HORSES IN NEED OF YOUR HELP! PLEASE BE THEIR VOICE!

Saving America's Mustangs Responds to BLM's Thursday's Announcement

2011-02-27T15:56:00.003-05:00

THIS MESSAGE WAS SENT TO ME BY A FRIEND OF MINE, MRS. MADELEINE PICKENS. PLEASE READ BELOW TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR WILD HORSES.

Dear Friends & Supporters,

Saving America’s Mustangs (SAM) is encouraged by yesterday’s announcement by Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey that major changes are on the horizon for the Wild Horse and Burro Program. However, we have many concerns about the timetable to make these changes and actions that the BLM will take in the intervening time while America waits for these changes to go into effect. It is also hard not to recognize that promises have been made in the past with no results and the startling number of horses that continue to be gathered remains an untenable fact and something needs to be done about gathers in the short term to protect the diminishing numbers of wild horses left on the range. The incremental and minimalist approach taken in the past has not served anyone well and the public is crying out for reform in the short-term.

Looking at the specifics of Director Abbey’s statement, we would call for Secretary Salazar and Director Abbey to take an in depth look at the following:

1. The current Appropriate Management Levels (AML) is severely flawed in a number of ways. The number of aums allocated to horses compared with those given to cattle is skewed badly and must be changed. The BLM must do an audit of the forage on all public lands allotments and ensure that there is true equity where multiple uses are concerned.

2. When the Wild Horse and Burro Act was passed, 53 million acres were allocated to the wild horses. 21 million acres of that has been removed from use, leaving only 32 of the original 53 million acres for use by wild horses Re-establishing acreage formally designated as wild horse Herd Management Areas that have been zeroed out and converted to other use to return wild horses where possible should be a major goal of the new overall assessment.

3. Emphasis on public/private land partnerships should take into consideration private investment, entrepreneurship, volunteerism and value to the public good. Simply issuing new contracts to warehouse wild horses does little or nothing to move us in a new direction when looking at the vast number of horses currently in holding pens.

4. The reference to additional science being required to respond to many of the deficiencies in the current management of wild horses could not be more pressing than when looking at the current approach to gathers. We are gathering very healthy horses off of range with sufficient forage to support not only the horses currently there but even larger numbers if the truth were told. The claim that large numbers of wild horses are starving or will starve is an exaggerated conclusion that has been offered as a stalking horse to continue the current gather policy. With 40,000horses currently in holding pens and a schedule to remove another 7500 each year, how long will it be before we have eliminated our wild horse herds or put the Program in such financial hardship that it cannot survive? SAM will continue to call for a halt to all gathers until such time as real science is applied in this area and we feel that Secretary Salazar would be well served to simply stop gathers now and let the science tell the real story when the NAS study is completed.

SAM firmly believes that the Secretary has it within his current authority to make many of the changes that would move us in a new direction. We totally support the NAS study approach but strongly question the need to continue to build on the bad policies of the past when everyone seems to recognize the myriad problems in the current Wild Horse and Burro Program management approach. We offer our resources and commitment to assist the Secretary and Director Abbey in any area where we can bring about change more expeditiously and help manage more effectively.

Copy/paste this URL http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2011/february/NR_0223_2011.html to read the original BLM Annoucement from Thursday.

Very Sincerely,

Madeleine Pickens & all the mustangs

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

This Horse Magic - Daughter of Kentucky Derby Winner Ferdinand Needs a Loving Home!

2010-12-13T14:05:00.006-05:00

THIS JUST CAME IN FROM MY FRIEND FROM ANGEL ACRES HORSE HAVEN RESCUE! MAYBE THESE HORSES CAN FIND LOVING HOMES JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! PLEASE OPEN YOUR HEARTS AND HOMES TO THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS! FERDINAND WENT THROUGH A HORRIBLE DEATH, BUT MAYBE HIS DAUGHTER CAN FIND A LOVING HOME AND GIVE HOPE TO ALL THE REST OF THE HORSES IN NEED OF HOMES! :) THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD IN THIS WORLD, WE JUST HAVE TO GO OUT AND FIND IT. I HOPE THIS BLOG WILL REACH SOMEONE WHO WOULD LOVE TO GIVE ANY ONE OF THESE HORSES A LOVING HOME. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!

MAGIC TOUCH

She is being assisted with rehoming, along with her friends - Gus, a Morgan gelding and Rummy a Thoroughbred mare.

We would like Gus and Rummy to go together to a new home.

Below is the information about this mare directly from her owner:

Magic Touch (Magic) (16HH)is a chestnut retired race horse (retired 7 years ago), who made over 100 thousand dollars all in sprint races (1/2 mile). She looks just like her Daddy, Ferdinand. She has been a broodmare the last 3 years once my son began riding race horses instead of show jumpers. Prior to being a mom, she did some show jumping and won 2 second place ribbons in small shows.

She rushes the jumps a bit and needs a confident hand to keep her focused. She doesn't do anything wrong, but she is competitive and easily excited, so the rider has to be calm. She is beautiful and knows it. She shows off in the ring and has an energetic trot. You have to work to keep her collected at first, but she settles down with a confident rider.

Magic has done some barrel racing, (and she's figured out that this is a race) but you have to remind her to go around the barrels and not go straight. Magic has been in our barn since she was 6 years old. She retired from racing after she bowed a tendon, but with a year of rest, she healed to start English and then jumping. She has not had any trouble with the tendon, jumping or barrels.

She is good for the vet and farrier. She cross ties. She has been ridden English. She has been trail ridden along a road and in the woods. She likes to be in front of the trail ride. She is a very classy and kind head mare who gets along with other horses and likes people. She has good ground manners, but is probably not a "first" horse. She would be suitable for an intermediate teen rider who wants to "ride" and not just sit on the horse.

GUS - THE MORGAN

Information about this gelding comes directly from his owner:

Gus (15HH) is an almost black (DK BR) 23 year old Morgan gelding. He gets along well with other horses. We bought him for my daughter when she was 7 and just starting show jumping.

She is now 15, and I expected the grandkids to ride him until it was time to bury him in our pasture. He is our sweet chubby baby. Gus came to us with tons of blue ribbons and a National show jumping title. His previous owner trained him and she was then in college for Equine studies. Gus is a schoolmaster and suitable for a young/new rider.

He never comes home from a show without a ribbon, in Equitation or Pleasure. In fact, he and my daughter have repeatedly caused an entire ring to break down to a walk behind his ultra slow trot in English pleasure. He has a marvelous gait for older folks who want a smooth ride. He is responsive to word commands from the person on his back as well as leg cues. He is mannerly on the ground and practically spook proof.

Gus loves being ridden English, but in his later years he has been used to pony excitable baby race horses and teach them manners. For this, he was ridden with a western grazing bit and neck reined, but English is his first love, and even though he is older, he has never had a sore/sick day in his life.

His feet are tough and do not need shoes even when ridden on the road or jumping. He is an easy keeper with just hay and a cup or two of grain. He stands, backs and (used to) hold up his feet for little hands. He loads without any coaxing. He stands in cross ties, or just with one tie. He's been ridden in the pasture with just a halter and lead rope. He is good for the vet and farrier. He is a perfect horse who needs a perfect home. We will miss him.

RUM JUNGLE

Information about Rummy comes directly from her owner:

Rummy (16HH) is Gus' buddy and I'd like to see her go to the same home as he does. Rummy (Rum Jungle) is a chestnut retired race horse with a blaze. (Retired 6 years ago). She gets along well with other horses.

She retired completely sound from the track with winnings of 60K, all at more than a mile. She has lots of stamina but is not hot. She has been off the track, used as a riding horse and broodmare for the last 3 years.

She is sweet and mannerly on the ground and with a bit of a brush up (She hasn't been ridden for a year) will be fine for an intermediate rider or a beginner with a trainer. She doesn't particularly like to jump, but will do so if pushed. She has been taken through the barrel pattern, but would need some work to be a really good barrel horse. She is fast when she needs to be, but is content to take long walks in the woods or on the road.

She walks through water and over logs. Turkeys, deer and trains don't spook her. She is good for the vet and farrier. She cross ties. She has good ground manners. She has been ridden with an English bit and an English or a Western saddle.

She doesn't know neck reining, but is smart enough to learn. She would be a good horse for a teen or Mom or Dad with your younger child on Gus.

REHOMING INFO:

All three of these horses are up-to-date on teeth, feet, shots, deworming, Coggins, etc.

All are FREE to Angel Acres approved home...PLEASE read about our $1 program horses before emailing as this is the program that he will be adopt out under.

Please email (angelacreshorsehaven@yahoo.com)for more information on any of these wonderful horses!

We are able to assist thanks to donations to Mattie's Legacy Fund, a vital program at Angel Acres, please donate or help spread the word about the fund, today!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

AWESOME NEWS JUST IN FROM MADELEINE PICKENS FOR THE HORSES!

2010-09-22T09:37:00.005-04:00

Following commentary by: Madeleine Pickens

Dear Our Fabulous Wild Horse Supporters,

We are SO excited to FINALLY announce the best news we have had to share with you in over 2 1/2 years!

OUR MUSTANGS ARE GETTING THEIR SANCTUARY AND HAVE THE BLM’S SUPPORT!!!

