Michigan Blogging & Updates

Cruelty investigation at Shipshewana Auction in Indiana

2009-12-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

Shipshewana auction is located in one of Indiana's largest Amish communities. With around a half million visitors a year, tourism is big business in Shipshewana. AA investigators visited the Shipshewana auction on September 16, 2009. From the catwalk above the pens they filmed a young worker named Richard engaged in a "martial arts style" battle with a goat. The one-sided battle with the hornless goat went on for over three minutes. Whirling and kicking Richard hit the goat repeatedly in the nose, face and head with full force, followed by body blows and fists.
Watch the video... http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=yzrkkddab.0.el6q5ddab.whxo74bab.2526&ts=S0431&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWzHEAtg1TDE

We left the auction greatly troubled but determined. Our investigation proved that the handling of the animals at Shipshewana auction is completely unacceptable

and so brutal that auction workers violate Indiana's animal cruelty laws. IC 35-46-3-12 states that "to unnecessarily or cruelly strike an animal, or to throw the animal against an object causing the animal to suffer severe pain or injury" is animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor.

It seems obvious that Shipshewana employees have not received any or adequate training in the humane handling of animals - or the consequences of violating animal cruelty laws. No supervision by auction management was ever observed, making management at the Shipshewana auction appear equally culpable for negligent and inhumane treatment.

AA has filed a complaint along with supporting documentation of the incident with both state and federal agencies.

AA requested the following:
•that auction management and the young worker who violated Indiana animal cruelty laws are prosecuted for animal cruelty.
•that the young worker's employment by the auction is terminated immediately.
•that auction management has all employees thoroughly trained in the humane and legal handle animals.
•that auction management provides adequate supervision of employees to ensure compliance with animal cruelty laws and welfare standards.
What has happened:

AA was notified last week that the employment of the worker has been terminated. Furthermore, auction management has informed the rest of their employees that there is a zero tolerance policy for employees found improperly handling livestock and all employees have received additional training.

BLM Plan Could Make the Mustang as Rare as the Buffalo

2009-11-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

By Steven Long
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – Of the 14,000 wild horses the Bureau of Land Management will take from their wilderness homes next year, the agency will only return 2,200 to the wild.

A substantial number of the horses taken in BLM “gathers” will be mares. And of those, the agency says it will render 800 incapable of reproducing, or almost 40 percent of the heard strength returning to the wild. Equine geneticists claim the government’s plan is to eliminate wild horses from the American West in favor of cattle leases where ranchers pay a $1.35 per head per month.

Under this formula, there will be precious few Mustangs left in the West a generation from now. Wild horse lovers claim it is a rape of the national wildlife heritage comparable to the 19th century destruction of the buffalo herds that once roamed the land.

The BLM claims the horses are hard on the land, but currently there are only slightly more than 30,000 left in the wild according to the agency. That number is hotly disputed by animal welfare advocates. More than 1 million cows graze on the public acreage, yet the agency never complains of bovine damage to meadows and riparian areas.

The agency controls 262 million acres.

The government claims wild horses breed resulting in a 20 percent each increase in herd size each year resulting in an ever growing population. Yet entire foal crops are wiped out in some herd management areas each year by predators such as wolves and mountain lions. There are only slightly more than 60,000 wild horses left, and half are already in BLM holding pens eating government feed, hay, and grazing land at an ever growing cost to the taxpayer.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, (D) Louisiana, has called for the BLM to submit a report next year on how it plans to change what is currently perceived as gross mismanagement.

The agency says no herd management areas will be left bare of wild horses after next year’s roundups, however, anecdotal reports coming into Horseback’s offices this week tell another story. No wild horses can be found on a Nevada refuge after an October roundup, sauces say, yet the BLM claims horses are still there? Perhaps they are ghosts who only appear to government bureaucrats? Observers suffering from eye strain wonder.

The drug of choice to render mares incapable of reproducing is PZP. It is provided to the agency in a cozy deal with the Humane Society of the United States. Activists charge the nation’s largest animal welfare operation has a conflict of interest when it comes to wild horses.

Some have become increasingly aggravated with a perceived lack of action on the part of the HSUS, as well as the Washington based Animal Welfare Institute to halt BLM’s aggressive roundup schedule. In fact, HSUS applauded a BLM plan announced recently by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to remove wild horse herds from the west and place them as tourist attractions in the Midwest and East. Wild horse experts scoff at the plan.

Neither HSUS or AWI has lent their name or prestige to a petition demanding President Obama call a moratorium on BLM roundups of wild horses. The hard hitting petition has been submitted to the White House by The Cloud Foundation and the Equine Welfare Alliance.

Frustration with HSUS boiled over when EWA co-founder John Holland wrote last week to Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society, regarding the perception that the relationship with BLM appears to be too cozy.

“ Have you given any consideration to how HSUS is gradually being made more and more complicit in this rapidly expanding assault on our wild herds? Are you comfortable with that complicity?” Holland wrote. “It is now clear that the BLM is planning for the elimination or eventual extinction of the herds. I am deeply concerned that HSUS may be drawn into a ballooning potential scandal.”

Pacelle didn’t give Holland the courtesy of a reply, instead directing a wildlife scientist with HSUS to respond.

“The HSUS supports the use of contraception as a management tool to bring horses to, and maintain, viable populations on the range,” wrote Stephanie Boyles. “The HSUS does not support the gather and removal of any wild horse, except in cases in which the health or safety of an individual horse is in question, for which there is not the probability of locating an appropriate adoptive home.”

http://www.horsebackmagazine.com/index.html

American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign

2009-08-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

STOP THE WILD HORSE WIPE-OUT – www.wildhorsepreservation.org

America’s wild horses are being eradicated in violation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse & Burro Act, which protects them as “living symbols” of our Nation's spirit. From over 2 million in the 1800s, fewer than 25,000 remain on our public lands. There are now more wild horses in government holding pens than remain in the wild. Still, the round-ups continue, and a recent change in the law opens the door to thousands being sent to slaughter.

Although in-the-wild management would save millions of tax-dollars, special interests have been successful in pressuring the government to systematically remove wild horses from public lands - specifically corporate cattle interests who want our horses replaced with private cattle for subsidized grazing.
AWHPC is coordinating a letter-writing campaign: In addition to signing this petition, it is important that you please send individual letters to your federal legislators calling for a Congressional inquiry into the government’s wild horse management practices. Tell them that our national heritage does not belong on European dinner tables.

For more information and to sign up for email updates, please visit

wwww.wildhorsepreservation.org

Please sign the petition http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/166841148

Guilty by Association

2009-05-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I was going to do a post about “emotional women” ("The AQHA leadership has always been pro-slaughter, and when their own polls revealed their membership wasn't, their own president blamed the results on ‘emotional women.’”) of whom I’m one, but after an email chat I instead opted to talk about the following...You know, it’s hard enough to think about horses getting slaughtered to make room for more, more, more (as in the AQHA making more money via more registration fees and more membership fees by getting rid of what's already here), much less realize an association as massive and well known as the AQHA—one who actually took steps to amend some of their rules to the benefit of horses... or was that only to quell public outcry?—have so little regard for their breed and all the regard for the almighty dollar that they advocate it. That begs the question: When they (the AQHA leadership) shot themselves in the foot because of it, did they also paint targets on their members, too? Let’s think about this. In the court of public opinion, owners of Quarter Horses/members of AQHA, and the association itself, are one and the same. So, guilt by association. An example might be the anti-fur movement, where folks don’t just target furriers but the individuals wearing it, to the point were people who owned it (even the homeless!) wouldn’t be caught dead in it. Now, instead of fur, it’s horse slaughter advocated by the Quarter Horse Association—the very association that’s suppose to tout and protect the breed, not push for the slaughter of it. What will the public think of it’s members now? They’ll never hear about the polls, or who agreed or disagreed with it, and they won’t stop to ask, either. One and the same, remember? Members are AQHA. Members did this. Members are the heartless bastards who will ride it AND eat it, baby. Hi ho Silver... and don’t forget the ketchup. Let’s take a moment to let this sink in. Can you say “manipulated” (as in even the pro-slaughter members were manipulated into thinking this was a good thing when all the while it was a money making venture from the beginning, something where everyone (including the cattle ranchers who are all set up and eager to turn into horse meat ranchers) wins EXCEPT the horse), folks? I know you can. I hate being manipulated. I hate being told one thing and find out it’s a whole other ballgame (or is that ‘market‘?). I hate being guilty by association, and I particularly hate that the Quarter Horse association painted it's own members as targets. By the way, how much do you think the AQHA cares about their breed when they’re advocating slaughtering them? Just curious. Oh. And while we‘re here, let this sink in too.And so it begins (note the blog’s name... and good on the blog owner for coming up with it and speaking out!). But that’s not what I’m talking about here. What I am, is pointing out that a really bad situation CAN get far worse. Yep, seems everyone’s jumping on the band wagon, including cattlemen who are being encouraged to see horse slaughter as yet another opportunity (others before being buffalo and elk, though with horses it’s a different ballgame, horses being an already established market—if they can’t sell it here, they’ll just ship it to Europe) to make a buck. So what's the alternative to slaughter? Stop backyard indiscriminate breeding. Stop thinking of horses as disposable. You bought it so you look after it for life. If you can't, then sell it to someone reputable who can. And, God forbid, if something happens to the horse to necessitate it's death, be strong enough to euthanize it instead of shipping it. At least that's my opinion.
Posted by Hawke at 9:42 AM

Horse slaughter dream a financial nightmare

2009-05-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Horse gut piles at Natural Valley Farms, Canada

05.13.09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: John Holland
540.268.5693
http://us.mc325.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=john@equinewelfarealliance.org
Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
http://us.mc325.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org
Horse slaughter dream a financial nightmare
CHICAGO, (EWA) – The dream of the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) and its affiliate the MQHA (Montana Quarter Horse Association) to bring horse slaughter back to the US may have just been dealt what may be its death blow. The blow came not from anti-slaughter advocates, nor public revulsion, nor Congress, but from a horse slaughter industry insider whose op-ed, Meat plant: a cautionary tale, appeared on April 30th in the Western Producer, a subscription-only Canadian online animal agriculture journal.
“Natural Valley Farms died the day the decision makers chose to kill horses”, says Henry Skjerven, an investor and director of the defunct Natural Valley Farms (NVF) slaughter complex in Saskatchewan, Canada. Skjerven tells the story of how NVF, which had originally been built to process cattle during the BSE crisis, ended in a $42 million financial disaster following its decision to kill horses for the Velda Group of Belgium.
The story broke just as the AQHA and Stan Weaver of the MQHA, were celebrating the passage of Montana bill (HB 418).
On April 5, EWA broke the news that the plant had been closed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in December. In his article, Skjerven refers to the plant’s confrontational interaction with the CFIA over the plant’s “composting” and other issues. Unlike beef that can be used in pet food, horse byproducts must be disposed of properly because they contain substances such as the wormer, Ivermectin, which can cause fatal encephalitis in some breeds of dogs.
Blood disposal appears to have been equally problematic for NVF as with other horse slaughter plants. Not only do horses have twice the quantity of blood as cows, but the blood is notoriously difficult to treat. The bacterial agents used in standard cattle digesters fail to provide acceptable discharge levels because of antibiotics often found in horse blood. As a result, pollution follows the horse slaughter industry where ever it goes.
During debate over HB 418, the Montana Senate Agriculture committee dismissed evidence of these problems as anti-slaughter propaganda. Even the testimony of former Kaufman, Texas mayor Paula Bacon was ignored when she told of blood rising into people’s bathtubs in her town. But unfortunately for NVF, the CFIA was not so easily assuaged.
Even Butcher has admitted that any horse slaughter plant that is built in the US will have to be operated by an EU group like Velda because the horse meat market is in Europe and they control it. Now Velda needs a new home, but in his op-ed Skjerven, says, “horse slaughter never brought a single minute of profitability to the company.”
In the end, it may not matter that HB 418 is unconstitutional, nor that a horse slaughter plant in the US could not export its horse meat without USDA inspectors, nor that the industry has committed a thousand sins against horses and the environment. If investors in a horse slaughter plant cannot be comfortable in knowing they will make a profit, there will be no plant built.
If Stan Weaver and the AQHA want horse slaughter they may have to do the killing themselves.
www.equinewelfarealliance.org

2009-05-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of Mustangs Rescued from Nebraska Ranch Ready for New Homes
Rescue Agencies and Volunteers Continue to Care for the ‘Nebraska 200’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jerry Finch 409-682-6621

1 May 2009
Alliance, NE – More than two hundred neglected horses and burros found at a Morrill County ranch are now available for adoption through Habitat for Horses, a Texas-based equine protection organization.

