Members of Congress, Celebrities, The HSUS Speak Out Against Horse Slaughter and Highlight Need to Protect Wild Horses
Friend of the Horses - Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana
At a press conference on Tuesday, the eve of the President’s speech, representatives from The Humane Society of the United States, members of Congress, celebrities, and representatives from agriculture and the horse industry showed their support of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727), a federal bill to prohibit the trafficking in horses for slaughter for human consumption in the United States and the export of horses for this purpose.
The group also called attention to the Bureau of Land Management’s cruel and unnecessary wild horse roundups, calling on BLM to place a moratorium on these roundups until it has a plan in place for contraception and release or adoption of these horses.
Actresses Kelly Carlson and Wendie Malick, both horse lovers and supporters of The HSUS, spoke passionately about their love of horses and their desire for both slaughter and roundups to cease.
Quoting Henry David Thoreau, Malick said, “We need the tonic of wildness.”
Wendie Malick
In addition to Carlson and Malick, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., lead sponsor of S. 727; Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., co-sponsor of H.R. 503; John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association; Alex Brown, racing industry expert; Keith Windwalker Wainwright, Maryland Coordinator of the Longest Walk Northern Route 2008; Commissioner Red Deer, Deer Clan representative, Maryland commission on Indian Affairs; and Ron Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoological Society, all expressed their support of The HSUS’ efforts.
Landrieu said, “America’s horses are being beaten and dragged across the border into Mexico and Canada so that they can be inhumanely slaughtered for food. I will continue to fight in Congress to end this brutal practice and ensure that American horses will no longer be savagely slaughtered for human consumption.”
“America’s horses are symbolic of the great freedoms this nation offers,” Whitfield said. “These majestic animals are an important part of our culture and I hope that we can soon enact this important legislation to ensure they are no longer inhumanely shipped outside our borders only to meet gruesome ends.”
Kelly Carlson
The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009 (H.R. 503/S. 727) was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to prevent any horses from being slaughtered here in the United States and to spare horses from being transported over the border to foreign slaughter plants. The legislation has garnered large, bipartisan co-sponsor lists in both the House and Senate and is poised for action. In 2009, more than 90,000 American horses were exported for slaughter — the majority shipped in long-distance transport to Mexico.
While there are currently no operational horse slaughter plants in the United States, tens of thousands of healthy, young American horses are still being trucked thousands of miles without food, water or rest to plants across the border into Mexico and Canada.
Documentation uncovered by horse welfare advocates demonstrates that the plants in the United States were equally inhumane and riddled with tremendous abuse. There is no humane way to slaughter horses for human consumption, and Americans are horrified to find out that all kinds of American horses — former show horses, race horses, lesson ponies, even wild horses and heavily pregnant mares — meet this fate. Individuals who own horses must take responsibility for the proper care of their horses. If they cannot fulfill their basic obligation to provide lifetime care, then their options include adoption to new families, placement in equine sanctuaries or humane euthanasia.
“Horse slaughter is cruel, and is by no means humane: Horses suffer immensely while being transported in cramped carriers to foreign slaughterhouses, and, when they arrive, meet a grisly death unfit for these loyal and noble creatures,” said Wayne Pacelle, The HSUS’ president and CEO.
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Thanks to these people for including the roundup issue in this piece. I am grateful for the work done by so many to bring this bill to the nation in the need to stop the cruel transport of our fine domestic and wild horses to be murdered across borders. mar
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The issues of horse slaughter and the plight of our Wild Mustangs has brought all of us to a common meeting ground as they are so very much intertwined. I am thankful for the solidarity of our unified effort to cease and desist the inhumane treatment of our equine neighbors, be they domesticated or wild. The cruelty must cease.
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“Horses suffer immensely while being transported in cramped carriers to foreign slaughterhouses, and, when they arrive, meet a grisly death unfit for these loyal and noble creatures,” said Wayne Pacelle, The HSUS’”
I know we want to keep our attention on horse slaughter, but a grisly death is unfit for ANY animal, and the constant emphasis on these “loyal and noble” creatures only adds fuel the fires of those who say we are starry eyed romanticizing horse huggers.
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Sorry, I agree with everything he said. I do hug my horse, but I stopped being starry eyed the first time I stepped inside a slaughterhouse.
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Ideas from Alex Brown:
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-152.shtml
There’s a horse on-line right now whose owner is threatening to send him or her to a horse auction in one week because he is untrainable. This horse can quickly become yet another poster child for the pro-horse slaughter people.