Over the past three days, I have been to meetings in Sacramento and again in Washington, DC. I’ve met with BLM Director, Bob Abbey, Deputy Director, Mike Pool, along with the Wild Horse and Burro team. The BLM has officially agreed to support going forward with the development of the wild horse Eco- sanctuary for the horses in holding! Also in DC, I met with Congressman, Jim Moran, who had already given his blessing, but is submitting legislation to members of Congress on behalf of these wild mustangs. We are so thankful to him and his staff for their efforts on the wild horse and burro issue. All the meetings were fabulous and we could not be happier about the news!

This final acceptance by the BLM this week was the hurdle we had yet to get over. We are so thankful for the opportunity to start our Pilot Program with 1,000 horses, and we aim to get all 36,000+ horses in holding soon after. This action by the BLM shows great leadership on the part of Bob Abbey and Mike Pool for taking a stand for our beautiful mustangs and accepting the solution we have offered. Saving America’s Mustangs gives our sincerest thanks for the monumental cooperation on the part of the BLM for an alternative to the holding pens.

This is a truly a dream come true and I’m thrilled to share this news with all of you!! Let the rejoicing begin!!

Copy/paste the following link to your URL to watch the second SAM Cam update on 9/16/10.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAYupXk0f7M

I HAVE BEEN DILIGENTLY EVERY NIGHT PRAYING TO GOD THANKING HIM FOR SAVING ALL OF HIS PRECIOUS HORSES, AND I BELIEVE THROUGH MY FAITH IN GOD AND EVERYONE OUT THERE WHOSE HEARTS HE IS TOUCHING TO DO HIS WORK, GOD HAS COME THROUGH FOR US AND HE WILL CONTINUE TO COME THROUGH FOR US IN PASSING THE BILL TO END HORSE SLAUGHTER ONCE AND FOR ALL. THANK YOU LORD! AND THANK YOU MADELEINE PICKENS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION!!

*On a less excited note, 175 wild horses are to be sold to killer buyers in Nevada Sat, Sept. 18. Lifesavers Horse Rescue is taking a huge risk in trying to save as many horses as they can tomorrow. If anyone can help, please visit Lifesaver's web site - http://wildhorserescue.org/

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

MO Pro Horse Slaughter Proposal Attached to Another Bill

2010-05-03T08:20:00.004-04:00

Posted Apr 30, 2010
by lauraallen Horse Slaughter

Update April 30: This week the chair of the Missouri Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee, Sen. Dan Clemens, publicly announced "there will be no further legislative progress on H.B. 1747".

While he was making that announcement, Rep. James Viebrock simply moved the provisions of H.B. 1747 to another unrelated bill, S.B. 795. The provisions of H.B. 1747 were attached to S.B. 795 which passed the House Agriculture Committee and could be voted on by the full House of Representatives as early as Monday, May 3, 2010. Find a copy of the House Committee Substitute bill here (http://www.senate.mo.gov/10info/pdf-bill/hcs/SB795.pdf).

WHAT YOU CAN DO

There is no time to waste: Find your Missouri state representative here (http://www.senate.mo.gov/llookup/leg_lookup.aspx). Find names and contact information for all Missouri state representatives here (http://www.house.mo.gov/member.aspx). Contact them (fax and phone are best) and urge them to vote NO to the House Committee Substitute, S.B. 795!

For more information about this bill, formerly H.B. 1747, and just how scary it could be for animal welfare laws, read Animal Law Coalition's earlier reports below.

Update April 11: H.B. 1747, a bill to promote horse slaughter has been assigned to the Missouri Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee.

Update April 1: H.B. 1747 has passed the Missouri House of Representatives by a vote of 91-61.

The version passed by the House is basically the same as the introduced bill, except for one significant change: If this bill becomes law, "[n]o law criminalizing or otherwise regulating crops or the welfare of any domesticated animals shall be valid unless based upon generally accepted scientific principles and enacted by the general assembly."

Scary language for animals.

This means there could be no citizen initiatives such as the current puppy mill ballot initiative for which advocates are now gathering signatures. If H.B. 1747 passes with this amendment, there could be no local laws regarding the welfare of any domesticated animal including dogs, cats, horses, other pets and farm animals that differ from state laws. Also, any current animal cruelty or animal welfare law in Missouri would be void unless it was "based upon generally accepted scientific principles and enacted by the general assembly." People charged with animal abuse could raise challenges to the law, claiming it was not based upon "generally accepted scientific principles". Possibly, all laws governing animal cruelty or welfare would simply be void because there was no determination of whether they were based upon "generally accepted scientific principles". Arguably, current regulations governing animal welfare and protection would be void as well for this lack of this determination and also because they are not enacted by the legislature; regulations are issued by state agencies.

But that is not all this bill does. It was originally introduced to promote horse slaughter and it still does that. Read Animal Law Coalition's report below for more on this bill and what else all of us must do to stop it.

Missouri state Rep. James Viebrock is the sponsor of H.B. 1747, which basically would also authorize registration and inspections for commercial horse slaughter for human consumption.

The bill proposes that the Missouri Dept. of Agriculture would register commercial horse slaughter operations and certify "that the parts of horses to be processed are fit for human food, and the processing establishment to be operated complies with ... sanitary standards". All registration and inspection fees collected" would "be paid to the director of agriculture and deposited into the state ‘Horse Meat and Product Fund'". Annual inspection fees would be used "to pay for USDA inspection of horse meat products and horse meat processing facilities."

According to the bill, H.B. 1747, "the [state] director [of Agriculture] shall make all necessary inspections and investigations" and the USDA would also have access "at all reasonable times to any building, room, vehicle, boat, or other premises in which any horse carcass, horse meat, or horse meat food product is processed, packed, transported, sold, exposed, or offered for sale at retail."

The USDA would be free to pay for samples or specimens of the carcass or "product" to determine if there are violations of USDA regulations.

The new law would have requirements for labeling, remedies to protect against adulteration, misbranding, failure to label or brand, or unfitness for human consumption. Places that serve horsemeat would be required to post conspicuous warning signs.

The proposal, of course, is simply another tactic to promote horse slaughter with the hope of forcing a return of horse slaughter to this country. This bill is similar to a number of bills and resolutions introduced in 2009 and several more this year, 2010, also offered in an effort to defeat the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503/S.B. 727, now pending in Congress and which would make it illegal to "possess..., ship..., transport..., purchase.., sell... deliver..., or receive" in interstate or foreign commerce any horse "with the intent that it is to be slaughtered for human consumption". The latest of these bills to pass as part of the pro-slaughter disinformation campaign is a Wyoming law that sadly promotes sending horses to slaughter but not to rescues or sanctuaries.

Right now, commercial horse slaughter for human consumption is illegal in the U.S. though horses can be transported to other countries, typically Mexico and Canada, for slaughter. Since 2006 Congress has de-funded ante-mortem inspections required to slaughter horses for human consumption. Congress continued the de-funding in the 2010Appropriations Act, Sec. 744.

In 2007 a federal court rejected an attempt by the USDA to allow horse slaughter operators to pay for the inspections. The USDA is currently not authorized to conduct ante-mortem inspections of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption. Without those inspections, it is illegal under the Federal Meat Inspection Act ("FMIA"), 21 U.S.C. §§601(w)(1), 603, to slaughter horses for human consumption.

If this bill becomes law, it is not clear the USDA would authorize Missouri state inspectors to conduct the required inspections. The funds to pay for the state as well as USDA inspections would come from horse slaughter operators, the same situation in the previous litigation. The judge in that case found the USDA violated the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706 and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 42 U.S.C. § 4321, et seq., by failing to consider adequately, or, really, at all, the environmental impact of its action in allowing horse slaughter operators to pay for their own inspections.

Also, there is strong opposition to horse slaughter in the U.S., and the goal is to pass the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503/S.B. 727, to end this brutal practice altogether for all American horses. A similar bill passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority in 2006, a vote of 263 to 146, but was never voted on in the Senate.

In 2007 a law in Texas, Texas Agriculture Code §§ 149.001-.007 was found to ban horse slaughter for human consumption and was upheld by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. A ban in Illinois, 225 ILCS 635, on horse slaughter for human consumption was upheld in 2008 by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. These state laws and court rulings closed the 3 facilities that were still slaughtering horses in the U.S.; those facilities were located in Texas and Illinois. (Go here to read about and help oppose state Rep. Jim Sacia's effort once again to overturn the Illinois ban on horse slaughter for human consumption; the Iliinois legislature and Illinois voters have never supported this effort. )

Horse slaughter is also illegal in California, CA Penal Code § 598c ("unlawful for any person to possess, to import into or export from the state, or to sell, buy, give away, hold, or accept any horse with the intent of killing, or having another kill, that horse, if that person knows or should have known that any part of that horse will be used for human consumption"). A Mississippi law, MS Code §75-33-3, states that the "term ‘food unfit for human consumption' shall be construed to include meat and meat-food products of horses and mules.". In Oklahoma, 63 Okla. Stat. §1-1136, it is "unlawful for any person to sell, offer or exhibit for sale . . . any quantity of horsemeat for human consumption."

