The American Horse Council (AHC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are co-sponsoring an all-day forum on June 18 in Washington, D.C., called “The Unwanted Horse Issue: What Now?” Invited speakers are discussing the known and unknown factors surrounding the unwanted horse issue, as well as possible solutions and options to deal with the problem and decrease the number of unwanted horses in the country.
“The Unwanted Horse Forum is open to all,” said Jay Hickey, AHC president. “There is little data about the size of the problem, the numbers of unwanted horses, the ability of the current system to care for them, and whether there is an increase in neglect and similar issues. We hope this forum will be an opportunity to focus on the many factors that surround the problem of the unwanted horse and bring some clarity to the extent of the problem.”
The forum is part of the AHC’s 2008 National Issues Forum, June 15-18. For more information, visit www.horsecouncil.org
This is a good idea. I think sick unwanted horses and even perhaps ill-mannered ones should be put down or slaughtered for dog food. It’s better than the alternative. Others could be used in training programmes for riders or for vacationers.
I think this is a good idea, and I hope and pray the United States comes to its senses and stops shipping horses to Canada for slaughter. Horses have fought with us/for us since man domesticated the first wild horses. Horses have fought in your American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Boer War, the Crimean War……… the list goes on. Horses are still used today in Afghanistan by the Canadian Governor General’s Horseguards. We bet millions – perhaps billions of dollars each year on the Triple Crown. Horses used to be the main mode of transportation before the invention of the automobile. Horses have been used on farms for centuries, and still are. I have been a horse lover my entire life, and I find this issue extremely saddening. Our CBC National News did an expose on this issue, and it’s quite appalling and sickening. PLEASE put a stop to this.
well, that’s good. at they are tying to get something done, you know? i cheer them on!
Here in Los Angeles County, you have to pay $15 a year to license your horse. How about raising the fee to $20 and charging a higher fee for stallions. I would gladly pay alittle more if the money went to support unwanted horses