is much nobler than putting starved horse carcasses in landfills. As long as slaughter remains legal in the US then the transportation of the horses and the slaughter houses can be regulated and inspected by the US Government. Closing down the slaughter houses and not allowing exports of horse meat for human consumption is not in the best interest of the horse population of the United States.

This is another sad day for equines, though sheer misguided "do-gooding". The slaughter facilities I have visited make absolutely sure the animals are calm, relaxed and have absolutely no idea of what is about to happen. It is a clean, swift, humane and, some might say, honorable end. For the abbatoir, it has to be, since frightened or fearful animals leave a taint in the meat.
Do we care that these animals end up on a human plate versus in a can of dog food? Surely, everyone realizes that the enhanced value placed on meat for human consumption ensures the highest possible care will be taken of these animals?
If our politicians wish to threaten the very well-being of our horses through removing a sensible way to euthanize, what will or should they do about the millions (literally) of unwanted dogs and cats that are "put down" every year? Often, with the involvement of the very humane societies that are claimed to be part of this proposed legislation?

Us horse people have to fight this, and the only way is to Unite! Write letters to your reps and senators! They don't have a clue about what it takes to take care of a horse. The Government thinks they are the Gods and they should lead and guide us. What right do they have to decide if eating horse meat is wrong. I may not eat horse meat, but I eat beef! And some people like veal or lamb. I not going to judge them because I don't like it. Those fools there think this is for the best have their heads up the butt so far they need to pull on their ears until the hear a popping noise to tell them they are out and to breathe some fresh air! I've seen what people have done to unwanted horses. The horses with tattoos on their lips have been cut out and left on the desert to starve... and they think that is humane. And they say all those race people support this? I can't believe that. 90% of the young horses that are shipped to slaughter are from race people. Because they start racing them so young. We horse people can't be passive anymore!!! Start screaming at our electives and tell them to fight this. We elected them, they need to get a clue.

The BLM is a good example of how badly this will go for the horses. The BLM are now considering the euthanasia 30,000 horses. The money is not available to care for the number of horses that they have in the program. How these people think that the added burden of 80K to 100K of unwanted horses will just magically be taken care of makes me wonder at their thought process. The thruth is while these bans are being made law they fail to provide funding for the care of the horses that will no longer have homes, ranches of farms to live on.
Horses are being set out in woods, on plains across America, left tied to peoples trailers, appearing in horse owners pastures in the middle of the night, starved in pastures by owners no longer able to afford the cost of feed, hay, farrier care and veterinarian services. Slaughter was a sad fate for horses but a far less acceptable fate is the slow agonizing deaths that come with starvation, untreated illness and no care.

What is never addressed is that ranchers have made a living by breeding horses to sell to these foreign markets for decades. In effect the government now is denying them the right to earn their living also without compensation.

This is just another instance of a few loud people making policy that does more harm than good because it plays to peoples emotions who have no clue about the industry and that plays well during and election year. It also will likely have no impact on them personally. It is surprising to see any veterinarian group endorse this so I wonder if these are large animal (or even equine) vets. It speak volumes that the AAEP does not support these slaughter bans having done the research and knowing the harm that will be inflicted on these wonderful animals.

This article was directly below the article 'Horse Experts See More Unwanted Horses, Abandonment, Neglect.' People have used slaughter as a way to humanely put down their horses which they can no longer keep. Many horse owners cannot afford the $350+ cost to euthanize and bury a large animal. Prices for hay and grain continue to increase to the point that people are giving away their horses. If there is no one to take them or the animal is older, has physical limitations, or character issues - the owner is extremely limited in their choices for a solution.

The US can regulate the transportation of horses, inspect the slaughterhouses for compliance and enforce humane procedures. We have no control over the procedures followed in other countries.

The 'saving' of the horses because every other country eats horse meat is causing disservice to the horse. Starvation and neglect is certainly more painful than a humane death.

I have owned and ridden horses all my life, some 50 years. I compete on AQHA horses and love them to death. but i ask, why is it in humane to take them to slaughter?? it does n't make sense to me. Horses are animals, we slaughter animals every day for human consumption. I realize horses may some what vary from the normal feedlot animals, but i ask, what do you do with a permantely lame horse, you cannt ride, you either pay someone to pasture them for the rest of there life, or you put them to death. Horse's my freinds are a business, when you take away an alternative way to recoop money(sale) from your business you lose that option. There are way to many do gooders out there trying to save all the animals, when in real life were killing our own kind through lack haveing a society that can't raise there own children correctly.

I have already post with my Senators and Congressman to vote this bill down, The people that pushed to get the slaughter plants closed have no Idea want a problem they have created in the Equine World and it is only going to get worse. I was looking at all of the groups that support this bill. Where did they all come from, or were some of them made up. I have been raising Register Quarter Horses for 38 years and before that I had horses to ride since I was able to pull my own boots on. No one loves a horse more than I do. Please people contact your Senators and Congressmen and get this shut down and even ask them to open back up the slaughter plants in this nation.

I have been in the horse business all my life and I ask all these tree huggers and do gooders what are we supposed to do with the lame, crippled and old horses? Do we leave them suffer the rest of their life or send them to slaughter? My god if you would shoot one of these horses they would lock you up and throw away the key!!!It costs a lot of money to have a vet come to your ranch and put a horse down and what is the end result, the same as slaughter with no income, just expense. With the high cost of hay and grain and the lower horse prices it is almost impossible to break even in the horse business without a slaughter market. What do we do with cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens when the law is passed for no more human consumption of horses in the world? Are the rest of these hogs, cattle, chickens and sheep next? I like meat on my plate for a meal what are we supposed to eat the rest fo our lives vegetables? If the horses slaughter stops then look at all the horses that are going to starve to death and have to suffer! What is more hunmane, slaughter or sufering? Why don't all you people opposed to a slaughter market put a fence around your yard and let all the horse owners know your address and we will drop off all our old, lame and crippled horses for you to pay feed and vet bills on!!!Then let the humane society come by and see them and arrest you for not taking care of them because you can't afford it. Wake up this is AMERICA!!! Are we going to let the do gooders and tree huggers run this world or are we going to fight and let the people who feed this world have a say about what goes on!!! THE SLAUGHTER MARKET HAS TO STAY!! Who cares if a dog or a human eats the meat it is still dead and being eaten!!!