Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act Still Topic of Discussion
Edited Press Release

On Wednesday, September 10, 2008, the House Judiciary Committee debated H.R. 6598, the "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008." Although the bill was slated for mark-up, the committee tabled the bill after initial discussion in order to debate other legislation.

NCBA continues to actively oppose the bill, and sent a letter to House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and ranking member Lamar Smith detailing the legislation's flaws, saying, "This bill is the most recent attempt to eliminate a humane animal management option by banning the processing of horses for reasons other than safety or public health. The legislation was introduced to protect horse welfare, but the provisions of this bill will do more to harm horses than it will to protect them."

Since state laws have banned horse processing, the number of abandoned, neglected, and starving horses has drastically increased.

Additionally, this bill would severely limit the rights of owners to manage their private property and subject horse owners to criminal prosecution should they sell their horses for processing. 

Source: www.cattlenetwork.com

Of course the whole idea is ridiculous. I say this as an owner of some 70 happy horses. What will happen to all the old and unneeded horses - they will be turned out to starve. What is needed is legislation to control transport of horses to slaughterhouses and control of those facilities so that slaughter is humane, and well managed.