On April 22nd, more than two hundred horses and burros were seized from Three Strikes Ranch, a private mustang facility just outside Alliance, Nebraska. An additional 74 animals were confirmed dead. Necropsy results on a number of these animals revealed significant fat and muscle atrophy, which is consistent with starvation.

Jason Maduna, the ranch’s owner, was arrested on one count of felony animal cruelty, but additional charges are expected. The animals are now recuperating at their temporary home at the Bridgeport Rodeo Grounds. The Humane Society of the United States, Habitat for Horses and Front Range Equine Rescue have been working alongside the Bureau of Land Management and area veterinarians to feed, treat, and assess the 220 animals, including a number of foals born since the seizure. According to Jerry Finch of Habitat for Horses, “the outpouring of support from the local community is humbling. From home-cooked meals for the volunteers, to hay provided by the local Farm Bureaus, we could not ask for more or better support.”

Of the 220 animals at the Fairgrounds, 22 have been identified by their owners and will be returned to them. The remaining animals are available for placement with qualified individuals or groups. Those interested, should contact Hillary Wood of Front Range Equine Rescue at 719-481-1490. The horses have all received a negative Coggins and have been dewormed, vaccinated and microchipped. Finch strongly cautions that they are looking for those with experience in handling and training wild mustangs. According to Finch, "these are not back yard ponies."

A dedicated website has been setup which includes photographs and descriptions of the available animals, as well as forms and contact numbers. For more information, please visit: http://nebraska200.horsereunions.com/.

Donations are still needed to help cover the cost of medical care. Credit card donations can be made online at http://www.habitatforhorses.org/getinvolved/donatenow.html. Donations can also be mailed to: Habitat for Horses, P.O. Box 213, Hitchcock, TX 77563. Please notate on your check and/or credit card donations that it is for "Nebraska 200 ". Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
~
Habitat for Horses (HfH) is a not-for-profit equine protection agency committed to the prevention, rescue and rehabilitation of neglected, abused and homeless horses. The largest organization of its kind in North America, HfH operates a rehabilitation ranch in Texas. The organization has taken a leadership role in horse protection issues and has been instrumental in developing and promoting legislation to eliminate the slaughter of American horses. To learn more, visit www.habitatforhorses.org

ISSUES WITH REPORTER JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

2009-04-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2009

VELEZ-MITCHELL: In the spotlight tonight, 21 polo horses die horrific deaths. Now reports claim these poor animals were given the wrong mix of a generic version of a banned substance. This story has touched so many hearts. But the reality is that many American horses who serve their riders loyally end up dying horrific deaths. Tens of thousands are transported from the United States to Mexico or Canada, then slaughtered and sold overseas as horse meat. We`re talking about horses that don`t win a race, or throw a rider, or just don`t look right. Or they got old. That's how they're transported, in those containers. The journey to the slaughter house is torturous. They`re stuffed into overcrowded containers, often deprived of food and water. Many dead on arrival. But there are two bills before Congress to stop all this. So call your Congress person, demand action. If you love horses, on the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, let's stop the transportation of our supposedly beloved horses for slaughter so people in other countries can eat them. Joining me is Lisa Land, senior vice president of communications for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Lisa, lay out the problem for us. And why is it that so many Americans are completely clueless that this is going on?

LISA LAND, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PETA: Well, you know, the death of horses in this country is not something that`s really publicized very well. More than 100,000 horses are sent to slaughter from the United States, and now transported across country lines into Mexico and Canada, as you said. It`s important to realize that a minimum of 12,000 of these horses are thoroughbreds, formerly raced thoroughbreds. Experts actually estimate that up to 50,000 to 60,000 of the animals slaughtered can be thoroughbreds. But the reporting is so bad that we don`t know the exact number. And you mentioned...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are you saying? Are you saying that basically the racing industry is over breeding?

LAND: They`re absolutely over breeding. They`re not only -- 50,000 foals are born every year, and they`re not all going to be good racers. So many of them are killed very early on. A horse is usually raced only until the age of five. Their life span is 30 years. When they`re no longer useful to the racing industry, most of them are sent off to slaughter.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, the journey to the slaughter house is tortuous. Stuffed into overcrowded containers. Some are pregnant, born to be slaughtered. Now, take a look at this. Look at these foals who were born this week, just hours after being rescued. Had their moms not been rescued by animal lovers, these babies would have been born in the truck, on the way to the slaughter house, only to be killed when they arrived. This is why we need to act right now. This is why I`m urging, as an animal lover, as a horse rescuer, call your Congressperson. Demand action on the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act. What is this bill going to achieve if we do get it through Congress, Lisa?

LAND: Well, this bill is an important bill, because currently slaughtering horses in the United States slaughter houses in this country is illegal. But what has happened to replace that is these animals are being shipped across the border. Sometimes the travel takes up to 24 hours. They`re kept in double- decker buses. They`re overcrowded. They suffer from lacerations and infected wounds. They get broken bones. Many of them are dead upon arrival. But once they`re at the slaughterhouse, in Mexican slaughterhouses, for example, these horses are continually stabbed in their throats and then they`re hung up by one leg...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, gosh. We can`t even show you the video. Go to PETA.org, HumaneSociety.org. Get involved, Americans, to stop this horror.

Lisa, thank you.

URGE HOUSE TO PASS ANTI-HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL

2009-04-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ask President Obama to urge Congress to support the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=3&campaign=ASPCAHorsePetition

Goal: 50,000 • Progress: 34,977 4-14-2009

Sponsored by: ASPCA
Horses have been our trusted companions and are a historically significant part of American culture. They deserve a more dignified end to their lives than to be inhumanely slaughtered and served for dinner.
H.R. 503 would put an end to this practice by prohibiting the transport of America's horses to foreign countries for slaughter. Ask President Obama today to urge Congress to support H.R. 503! Sign the petition and tell a friend.
More info ...
Good news, animal advocates - the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act was among the first bills introduced in the new 111th Congress, which convened on January 6. The bill was originally introduced in the summer of 2008 as H.R. 6598. Although it gained the support of 61 cosponsors, there simply was not enough time left in the 110th session to get it passed. The Act has been renumbered H.R. 503, and since this is a new session of Congress, we now are back to square one. Take action today! Sign the petition below and tell a friend.

Here is the letter that is sent:

Dear President Obama,
As a concerned animal advocate, I am writing you to urge Congress to support the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503). H.R. 503 would prohibit the possession, shipment, transport, purchase, sale, delivery, or receipt via interstate commerce of any horse intended for slaughter for human consumption.

Americans do not eat horse meat. However, every year, more than 100,000 American horses are cruelly slaughtered just over our borders to satisfy the markets for horsemeat in Europe and Asia.

Since the last horse slaughter plants in the U.S. were closed in 2007, unwanted American horses have been shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. Overseas processing plants are not subject to U.S. oversight or regulation.

Due to overcrowded transport conditions, many horses are injured even before reaching their final destination. Some are shipped for more than 24 hours at a time without food, water, or rest, and the methods used to kill these horses once they arrive at the plant can be exceptionally inhumane.

Please help end this cruel practice - support H.R. 503, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

MEET WITH YOUR FEDERAL LEGISLATORS

2009-04-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Today marks the first day of the two-week Congressional April recess in which your members of Congress return "home" to their districts and states. This two-week window is the best opportunity for you to meet with your federal legislators and ask them to co-sponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727) to finally end the cruelty and suffering endured by horses sent to slaughter.
A personal meeting is the most persuasive method of communication a citizen advocate can use.Please take advantage of this opportunity to meet with your legislators face-to-face and be the voice that horses need now more than ever. Schedule appointments with your federal legislators -- or their staff -- to urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 503/S. 727.
WHAT TO DO

Please meet with your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators to urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 503/S. 727. Look up your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators and visit their websites to locate the closest district offices and the phone numbers to request appointments.
Click here for tips to prepare yourself for these meetings. After your meetings, please contact The HSUS Government Affairs team at http://us.mc325.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=legislation@humanesociety.org&subject=District%20meeting%20on%20H.R.%20503/S.%20727 to let us know how it went. If your legislators are unable to set up a meeting, there are several other actions you can take during this critical time to help horses.
Thank you for continuing to fight to protect horses from slaughter.
Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle

President & CEO

The Humane Society of the United States

Walk Across America for Horses

2009-04-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Kristina Kremer age 32 from Capulin, CO is walking across the United States to raise awareness about the plight of the American horse. Kristina and her husband are truck drivers and operate an animal rescue including 120 plus horses. She is surrounded by the Colorado feedlots and sees 3-4 tractor trailer loads of horses leaving for the slaughterhouses in Mexico every week. She sees this as a great American tragedy. She has a heart to save horses and has taken up the cause and her sneakers to walk across America to let people know that horses are being mistreated at an alarming rate and in extreme. She is willing to have an honest dialogue with anyone and is currently in Washington, DC waiting to meet with Congressmen and has 1,200 letters for Congress and the President from all over the country and including many from children. Some of the children's letters have hand drawn pictures of horses.

Kristina was not the person who was planning to do this walk, as she has a family and obligations at home. However when the original walker, Eric Wilson from Circleville, OH crashed his bike and severely broke his ankle and shoulder requiring immediate surgery there was only one person left who would be willing to do it. Kristina, a determined woman was not deterred by her lack of preparation say, "We'll find help along the way". Her monies go to care for her family and her animals so she came with less than the bare essentials including her only shoes, a pair with holes in them. This did not dissuade her from coming to Newark, DE to begin her walk as scheduled. The News Journal covered this story, written by Jack Ireland, a prominent sports journalist in Delaware and followed the story the day of the walk with a photographer to document the start. Her walk was followed by Susan Pizzini of West Grove, PA in her pick up truck with signs stating, "Walk Across America for Horses" with flowers, American flag balloons, and purple ribbons which is the color used for horse welfare.

The walk proceeded to Fair Hill, MD where the famed equestrian park of over 5,000 acres of rolling hills and acclaimed Fair Hill Training Center, where Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was trained. Tragically he was fatally injured at the start of the Preakness. As a truck driver, she had made deliveries to the Fair Hill facility and Kristina was pleasantly familiar somewhat with this location. After a visit the following Monday to the New Holland sales auction for the horse sales, she returned to pick up the walk going to Washington, DC where she is staying nearby as a guest of Freedom Hills Horse Rescue. She will continue the walk after their adoption day event on April 4th in Owings, MD. She hopes that people will make appointments with their Congressmen for her and call her at 719 580-0374 with the contact information for the Congressman' s office to firm up those appointments.

