The history of the horse slaughter industry in the United States is a long one, dating back to the 1900s, when wild horses were routinely rounded up off the range and sold for dog food. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 stopped that practice, but the business of slaughtering horses for human consumption has continued. While wild horses are protected by law from being sold for slaughter, auctions around the country continue to be dumping grounds for unwanted horses who are sold for to be killed for their meat.

In 2007, the end of federal funding for the inspection of equine slaughter facilities in the U.S. resulted in the closure of the three facilities that still operated within the States. It did not make horse slaughter illegal, however, and since that time, thousands of American horses have been shipped to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada.

“The horse slaughter industry not only exploits horses who endure grueling journeys to slaughter plants and an inhumane death, it also harms the broader equine community, including horse owners, riders and rescues, who fear that their horses will end up in the slaughter pipeline despite their best efforts to keep them safe,” says Nancy Perry, senior vice president of Government Relations for the ASPCA. 

“Approximately 75 percent of horse owners surveyed at the ASPCA’s Equine Transition and Adoption Center admit that the threat of horse slaughter played a primary role in delaying relinquishment and seeking care,” says Perry. “Euthanasia by a veterinarian, a service we provide to horses who need it, is a humane and pragmatic part of horse care; slaughter is neither.”

New Legislation

Since 2007, horse advocates have lobbied for legislation to make it illegal for horses in the U.S. to be sold for slaughter. Each time, the legislation has died in Congress. But the newest bill to be introduced, the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, is giving hope to the horse welfare community.

“The SAFE Act was introduced by a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers, and if passed, this legislation would permanently protect American horses from commercial slaughter,” says Perry. “This bipartisan bill has garnered support from more than half of the U.S. House of Representatives, a critical benchmark that means this legislation would pass if brought to the floor for a vote.”

While the SAFE Act can advance through Congress on its own, legislators have an opportunity to include this critical language in the Farm Bill, which would be a monumental victory for horses, according to Perry. Both the House and Senate still have the opportunity to add the SAFE Act to their respective Farm Bill versions and support its inclusion in negotiations.

The SAFE Act would expand the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act, which passed as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, to include equines, prohibiting the commercial slaughter of horses in the U.S. and ending their export for that purpose abroad.

“The horse slaughter industry incentivizes poor treatment, fraud and other predatory behavior,” says Perry. “At auctions, kill buyers acquire horses that may otherwise have had a safe place to land by actively outbidding people and adoption organizations who would offer the horses good homes. These kill buyers also often pose as good homes to well-intentioned owners looking to rehome their beloved equine partner, acquiring the horses and later selling the animals to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.”

Widespread Support of the SAFE Act

Over the past two years, support for the SAFE Act within the equine community has grown. The Thoroughbred racing industry has come out in strong favor of the bill. The Jockey Club, the 130-year-old North American registry for Thoroughbreds, recently released a statement in support of the bill, which includes the following:

“The Jockey Club is unequivocally opposed to the slaughter or processing of Thoroughbreds for consumption by humans or animals. This includes the sale and/or transportation of Thoroughbreds for slaughter. (…) The Jockey Club Is a supporting member of the Final Stretch Alliance to End Horse Slaughter and supports passage of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act, which would permanently ban horse slaughter in the U.S. and end the export of American horses for slaughter abroad.”

Other horse industry organizations and individuals that formed the Final Stretch Alliance include the U.S. Trotting Association, New York Racing Association, Maryland Horse Council, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, and several Hall of Fame Thoroughbred jockeys and trainers. The group sent an open letter in December 2023 to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders, urging them to include the SAFE Act in the Farm Bill.

“I am in favor of the SAFE Act, and I hope the members of Congress will invest in the emotional wellbeing of horses as companion animals,” says Jennifer Merlo, DVM, a veterinarian in North Carolina and the director of Veterinary affairs for Fear Free, LLC.

“The conditions that horses face, both on a production farm and within slaughterhouses, are stressful, frightening, and cruel,” says Merlo. “Horses provide us with numerous benefits through the human-animal bond, and they deserve a humane and compassionate end to their life. The conditions horses experience in foreign slaughterhouses are anything but compassionate. I urge Congress to consider passing this Act to safeguard the lives of these majestic creatures.”

This article about the SAFE Act appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Equine welfare advocates are applauding members of the United States House of Representatives for passing legislation — the Horse Transportation Safety Act and the Farm Bill — that will maintain the prohibition on horse processing plant development in the U.S. and promote the safety of horses that are transported across state lines.

The Horse Transportation Safety Act

On July 1, the U.S. House passed H.R. 2, also known as the Moving Forward Act, which uses federal revenue to improve infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and transport. Contained in that legislation is H.R. 1400, or The Horse Transportation Safety Act.

Sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN, 9th District), H.R. 1400 makes it unlawful to transport horses across state lines in double-decker trucks or trailers containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. Double-decker transport and multi-level trailers have often been used to transport horses across state lines to slaughter meat processing plants in Canada and Mexico.

House passage of the legislation is significant because some horse welfare advocates have long sought a ban on multi-level horse transport on grounds that the trucks and trailers prohibit horses from standing upright during transport and increases the possibility of rollover accidents.

The measure is the latest incarnation of similar legislation prompted by a 2007 rollover accident involving 59 draft horses traveling from Indiana to Minnesota in a double-deck trailer. In all, 17 horses were killed in the incident and several more were injured.

HR. 2 containing H.R. 1400 now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

According to Marty Irby, executive director of the animal welfare advocacy group Animal Wellness Action, whether or not the measure survives Senate “Green New Deal changes to H.R. 2 is uncertain.

