Since January 1st, 1985 3,392,889 horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, and foals have been slaughtered under federal inspection.  This figure does not include horses that have been shipped to Mexico, Canada and Japan for slaughter.  This figure also does not include so called ‘mom and pop’ operations that slaughter horses to supply meat for big cats at Busch Gardens, a company in North Carolina that ships them into International Waters and slaughters them there, and numerous other small operations in New Jersey, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.  There are too many unregulated abbatoirs to know where they all are.  One thing is absolutely certain:  horse slaughter is illegal.

In 1958 the United States Congress passed the Humane Slaughter Act and President Dwight David Eisenhower signed the bill into law.  This statute was amended (and strengthened) in 2002.  This statute stipulates that animals being slaughtered must be insensible to pain before they are ‘cut or cast’ and only one blow is acceptable.  With equids, this does not happen.

Equids (horses, ponies, foals, donkeys and mules) regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck by the penetrating captive bolt pistol.  They are fully aware they are being vivisected.  They do feel pain.  The captive bolt does not kill the equids.  Equids must be alive when they are being butchered or their flesh is useless as a commodity.

Horse slaughter is not only a violation of a Federal statute, but the existence of the industry routinely violates the property rights of all whom have had their horses stolen and slaughtered.

The 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses all had a chance to enforce the Humane Slaughter Act and ban the practice.  They failed to do so.  There are now two new bills in the 110th Congress:  HR 503 and S. 311.  Both bills were introduced simultaneously to expedite the passage of the legislation.

Manes and Tails' Maddie
‘Maddie’ aka ‘Okay Renee’
Rescued and being rehabilitated by Manes and Tails Organization.