In 2009 the Rhode Island House of Representatives issued a resolution in support of a federal ban on commercial horse slaughter for human consumption. A similar resolution is pending in California. A bill is pending in New York to ban commercial horse slaughter or trade in horse meat for human consumption. Wisconsin, Senate Bill 142 would also ban horse slaughter.

Go here to read how you can help pass the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503/S.B. 727, now pending in Congress (http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/567).

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

YOUR URGENT ACTION IS NEEDED!

2010-03-10T12:11:00.002-05:00

THIS JUST IN FROM MY FRIENDS AT "AMERICANS AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER", PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE. THANK YOU!

URGENT ACTION NEEDED!
March 2, 2010

Urge your Illinois Representative to vote NO on HB 4812
A bill to reopen cruel horse slaughter plants in IL
VOTE COULD TAKE PLACE ANY DAY – CALL NOW!

Dear Illinois Humanitarian,

Urgent calls are needed to protect equine welfare in the state of Illinois. Please contact your State House Representatives to help preserve the 2007 Illinois ban on horse slaughter which ultimately resulted in the closure of the last remaining horse slaughter plant in the United States.

To no surprise, the Illinois State House Committee on Agriculture and Conservation passed HB 4812, a bill to reopen cruel horse slaughter plants in the state. State Rep. Jim Sacia, introduced the bill to repeal the state ban, paving the way for horse slaughter to reappear in Illinois. As has been discussed and voted on many times before, the slaughter process subjects horses to extreme cruelty and an inhumane death. Supporters on both sides of the issue agree that we have a nationwide crisis right now, and something must be done to save these majestic beings from cruelty. We disagree, however, on how to handle the problem. The Animal Welfare Institute does not believe subjecting horses to the trauma of slaughter by captive bolt or being stabbed in the neck by puntilla knife is the answer.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn reiterated his desire to protect the welfare of animals this weekend, “As long as I am governor, we're never going to pass any kind of legislation that allows cruelty toward animals, whether it be dogs, cats or any other living things.”

We are confident Illinois House and Senate representatives are strongly opposed to HB4812, and will vote NO on the bill. However, Representative Sacia has begun to employ a new tactic to garner support for the bill. Claims that the bill has no chance of passing and a vote in favor of the bill as a political nod to Rep. Sacia have started to swirl around the State Capitol. Representatives must not play political games with this bill, which holds the lives of about 100,000 horses annually. It is critical that you urge your representative to vote NO on HB 4812.

Also, please reiterate the fact that Illinois horse rescues will not accept any money as once offered by Rep. Sacia, in an attempt to appease the animal welfare community. Illinois horse rescues submitted a letter to the State House denouncing the acceptance of monies collected from slaughtering horses. Ask that your Representative to record a NO vote on the bill with or without amendments.

It is unfortunate that the Illinois General Assembly and individuals from Illinois and around the country must continue dealing with this issue year after year, but we must remain vigilant against any and all attempts to overturn the 2007 ban on horse slaughter. It is a shame that our limited resources must be used to repeatedly engage in this fight, rather than expend the resources further protecting horses.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

The Illinois House will bring take up HB 4812 at any time now. The exact date is not yet set but may appear soon. Please contact your Representatives today to register your opposition to this inhumane bill. To find House member contact information, visit www.ilga.gov/house or see below.

For your convenience, below is a list of talking points to aid in placing calls and drafting emails. Again, please take action for the horses today. They are counting on us!

Talking Points:Please apologize for having to call your representative on this issue yet again. The Illinois General Assembly resolved this issue back in 2007, but Rep. Sacia continues to take up everybody’s time with this unpopular bill. No matter what is said, please vote NO on HB 4812. Soundly defeating this bill (once again) will send a message across Illinois and the U.S. that horse slaughter and efforts to promote it are not acceptable. Strongly oppose HB 4812 and any amendments because horse slaughter is a cruel and unnecessary practice. The Illinois General Assembly banned horse slaughter by an overwhelming majority in 2007, and Rep. Sacia’s bill, HB 4812, must be rejected. There is no evidence to support Rep. Sacia’s claims that the slaughterhouse closure has led to an increase in horse abandonment or abuse. Horse slaughter itself is abuse because of the way in which horses react to the stress of slaughter plants and the multiple hits required to immobilize a horse. Ending horse slaughter stopped an overt form of animal cruelty and has only been good for the horses. The state ban is important. The animal welfare community, equine rescues and the majority of Illinois residents DO NOT support the overturning of this ban no matter what Rep. Sacia may claim.

If Rep. Sacia actually cared about the welfare of horses he would support the federal ban on horse slaughter which would stop the export of horses from the U.S. Please ask your representative to urge Rep. Sacia to discontinue his attempts to overturn the horse slaughter bill. Your representative should also urge Rep. Sacia to support the federal bill, Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S.727), in order to truly advance the welfare of equines in Illinois if he is truly concerned with the welfare of our horses. H.R. 503/S.727 ensures horses from Illinois and all over the U.S. will no longer be hauled to Canada or Mexico for slaughter.

Please share this "Dear Humanitarian" eAlert with all family, friends, colleagues and fellow horse enthusiasts! Also, please take a minute to visit AWI’s Compassion Index at www.awionline. org/takeaction and take action on the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727). For more information on horse slaughter, you may visit www.awionline. org.Thank you for all you do on behalf of the horses!

Sincerely,
Chris Heyde
Deputy Director
Government and Legal Affairs
Animal Welfare Institute
House Member D/R Phone # Email