Kristina would like to get the 1,200 letters to President Obama with a promise that he will see them after sharing them with the members of Congress so they can see the support behind her mission.

Kristina needs support along her route, please call her at 719 580-0374 if you can help her with this walk. Her mission is urgent, her cause is noble and it can only be successful with the help of horse lovers across America.

Web site for the walk: http://awalkforhors es.webs.com/
Yahoo support discussion group for the walk: http://pets. groups.yahoo. com/group/ Walk_Across_ America_for_ Horses/
Kristina Kremer 719 580-0374
"Walk Across America for Horses"

After the walk is over in the fall of 2009 Kristina would like to share this story and would be happy to be interviewed along the route at any time. Her email address is snowyriveranimalres cue@yahoo. com

Washington Trip & Wild Horse Sanctuary Plan Details

2009-03-29T19:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

I've just returned from Washington DC where we met with senators and their staff to present our Wild Horse Sanctuary business plan. We feel that it was well received and look forward to further cooperation with elected officials and the BLM. At this time, we are eagerly anticipating the appointment of the new head of the BLM. While this transition is in progress, we continue to build momentum in Washington DC to support the Sanctuary (which will save American taxpayers millions), and rescue the thousands of wild horses that are held in captivity and at risk of slaughter.

Now more than ever, we need to put public pressure on the BLM for the sake of these wild horses and burros. The thousands of emails and letters you've sent have made a tremendous impact. We're still on target to reach 5,000! If you have not yet contacted Salazar and the BLM, please click here to send them a message in support of the Wild Horse Sanctuary. Again, please forward this email to as many people and groups as possible.

In addition, we have recently posted on http://capwiz.com/madeleinepickens/utr/1/JNPVKDVFLD/BYUFKDWXAP/3113673811 updates on the Wild Horse Sanctuary Plan. This provides more details on the Plan as well as addresses many of the questions and suggestions you've submitted. Please click here to read more.

As always, thank you for your support and passionate concern for America's wild horses and burros. All of our efforts are making a difference to save the lives of these extraordinary animals.

With gratitude,
Madeleine Pickens
The National Wild Horse Foundation
www.MadeleinePickens.com

P.S. To take action, visit http://capwiz.com/madeleinepickens/utr/1/JNPVKDVFLD/LLIMKDWXAR/3113673811 and click Take action now.

Follow us on Twitter! http://capwiz.com/madeleinepickens/utr/1/JNPVKDVFLD/BHLEKDWXAS/3113673811

Become a Fan of the "Madeleine Pickens Wild Horse Sanctuary" Facebook Page! http://capwiz.com/madeleinepickens/utr/1/JNPVKDVFLD/FUUGKDWXAT/3113673811

2009-03-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

BILL TO BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER INTRODUCED IN UNITED STATES SENATE

2009-03-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC (March 26, 2009) – A bill to ban horse slaughter was introduced in the United States Senate today. Sponsored by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and John Ensign (R-NV), the Landrieu-Ensign "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act" will end the slaughter of American horses here and abroad. The sponsors, who have long championed the cause, have the bipartisan support of 14 colleagues who are co-sponsoring the bill.
The legislation comes at a time when horse slaughter no longer occurs on U.S. soil, but each year tens of thousands of American horses continue to be hauled to Canada, Mexico and further abroad. Reports show that horses regularly travel for hundreds or even thousands of miles to the slaughterhouses on double-deck cattle trucks without food, water or rest. At some Mexican slaughterhouses horses are stabbed repeatedly in the spine until they are paralyzed, after which they are butchered while still fully conscious. This country’s three remaining horse slaughter plants – two in Texas and one in Illinois – were shut down in 2007 under state law. Since then, the pro-slaughter camp has led a concerted and disingenuous effort to resurrect the industry domestically, and has used scare tactics in an attempt to defeat the federal ban. The federal legislation is desperately needed to stop the slaughter of American horses, irrespective of where the killing takes place.
"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," said Senator Mary Landrieu.
While horse slaughter no longer occurs on U.S. soil the absence of a federal statute means that horses are shipped out of the country for slaughter. Reports show that horses regularly travel for hundreds or even thousands of miles to the slaughterhouses on double-deck cattle trucks without food, water or rest. At some Mexican slaughterhouses horses are stabbed repeatedly in the spine until they are paralyzed, after which they are butchered while still fully conscious.
"The time to put an end to the practice of slaughtering horses in America is long overdue," said Senator John Ensign said. "Horses have an important role in the history of our country, particularly the West, and they deserve our protection. As a senator and a veterinarian, I am committed to doing what I can for these magnificent animals."
The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act will amend Title 18 of the U.S. Code to acknowledge horse slaughter as a form of animal cruelty. The legislation includes stiff civil and criminal penalties and gives law enforcement officials the authority to apprehend and charge violators.
“We have great confidence that the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act will move quickly. The bill, which has had strong support from a majority of Congress and the American public, is long overdue. For years I have pleaded with the pro-horse slaughter camp to stop misleading the public but they are more concerned with wringing a few bucks from a suffering animal than doing what is right. Thankfully we have the majority of Congress advocating for change and this is the year that will happen,” said Chris Heyde, Deputy Director of Legislative and Government Affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute. “AWI commends Senator Landrieu, Senator Ensign and their colleagues for introducing this very important measure.”
An identical version, HR 503, was introduced earlier this year in the House of Representatives by House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN). There are currently 112 bipartisan cosponsors of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act in the House of Representatives. To take action on this important bill visit AWI's Compassion Index.
##30##
For More Information:Chris Heyde, 202-446-2142
For over 58 years, the Animal Welfare Institute has been the leading voice for animals across the country and on Capitol Hill. Please join us in our ongoing campaigns to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Sign up for AWI eAlerts to receive the latest news on what you can do to help us protect all animals: www.awionline.org/joinus.

DRUGS IN HORSEMEAT

2009-03-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here are the UK horse passport regulations -
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/id-move/horses/horses_qa.htm

http://www.vmd.gov.uk/General/VMR/regs.htm -
VETERINARY MEDICINES REGULATIONS & GUIDANCE

US FDA laws -

Sec. 615.300 Responsibility for Illegal Drug Residues in Meat, Milk and Eggs (CPG 7125.05) -
http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgvet/cpg615-300.html

Sec. 615.200 Proper Drug Use and Residue Avoidance by Non-Veterinarians (CPG 7125.37)
http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgvet/cpg615-200.html

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/2007_Red_Book_Complete.pdf

Page 136 - Fast Antimicrobial Screen Test, only "6" horses were tested.

Pages 137 through 141 - Specific FAST Violative Residues - Antibiotic, Sulfonamide and Non-Sterioidal Anti-inflammatory (NSAID - bute) Compounds, "0" horses tested.

EU legislation provides that the Official Veterinarian must declare unfit for human consumption any meat containing residues of veterinary medicinal products if such residues exceed the permitted level laid down by Community rules. This applies to meat from domestic solipeds (e.g. horses) in exactly the same way as other meat from, more conventional, food-producing animals.

Please refer to the FDA's regulations covering food-producing animal medication restrictions and understand that horses, while not classified as food animals, are still liable for illegal and dangerous drug residues under commercial slaughter for human consumption (see below) laws. Since there is no regulation of horses since they are not raised for meat, and since they receive drugs banned from food animals routinely in their care, there is no way to regulate horses in a manner that makes their meat safe for human consumption unless we implement the 'horse passport' program (see below) as is now done in the EU (where most US horsemeat is exported) onto the US population of 9 million horses just to accommodate those few who wish to slaughter 1% of the population for human consumption.

http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgvet/cpg615-300.html -
Our policy is to hold responsible any individual in the production and marketing chain who can be shown to have been responsible for having "caused" (by any act of commission or omission) illegal drug residues in edible animal products.
And -
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=208e61b130fef1a230c86ac93e2a3ac8&rgn=div8&view=text&node=9:2.0.2.1.2.0.22.2&idno=9
You see this throughout -
This term, as applied to food products of equines, shall have a meaning comparable to that provided in this paragraph with respect to cattle, sheep, swine, and goats.
Also, export of US horsemeat to the EU is in violation of FDA export regulations as medications used in US horses are banned from use in food animals in the EU (which includes horses).
See: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+21USC381 - Sec. 381. Imports and exports,(e) Exports, specifically: (1) A food, drug, device, or cosmetic intended for export shall not be deemed to be adulterated or misbranded under this chapter if it-- (B) is not in conflict with the laws of the country to which it is intended for export
US horsemeat is in conflict of the laws of the EU (see those laws below).

