It Will Take an Act of Congress to Protect America’s Horses

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The phrase ‘it would take an act of Congress’ is American slang that refers to something extremely difficult to achieve. When it comes to passing a bill to protect America’s horses, is not just a phrase. February 2023 marks the 21st anniversary of proposed Federal legislation written to ban horse slaughter for human consumption.

2022 brought American equines close to the finish line of safety in the United States House of Representatives. The proposed Federal bill, the Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act of 2021 (SAFE Act), gained Co-Sponsors and moved forward throughout the year. That is until a day or two before the Energy and Commerce Committee Mark-Up Hearing scheduled for September 21st. Supporters of the life saving legislation learned the bill stalled at the last minute and would not come out of the Committee as expected.

Three organizations supporting the slaughter of American horses presented letters opposing the S.A.F.E. Act to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. They dated all three letters May 26, 2022. The American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation and National Tribal Horse Coalition wrote the letters.

Kill buying and horse slaughter are the dark side of America’s equine industry. Few people know about it, however, it’s a highly discussed issue on Capitol Hill. The equine protection community, opposed to the slaughter of the country’s horses, and pro-slaughter special interest groups have worked on the issue every congressional session since the efforts began. Work has already begun to produce a slaughter prevention bill in the 118th Congress. Failure to agree on and pass a bill to protect America’s horses keeps the kill buying pipeline flowing.

Individuals and groups supporting horse slaughter promote the idea slaughter is a humane end of life. A simple google search provides information to the contrary. Horse slaughter is not humane euthanasia. Pro-horse slaughter groups also promote the concept slaughter helps protect what they refer to as the ‘unwanted’ horse. The nation’s rescue community disagrees. There are some owners who simply do not want to care for a horse any longer. Rather than looking for another home or contacting a rescue organization for help, they find it easier to dump the animal into the slaughter pipeline. Caring horse owners who find themselves in need of help are encouraged to reach out to their area rescue organizations. Auction houses and Craigslist are targeted by kill buyers. Horses needing safe homes may end up in kill pens without the owner having knowledge of it if care is not taken in re-homing.

America’s equine rescue community is nationwide. Individuals and organizations pull together to help network and re-home horses that end up in dangerous situations seven days a week. A 2022 survey again found the American public opposes horse slaughter. The survey results determined 83% of people contacted opposed it. A Cision PR Newswire article published February 27, 2022, stated “a national poll conducted by Lake Research Partners reveals 83 percent of Americans oppose the slaughter of U.S. horses for human consumption. Opposition to horse slaughter has remained strong and even increased slightly since prior polling in 2012, and this opposition extends across political party, race, gender and regardless of whether the respondent lived in a rural or urban setting.”

John Hettinger is remembered as one of the country’s leading anti-slaughter advocates. The Paulick Report paid tribute to him in their article dated November 17, 2010, titled A Man Who Loved Horses. An excerpt from the article reads, “Saturday was a bad day for horses. One of their best friends in the world, John Hettinger, passed away at the age of 74. No one fought harder to end the slaughter of horses in the United States than John Hettinger. He was tireless and passionate about ending slaughter. He talked about it, wrote about it, did something about it. He was a man of words and of action. And he put his money where his mouth was.”

Jay Hovdey’s article, There's No Time Like Derby Time to Push the SAFE Act, April 29, 2022, included the following quote from Mr. Hettinger, “the slaughter of horses is a convenient garbage pail, and nothing more. Enabling a callous and irresponsible person to walk away from a problem, pocket a few hundred dollars, and feel good about it, is a disservice to our industry and the animal they profess to care about. There are two things that flourish in the dark, mushrooms and horse slaughter. Most people don't know it's going on. We must deny them the darkness.”

Mr. Hovdey closed his article with the following sentiment, “perhaps if the right stars align, the SAFE Act can see the light of day.”

American Equine Awareness asks readers to support the efforts to protect America’s horses.

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American Equine Allies Association is a Georgia equine advocacy and awareness non-profit corporation. The conviction that every horse owner in the United States needs to have the ability to safely home their horse, should a need arise, led to the formation of the organization. American Equine Awareness, its media awareness program, shares domestic and wild equine information and issues directly with the public and news outlets.

Donna Brorein, AEA Advocacy News
American Equine Awareness
+1 770-870-7589
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