Edward J. Acevedo D (217) 782-2855 eacevedoed@ilga. gov

Luis Arroyo D (217) 782-0480 repdistrict2@ yahoo.com

Suzanne Bassl R (217) 782-8026

Mark H. Beaubien R (217) 782-1517 strepmbeaubien@ aol.com

Daniel V. Beiser D (217) 782-5996 dvbeiser@sbcglobal. net

Patricia R. Bellock R (217) 782-1448 rep@rbellock. com

Maria Antonia Berrios D (217) 782-1032 repberrios39gmail. com

Bob Biggins R (217) 782-6578 bobbiggins@comcast. net

William B. Black R (217) 782-4811 wbblack@sbcglobal. net

Mike Boland D (217) 782-3992 ilrepmikeboland@ aol.com

Mike Bost R (217) 782-0387 rep.bost@hotmail. com

John E. Bradley D (217) 782-1051 repjohnbradley@ mychoice. net

Dan Brady R (217) 782-1118 dan@rep-danbrady. com

Rich Brauer R (217) 782-0053 brauerri@ilga. gov

Daniel J. Burke D (217) 782-1117 burkedj@ilga. gov

William D. Burns D (217) 782-2023 repwillburns@ att.net

John D. Cavaletto R (217) 782-0066 john@joncavaletto. com

Linda Chapa LaVia D (217) 558-1002 chapa-laviali@ ilga.gov

Franco Coladipietro R (217) 782-8158 franco@il45. com

Sandy Cole R (217) 782-7320 representativesandy cole@comcast. net

Annazette Collins D (217) 782-8077 collinsar@ilga. gov

Marlow H. Colvin D (217) 782-8272 repcolvin@sbcglobal .net

Michael G. Connelly R (217) 782-8028 Repconnelly48@ gmail.com

Elizabeth Coulson R (217) 782-4194 Coulson@ilga. gov

Fred Crespo D (217) 782-0347 fred@fredcrespo. com

Tom Cross R (217) 782-1331 tom@tomcross. com

Barbara Flynn Currie R (217) 782-8121 repcurrie@sbcglobal .net

Shane Cultra R (217) 558-1039 shanecultra105@ yahoo.com

John D'Amico D (217) 782-8198 johnd@ilga.gov

Monique D. Davis D (217) 782-0010 davismd@ilga. gov

William Davis D (217) 782-8197 williamd.hds. state.il. us

Anthony DeLuca D (217) 782-1719 repdeluca@sbcglobal .net

Lisa M. Dugan D (217) 782-5981 lisadugan@sbcglobal .net

Kenneth Dunkin D (217) 782-4535 kendunkin@msn. com

Jim Durkin R (217) 782-0494 jimd@ilga.gov

Roger L. Eddy R (217) 558-1040 reddyunit1@aol. com

Keith Farnham D (217) 782-8020 krfarnham@gmail. com

Sara Feigenholtz D (217) 782-8062 feigenholtz@ ilga.gov

Robert F. Flider D (217) 782-8398 bobflider@repflider .com

Mary E. Flowers D (217) 782-4207 flowersme@ilga. gov

LaShawn K. Ford D (217) 782-5962 lkf@ilga.gov

Mike Fortner R (217) 782-1653 mike.fortner@ sbcglobal. net

Jack D. Franks D (217) 782-1717 jack@jackfranks. org

John A Fritchey D (217) 782-2458 mystaterep@aol. com

Paul D. Froehlich D (217) 782-3725 statereppaul@ sbcglobal. net

Esther Golar D (217) 782-5971 esthergolar@ sbcglobal. net

Careen M. Gordon D (217) 782-5997 staterepgordon@ sbcglobal. net

Jehan A. Gordon D (217) 782-3186 repjehangordon@ gmail.com

Deborah L. Graham D (217) 782-6400 st.rep.graham@ sbcglobal. net

Julie Hamos D (217) 782-8052 julie@staterephamos .org

Betsy Hannig D (217) 782-8071 betsyh@ilga. gov

Greg Harris D (217) 782-3835 greg@gregharris. org

Kay Hatcher R (217) 782-1486 vote4kay@att. net

Elizabeth Hernandez D (217) 782-8173 repehernandez@ yahoo.com

Jay C. Hoffman D (217) 782-8018 hoffman@legis. state.il. us

Thomas Holdbrook D (217) 782-0104 NA

Constance A. Howard D (217) 782- 6476 howardca@ilga. gov

Eddie Lee Jackson, Sr. D (217) 782-5951 NA

Naomi D. Jakobsson D (217) 558-1009 naomi@naomijakobsso n.com

Charles E. Jefferson D (217) 782-3167 staterepchuck67@ aol.com

Kevin Joyce D (217) 782-8200 kjoyce@hds.ilga. gov

Renee Kosel R (217) 782-0424 rkosel@ilga. gov

Lou Lang D (217) 782-8400 reploulang@aol. com

Michael J. Madigan D (217) 782-5350 mmadigan@hds. ilga.gov

Sidney H. Mathias R (217) 782-1664 repmathias@hotmail. com

Frank J. Mautino D (217) 782-0140 patti76th@ivnet. com

Karen May D (217) 782-0902 karen@repkarenmay. org

Emily McAsey D (217) 782-4179 repEmily@gmail. com

Michael P. McAuliffe R (217) 782- 8182 macauliffe20@ yahoo.com

Kevin A. McCarthy D (217) 782-3316 kevmac37@sbcglobal. net

Jack McGuire D (217) 782-8090 jmcguire86@sbcgloba l.net

Deborah Mell D (217) 782-8117 deborahm@ilga. gov

Susana A. Mendoza D (217) 782-7752 staterepmendoza@ gmail.com

David E. Miller D (217) 782- 8087 repdavidmiller@ sbcglobal. net

Bill Mitchell R (217) 782-8163 repmitchell@ earthlink. net

Jerry L. Mitchell R (217) 782-0535 repjmitchell@ comcast.net

Donald L. Moffitt R (217) 782-8032 moffitt@grics. net

Rosemary Mulligan R (217) 782-8007 repmulligan@ usa.net

Richard P. Myers R (217) 782-0416 repmyers@macomb. com

Elaine Nekritz D (217) 558-1004 enekritz@repnekritz .org

JoAnn D. Osmond R (217) 782-8151 osmondjoann@ aol.com

Harry Osterman D (217) 782-8088 hjo17@aol.com

Brandon W. Phelps D (217) 782-5131 bphelps@yourclearwa ve.com

Sandra M. Pihos R (217) 782-8037 sandrapihos42@ gmail.com

Raymond Poe R (217) 782-0044 poe@ilga.gov

Robert W. Pritchard R (217) 782-0425 bob@pritchardstater ep.com

Randy Ramey, Jr. R (217) 558-1037 staterepramey55@ aol.com

Dennis M. Reboletti R (217) 782-4014 dennisreboletti@ sbcglobal. net

Davis Reis R (217) 782-1018 repreitz@egyptian. net

Al Riley D (217) 558-1007 rep.riley38@ sbcglobal. net

Robert Rita D (217) 558-1000 robertbobrita@ aol.com

Chapin Rose R (217) 558-1006 chapin@chapinrose. net

Jim Sacia R (217) 782-8186 JimSacia@aeroinc. net

Angelo Saviano R (217) 782-3374 skip@saviano. com

Timothy L. Schmitz R (217) 782-5457 info@timschmitz. org

Darlene J. Senger R (217) 782-6507 sengerstaterep@ gmail.com

Carol A. Sente D (217) 782-0499 senteforstaterep@ gmail.com

Michael K. Smith D (217) 782-8152 repmikesmith@ gmail.com

Keith P. Sommer R (217) 782-0221 sommer@mtco. com

Cynthia Soto D (217) 782-0150 csoto@ilga.gov

Ron Stephens R (217) 782-6401 ron@repstephens. com

Ed Sullivan, Jr. R (217) 782-3696 ILhouse51@sbcglobal .net

Andre M. Thapedi D (217) 782-1702 rep32district@ gmail.com

Jill Tracy R (217) 782-8096 jilltracy@jilltracy .com

Michael W. Tryon R (217) 782-0432 Mike@miketryon. com

Arthur L. Turner D (217) 782-8116 gene@turnerforillin ois.com

Patrick J. Verschoore D (217) 782-5970 pverschoore@ legis.state. il.us

Ronald A. Wait R (217) 782-0548 repwait777@aol. com

Mark L. Walker D (217) 782-3739 repmarkwalker@ gmail.com

Eddie Washington D (217) 558-1012 washington60th@ aol.com

Jim Watson R (217) 782-1840 jimwatson@localnetc o.com

Dave Winters R (217) 782-0455 repwinters@aol. com

Karen A. Yarbrough D (217) 782-8120 kyarbrough@ilga. gov

Michael J. Zalewski D (217) 782-5280 michaelz@ilga. gov

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

ACTION ALERT!! - HORSES NEED OUR HELP ASAP!!

2010-02-17T09:06:00.002-05:00

THIS JUST IN FROM "AMERICAN'S AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER" PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO READ THIS MESSAGE AND MAKE THE CALL OR SEND A FAXED LETTER ASAP!!

Dear Friends,

Following is a message from long time horse advocate, Gail Vacca in Illinois. This hearing on HB 4812 is scheduled for February 23. Gail will be there to testify against the bill with other long-time members of their IL anti-slaughter team.

Please take action to help our friends in IL.

THE HORSES URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP!

The horse slaughter plants and their meat industry allies are at it again. Illinois State Representative Jim Sacia has introduced a bill (HB 4812) that would repeal the 2007 Illinois ban on horse slaughter, which if passed, would ultimately allow Cavel to resume slaughtering horses in DeKalb , IL .

In what is perhaps even more disturbing, Rep. Sacia has also offered a clause to HB 4812 that calls for a fee of $25 to be charged to the slaughterhouse for each horse slaughtered. This money would then be placed into a fund for eventual distribution to equine rescues for use in expanding their operations or providing care to rescued horses.

The ILEHC finds this clause to be particularly repulsive and we want our members and supporters to know that we would never accept a single penny of the proposed blood money. The ILEHC has joined with several other Illinois-based equine rescue organizations to issue a joint letter to the Illinois General Assembly (ILGA) stating our opposition to HB 4812. We have also distributed a joint press release to multiple Illinois media outlets.

How can you help?

We need each of you to call, fax, and email each member of the House Committee on Agriculture. Please make sure to write "Vote NO on HB 4812" in the subject line of your emails and faxes.

House Agriculture Committee Member Contact Information http://www.ilga.gov/house/committees/members.asp?CommitteeID=626&GA=96

Representative Brandon W. Phelps (D) - Chairperson

(217) 782-5131

(217) 557-0521 FAX

Email: bphelps@yourclearwave.com

Representative Patrick J. Verschoore (D) - Vice-Chairperson

(217) 782-5970

(217) 558-1253 FAX

Email: pverschoore@qconline.com

Representative Jim Sacia (R) - Republican Spokesperson

(217) 782-8186

(217) 558-7016 FAX

Email: JimSacia@aeroinc.net

Representative John D. Cavaletto (R)

(217) 782-0066

(217) 782-1336 FAX

Representative Shane Cultra (R)

(217) 558-1039

(217) 558-3481 FAX

Email: cultrash@ilga.gov

Representative Lisa M. Dugan (D)

(217) 782-5981

(217) 558-4553 FAX

Email: duganlm@ilga.gov

Representative Robert F. Flider (D)

(217) 782-8398

(217) 782-2528 FAX

Email: bobflider@repflider.com

Representative Mary E. Flowers (D)

(217) 782-4207

(217) 782-1130 FAX

Email: flowersme@ilga.gov

Representative Julie Hamos (D)

(217) 782-8052

(217) 557-7204 FAX

Email: julie@staterephamos.org

Representative Donald L. Moffitt (R)

(217) 782-8032

(217) 557-0179 FAX

Email: moffitt@grics.net

Representative Richard P. Myers (R)

(217) 782-0416

(217) 782-5257 FAX

Email: repmyers@macomb.com

Representative David Reis (R)

(217) 782-2087

(217) 557-0530 FAX

Email: david@davidreis.org

Representative Dan Reitz (D)

(217) 782-1018

(217) 782-0945 FAX

Email: repreitz@egyptian.net

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO HELP THE HORSES!

Shelley and Deb

Americans Against Horse Slaughter

www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

URGENT ALERT!! - DON'T SELL YOUR BELOVED HORSE TO THIS WOMAN! SHE IS A SCAMMER AND SELLS HORSES TO KILLER BUYERS!