“H.R. 2 could be amended by the Senate and sent back to the House, or the Senate could pass its own bill and send to the House,” said Irby. “I feel less confident about the Horse Transportation Safety Act being included in a Senate bill, but I believe that if they amend the House bill they will likely maintain the provision.”

The Farm Bill, aka the FY2021 Agriculture Appropriations Bill

Known also as the Farm Bill, the FY2021 Agriculture Appropriations Bill establishes funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for fiscal year 2021.

Under the measure, the USDA would receive an additional $2 million to enforce the Horse Protection Act (HPA), which prohibits the soring of Tennessee Walking Horses (TWH) and other breeds. Soring is the deliberate injury to a horse’s feet and legs to achieve an exaggerated, high-stepping gait. Violators could face both civil and criminal penalties, including fines and jail time. The amount represents a two-fold increase in funding for enforcement of the federal law.

The Farm Bill also maintains the current ban on horse processing in the U.S. by prohibiting the USDA from using any of its funds to pay for Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspections at horse processing plants in the U.S.

Prior to 2007, USDA FSIS personnel carried out horsemeat inspections at horse processing plants in the U.S. That same year, Congress voted to strip the USDA of the funds required to pay personnel conducting federal horsemeat inspections at the last two domestic horse slaughter plants operating in Illinois and Texas. The combination of legislation and local court rulings later closed both of those plants.

Since then, federal funding bills continued to include language denying the USDA of funding for horsemeat inspections until 2011 when Congress passed a 2012 appropriations bill that failed to contain language specifically forbidding the USDA from using federal dollars to fund horse slaughter plant inspections. Shortly after that bill became law, horse processing plants were proposed in several states but were never established.

“We are grateful to the House Committee for including these lifesaving measures in the bill, and we urge Congress to pass these critical provisions as part of the final appropriations package,” said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations.

However, the Senate will offer its own Agriculture Appropriations bill. Perry hopes the House provisions will remain intact.

The FY2021 Agriculture Appropriations Bill will go to conference committee in both the U.S. House and Senate to work out the differences before the final legislation is sent to the White House for the president’s signature.

“The final (Agriculture Appropriations) bill will likely come in December at the last minute as always,” Irby said. “But it should also maintain both provisions.”

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On Tuesday, October 22, and Wednesday, October 23, horse industry representatives gathered in Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers and advocate for passage of the horse industry’s top legislation. During a meeting at the Capitol with leaders of the Congressional Horse Caucus and other industry allies on October 22, members learned more about positive developments related to a funding boost for equine assisted therapy (EAT), the status of guest worker visa legislation to alleviate chronic labor shortages, and bills to improve access to the nation’s public trails. During the two-day meeting series, horse industry advocates met with more than 30 federal lawmakers and their staff, and two administration officials representing the U.S. Forest Service. Below are summaries of highlights emerging from the Fall “Ride-In.”

Equine Assisted Therapy Legislation Continues to Gain Spotlight as a Win-Win for Heroes and Horses

For the second year in a row, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) briefed horse industry representatives on the latest boost to EAT funding included in a House appropriations bill currently moving through the legislative process. Rep. Barr spoke passionately about the dual benefits to veterans returning to civilian life and the opportunities for working horses to have second careers as therapeutic animals. From his new post on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Barr is expanding his role as a leader on EAT issues. Studies show that EAT can effectively treat post-traumatic stress disorder, which afflicts many U.S. veterans.

Congressional Allies Continue to Fight for Guest-Worker Visa Flexibility

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Congressional Horse Caucus, discussed his provision in the FY2020 DHS spending bill to address the stringent 66,000 cap imposed on the issuance of H-2B visas by providing an exemption for returning workers. This returning worker exemption not only provides much-needed cap relief, but will reduce red tape for seasonal employers. Unlike last year’s provision, the Harris Amendment removes agency to discretion to limit issuance of authorized visas over the statutory cap, a measure that should provide more real-world flexibility for industry employers.

Will Trails Legislation Cross the Finish Line?

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rob Bishop (R-UT) lauded the fact that his signature trails bill, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act of 2019 (H.R. 1225), has gained more than 300 co-sponsors in the House. Bishop, however, expressed skepticism about whether the bill would receive a vote on the House floor and urged members to contact Democratic House leadership and urge them to move the bill. Complimenting Rep. Bishop’s remarks, Rick Cooksey and Toby Bloom from the U.S. Forest Service shared an update on the agency’s backlog maintenance priorities.

Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act Gains Supporters in the Senate

In the wake of a historic victory in the House where the PAST Act won overwhelming support in late July, horse industry representatives focused their efforts on the Senate side, where the companion bill, S. 1007, has gained 46 co-sponsors. While next steps for this important equine welfare measure remain uncertain, the horse industry is committed to driving up the number of co-sponsors.

Next Steps—Outlook 2020

Fortunately for the horse industry, many of the sector’s top legislative priorities remain largely bipartisan. This bodes well for continued effective advocacy during the 2020 election year, moving priorities such as EAT funding and public trails access closer to the finish line. If you’d like more information related to the meeting series and next steps, please contact Bryan Brendle at bbrendle@horsecouncil.org or 202-296-4031.

About the American Horse Council

As the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council (AHC) works daily to represent equine interests and opportunities. Organized in 1969, the AHC promotes and protects the industry by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry on behalf of all horse-related interests each and every day. The AHC is member supported by individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries, and horsemen’s associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers, and state horse councils. For more information, visit www.horsecouncil.org.

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