http://www.beva.org.uk/node/84
Passports and Medicines – BEVA guidelines
Thu, 12/21/2006 - 09:41 — Administrator2
The “Horse Passports ( England) Regulations 2004” came into force in June 2004. The regulations themselves can be seen here
The accompanying DEFRA guidance notes can be seen here .
The equivalent Scottish legislation and guidance notes can be seen here .
The Welsh legislation is available here .
The only major differences between the legislations relates to the owner signing the declaration in Section IX of the passport. This must be done immediately on receipt of the passport under Scottish and Welsh legislation but can be delayed in England.– see also section 3c below . Veterinary Surgeons who are involved in seeing horses are strongly advised to download and read the full legislation and guidance notes as these contain much useful information. The Regulations will require veterinary surgeons to carry out certain actions when administering/prescribing/dispensing certain substances or medicines to a horse. In brief these are as follows…
Checking the passport
1 If you intend to administer, prescribe or dispense any substance or medicine to a horse ask to be shown the horse’s passport (If there is no passport supplied proceed as in what to do with horse with no passport – see 6 below)
2. Check that you are satisfied the passport supplied relates to the horse in question. (If you are not satisfied proceed as in what to do with horse with no passport – see 6 below)
3. Note which of the categories below the horse falls into….. a) Declared as NOT INTENDED for human consumption (in passport Section IX part II) b) Declared as INTENDED for human consumption (in passport Section IX part IIIa) or c) the declaration at Section IX has not been signed in either part, in which case you will need to proceed as if the horse IS INTENDED for human consumption. (Note that in Scotland and Wales the passport declaration must be signed one way or the other. Leaving this section unsigned is only permissible in England. ) or d) The passport contains no Section IX pages in which case you will need to proceed as in what to do with horse with no passport – see 6 below Note that changes to the section IX declaration are generally the providence of the owner (not the vet) but the vet may alter the passport declaration if for example he/she has administered a substance that means the horse can never go for human consumption. The declaration can only be changed from “intended” or “undeclared” to “not intended” – and not the other way round.
THE HORSE “NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION”
4. If the horse is declared in its passport as NOT intended for human consumption then it can be treated with drugs licenced for use in horses or under the cascade (see The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005 SI 2745 which can be seen here and which are summarised on the BEVA website) There is no need to record ANY drug usage.
THE HORSE “INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION” OR UNDECLARED.
5. If the horse IS intended for human consumption or (in England) the declaration is unsigned then withdrawal periods or complete exclusions will apply following treatment. i) What medicines should not be used? Refrain from prescribing/dispensing/administering medicines which either a) Contain substances in Annex IV of European Council Regulation 2377/90. b) Contain substances NOT in Annexes I, II or III of European Council Regulation 2377/90 If substances in either of these categories are given the horse can NEVER go for human consumption. (Note: at least one of these substances, Phenylbutazone, we use regularly in the US, even in race horses)Substances in Annex IV (List 5 i) a)) Fortunately this list is short and the main substances that are likely to be considered for use in horses are Metronidazole and Chloramphenicol . The full list is ….
Metronidazole
Chloramphenicol
Chloroform
Chlorpromazine
Colchicine
Dapsone
Dimetridazole
Furazolidone
Nitrofurans
Ronidazole
Substances not in Annexes I,II or III of European Council Regulation 2377/90 that ARE components of UK licenced equine medicines (List 5 i) b) )
Phenylbutazone
Suxibuzone
Meclofenamic Acid
Eltenac
Methylprednisolone Acetate
Betamethasone
Griseofulvin
Acepromazine Maleate
Guaifenesin
Halothane
Etorphine Hydrochloride
Diprenorphine
Pethidine Hydrochloride
Polygeline (Haemaccel)
Succinylated Gelatin (Gelofusine Veterinary)
Pentobarbitone Sodium
Cinchocaine Hydrochloride
Quinalbarbitone Sodium
Pentobarbitone Sodium
(US FDA regs on: Phenylbutazone is a known carcinogen -- an agent capable of causing cancer -- as determined by the federal government's National Toxicology Program. "For animals, phenylbutazone is currently approved only for oral and injectable use in dogs and horses. Use in horses is limited to use in horses not intended for food. There are currently no approved uses of phenylbutazone in food-producing animals.")If an Annex IV substance or a substances NOT in Annexes I, II or III is to be administered to a horse intended for human consumption (or undeclared) the owner should be advised that the declared status of the horse will have to be amended to NOT intended for human consumption. Once this is done there is no need to record anything in the passport. If the change to the declaration has not been made by the owner at the time of administration, despite such advice, and administration of such a substance is considered essential, the veterinary surgeon may make the alteration in the passport. ii) What medicines can be used WITHOUT any recording in the passport? If a medicine is prescribed/dispensed/administered which contains a substance which IS listed (for any food producing species) in Annexes I, II or III of European Council Regulation 2377/90 then it need NOT be recorded in the passport. a) Lists of Veterinary Medicinal products licenced for use in the horse in the UK which fall into this category are on the VMD website at www.vmd.gov.uk (under “publications” and then “horse medicines” then “Veterinary Medicinal Products Authorised for Use in Horses” then “Medicines that do not need to be listed in the passport (because the substances they contain are in Annexes I – III of Regulation 2377/90).”.). b) Where medicines are being used under the cascade reference will need to be made to the actual Annexes I, II or III of European Council Regulation 2377/90 to determine if the active substances are included (for any food producing species). There is a link to the Annex lists from the VMD website www.vmd.gov.uk (under “publications” and then “horse medicines” then “European Commission - Maximum Residue Limits of Veterinary medicinal Products in Foodstuffs of Animal Origin”) (iii) What medicines DO need to be recorded in the passport ? At present none ! In theory medicines containing substances which are NOT included (for any food producing species) in Annexes I-III of European Council Regulation 2377/90 (List 5 i) b) above) need to be recorded in the passport (in Section IX part IIIb) BY THE PERSON ADMINISTERING IT TO THE HORSE. Lists of Veterinary Medicinal products licenced for use in the horse in the UK which fall into this category are on the VMD website at www.vmd.gov.uk (under “publications” and then “horse medicines” then “Veterinary Medicinal Products Authorised for Use in Horses” then “Authorised veterinary medicinal products that must NEVER be used to treat horses that may, at any future time, be slaughtered for human consumption. “ However because administration of such substances means that the declaration needs to be changed to “not intended for human consumption” that then takes out the need to record their use.However, this will not be the case permanently. When the European Commission get round to producing their so called “positive list” of substances as set down in Article 10.3 of directive 2001/82 as amended by 2004/28, use of these substances will have to be recorded if administered to a horse declared as intended for human consumption. BEVA will provide further guidance at that time. iv) What withdrawal periods apply? A licenced VMP will either have a specific withdrawal period defined on its datasheet or, if not, a standard 6-month withdrawal period will apply. The list of licenced equine products for horses intended for human consumption on the VMD website referred to above is subdivided into those products that have a specific withdrawal period and those to which a standard 6-month withdrawal period applies. A 6-month withdrawal period will also apply to medicines not licenced for use in the horse and being used under the cascade. The client should be informed of the withdrawal period. Note that owners of horses declared as intended for human consumption or where the declaration is not signed have an existing separate legal obligation to keep a written record of ALL medicines or substances purchased for or administered to their horse (i.e. to keep a “medicines book”). This requirement now falls to them under The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005.
THE HORSE WITHOUT A PASSPORT
6. If the horse does not have a passport (e.g. is too young to require one, or does not have one available at the time, or the identification cannot be confirmed or has an “old” passport to which Section IX pages have not yet been added) then the veterinary surgeon should treat it as if it is intended for human consumption as described in section 5 above. The veterinary surgeon should thus avoid prescribing/dispensing/administering medicines containing substances in Annex IV of European Council Regulation 2377/90 as outlined above (5 (i)a) or medicines containing substances NOT in Annexes I, II or III of European Council Regulation 2377/90 for example those in List 5 i) b). 7. As far as records are concerned the veterinary surgeon should keep his own clinical record of the substances/medicines prescribed/dispensed/administered (including the date) and give a copy of this treatment record to the owner/keeper. If the medicines contain substances not included (for any food producing species) in Annexes I, II or III of Council Regulation 2377/90 or contain a substance in Annex IV of Council Regulation 2377/90 then the vet should give the owner/keeper written notification that the horse may NOT now be slaughtered for human consumption.
WHO DOES THE RECORDING IN THE PASSPORT?
8. The final responsibility for recording substance/medicine use in the passport should lie with the individual administering the substance/medicine. Thus in the case of …… i) Substances/medicines prescribed or dispensed by the veterinary surgeon but administered by the owner/keeper…. or ii) Substances/Medicines acquired by the owner/keeper and administered to the horse independently of the veterinary surgeon (e.g. POM-VPS, NFA-VPS and AVM-GSL products) ……….that responsibility for recording in the passport lies with the owner/keeper (despite the fact that many passport formats are likely to suggest the need for a veterinary signature in the relevant column in section IX part IIIb) If the veterinary surgeon administers a substance/medicine then the recording responsibility lies with him/her (hence with horses declared as intended for human consumption or undeclared if in doubt record medicines administered).
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A RESIDUE FREE CARCASE ?
BEVA have been told by DEFRA that if the horse is intended for human consumption it is the owner’s responsibility to present a residue free animal to the slaughterhouse.
POTENTIAL DATA SHEET CONFUSIONS
Note that VMD currently (September 2005) state on their website…… “We are aware that this section offers only limited guidance. Currently the marketing authorisations for the products intended for use in horses may carry a warning that they must not be used in horses for human consumption. This fulfils the requirements of UK and EC medicines and residues legislation but the implementation of the new Horse Passport Scheme leads to some difficulties in the interpretation of the legislation overall. This is because a conflict exists between the European laws covering on the one hand, horse passports and on the other hand, residues. We have therefore amended the UK legislation to harmonise it with the horse passport provisions so far as we can. Statutory Instrument No 2004/147 came into force on 23 February 2004 and permits the legislation on residues to be read in conjunction with the passport legislation. We are currently considering how this will impact on the individual marketing authorisations and this is likely to take some time as each authorisation has to be dealt with separately in conjunction with the marketing authorisation holder. In the meantime our working assumption in interpreting the conflicting EC laws will be that we can allow the use of a medicine which contains active substance(s) that have been entered into Annex I, II or III of Council Regulation 2377/90 for all horses provided that a full medicines record is maintained and either the specific product withdrawal period or a 6-month withdrawal period before slaughter can be demonstrated. Products which contain active substances which are not entered into one of those Annexes can never be used in horses which might be slaughtered for human consumption at a future point in time so may only be used in horses which have been declared as NOT intended for human consumption in their passport. We expect to update the lists regularly – at least once every month. Holders of marketing authorisations are invited to check the lists and let us know if they consider there are any omissions or inaccuracies. As we cannot guarantee the complete accuracy or completeness of the lists, you are also advised to consult the current NOAH Compendium of Data Sheets for Veterinary Products which lists and summarises data on most authorised veterinary medicinal products. In any event, anyone administering a veterinary medicine to a horse or supplying such a product should always familiarise himself or herself with the product information relating to the medicine, as set out on the label, packaging and any leaflet accompanying the medicine. Vets should also consult the relevant data sheet or Summary of Product Characteristics. Further enquiries in respect of the lists or this page may be made by e-mail to horsemedicines@vmd.defra.gsi.gov.uk or by telephone to Veterinary Medicinal Products Branch on 01932 338321”.
---------------------------------------------------------
For more US info please refer to these websites -
Banned drugs -
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Search/Search_Results/Index.asp?q=banned+drugs+&mode=simple&num=10&as_occt=any&site=FSIS&sort=rel&x=7&y=9

Food Safety Issues Affecting International Trade -
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/speeches/2000/tb_apfs.htm
---------------------------
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/AnimalProducts/AnimalHealthWelfare.htm

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/International_Affairs/index.asp
-----------------------
Federal Meat Inspection Act
Subchapter I - Inspection Requirements; Adulteration & Misbranding -
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Meat_Inspection_Act/index.asp
------------------------
Federal Meat Inspection Act
Title 21 - Food and Drugs
Chapter 12 - Meat Inspection
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/FMIA/index.asp#610

FSIS information on the regulatory enforcement of food safety inspection regulations in domestic meat, poultry, and egg product processing establishments.
Residue Violators Alert List (PDF only) FSIS monthly list of individuals or firms responsible for repeat drug, pesticide, or other chemical residue violations in animals presented for slaughter. Quarterly Enforcement Reports FSIS Quarterly Enforcement Reports provide a summary of the enforcement actions FSIS has taken to ensure that products that reach consumers are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled.
FSIS Adjudications
Food Supply Veterinary MedicineAmerican Veterinary Medicine Association.A clearinghouse of information on food supply veterinary medicine, including videos, links to state information, statistics, and media coverage.

2009-03-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sponsored by:Friends of Equines Society FOES of Equine slaughter

AP Fri, February 6, 2009 12:59:57 PM CST

A resolution asking Congress not to interfere with the shipment and slaughter of unwanted horses has received preliminary approval. House Joint Resolution 8 urges Congress to keep out of state oversight of the transport and processing of horses. Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Recluse, WY who introduced the resolution, said it's a response to a federal bill that seeks to limit horse transport to Mexico and Canada. Americans currently send unwanted horses to the neighboring countries for slaughter, because slaughterhouses in the United States have closed. Wallis said the proposed Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009 would be a threat to Wyoming's horse and livestock industries. She said the industries have already been hurt as domestic slaughterhouses have closed due pressure from animal rights organizations. "It's absolutely decimating to the horse industry," Wallis said. There are an estimated 100,000 unwanted or unusable horses in the United States, according to supporters of the resolution.But Nancy Perry, of the Humane Society of the United States, said horses transported to Canada and Mexico are often young and slaughtered for horse meat. "Horses that wind up going to slaughter are not old, broken down horses that reach the end of their utility," Perry said. She said the Humane Society would rather see old or unwanted horses euthanized.She said the bipartisan Conyers-Burton bill has more than 80 co-sponsors and continues to gain support. The Wyoming House would need to approve the state resolution two more times before it would go to the Senate.This state-by-state organising for horse-slaughter is the work of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) who held a meeting last Decemeber to initiate their pro-horse slaughter agenda on a state-by-state basis. The "Pro-slaughter" states are asking Congress NOT to interfere with their "right" to slaughter horses. We MUST meet these individual proposals head on and to let Congress know that the majory of Americans are against horse slaughter.