2010-02-01T09:05:00.007-05:00

Dear friends,

I'm posting this to make everyone aware of this woman who is posing as a loving family woman so she can get you to sell your horse to her, and then she turns around and sells them to killer buyers at an auction. Read the following story and tell everyone you know about her. My friends and I believe that this woman is using different names like KIM or APRIL. We also believe that this may be the same woman that owns the business called "CRANBERRY RUN FARMS" but we are not sure yet, the picture I posted on here sure looks like her. I'm also posting a picture of her on this blog message so you can all be aware what she looks like and the information she is giving. Also be aware that her and her friends know of my blog and may change some information after reading this (ie: phone numbers, names that she goes by and etc.) EVERYONE, PLEASE DO A FULL BACKGROUND CHECK ON ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BUY YOUR HORSES AND CROSS CHECK THE NAMES THAT THEY ARE GIVING YOU, SO YOU CAN DOUBLE CHECK AND CONFIRM IT WITH A PHOTO. DON'T FALL FOR HER TRAP THAT SHE IS BUYING THE HORSE FOR HER DAUGHTER OR SOME OTHER HEARTFELT EXCUSE, BECAUSE SHE IS REALLY SELLING YOUR HORSE TO A KILLER BUYER.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION THAT WAS SENT TO ME BY A FRIEND:

Protect your horse - so it doesn't happen to you! They lied.
Here is a statement from Jaime.
Sunday a family came to pickup Mr. Megan aka Gamble a Thoroughbred gelding that we had housed, loved and cared for. We thought we were doing the right thing by allowing this family to take him. They showed up looking like a loving home, promised a forever home and stating he was going to be their daughters horse who was also along for the appointment but this horse was sold the very next day through an auction in New Holland PA. Another Chance 4 Horses Horse Helper Lisa contacted us to let us know that our horse was listed on the broker owned pages of the website Another Chance 4 Horses, Inc. www.ac4h.com. We are bringing Gambler back home.

We don't want this to happen to you or your horse! She contacted me in reference to a CL (CRAIGS LIST) ad that I had for Gambler to find him a home. Called from cell number 856-430-2553 and she went by the name of April. In doing internet research this is the information connected with that number. Please be aware that they are known to have been in DE as they had Deleware tags, NJ and PA areas. Red rusty type trailer, door held closed with bailing twine. Entire rig was older. They will look for cheap or free horses and offer a good home with no intention of providing one. Please use a contract to protect yourself and your horse.

If we wanted our horse to go through an auction we would have taken him there ourselves. We have been lied to and taken advantage of and want to help others with our experience. Below are pictures of the lady who took my horse on Sunday. She may be using the name Kim, April Evans or any other name. You may receive an email from this email address or one of her others apparently she has many IP addresses.

APRIL EVANS

APRIL EVANS 2ND PHOTO

APRIL EVANS EMAIL ADDRESS

APRIL EVANS INFORMATION

MORE INFO ON APRIL EVANS!

IF THIS REALLY IS THE WOMAN FROM CRANBERRY RUN FARMS, WHICH HER WEBSITE IS LISTED AT THE TOP RIGHT SIDE OF MY BLOG, SHE IS OBVIOUSLY DESPERATE TO BUY OTHER PEOPLES HORSES BECAUSE MYSELF AND FRIENDS OF MINE RUINED HER IMAGE WITH RACE TRACK OWNERS AND THEY ARE NO LONGER SELLING THEIR HORSES TO HER. SO SHE IS RESORTING TO BUYING PRIVATE OWNERS HORSES AND SELLING THEM TO KILLER BUYERS. LIKE I SAID, WE ARE NOT SURE YET THAT THIS IS HER, BUT WE ARE DOING SOME INVESTIGATION ON IT. I WILL ALSO BE ALERTING THE AUTHORITIES ON THIS WOMAN. SHE FUNDS HER HORSE RAISING BUSINESS BY SELLING OTHER PEOPLE'S HORSES TO KILL BUYERS. CRANBERRY RUN FARM SHOULD NOT GET BUSINESS FROM ANYONE, SHE NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN FOR GOOD! SHE TREATS HER OWN HORSES LIKE CRAP. JUST READ SOME OF MY BLOGS AND EMAILS THAT SHE HAS SENT TO MYSELF AND OTHERS. IT'S IN MY PAST BLOGS IN 2008 AND 2009. SHE WILL TRY TO COME ACROSS LIKE SHE CARES FOR ALL HER HORSES, BUT SHE IS THE BIGGEST LIER!!! SHE CALLS HER HORSES "A PIECE OF TRASH", WORDS STRAIGHT FROM HER MOUTH.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

ILLEGAL HORSE SLAUGHTER HOUSES IN FLORIDA AND KENTUCKY! PLEASE READ AND TELL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

2010-01-27T09:49:00.006-05:00

Miami's killing fields

December 30, 2009

by Neil Clarkson

Richard Couto and the young thoroughbred he rescued, Freedom's Flight.

Miami may have a reputation for blue skies and fabulous beaches, but Richard "Kudo" Couto knows a much darker side to southern Florida.

Just 15 minutes from glitzy South Beach is an area notorious for its illegal slaughterhouses - and horse meat is top of the menu.

Miami-Dade County may have been in the news this year for the butchering of pet horses for meat, but Couto told Horsetalk this is just the tip of the iceberg.

While 22 horses are known to have been butchered in Miami-Dade and neighbouring Broward County during 2009, that pales against the numbers being butchered in the backyard slaughterhouses in a rural area known as the C9 Basin.

Couto believes at least 70 slaughter operations are operating illegally in the area, profiting from a flourishing black market trade in meat, particularly horse flesh.

"I exposed the black market horse-meat trade in Miami," he said. "For many years a lot of people have been trying to sweep this under the carpet and keep this as quiet as possible."

Couto is now on a crusade to have the illegal slaughter farms shut down.

He says the butchering of horses kept as pets began about three years ago, with some of the backyard butchers no longer willing to pay kill prices for unwanted animals.

He said he knows the couple who may well have been the first victims of such a crime. About three years ago they lost their 16-month-old colt, Comannchee.

A horse at an illegal slaughter farm. For more images see http://www.animalrecoverymission.org.
"They went to his stall ... he was in about 30 pieces, with all his meat gone.
"Since then, it has happened to probably north of 50 people."

Some equine victims have been prize-winning and highly valuable bloodstock, he says, residing in plush stables at $US10-million-plus properties.

Most of the horses butchered for meat are being bought cheaply at auction for $US50 to $US100. They are taken to private facilities - mom and pop operations as Couto calls them - where they are butchered.

The meat is then sold on the black market, meeting demand from residents of Cuban origin with an appetite for horse flesh.

Horse meat is a popular choice in Cuba and, with more than half the population of Miami-Dade County being of Cuban origin, demand for horse meat is strong.

"In Miami, a dead horse is much more valuable than a live horse," Couto says.

"It's tough for people to keep their horses right now, with the recession. A lot of horses are being given away."

A dead $US50 horse, he says, could yield up to 500 pounds of meat. That meat is fetching $US7 to $US40 a pound on the black market.

"They [the backyard butchers] are making a lot of money on horses here."

Kentucky is the only state with more horses than Florida, he points out.

Couto says everything about the industry is illegal. The horses die a cruel death. "They are virtually tortured. It's barbaric." The slaughter operations operate in violation of building, zoning and health regulations.

"It's a really nasty, nasty thing going on.

"The people who are running these farms are extremely violent people ... the worst of the worst.

"I've had my life threatened numerous times."

He said he is currently living at an undisclosed address and the utilities are not connected in his own name.

The move to slaughter pet horses, often in their own stall or paddock, shows the increasing boldness of those involved in the industry.

"The people are getting so brazen. The people doing the butchering think they are untouchable and are not going to get caught."

He believes authorities have not done nearly enough to shut down the slaughter farms. He does not believe they were pleased when he publicly exposed the problem.

"I had no choice but to throw it out in the media."

He believes some agencies have deliberately turned a blind eye to the operations, perhaps fearful of those behind the industry.

Couto describes the notorious C9 Basin as a kind of rural wetland buffer zone between Miami and the Everglades. It is home to the main concentration of some 70 illegal slaughter farm operations, and he says little is done by the operators to disguise their purpose.

While the operations will slaughter anything from cattle to goats or pigs, horses are their most profitable meat.

Couto is not about to give up his fight to save the horses of Florida.

He has left his work with the South Florida SPCA and has set up his own organisation, the Animal Recovery Mission, to carry on his work.

Couto's eyes were first opened to the illegal slaughter farms about two years ago. Working for the SPCA, he took part in a raid at one of the farms.

Freedom's Flight
That day, a three-year-old thoroughbred named Freedom's Flight was rescued. He was in poor condition and, with a broken leg, was probably hours away from being slaughtered. Impeccable breeding that included Seattle Slew and Secretariat in his lineage was not about to save him from the butcher's knife.

Today, in Couto's care, Freedom's Flight looks everything inch the champion his breeding would suggest.

Freedom's Flight has motivated Couto to press on with his crusade, collecting evidence that he hopes will motivate the authorities to act.

Couto's efforts have seen some moves towards greater co-operation between agencies.

His Animal Recovery Mission is dedicated to stopping illegal horse slaughter and the shutdown of illegal slaughter farms.

"People have said,'It must be hard to catch the butchers who do the killings'.

"Actually, it's as easy as walking in, picking out a animal and paying a $15 kill fee.