If the horse is truly untrainable, wouldn’t humane euthanasia be better than taking the horse to an auction where there may be killer buyers present?
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Yes, if the horse TRULY is untrainable and/or dangerous, humane euthanasia is the only decent choice. Notice I said “decent”…
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I truly believe there are no bad horses, just bad trainers/owners. Treat them with respect, love and dignity and they will give you back 10 times more, abuse them and they will resort to their self preservation instincts and treat you like a predator. It is sad to hear about this horse, I am willing to bet that it has been abused at some stage in its life. I have even heard of cases where “untrainable horses” in the right owner or trainers care have turned around and become loving companions for life. I have had first hand experience with two mares like this.
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Yes. Maybe I should have said, did he mean “untrainable” or just “untrainable by HIM”??
In fact, many Quarter Horse trainers have given up on Morgans because Morgans will NOT put up with the “stuff” that Quarter Horses will. A friend of mine has a lovely Morgan mare that was sent back to her from a “trainer” as untrainable. And she was – by him.
I’m on my second Morgan and it’s this self-awareness and expectation of being treated as an equal that attracts me to them. LOL!
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The article in Janets post is definitely worth a read I will repeat the link.
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-152.shtml
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untrainable… maybe that translates into: no patience, no time, no money, no interest… ? What a lame excuse !! Even the worst abused horse can become trainable.. it might take a huge amount of time and patience to gain trust back.. but to label untrainable is a quick human excuse to rid of a problem.. one is not willing to work with !
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My wish for this horse would be to connect it with a gifted horse whisperer . . . someone like Klaus Hempfling who could offer the lost soul back to the horse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMBncWJcksk&NR=1
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why did they not include my picture ?
It was a good event I think. That being said, there is a lot of work to do to get the slaughter bills passed as I am sure many are aware. we are fighting a well funded misinformation campaign.
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I’m sending a brief thank-you to Senator Landrieu and the others who expressed their support.
I want them to know how much their continuing effortsa are appreciated.
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I’m sending a brief thank-you to Senator Landrieu and the others who expressed their support.
I want them to know how much their continuing efforts are appreciated.
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For the readers of this blog:
Please take the time to educate yourself about Sen Landrieu’s current “security” threat and breach….fairly wierd.
I don’t want to say it’s strictly anti-horse people, but the timing is interesting and certainly all possibilities need to be investigated. Everyone is a suspect until further notice, but it is still more than interesting.
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I’ll hold off on thank-yous ’til I find out more about this. Any suggestions on where to look?
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All I know is what I heard on the news. The same guy that pretended to be a pimp in that ACORN sting broke into Sen. Landrieu’s office and attempted to bug her phone.
I haven’t heard any more, at least on our news. Should rummage around the Net I guess.
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This is all over the Net, so you may already have read about it:
O’Keefe (pseudo-pimp) & 3 accomplices have each been charged with entering federal building under false pretenses for the purposes of committing a felony. Maximum penalty if convicted – $250,000 fine & 10 years in jail. One didn’t actually enter, but was arrested in a car parked outside in possession of a listening device.
Blog posts are all over the map, from calling them “merry pranksters” to suggesting they spend their 10 years in Angola Prison. Unfortunately, they’re well-connected politically and financially. I don’t think they’ll be able to laugh their way out of this one unless the FBI screws up. Hello Homeland Security!
O’Keefe blogs for http://www.biggovernment.com. You have to read it to believe it. Lots of crazy posts, but some sane. One person asked “who bankrolled him?”, another “who will flip first?”. Interesting questions. I want to hear the motive.
No mention of horse issues, but you never know. Pro-slaughter backers have big bankrolls.
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God Bless Senator Landrieu and the Human Society we will stop these cowardly, ignorant killers.
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The release or adoption of these Wild Horses from the ROUND -UPS~Yes Yes Yes~That is EXACTLY what needs to be done~Yes and GOD BLESS you Senator Landrieu for these words you have spoken are exactly what NEED to be done and it is the RIGHT thing to happen~Who and where is it that these horses are being trucked across to Mexico and Canada, without food and water and then OH MY GOD, beaten and slaughtered…HOW PLEASE TELL ME HOW OUR USA CAN ALLOW THIS TO GO ON PLEASE STOP THIS PLEASE
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Let’s just hope that this bill doesn’t drop by the wayside and the advocates push this through until it’s law.
It’s the right thing to do. OUR HORSES should not be shipped into a foreign country for food. They serve us and the folks who do not take care of their horses, like other pets, should put them up for adoption. They are the representation of our freedom.
Glen Hawk
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