Please check out these petitions as against the NCSL and the other states that propose to want horse-slaughter. We must meet them at every turn!

The National Conference of State Legislators;http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/natl-conference-officially-supports-horse-slaughter

Arizona;http://tinyurl.com/dza7v5

Arkansas http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ak-legislature-asks-for-horse-slaughter-plant

Illinois;http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/illinois-seeks-2-reinstate-horse-slaughter

Kansas http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/kansas-legislature-supports-horse-slaughter

Minnesota; http://tinyurl.com/alv2tn

Missouri; http://tinyurl.com/cjkwwy

Montana; http://tinyurl.com/aomggs

North Dakotahttp://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/north-dakota-to-get-horse-slaughter-plant

South Dakota;http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/sd-legislature-wants-horse-slaughter-plant

Tennessee;http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/tenn-rep-promoting-horse-slaughter

Utah;http://tinyurl.com/bh3m5q

Wyoming;http://legisweb.state.wy.us/LegislatorSummary/CommitteeMembers.aspx?StrCommitteeId=05

UNITED WE STAND!

2009-03-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Kremer to make strides for welfare of horses
BARN NOTES • By JACK IRELAND • March 14, 2009

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090314/SPORTS09/903140321

Kristina Kremer is on a mission to save unwanted and neglected horses from slaughter houses, and her endeavor starts at 9 a.m. today in Newark. Kremer, from Capulin, Colo., will begin her Walk Across America for Horses near the Main Street underpass in an effort to raise awareness of the threat of slaughter and daily abuse, and to improve the welfare and better treatment of all horses. Kremer is deeply involved in the treatment and rescue of unwanted horses. She owns and operates the Snowy River Animal Rescue Farm, a 120-acre facility housing 120 rescued horses in Capulin, Colo.Kremer will walk down Main Street, then onto Route 273 to Fair Hill, Md., where she will take part in a luncheon with interested horsemen and horse rescue enthusiasts. Her first major goal of the walk will be to get to Washington, D.C., and attempt to deliver approximately 1,200 letters, written mostly by children, asking President Barrack Obama to support the rescue of all horses and to stop efforts by certain factions in this country to re-open horse slaughter houses to the U.S. She hopes to finish the walk in six to eight months in California.
"This letter-writing campaign comes from children and families throughout the United States and that definitely includes Delaware," said Kremer. "The very least I can do is find a way to get someone to deliver these letters to the White House and the President when I reach Washington. I am serious, and I'm not some eccentric. Anyone out there who can help me accomplish that, please contact me or a member of our support group."
For updated information and to follow Kremer's walk each day, go to www.awalkforhorses.webs.com or call local contact Susan Pizzini of West Grove, Pa., at (610) 869-3629 or (610) 999-1990.

2009-03-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

Shelley Abrams of Americans Against Horse Slaughter spent some time with Congressman John Conyers, the sponsor of HR 503 when he was in Philadelphia on Friday night.

Congressman Conyers assured Shelley that, although there are many issues facing our country right now, he remains committed to passing this legislation and ending the slaughter of our horses. Conyers went on to say that while he can't accept any kind of animal cruelty, "horses are special" and they need our help.

Congressman Conyers also said to convey his appreciation to members of AAHS and to all other groups and individuals who are working tirelessly to make this happen.

URGENT STRATEGY - IL

Although getting HR503 is the end game, right now we have a time sensitive URGENT IL ALERT that demands a united effort. Please click on the following thread for details and once again, lend your voice to win this battle. URGENT IL ALERT!

WEEKLY STRATEGY FOR THE FEDERAL BILL HR503

The strategy for getting the federal bill passed is to gain co-sponsors for HR 503, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009. Please call upon your own Representatives if they have not yet co-sponsored HR 503. To find the current co-sponsors go to: http://www.thomas.gov/ (Currently total is 103!)

After you have called your own representative, please help us focus on the following list of those who cosponsored the bill last year. Please check back to this post daily. We will be removing names as they sign on to co-sponsor so this thread should be current every day.

Rep Arcuri, Michael A. [NY-24] - 9/25/2008 Phone: 202-225-3665 Fax: 202-225-1891

Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - 9/8/2008 Phone: 202-225-0123 Fax: 202-225-2256

Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - 9/16/2008 Phone: 202-225-4535 Fax: 202-225-4403

Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - 9/8/2008 Phone: 202-225-5006 Fax:.202-225-5641

Rep Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14] - 9/8/2008 Phone: 202-225-2135 Fax: 202-225-3084

Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 9/9/2008 Phone: 202-225-4755 Fax: 202-225-4886

Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 7/31/2008 Phone :202-225-2464 Fax: 202-225-5513

Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 9/25/2008 Phone: 202-225-2861 Fax: 202-225-6791

Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - 11/19/2008 Phone: 202.225.4001 Fax: 202-225-5392

Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] - 7/31/2008 Phone: 202-225-2542 Fax: 202-225-0378

Rep Harman, Jane [CA-36] - 12/9/2008 Phone: 202-225-8220 Fax: 202-226-7290

Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - 9/9/2008 Phone: 202-225-8885 Fax: 202-226-1477 Rep Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [GA-4] - 9/10/2008: 202-225-1605 Fax: 202-226-0691

Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - 9/15/2008 Phone: 202-225-8273 Fax: 202-225-3984

Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] - 9/10/2008 Phone: 202-225-6631 Fax: 202-225-1968

Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - 9/15/2008 Phone: 202-225-4172 Fax: 202-225-7564

Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - 9/25/2008 Phone: 202-225-8050 Fax: 202-225-3002

Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] - 9/26/2008 Phone: 202-225-4671 Fax: 202-225-9665

Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [NJ-8] - 9/22/2008 Phone: 202-225-5751 Fax: 202-225-5782

Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - 10/3/2008 Phone: 202-225-1766 Fax: 202-226-0350 Rep Schmidt, Jean [OH-2] - 9/8/2008 Phone: 202-225-3164 Fax: 202-225-1992

Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] - 9/22/2008 Phone: 202-225-5464 Fax: 202-225-5467

Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 9/8/2008 Phone: 202-225-5065 Fax: 202-226-3805

Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - 9/16/2008 Phone: 202-225-8020 Fax: 202-225-5915

Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 9/8/2008 Phone: 202-225-5936 Fax: 202-225-1018

Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] - 9/8/2008 Phone: 202-225-3411 Fax: 202-226-0771

Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - 9/24/2008 Phone: 202-225-4115 Fax: 202-225-5974

Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - 9/25/2008Phone: 202-225-2452 Fax: 202-225-2455

Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - 9/25/2008 Phone: 202-225-4261 Fax: 202-225-4382

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE - You can use this toll-free number 800-828-0498 and ask for a legislator by name (or ask for extension, last 5 numbers of legislator's office phone)
This list will be friends of the anti slaughter legislation so they should be the easiest to approach without going into a lot of detail. We will be editing this list daily as people sign on.....so please check this post each day. And we will start a new thread with current lists each week. Please Note: We have started a separate thread titled “State Action Needed”. Several States have introduced their own legislation to allow horse slaughter. These states need our help. to keep this from happening.

Please pass the word!!

Remember, WE ARE BARBARO’S VOICE.....Let it be heard.

Shelley and Deb Americans Against Horse Slaughter
Debra, WI - Americans Against Horse Slaughter
Edited 3/8/2009 6:49 pm ET by Debra, WI (DebraWI)

2009-03-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

Rahall_09_03_03

March 3, 2009

CONTACT: Allyson Groff or Blake Androff, 202-226-9019

Statement of U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources
Before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
Legislative Hearing
The Restore Our American Mustangs Act (H.R. 1018)
March 3, 2009
Thank you Chairman Grijalva.H.R. 1018 is legislation that is long overdue. It will amend the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 - the landmark legislation that first recognized the importance of wild horses and burros to our American culture, and sought to prevent them from disappearing from the western range altogether. The 1971 Act rightly declared that wild free-roaming horses and burros embody "the pioneer spirit of the West" and "enrich the lives of the American people."Since passage of this principled legislation, however, the Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency charged with the stewardship of these iconic creatures, has struggled to uphold the vision of the 1971 Act. Under funding and charges of mismanagement have plagued the program and undermined the intent of the law. The Act originally identified 53 million acres of public land on which wild horses and burros could roam freely; the BLM has since removed horses and burros from nearly 19 million of those acres. Further, since 1971, more than 200,000 wild horses and burros have been rounded up from public lands and either adopted or placed in long-term holding facilities. And of critical concern, the BLM recently announced that, due to a combination of a lack of funding, facilities and options, they may be required to kill as many as 30,000 healthy wild horses and burros.Something is obviously broken here. Protection and management of the wild horses and burros on our public lands is an important federal responsibility - but it is clear that the federal government has not been adequately meeting that responsibility. We can and must do better.The ROAM Act is intended to help the BLM do better. It is designed to provide land managers a broad array of tools with which to maintain healthy, thriving herds of wild horses and burros so that they may roam public lands, and remain, as the 1971 Act said, "an integral part of the natural system of the public lands." A 2008 report by the Government Accountability Office that I requested identified a number of deficiencies plaguing the BLM wild horse and burro program and made recommendations on how to improve the management of the Program. The ROAM Act includes those GAO recommendations. It also expands the areas available for wild horses and burros to roam in order to provide BLM needed flexibility in maintaining healthy herds on public lands. The bill requires the process for estimating the number of wild horses and burros on our public lands, and for managing these herds, to be more scientific, more consistent and more transparent.Finally, the ROAM Act specifically prohibits the killing of healthy, wild horses and burros.I would like to offer my personal gratitude to the witnesses who have joined us today to testify on this measure. Mrs. Madeleine Pickens continues her work as an advocate for animal welfare and is to be commended for her tireless engagement in this very important issue. I also want to welcome Mr. Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society of the United States and Mr. D.J. Schubert of the Animal Welfare Institute. Both of your organizations have been leading the charge to raise awareness of the plight of our wild horses and burros, and you all have been instrumental in your advocacy on their behalf and in our legislative efforts here today. I thank Chairman Grijalva for holding this hearing today, and I look forward to this opportunity to work towards improving conditions for America's iconic wild and free-roaming horses and burros