"I've asked myself for over a year now, 'How does a violent lawless industry such as this stay active and untouched by government agencies for over 30 years?"

Couto emphasises that there is very little effort to disguise the operation of the slaughter farms.

All that is needed is some resolve from agencies to shut them down.
More information: http://www.animalrecoverymission.org/

VISIT THESE WEBSITES AND GAIN KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT'S GOING ON!
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2009/florida009.shtml "HORSE BUTCHERY IN FLORIDA"
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2009/slaughter2009.shtml "HORSE SLAUGHTER IN THE NEWS"

COPY THIS STORY AND SEND IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!! FLOOD THE PHONE LINES OF THE MEDIA IN FLORIDA AND IN KENTUCKY AND GET THEM TO SHUT THESE PLACES DOWN! This is the United States of America and if Cuban's want to do something illegal, THEN GO TO CUBA!!! LEAVE OUR INNOCENT AND COMPANION HORSES ALONE!!!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

DEADLINE ALERT - VOTE GOES UP FEBRUARY 2ND FOR THE HORSES!

2010-01-25T14:25:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

We all need to make our voices heard now more than ever. Congressman John Conyers is bringing up bill H.R.503 in Congress for a vote on February 2nd of this year. We need to flood the phone lines of our Congressmen and Senators and tell them how strongly we feel that this bill passes, and becomes law once and for all. It will only take a few minutes of your time, but it will mean so much to all the horses whose destiny is horrifying going to Horse Slaughter. Please, I beg you, make your phone call today! And pass this information on to all your friends and family and spread the word. Thank you so much in advance for your time and help, and the horses thank you as well. :)

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE‏-FROM AMERICAN'S AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER ORGANIZATION

2010-01-13T10:36:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

Please don't miss "American's Against Horse Slaughter" Press Release and message from Congressman Conyers below.

We have to strike back at the opposition and give them a taste of their own medicine!

The opposition claims that ending horse slaughter is a 'slippery slope'. They think that after we end horse slaughter, we'll want to end the slaughter of beef and poultry.

Now it's our turn to ask them? If they're going to continue to slaughter our companions, what's next? Dogs and Cats? They're already doing this overseas and although this will probably never happen here, horse slaughter is not sexy and we need to find another approach to engage and outrage the general public. Photo's are worth thousands of words...

We will be launching a series of ad slicks that will outrage companion animal lovers and get them to jump on board to help us end horse slaughter. We ask you to please cross post our campaign elements far and wide! Please cross-post on Facebook, blogs and all other social networking media.

Rise Up For Our American Horses!
Americans Against Horse Slaughter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!! PLEASE TAKE THE FEW MINUTES TO READ THIS MESSAGE, THANK YOU.

MAN’S BEST FRIEND CAMPAIGNS TO END HORSE SLAUGHTER
Americans Against Horse Slaughter launches a new public awareness campaign inspired by pet lovers and concerned citizens from across the country.

Philadelphia , PA (Americans Against Horse Slaughter) January 11, 2010 - Americans Against Horse Slaughter was contacted by hundreds of concerned citizens, and other animal advocates after their recent discovery of American horses being slaughtered for the sole purpose of human consumption. The meat is then shipped to foreign countries overseas to be served as a high price delicacy.

"Are our dogs next?" says Lori Colon of Wadsworth IL . "This is unbelievable and a disgrace! I thought horses are considered our pets, our companions! We don't eat horse meat here!" continued Colon.

"I think the recent press about the wild horse roundups has shed light on our country's dirty little secret, horse slaughter", said Shelley Abrams, co founder of AAHS. “The wild horse advocates and organizations that have worked for so many years to protect the wild horses have done a wonderful job of creating mass awareness to the general public through the media and that has inspired the lay person to learn more.” Abrams added.

While the wild horses are in the forefront right now due to the unconscionable round ups taking place around the country which also put them at risk for slaughter, it is important to remember that our thoroughbreds, quarter horses and all breeds of horses are currently being inhumanely slaughtered for human consumption every day.

Americans Against Horse Slaughter is calling on all animal lovers and animal advocates to rise up against this brutal practice of horse slaughter by voicing their concerns to their Congressman and their two U.S. Senators and asking them to co-sponsor The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act; House Bill HR503 and Senate Bill S727.

Chairman John Conyers, Jr. issued a statement today thanking all the members of Americans Against Horse Slaughter (AAHS) for their unwavering support of HR503, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.:

“The transportation and slaughter of horses for human consumption is cruel and inhumane, and I intend to continue my efforts to stop this terrible practice. We now have 176 cosponsors to H.R. 503,and support for the bill continues to grow. The support of Americans Against Horse Slaughter (AAHS) is critical to passage, and I appreciate and commend their efforts.”

AAHS would like to thank Congressman Conyers Chairman of the Judiciary committee for his recognition of our efforts and assure him that we will continue to work closely with his office to pass HR503.

Americans Against Horse Slaughter is a non funded, grassroots national movement comprised of supporters of a federal ban on the slaughter and the transport to slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas. Americans Against Horse Slaughter has no other agenda, other than to stop the brutal slaughter of American horses.

Contact: Americans Against Horse Slaughter (americansagainsthorseslaughter.com)

Email: aahsus@gmail.com

PLEASE CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND MAKE A STAND FOR OUR MAJESTIC HORSES, OUR COMPANIONS. THEY GIVE US UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, THE LEAST WE COULD DO IS STAND UP FOR THEM AND BE THEIR VOICE. THE PHONE CALL ONLY TAKES 2-4 MINUTES OF OUR TIME, AND THEY ARE WORTH THAT AND SO MUCH MORE. EVERY VOICE MAKES A DIFFERENCE, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY ONE VOICE, "YOURS!"

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

9 Year Old Thoroughbred Mare-Needs Home ASAP!

2010-01-11T08:29:00.003-05:00

THIS IS DOLLY GIRL. She is located in the Monkton, MD area.

She is sweet, kind, gorgeous, sound and in need of a good home! She is a dark bay, 15.3 hands high, with no prior injuries or health issues.

She gets along well with everyone and is very pleasant to be around, she has show experience, but hasn't been ridden in about 2 years.

She is up to date on Coggins, shots, feet, deworming, etc and is ready to be adopted. She is being retrained to get on the trailer (she trailers and off-loads very well but doesn't like to get on) in a more timely fashion.

So, if you or someone you know, is interested in adopting Dolly please email Jo Diebel at angelacreshorsehaven@yahoo.com and she will get back with you promptly.

She is free to good home...NOT because anything is wrong with her...simply because Jo Diebels Rescue Facility is tight on space and she is being boarded out at a friends facility and she wants her into a forever home as soon as possible. She likes her new mini friends and she would be a great addition to almost any family/barn!

They do not have any body pictures of her due to the 20 degree weather, but she looks fabulous under her binkie! LOL!

THIS INFORMATION WAS SENT TO ME BY MY GOOD FRIEND JO DIEBEL. I'm helping her find a home for such a wonderful horse.

Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue, Inc.
Jo Deibel
President

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

OLDER GELDING NEEDS A GOOD HOME NOW!

2009-12-01T13:01:00.003-05:00

Older Gelding Needs Home Now!

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE WAS POSTED FROM A FRIEND OF MINE FROM ANGEL ACRES HORSE HAVEN RESCUE. PLEASE CROSS POST THIS FAR AND WIDE, WE NEED TO FIND THIS HORSE A GOOD HOME. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING FOR INFORMATION......

This just in from one of our humane officer friends in MD...

Help is needed for a 20 + year old Appaloosa gelding he is located in Frederick County, MD in the Rocky Ridge Area.

He lives in an extremely neglectful home and is in desperate need of re-homing. Owner is cooperative and is willing to sign the horse over. He is in good body, but needs severe hoof care. He must go to a home that understands he is just a field ornament/pasture pal.

Grass and hay is all that he needs... he is on some grain thanks to the neighbor but he doesn't need it. He is a bit hard to catch but once caught he is a good boy. If you can help this sweet guy...

Please Contact Officer Luther at BLuther@FrederickCountyMD.gov

or

call her at 301-600-3737

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Emergency Home Needed For 2 Horses ASAP!

2009-10-27T15:24:00.002-04:00

THIS IS AN URGENT CROSS POST FROM Jo Diebel FROM ANGEL ACRES HORSE RESCUE, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING AND HELP IF YOU CAN. THANK YOU!

There are two horses in desperate need of homes, they have been assisted by Mattie's Legacy Fund, but the barn manager decided they needed to leave now, instead of in two months, as we were told!

Mattie's Legacy's Bridge The Gap Fund has paid for their Coggins, shots, vet...we were planning to place them, but not with such short notice and now we need to find them homes immediately!

We are looking for a home or even foster care for Belle and Cloud, an 8 year old gorgeous Dark Bay TB mare and a 25 year old flea bitten grey Arabian gelding, respectively. Below is the email info from owner:

"Belle is an 8 year old thoroughbred mare. She stands 15.3H last time measured. Belle has been ridden English and has the smoothest gates i have ridden.I would consider her slightly green broke. She would excel in dressage and with little training would be a great show horse. She is a sweet horse..."

Cloud is a 25 year old Arabian. He is 15.1H and flea-bitten gray. He loads, ties, and clips. He will pretty much do anything you ask if he trusts you. He is a great trail horse and will go any where. Cloud is a big sweetheart. Almost anyone can ride him on trails."

They are located 30 minutes North of Harrisburg PA.

Please write to me directly at angelacreshorsehaven@yahoo.com or call me at 717-965-7901 if you can help in anyway.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Senate Votes to Stop Slaughter of Wild Horses and Burros!

2009-09-26T10:25:00.004-04:00

THIS NEWS JUST IN!!!!

Posted by Laura Allen (Animal Law Coalition)

The Senate also prohibited BLM from using funds to kill healthy unadopted wild horses and burros!

Update Sept. 25, 2009: The Senate has voted to pass H.R. 2996, an appropriations bill for 2010 for the Dept. of Interior including the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM").

BLM manages the nation's wild horses and burros. In the bill the Senate made clear to the BLM: Appropriations ... made [in this bill]shall not be available for the destruction of healthy, unadopted, wild horses and burros in the care of the Bureau of Land Management or its contractors or for the sale of wild horses and burros that results in their destruction for processing into commercial products.

This mandate was proposed by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA). This provision must still be approved by the U.S. House.

Also at Sen. Landrieu's urging, the Senate Appropriations Committee found "the costs for gathering and holding equines to control populations on public lands have risen beyond sustainable levels. The Committee directs the Bureau to (1) consider private proposals for long-term care of wild horses and burros; (2) create a bidding process among such proposals, and (3) prepare and publish a new comprehensive long-term plan and policy for management of wild horses and burros that involves consideration and development of proposals by non-governmental entities, by September 30, 2010."

The Committee "encourage[d] all Federal agencies that need and use horses to fulfill their responsibilities to first seek to acquire a wild horse from the Bureau of Land Management, and, prior to seeking another supplier for usable horses, document why the Bureau cannot meet the needs of the inquiring Federal agency." The Committee "encouraged" BLM "to develop an expedited process for providing wild horses to local and State police forces."

Sen. Landrieu told the Senate,

"We ... are down to just a few herds of horses. And the reason that i think that this is even more important than to just western states or the ranchers or landowners or humane society and others is because for the people generally, the idea of wild spaces with wild horses is something that is really part of our heritage. And we want to make sure that that heritage isn't lost, that we're being responsible in terms of the way the land is being used for multiple purposes and from the perspective of horse advocates, that the horses themselves are being treated fairly.

"And none of that right now is being done in the way that most people, i believe, would appreciate or would be satisfied with. There have been any number of studies that i'm going to submit to the record.

"Most recently, the congressional research service as well as the government accounting office has suggested major changes to the program. I'm just going to go through a few possible options. One, the creation of several public-private sanctuaries. This has been suggested by a few fairly high-profiled individuals in our country. The idea has merit. We are working with a variety of different groups along with the department to think about the possibility of creating public-private partnerships, large sanctuaries, maybe 500,000 or a million acres where thousands of wild horses could not only roam freely in a healthy way, but they also could potentially become ecotourist opportunities for some of the states and communities as it would be an attraction that could potentially make money and attract people out to some of these western areas. Or, for that matter, grant rural areas in other parts of the country.

"There is a possibility to make some smart investments to step up some of the adoption programs that might work. And there are any number of scientific and new technologies that can be brought to bear in terms of breed management, reproductive issues that could help us get a much more cost-effective, sane and humane approach to this problem."

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN HELP, OR TO READ MORE ON THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT THE "ANIMAL LAW COALITION'S" WEBSITE AT:

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/693

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading the updates! I hope the things I post helps keep everyone up-to-date and informed with the true facts. Please have a great day, until next time. Take care!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

BO DEREK ASKS CONGRESS TO SAVE AMERICAN HORSES

2009-09-10T21:10:00.003-04:00

This was written by Pat Murphy from "The Santa Ynez Valley Journal". I had to post it to make everyone aware of what is going on. And hopefully you will continue to fight for our American horses. It's NEVER to late. Please take a moment and read the following message, thank you.

Bo Derek has worked for six years to bring about proper protection of American horses. She has worked with legislators across the United States, and American slaughter houses have been closed for several years now. But we need to take one more step. The final effort to protect our country’s horses is about to come up in Congress. This is not a “bleeding hearts” issue. It is common decency and the recognition of American horses’ contributions to our lives. Did you ever realize how important a part they played in establishing the United States of America? Horses may very well have been the key element in defeating the British. British soldiers were on foot and realized their disadvantage, and whenever possible, they resorted to stealing horses. Luckily for us, they realized this too late.

When legislators return to Congress in September, they will be taking up the The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (S 727/ H.R. 503). If you care about cruelty to horses, please contact your congressman and the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Ask them to support this bill. It will prevent our beloved American horses from being slaughtered for human consumption.

Although slaughter houses in the U.S. have long been closed, horses are still bought here at auctions or obtained by other unsavory means and transported to slaughter houses in Mexico or Canada. These horses experience a long-distance, grueling trip, without feed or water, aboard cattle trucks to the slaughter house. The weak, older or very young horses are often trampled to death on the way.

Once there, the horror increases. The horses are nose to tail in a line-up. When the horse in front is ripped apart, the next horse is almost on top of the horrendous action. Eyewitness accounts tell us that the rod shot into the horse’s brain to kill often misses the mark and the still living horse is hoisted by one leg in the air and ripped open. If a mare is pregnant, the still living foal is thrown in the offal bin with the rest of the internal organs.

The men doing this work are not skilled technicians, even though it requires considerable care for it to done exactly right. As one might imagine, there is reportedly a constant turnover of employees at these plants. It is a heartbreaking job.

Why would anyone want to oppose this long overdue bill? Several reasons: It is hard to believe, but some people simply block out the reality of what actually happens to their horse when it is purchased by a slaughter house. They don’t hesitate to send an old friend, who has worked hard for them or given them years of pleasure, to a horrifying death.

Sometimes, they justify it by saying they don’t want to pay the vet to euthanize their horse and pay to have it buried at the landfill. The truth is, they could certainly avoid sending their dear friend to a grizzly death. If need be, they could put the horse down on their own property and bury it. Most people who have horses have land to do this. We here in the Valley have a service that will come and pick up your horse and take him to the landfill. Probably all areas with a population of horses have disposal sites.

Another reason that some oppose the bill is that a few horse associations depend on large registrations to bring in money. They do not want people to be encouraged to stop breeding more horses than they can take care of. These are some of the same people that profess a great love for horses. Yet they simply get rid of extra horses in this cruel and thoughtless way. If you think your breed association is one that will not support legislation to prevent the slaughter industry from operating, you need to contact them. Stand up and be counted for doing the right thing. There are some people who will make money, if Americans slaughter houses are re-opened or if this bill is defeated. So they have a network of spreading false rumors about huge numbers of horses being abandoned or starved. The fact is that most of the horses that go to slaughter are sound, healthy horses that were purposely sought out by a predatory horse slaughter industry.

“There have always been thoughtless people who starve or abandon animals,” Derek says. “But in spite of rewards and careful monitoring, officials tell us that there has been almost no increase in the problem since the closing of the slaughter houses in America.

“Slaughter houses in California were closed by a ballot initiative in 1998, but studies showed that there was no rise in abandonment. In fact, there has been a significant drop in horse thefts. As a horse owner, I am very glad of the ban and am calling for an ultimate federal ban to protect all of our American horses. There is simply no excuse for painting horse slaughter as a humane end-of-life option. Some Asian cultures eat dogs and cats. Does this mean we should have slaughter facilities for them, too?”

Some of the possible solutions: 1. Make sure people are heavily penalized for the abandonment or mistreatment of horses throughout America. 2. If the economy is at fault, make sure people have ways to solve their problem in a humane and decent way. There are many rescue organizations. 3. There are people who would love to have a donated horse. Healthy older horses are quite suitable for beginners and children to learn to ride. 4. There are several drop-off centers. The University of Davis has one. There, horses can either be rehabilitated or the gentle method of euthanasia can be demonstrated to the vet students. 5. Arrange a workable system where veterinarians can charge a lower fee for euthanizing a horse for clients they know are in need. 6. Check for burial sites at landfills at a reasonable price.

The people of America need to come together to help each other and our horses. Please send an email message to your congressman and your out-of-state friends, too. We need to end this tragedy.

Rep. Congressman Elton Gallegly — fax: (805) 686-2566; Washington fax: (202) 225-1100.
Dem. Congresswoman Lois Capps — fax: (805) 730-9153, Washington fax: (202) 225-5632.

PLEASE MAKE THE CALL, IT WOULD ONLY TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES OF YOUR TIME. BUT IT WOULD MEAN THE WORLD TO A HORSE IN RISK OF GOING TO SLAUGHTER AND DIEING A PAINFUL AND CRUEL DEATH.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

PLEASE MAKE THE CALL TOMORROW AUGUST 28TH TO SAVE THE CLOUD'S HERD (WILD HORSES) IN MONTANA!