96!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

H.R.503 Title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain conduct relating to the use of horses for human consumption. Sponsor: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] (introduced 1/14/2009) Cosponsors (96) Latest Major Action: 1/14/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
COSPONSORS(96)
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 2/11/2009
Rep Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5] - 1/14/2009
Rep Baird, Brian [WA-3] - 2/4/2009
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] - 1/26/2009
Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] - 1/14/2009
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] - 1/27/2009
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. [CA-50] - 1/14/2009
Rep Bilirakis, Gus M. [FL-9] - 1/28/2009
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] - 1/26/2009
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] - 1/14/2009
Rep Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU] - 1/14/2009
Rep Brown, Henry E., Jr. [SC-1] - 1/14/2009
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] - 1/14/2009
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 2/4/2009
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] - 1/14/2009
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] - 1/14/2009
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 2/23/2009
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] - 1/14/2009
Rep Courtney, Joe [CT-2] - 1/26/2009
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 1/14/2009
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 1/14/2009
Rep Delahunt, William D. [MA-10] - 1/14/2009
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] - 1/14/2009
Rep Diaz-Balart, Mario [FL-25] - 2/4/2009
Rep Dicks, Norman D. [WA-6] - 1/27/2009
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - 2/26/2009
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - 2/11/2009
Rep Gallegly, Elton [CA-24] - 1/14/2009
Rep Gerlach, Jim [PA-6] - 1/14/2009
Rep Green, Al [TX-9] - 1/27/2009
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 1/14/2009
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] - 1/14/2009
Rep Hall, John J. [NY-19] - 1/14/2009
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] - 1/14/2009
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] - 2/11/2009
Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] - 1/28/2009
Rep Inglis, Bob [SC-4] - 1/14/2009
Rep Israel, Steve [NY-2] - 1/26/2009
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 1/14/2009
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 1/14/2009
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] - 2/23/2009
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] - 1/14/2009
Rep Kirk, Mark Steven [IL-10] - 1/14/2009
Rep Klein, Ron [FL-22] - 1/14/2009
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] - 1/14/2009
Rep Lance, Leonard [NJ-7] - 1/26/2009
Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2] - 2/4/2009
Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1] - 2/23/2009
Rep Levin, Sander M. [MI-12] - 1/26/2009
Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] - 1/14/2009
Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 1/26/2009
Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. [NJ-2] - 1/14/2009
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] - 1/14/2009
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] - 1/27/2009
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] - 1/14/2009
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-5] - 2/23/2009
Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] - 1/14/2009
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 1/14/2009
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 1/14/2009
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - 1/14/2009
Rep Mitchell, Harry E. [AZ-5] - 1/14/2009
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] - 1/14/2009
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 1/14/2009
Rep Murphy, Patrick J. [PA-8] - 1/14/2009
Rep Murtha, John P. [PA-12] - 1/26/2009
Rep Myrick, Sue Wilkins [NC-9] - 1/26/2009
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] - 1/14/2009
Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] - 2/23/2009
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 2/23/2009
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] - 1/14/2009
Rep Peters, Gary C. [MI-9] - 1/27/2009
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] - 1/14/2009
Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] - 1/14/2009
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] - 1/14/2009
Rep Rooney, Thomas J. [FL-16] - 1/27/2009
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] - 2/11/2009
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 1/14/2009
Rep Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch [MD-2] - 1/14/2009
Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] - 2/4/2009
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 1/14/2009
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13] - 2/23/2009
Rep Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [VA-3] - 1/14/2009
Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] - 1/14/2009
Rep Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1] - 2/4/2009
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] - 1/14/2009
Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4] - 1/14/2009
Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] - 1/14/2009
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] - 1/14/2009
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] - 1/14/2009
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] - 1/14/2009
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9] - 1/26/2009
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] - 1/14/2009
Rep Whitfield, Ed [KY-1] - 1/14/2009
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 1/14/2009
Rep Wu, David [OR-1] - 1/14/2009
Rep Young, C.W. Bill [FL-10] - 1/14/2009

BOLD PLANS TO SAVE WILD HORSES

2009-02-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

George Knapp, Chief Investigative Reporter

Feb 10, 2009 09:18 PM MST

I-Team: Bold Plans to Save Wild Horses

The BLM announced last year it has no more room for additional wild horses, yet it continues to fund additional roundups on the ranges. The bureau says it can't afford to feed the animals either. Pickens and her husband are serious about their idea to set aside a million or more acres as a sanctuary for the more than 30,000 wild horses now squeezed into government pens.
The wife of Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens is riding to the rescue of Nevada's wild horse herds. Madeleine Pickens has a bold plan that would not only save the horses, but would get taxpayers out of a jam as well. The proposal is bold and big. Pickens wants to create a refuge for wild horses that could encompass more than a million acres of public land in northern Nevada. She has the support of wild horse groups, key lawmakers, and even a few people in the Bureau of Land Management. "It's fascinating to me that you don't realize what you have. Here you have one of the greatest ecosystems that could be so popular. People go to the rain forest, imagine coming to Nevada and visiting the wild mustangs," she said.
Pickens thinks Nevada's vanishing herds of wild horses could be transformed into a major tourist attraction, instead of being viewed as four legged vermin, which is how many ranchers and bureaucrats see them. Pickens and her husband are serious about their idea to set aside a million or more acres as a sanctuary for the more than 30,000 wild horses now squeezed into government pens. Pickens initially wanted to take a few thousand of the horses off the BLM's hands, but the idea sort of took off on its own, "The first year I anticipate we would take 8,000 to 10,000 horses. They are the ones in temporary holding. If you go to Fallon, Nevada and you look at the horses in short term holding, they are stuffed into these corrals and they are really derriere to derriere. They have no room to move around. They were supposed to be here for three months and they've been there for three years. It's cruel. They would be the first group we would take."
The BLM announced last year it has no more room for additional wild horses, yet it continues to fund additional roundups on the ranges. The bureau says it can't afford to feed the animals either, which is why it admitted that thousands of the captured mustangs would have to be euthanized or shipped away to slaughterhouses.
Pickens wants to take the horses out of the corrals and let them run free on a vast sanctuary she hopes to assemble out of parcels both private and public. The horse refuge could provide an economic jolt to rural Nevada since Pickens hopes to turn it into an ecotourism attraction where visitors could observe mustang herds in their natural environment.
"There are so many creative ways you can think afterwards -- Jeeps, all kinds of things where you go out on safari and look for the wild herds. You can have an education center with videos, the history -- it's a living history. It's not dead. It's not gone. These horses live on and we can enjoy our land," she said.
Taking the horses out of the BLM pens could save the government more than $100 million in just the first three years, plus it would relieve the overcrowding and eliminate the need to put the horses to death.
Back in January, she met with BLM officials in Washington to explain her plan to create a million-acre sanctuary for wild horses.
BLM said it would need one month to address some initial legal questions. The month is up as of Friday. After that, Pickens plans to take her case directly to Congress to try and force BLM to act. It will be a major surprise if BLM has an answer by Friday and it will be an even bigger surprise if the bureau helps move the plan forward.
Horse advocates are already convinced BLM will come up with a list of reasons why the sanctuary is impossible. Pickens says she can't see how BLM could pass on this opportunity, just for the financial savings alone.
"It is costing BLM so much money to keep this program going. It's $27 then $35 then it goes to $65 million next year. It's inappropriate at a time when we have a global meltdown, that they still continue to gather, continue to put into short term holding and cost the taxpayers this money. By the year 2020, if they do my program, they would have saved $800 million. It's a huge number. I don't see how they could turn it down," she said.
But when it comes to the federal government, financial logic doesn't have to enter the picture. BLM's cooperation is needed in two main areas - first to allow the mustangs to be removed from the crowded pens where they're housed now so they could be transferred to the wide open spaces of Pickens refuge. BLM has long complained it has no room for the horses, and can't afford to feed them, but that doesn't mean the bureau would willingly let them go.
Second, BLM's help is needed to put together the million acres. Pickens would buy the title to ranchland but most of the acreage is public range with grazing rights assigned to individual private ranches. BLM would have to okay the transfer of that land from cattle grazing areas to horse sanctuary.
In the view of Pickens and other wild horse advocates, BLM has long been under the control of the cattle industry, "I don't think they hate the wild horses, I think they hate the wild horse issue. I sometimes wonder if they don't want the issue to go away because their departments grow and grow and grow and they get a bigger budget if they do more and more. So after awhile you start to think, could it possibly be that?"
When asked about concerns with the program, spokesman with BLM said they don't want to get into any of that at this time.

2009-02-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Horse Slaughterers' Strategy Revealed
Posted Feb 9, 2009 by lauraallen
Horse Slaughter
State legislators have been introducing pro horse slaughter resolutions on behalf of foreign investors anxious to defeat H.R. 503.
H.R. 503, which is pending in Congress would stop them from using American horses for horsemeat served as a delicacy in fine restaurants primarily in parts of Asia, Europe and South America.
These resolutions are worded almost identically.
The resolutions proclaim that there is an increase in "unwanted" or "unusable" horses, as many as 100,000 or more annually, because of the closing of U.S. horse slaughter facilities in 2007. They claim the closing of U.S. slaughter houses in 2007 had "significant economic impact on the...equine industry". These resolutions call for "processing" or "harvesting" horses, euphemisms for "slaughter", which they describe as "humane". They claim slaughter can be managed through inspections and regulations.
These resolutions, if approved by the state legislatures, would be sent to Congress, as the state's position that H.R. 503 should be defeated.
It is important to voice your opposition to these resolutions. These resolutions are pending in these states:
Arizona, S.C.M. 1001 Find your Arizona legislators here. Contact all Arizona state House and Senate members.
Utah, H.J.R. 7, which has already passed the state House and has been approved by a Senate committee. Contact all Utah state Senators.
Missouri, HCR 19 in the House and SCR 8 in the state senate. These resolutions also call for opening a horse slaughter house in that state. Find your Missouri legislators here. Find all Missouri state representatives and senators. HCR 19 is pending before the state Agri-Business Committee and SCR 8 will be voted on by the state Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions, and Ethics Committee.
South Dakota, S.C.R. 2 has already passed the state House by a vote of 63-1. A separate, second bill, S.B. 114, asks the South Dakota state legislature to spend $100,000 on a study "of the feasibility, viability, and desirability of establishing and operating an equine processing facility in the state. Find your South Dakota state senators here. Find email addresses for all South Dakota state senators here. Find contact information for all South Dakota state representatives and senators here.
North Dakota S.C.R. 4021 will be heard on Feb. 12, 2009 at 11 a.m. by the Senate Agriculture committee. Fax the committee at 701-328-3615 or email lcouncil@nd.gov A second bill, H.B. 1496 has already been approved by a legislative committee. The committee approved $75,000 in North Dakota for a study of possible markets for horse meat, applicable laws and funding for a horse slaughter facility there. Find all North Dakota state senators here. Find all House members here.
Wyoming, H.J.R. 8 has already passed committee. Find all Wyoming legislators here.
Minnesota, S.F. 133 is currently in the state Senate Agriculture and Veterans Committee. Find your Minnesota state senator and representative. Find all Minnesota state senators and representatives.
Kansas, HCR 5004 Find your Kansas legislators here. Find all Kansas state House and Senate members.
Arkansas H.C.R. 1004, also calls for incentives and support for opening of horse slaughter houses nationally and in the state. This bill has already passed in the state House and is in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Find here all Arkansas state senators, including yours if you live there.
In Illinois Rep. Jim Sacia has introduced a bill, as he did last session for the repeal of the 2007 state law banning horse slaughter. That state law helped shut down the horse slaughter facility in Dekalb, Illinois.
Rep. Sacia's bill, H.B. 583, would also allow horses destined for slaughter for human consumption to be shipped into the state for slaughter with no certificate of veterinary inspection contrary to current state law governing horses. 510 ILCS 65/4 The new law would also exempt downed, sick, diseased, lame or disabled horses from the requirements of the Humane Care for Animals Act governing animals in this condition. 510 ILCS 70/5, 7.5
This means Rep. Sacia and the interests he represents in the horse slaughter underworld understand that horse slaughter is brutal and cruel and so would want to exempt their sordid practice from the animal cruelty laws and inspection requirements.
Contact Illinois state House and Senate members and urge them to vote NO on H.B. 583 and keep horse slaughter out of Illinois.
The horse slaughterers' strategy
These resolutions and bills are a not-so-subtle ploy by the foreign investors that own horse slaughter houses to defeat H.R. 503 which would ban the sale, transport, and possession of horses in interstate and foreign commerce for slaughter for human consumption.
Even without H.R. 503, horse slaughter cannot occur legally in the U.S. There is no point in states appropriating tax dollars for studies when currently horse slaughter for human consumption is not allowed in the U.S. These resolutions will simply insure horse slaughterers can continue to take American horses to Mexico or Canada for slaughter.
There is also another goal: to make horse slaughter acceptable to Americans and, in fact, create a market in the U.S. for the consumption of horsemeat. The resolution proposing the North Dakota study says as much. If Americans begin eating horsemeat, the theory is that Congress will be forced to fund ante-mortem inspections. Under current law because these required inspections are not funded, horse slaughter is not legal in the U.S. For more on this.....
Keep in mind when the remaining 3 horse slaughter houses in the U.S. closed in 2007, they were owned by foreign companies, Dallas Crown, Inc.; Cavel International, Inc. and Beltex Corp., which now operates a horse slaughter house in Mexico, Empacadora de Carnes de Fresnillo.
Even when there were horse slaughter houses in the U.S., they were part of a horse meat industry that was only 0.001% of the U.S. meat industry. The foreign-owned U.S. horse slaughterhouses paid little in income taxes. One facility paid $5 in federal taxes on $12 million in sales. These slaughter houses paid no export taxes, meaning the U.S. government effectively subsidized the sale of horse meat to consumers generally in parts of Asia, South America and Europe.
The profits went to the foreign investors. The communities where horse slaughter houses were located were left with horrific odors of dying and dead horses, blood literally running down the streets, and illegally dumped waste. There is no economic or other benefit to these states in subsidizing horse slaughter. Just the opposite. It is akin to supporting dog fighting rings.
Horse slaughter is also not a means of controlling numbers of "unwanted horses". This is a myth perpetuated by the horse slaughter industry that is simply repeated over and over again as in these resolutions. Horse slaughter is a multi million dollar a year business that is driven by a demand for horse meat. Kill buyers buy horses at auction for slaughter, and the USDA has said over 92% of American horses slaughtered, are healthy, not old, sick, injured, or neglected. These horses were not unwanted; they were simply sold at auction, and their owners had no control over who purchased them. Without the kill buyers who skulk around horse auctions, looking for the best potential horse meat, most of these horses would be purchased by others or end up in rescues or sanctuaries.
As John Holland, a free lance writer and researcher on horse slaughter and consultant for Americans Against Horse Slaughter, has explained, "Kill buyers do not go around the country like dog catchers gathering ‘unwanted horses' as a public service."
As Americans Against Horse Slaughter points out, "Just over 100,000 horses were slaughtered in the U.S. in 2006. If slaughter were no longer an option and these horses were rendered or buried instead, it would represent a small increase in the number of horse being disposed of in this manner - an increase that the current infrastructure can certainly sustain. Humane euthanasia and carcass disposal is highly affordable and widely available. The average cost of having a horse humanely euthanized and safely disposing of the animal's carcass is approximately $225, while the average monthly cost of keeping a horse is approximately $200."
Also, the horse slaughter industry actually encourages the over breeding of horses. Because owners can make money from the brutal slaughter of their horses, they have an incentive to over breed. As Paul Sorvino put it, "37% of those horses are going to be slaughtered because they couldn't run fast enough....So, it's run for your life." If the slaughter of horses for human consumption is illegal, there is no reward for over breeding.
Sadly, pro-slaughter groups have disseminated disinformation in the media to convince the public that without horse slaughter, there will be large numbers of abandoned, abused and neglected horses. (Even if that were true, which it is not, it is not clear how substituting one form of cruelty for another is somehow a solution.)
Indeed, these reports in the media have proven to be unfounded. A study released last year showed a decrease in horse abuse and neglect cases following closure of the last U.S. horse slaughter house in 2007. Any abandoned or neglected horses are not a result of a lack of horse slaughter houses.
Historically, there have not been increases in abandoned, neglected or abused horses following closures of horse slaughter houses. In 2002 the Illinois slaughter house burned to the ground and was out of commission for some time. Reports of abandoned, abused and neglected horses in the Illinois area were actually on the rise in the 2 years before the fire but decreased afterwards.
Remember the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. dropped significantly from over 300,000 annually in the 1990s to 66,000 in 2004. There was no notable increase during that time of abandoned, abused or neglected horses.
When California banned horse slaughter in 1998, there was no rise in cases of cruelty or neglect to horses. In fact, there was a 39.4% decrease initially and that rose to 88% eventually in horse thefts. (What does that tell you about this "business"?)
Also, from 2004-2007 5000 horses were imported into the U.S. for slaughter. If horse slaughter occurs because of all the unwanted horses, why would these horse slaughter businesses need to import them? The answer is, of course, they wouldn't. Horse slaughter has nothing to do controlling numbers of unwanted horses. It is a business driven by a demand for horse meat primarily as a delicacy in foreign countries.
As Americans Against Horse Slaughter puts it, "The ‘surplus horse population' [argument] is a scare tactic."
Horse slaughter is also in no sense humane euthanasia. That much has been established by documents recently released in response to a FOIA request. The captive bolt gun used in the U.S. slaughterhouses did not typically render horses senseless before slaughter. The slaughter houses never bothered to restrain the horses' heads or use only trained personnel to operate the gun.
As John Holland has explained, "In its 2000 report on methods of Euthanasia, the AVMA stated that the captive bolt gun should not be used on equines unless head restraint could be assured. This is because of the relatively narrow forehead of equines, their head shyness and the fact that the brain is set back further than in cattle for which the gun is intended. It is difficult for an operator to assure proper placement of the gun.
"No slaughter house ever found a practical way to restrain the heads of the horses, so by the AVMA's very definition, the process was not acceptable. The result was a very large number of ineffective stuns. These misplaced blows undoubtedly caused severe pain until a stunning or fatal blow was delivered. "
Imagine the pain and terror experienced by horses as bolts were repeatedly fired at their heads many times by untrained operators. Many times horses were still conscious when they were then hoisted upside down for slaughter. For more information on the brutality of horse slaughter in the U.S., click here to read the July 25, 2006 testimony of Christopher J. Heyde, Deputy Legislative Director for Animal Welfare Institute, before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. Click here to read testimony offered during a Congressional hearing in 2008 about the cruelty of horse slaughter.
Also, listen here to a discussion on WFL Endangered Stream Live Talk Radio about horse slaughter by Laura Allen, Executive Director of Animal Law Coalition; John Holland, journalist and consultant for Americans Against Horse Salughter; Dr. Nena Winand, DVM with Veterinarians for Equine Welfare and Paula Bacon, former mayor of Kaufman, Tx and leader of the fight to shut down the horse slaughter facility that operated there until 2007. (Download this broadcast!)
Then contact your U.S. representative and urge him or her to vote YES on the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, H.B. 503.
Also, tell your representative to vote YES on H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, which will put an end to all transports of horses on double decked trailers.
Where You Can Find More Information on Horse Slaughter
Read Frequently Asked Questions About Unwanted Horses and the AVMA's Policy on Horse Slaughter
Read Veterinarians for Equine Welfare's Horse Slaughter - Its Ethical Impact and Subsequent Response by the Veterinary Profession

PLEASE LISTEN TO RADIO SHOW TODAY AND BE INFORMED!!!!

2009-02-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

JOHN HOLLAND Senior analyst for AAHS, PAULA BACON former mayor for Kaufman, TX, and LAURA ALLEN Animal Law Attorney. These panelists are fighting to abolish horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter with support more stringent enforcement of laws to prevent abuse and neglect.Call-in number: (646) 727- 2170. Calls will be accepted live during the show. The chat room at the show's WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio page will be open throughout the broadcast for simultaneous discussion and to help answer questions. Registered listeners may connect and talk straight from their computer from anywhere in the world. (learn more) Listen live on Saturday, Feb 7th at 3pm (PST) at WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio.Listen anytime on demand. Links:http://wflendangeredstreamlive.org/showlineup.html http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wflendangeredstreamlive/2009/02/07/Saving-Americas-Horses

FARMERS AND RANCHERS TARGET HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES

2009-02-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Farmers and Rancher Target HSUS Equestrian Magazine Issues Stern Criticism to Breeders\By Steven Long HOUSTON, (Horseback Magazine) - The nation's largest animal welfare organization has for the first time gone on the record to counter claims that it wants to end the slaughter of food animals.
Michael Markarian, executive vice president of Washington based Humane Society of the United States, emphatically countered the charge frequently made by agriculture groups that it wants nothing less than to end the slaughter of any animal for food, not just horses.
Asked Tuesday if HSUS is targeting the food animal industry for abolition Markarian was quick to respond.
"The answer is no," he told Horseback Magazine through a spokeswoman. "That is not our goal."
Agriculture groups from across the nation have zeroed in on HSUS as the bogy man in their war with animal welfare activists over horse slaughter. They say that the ultimate goal of the Society is to eliminate the killing of all food animals including cattle, sheep, goats, and swine.
"They have a simple goal, and that is to eliminate animal agriculture in this country," said South Dakota Rancher Troy Hadrick in a story in Tuesday's Rapid City Journal.
Such talk is sweeping the nation. Agriculture interests will soon take their battle to Congress and to state legislatures as legislation to end horse slaughter forever is brought up for debate and a vote.
In meeting after meeting, both large and small, farmers and ranchers are pointed to the Humane Society by industry leaders as the group most well funded and determined to end their livelihood and way of life. The result has been an emotional upheaval against the group coming from across rural America.
In the current Texas legislative session a fierce battle is expected over the issue. It will pit recreational horse owners and animal rescue operators against breeders, ranchers, and much of the horse industry itself.
Polling has consistently shown that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the slaughter of horses.
The industry is well funded and able to tap the deep pockets of the Farm Bureau, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser's Association, AQHA and others who have a vested interest in being able to recoup the costs of raising a horse with little market value. Selling a horse for slaughter enables a breeder to recover at least part of his costs for breeding a seemingly unwanted horse. In short, it's all about money and the ability to recover the investment made to breed the animal.
The battle could well be waged in multiple states all at once, as well as in Congress. Animal rights activists counter that there are no unwanted horses and most animals culled from breeding programs may be placed with the public if only given the chance. They say that it is a myth that old, frail, and ill horses are sold for slaughter as the slaughter advocates frequently claim. They say it's all about meat on the hoof, and there isn't much meat on a starving horse.
Yet the agriculture industry is fiercely determined to bring back slaughter plants that were outlawed and closed in Texas and Illinois during the past two years.
In fact, a bill has already been filed in South Dakota that would provide funding for a study to establish a horse slaughter industry in that state. Currently, there is no legal horse slaughter facility operating in the United States, although horses are shipped to Canada and Mexico to supply markets in Europe and Japan.
While the Humane Society has now gone on record saying it will not target animal agriculture for elimination, that doesn't mean it has embraced it either.
"Most animals raised for meat, eggs, and dairy products today suffer immensely on factory farms," said HSUS spokeswoman Heather Sullivan. "They are confined by the tens of thousands in warehouses where many of their natural instincts are frustrated and are generally treated like mere commodities as opposed to living, feeling individuals."
Sullivan said the organization welcomes animal lovers of all dietary persuasions, from vegans to confirmed carnivores.
"The Humane Society of the United States is a big tent organization -- we're comprised of vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. In fact, the vast majority of our members are not vegetarians," she said.
"We accept the fact that most Americans eat animals and we support efforts by individuals, corporations, voters and lawmakers (and what they) can do to help reduce the suffering of these animals. At the same time, while most Americans eat animals, they do not want to see them treated inhumanely. The industry can only be expected to go so far as the public wants it to go, and many standard industry practices today are clearly out of step with the sentiments of most Americans. This is where HSUS focuses the bulk of our farm animal resources. While HSUS is not officially opposed to meat eating, it clearly isn't promoting it either, and in fact promotes alternatives. "We support a variety of reasonable efforts to help reduce animal suffering. If consumers want to avoid eating animals, we'll provide them with the information they need to make that decision," Sullivan said. "If they want to reduce the number of animals they eat, we'll give them recipes and other useful information. And if they want to avoid products that cause the most animal suffering (e.g., switching from battery cage eggs to cage-free eggs), we applaud that too, and give them the info they need on where they can find those products. This is the range of motion for the bulk of the American public, and we are comfortable working in all of these ways."
Tel: 281-447-0772FAX: 281-893-1029Internet: news@texashorsetalk.com

2009-01-30T19:49:00.000-08:00

Why do I like horses? I think I must be mad.
My mother wasn't horsey - And neither was my dad.
But the madness hit me early - and it hit me like a curse.
And I've never gotten better. In fact I've gotten worse.
My stables are immaculate. My house is like a hovel.
Last year for my birthday - I got a brand new shovel.
I hardly read a paper - but I know who's sold their horse.
And I wouldn't watch the news - Unless Mr. Ed was on - of course.
One eye's always on the heavens -but my washing waves in vain
As I rush to get the horses in - in case it's gonna rain.
And though they're wearing 15 rugs, The best that you can get,
I bring them in to keep them dry - while I get soaking wet.
I spend up every cent I've got - on horsey stuff for sure
I buy saddles, bridles, fancy rugs - and then I buy some more.
I should have had my hair cut - or bought that nice blue shirt
At least it wouldn't now look ripped to shreds and in the dirt
I can't make a bloody sponge cake -I don't even try
But I can back a car and trailer - in the twinkling of an eye.
It's jeans and Ariat boots that I live in night and day
And that smell of sweaty horses just doesn't wash away.
Once every now and then I dress up for a ball
Make up and a hairdo - with high heel shoes and all.
I ache from long forgotten falls. My knees have got no skin.
My toes have gone a funny shape - from being squashed again.
But late at night, when all is still - and I've gone to give them hay,
I touch their velvet softness and my worries float away.
They give a gentle nicker and they nuzzle through my hair
And I know it's where my heart is - more here than anywhere.

author unknown

Horsekillers.com

2009-01-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

The fight for horses is not over! To stay on top of the latest legislation to ban (or legalize) horse slaughter in the U.S. go to our "Latest Updates" page. To find out more about what you can do to help horses, click here. Click here to watch the 8-minute video: "The Reality of Horse Slaughter" Mac users: If you have trouble viewing this video you can download a free QuickTime plug-in here. The American tradition of loving and respecting horses existed long before there was a United States. Americans counted on horses to build this nation; to plow the fields and to carrying soldiers to battle. Horses are for many people part of their family, and they are considered to be companion animals, just as dogs and cats are.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the United States is willing to give the horse the respect it deserves. There are those who are willing to see horses killed for profit, and that is who this website seeks to expose. Horse slaughter proponents claim to care about horses, but the facts and the video footage tell a very different story.

An Overview of Horse Slaughter
Horse slaughter has existed in the shadows for many years. In the past, horse slaughterhouses killed their victims in relative obscurity in numerous locations throughout the United States. As concern for the well being of animals has grown in recent years, horse slaughter has come under increasing scrutiny. By 2002, the United States had rid itself of the shame of horse slaughter in every state except one – Texas.
To the credit of Texans, the Texas Attorney General issued an opinion that those slaughterhouses violated Texas law, and a bill that would have legalized horse slaughter failed due to pressure from voters. A majority of Americans including Texans oppose horse slaughter, and they find the idea of eating horsemeat to be repugnant. Even in Texas, a state considered by many to be unfriendly to animals, horse killers were told to "take a hike."
Click here to find out why the rodeo industry is in cahoots with the horse slaughter lobby.
Not surprisingly, the horse killers didn't care about the Texas Attorney General's opinion, the opinion of Texas voters or about the cultural respect Americans have for horses. The horse killers received a federal court order that allowed them to continue to kill horses for the time being, in spite of the will of the people. But with the writing on the wall in Texas, the horse killers knew they had to find another state willing to take on the dubious title of "Horse Killing Capitol of the US." Now it is Illinois, the "Land of Lincoln," where the horse killers hope to continue their violent and bloody massacre.
Horse Slaughter Horror Video Documentation

What do these corporations all have in common?
Coca-Cola
AT&T
Daimler-Chrysler
Wal-Mart
Southwest Airlines
These companies prop up an industry that funnels horses to the killing floor. FIND OUT MORE.

EXTREMELY DISTURBING PHOTOS NOT SHOWN-GO TO
http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000528 READ WHAT HAPPENS IN PICTURES

Doomed horses are lined up for cruel termination. The last hours of these intelligent animals are filled with dread as they experience the noise, smell and sight of death.
#1
This horse is hit in the shoulder by the mis-aimed captive bolt gun, causing even more pain and trauma.
#2
Wounded but still conscious after the mis-aimed shot,the suffering victim is hit again and again by the merciless captive bolt gun.
#1
A panicked victim struggles to gain footing on the slippery blood-soaked floor of the kill chute.
#2
Finally steady, the horse is shot by her killer, but she remains alive and conscious.
#3
Still struggling, she is shot a third time by her killer.
#1
Clearly aware of the peril she faces, this horse repeatedly attempts to avoid the captive bolt gun.
#2
The horror continues as the doomed horse continues to evade death. She looks toward her killer with eyes wide with terror. If she is looking for mercy, there is none to be found in this death house.
#3
Finally, her killer succeeds in blasting her skull, but even after three shots she is still moving.
A still moving victim is ejected from the kill chute.
The latest victim is hoisted, to be cut up in view of still-living victims.
The victim on the left side of the screen is having its face cut apart, while the victim on the right is being bled. This occurs in view of other horses awaiting the merciless captive bolt.
While the dismantling of these once-beautiful creatures goes on, the camera pans to the kill chute just a few feet away. There a victim is hit four times with the captive bolt gun.
The above video clips were generously supplied to SHARK by the Humane Farming Association.
Humane Horse Euthanasia
These six clips add up to a total of one minute, and show two horses being put to sleep. They were euthanized due to failing health. They were put down together, as they knew each other and were very close. Their final day was sunny and breezy, and it is obvious that they are completely calm and at ease. They are given loving care from the beginning to the very end.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
This footage demonstrates how people who truly care about their horses can give them a peaceful, dignified end. The horses simply become groggy and fall asleep. What a complete and utter difference from the horror of the slaughterhouse!
Our thanks to Judy Marteniuk, DVM, who was a co-producer of the film, for permission to use these clips. Dr. Marteniuk is a faculty member at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, where she specializes in Equine Medicine in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.
_uacct = "UA-444039-1";
urchinTracker();

PleaseSupport SHARK!
SHARK is a US registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity, which means your donation is tax deductible!
SHARKPO Box 28 Geneva, IL 60134 Tel: 630-557-0176 Send Us an E-Mail to 20info@sharkonline.org Sign up for our Email Newsletter
View ourNewsletterArchives
Educate YOUR Community!Download our "Rodeo Reality" Handout

SHARK - PO Box 28 - Geneva IL 60134 Tel: 630-557-0176 Send E-Mail - Mail In a Donation

MICHIGAN FARM NEWS-Michigan's Only Statewide Farm Newspaper

2009-01-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

January 15, 2009
Grooming a dead horse BY PAUL W. JACKSON
This time, the last person out of Michigan can turn off the lights from horseback. If there are any horses left. "That's not an overstatement," said Ernie Birchmeier, livestock specialist with Michigan Farm Bureau. "The horse racing industry is in serious peril of being driven out of the state, as evidenced by the recent closing of the Jackson Harness Raceway and declining racing revenues across the board. Also, we may think there will always be a pleasure horse industry here, but with even more nonsensical, misguided and emotion-driven legislation proposed in Congress, there may be no way to save Michigan's equine industry, or its contribution to the state's economy."The lion's share of discretionary income spent on horses generally goes to the pleasure horse industry, but bad legislation is putting even that in peril, said Val Vail-Shirey, executive director of the Michigan Equine Partnership (MEP).

"We're having issues with trails closing to horseback riders, the total ban on horse slaughter in the United States, and now, U.S. Rep. Conyers of Michigan will likely reintroduce a bill that would prosecute people who transport horses to slaughter houses in Canada or Mexico. So here you have the bottom dropping out of the racing industry, the higher cost of feed and unwanted horses, and people are just walking away. It's hard to stay upbeat about the industry when the Humane Society of the United States is making the decision that horse slaughter is immoral. Without the slaughter option, people are just leaving them to starve."

As was the case in 2004, warnings about unintended consequences of legislation are prevalent. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) warned in its agenda for the 111th Congress that "if Congress decides that horses and other equids are prohibited from being processed for human consumption, it is estimated that each year an additional 100,000 unwanted U.S. horses would need to find an alternative method of care..." The AVMA also said "legislation is needed to ensure the humane care and treatment of these animals."
In other words, Birchmeier said, banning horse slaughter will lead to horse starvation, a much more cruel and agonizing death than slaughter.

"The Hollywood celebrity money behind the bans may be a great way for some people to salve their consciences and get some publicity out of their flavor of the month, but it is agriculture and taxpayers that will have to deal with the unintended consequences," he said. "What many of these people don't seem to understand - and maybe they can't because they have no idea what responsible animal ownership is all about - is that there are fates worse than death, and death is a part of life."

Editor: Paul W. Jackson
800-292-2680 x6540
mfneditor@michfb.com

Support H.R. 305

2009-01-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Support H.R. 305
Dear Americans Against Horse Slaughter Members,the following link will take you to an action alert from HSUS regarding new legislation that will stop the Inhuman Transport of Horses.Please click on the link and take action.FROM HSUS:https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2009_horse_transportStop Inhumane Horse TransportDoubler decker trailers are designed for short-necked species, such as cattle and hogs, not horses. However, current federal law allows horses to be transported in these trailers to any destination other than slaughter plants. Since these trailers are not meant to carry horses, frequently the top deck of the trailer will collapse, resulting in horrific injuries and even death. Just last year, a double decker trailer carrying 59 young Belgian horses overturned on an Illinois highway, killing 17 horses and injuring dozens of others.Fortunately, Representatives Kirk (R-IL) and Cohen (D-TN) introduced, H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, to ban the use of double decker trailers for all horse transport. TAKE ACTIONPlease make a brief, polite phone call to your U.S. Representative to urge support for H.R. 305 to prohibit double decker trailers for horse transport. You can reach your Representative through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or click here to look up your Representative and the phone number.After making your call, fill in and submit the form on the right to automatically send an email to your U.S. Representative. Remember to personalize the email message by expressing your opinion in your own words; it's much more effective.