2009-08-27T08:42:00.003-04:00

11th Hour for Cloud's Herd

Please act now to stop this unnecessary and cruel round up. The BLM still plans to move forward on September 1st!
The Bureau of Land Management is rounding up and eliminating 12 herds (650 horses) off 1.4 million acres in Nevada right now-- next they plan to destroy Cloud's herd with a massive removal of 70 horses that would include OLDER HORSES and YOUNG FOALS.

Many of the horses you have come to love in the Cloud shows and will meet in the new Cloud show on October 25th will lose their families and their freedom next week. By zeroing out whole herds and reducing others to below genetic viability, the BLM is circumventing the will of Congress. The House just passed the Restoring of American Mustangs (ROAM) act and the Senate will review this bill (now S.1579) when they return from recess in September. Is BLM just trying to do as much irrevocable damage to America's wild horses as they can before Congress can act?

This round up will start on September 1st unless we can stop it. Removing 70 horses will destroy this unique little Spanish herd, leaving them well below the bare minimum for genetic viability. The range is in great condition and the horses are healthy. This removal should be stopped. Please do all you can to help! Listen to Ginger Kathrens on Endangered Stream Live-- a special edition show "Angels for Cloud"

National Call in Day for Cloud is Friday, August 28th -- SPREAD THE WORD! Have your kids call in and write too-- These horses need to be preserved for future generations and we must act NOW

1. Call/write/fax President Obama as often as you can—this herd is a national treasure and should not be wiped out by a government agency. Please flood the phone lines with calls! Phone: 202-456-1111 or 202-456-9000 Fax: 202-456-2461
E-mail Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

2. Ask Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to stop this round up
Call: 202-208-3100
Write: feedback@ios.doi.gov

3. BLM Director Bob Abbey, tell him to halt this round up-- he must reconsider his agency's actions
Call: 202-208-3801
Fax: 202-208-5242
Robert_Abbey@blm.gov

4. Call and write your own Senators and Congress people- tell them that Montana is allowing the destruction of Cloud’s unique and historical wild horse herd. Politely express your outrage and ask them to help stop this round up.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

3 YEAR OLD TB COLT IN NEED OF A HOME ASAP! HE'S AT MONMOUTH PARK RACE TRACK IN NEW JERSEY

2009-08-25T14:41:00.003-04:00

THIS MESSAGE CAME TO ME FROM A FRIEND OF MINE. I FELT IT WAS BEST TO POST THIS ON MY BLOG IN HOPES OF FINDING THIS SWEET HORSE A LOVING HOME. PLEASE READ ON.....

Horse needs Home ASAP! 3 yr old TB colt who is currently at Monmouth Pk NJ, needs home ASAP. He is very quiet, has a small knee, so he might need some time off. The owner does not want to pay for him anymore, so the trainer is. He needs to get him out of Monmouth Park ASAP, because the stalls are needed. There also is no room at the adoption facilities. This would make someone a nice horse.

Contact person: Bevery Bloomfeild 732-738-9092 or 732-672-4111
Trainer: Luis : 954-536-8500

THANK YOU FOR VIEWING MY BLOG AND GIVING SUPPORT AND HELP WHENEVER YOU CAN, FOR ALL THESE HORSES IN NEED. LET US BE THEIR VOICE AND COME TOGETHER IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

New EU Rules May End Slaughter of American Horses‏!

2009-08-05T08:46:00.002-04:00

This news was released from a group I belong to called "American's Against Horse Slaughter". I wanted to share the news with my blog readers. This could be a good thing for horses and the end of horse slaughter once and for all. Please read the following, and comment on anything you feel compelled to say. Everyone's opinion and thoughts on this blog means a lot.

Here is the story that was released by "American's Against Horse Slaughter":

New EU rules may end slaughter of American Horses
CHICAGO, (EWA) – The European Union (EU) and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have announced that the rules on slaughtering horses for human consumption are about to change radically due to concerns regarding contaminated horse meat.

The new EU rules will become effective in April 2010, requiring that either slaughtered animals have complete health records showing they have not received banned substances or a 180 day quarantine for the horses. Claude Boissonnealut, head of the CFIAs red meat programs, has indicated that Canada will likely abide by the 180 day quarantine, as mandated by the EU.

Equine welfare advocates have warned of the contamination of American horse meat for years. Substances banned from food animals range from toxic wormers to phenylbutazone (PBZ), the “aspirin” of the horse world, and even include fertility drugs that can cause miscarriages in women. “PBZ is a known carcinogen and can cause aplastic anemia (bone marrow suppression) in humans”, says Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) member, Dr. Ann Marini, Ph.D., M.D.

But the list of contaminants is not limited to conventional drugs. “Some of the garbage ‘treatments’ that are given to performance horses included iodine-peanut oil injections along the spine, anabolic steroids, cocaine, amphetamines, opioids and even snake venom”, explains Dr. Nicholas Dodman, DVM at Tufts University.

The new rules will mean that horses coming from auctions and other sources in the US will have to be kept drug free on a feedlot for half a year. Producers estimate that feeding horses that long will more than double their cost, making them less competitive with horses from other sources. And that is likely to be only half their problem.

EWA member Christy Sheidy, of Another Chance 4 Horses, routinely rescues slaughter bound horses from Pennsylvania’s New Holland auction. Sheidy warns, “Outbreaks of diseases like strangles and shipping fever will be inevitable in these quarantine feedlots. Left untreated, many horses may die before they can be slaughtered.” Treating the horses would restart their quarantine time.

In recent years, European authorities have cracked down on horse meat producers within the EU, requiring a “passport” system that specifically documents whether a horse has received such substances. Owners must state that their horses are intended for slaughter.

USDA statistics show that in 2008, the US exported 56,731 horses to Mexico and 77,073 horses to Canada for slaughter, resulting in the second highest slaughter total since 1995. Diners abroad have no idea whatsoever what dangerous chemicals they are eating in the American horsemeat that is shipped from plants across our borders.

In an interview with EWA, Henry Skjerven, a former director of the Natural Valley Farms slaughter operation in Saskatchewan, Canada, said: “Unfortunately, North America, US and Canada, were never geared for raising horses for food consumption. The system as it stood when we were killing horses was in no way, shape or form, safe, in my opinion.”

Skjerven went on to say, “We did not know where those horses were coming from, what might be in them or what they were treated with. I was always in fear - I think that it was very valid - that we were going to send something across there [to the EU] and we were simply going to get our doors locked after we had some kind of issue with the product.”

Skjerven’s plant began killing horses in September of 2007 for the Belgium’s Velda Group following the closing of their Cavel slaughter plant in DeKalb, Illinois. Natural Valley’s horse slaughter plant was closed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in January of 2009, for health issues.

Unlike Canada, horses going to Mexico are killed in two types of slaughter plants. The three largest plants export the meat to the EU and will fall under the same new rules. Mexican authorities have yet to announce whether their smaller plants, that provide meat for domestic consumption, will be required to follow the new rules.

“We don’t need to eat horses. Horses are for riding, jumping and doing a whole lot of great things. They’re not food”, concluded Skjerven.

Contacts: John Holland
540.268.5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

MADELEINE PICKENS NEEDS OUR HELP AND SIGNATURES! PLEASE VIEW BLOG BELOW TO SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP

2009-06-11T04:18:00.002-04:00

THE FOLLOWING POST WAS MADE BY MRS. MADELEINE PICKENS. A WOMAN WHO IS FIGHTING TO SAVE OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS FROM DEATH AND CONFINEMENT. PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW ON HER UPDATE, AND HOW YOU CAN HELP TO SEE HER PLAN SUCCEED. THE URL THAT I HAVE IN BOLD LETTERS BELOW, IS THE ADDRESS WHERE YOU CAN SIGN AND EMAIL YOUR PRE-TYPED LETTER TO KEN SALAZAR AND HIS ADMINISTRATION.

Madeleine Pickens Update:

Dear Friends,

My positive meeting in Washington, June 9th, with the Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid and Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar was very encouraging. Jerry Reynoldson will be working with officials from the Interior Department moving in the right direction to close the loop and bring everyone on board with my business plan. In addition, we look forward to working with the newly nominated BLM Director, Bob Abbey.

Please visit my website, www.madeleinepickens.com for continuing updates on our progress. Also, if you haven't already done so, be sure to "Take Action" on my site to keep the signatures coming to Ken Salazar. It really does make a difference!

Keep the faith!

Madeleine Pickens

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

URGENT HELP NEEDED! SAVED HORSES FROM MEDICAL RESEARCH ABUSE, THEY NEED YOUR HELP AND DONATIONS!

2009-06-02T08:24:00.003-04:00

THIS MESSAGE CAME TO ME FROM "Save Shelter Animals From Research and Medical Use" on Facebook. I'm hoping to reach some of you out there who will find it in your heart to donate any money to this lady, so she can care for these horses and save more horses going to slaughter. I would hope that these blogs that I post are doing some good for the horses. PLEASE DON'T TURN A BLIND EYE!

Hey My Dear People,

This is a very Great Emergency (as allways huh? Nothing new.....)
AND WE, the Brave fight with SO LITTLE or almost NOTHING against the Cruelty that other so called humans, who in Reality are inhumane Trash, inflict on poor Animals, who are our sentinent, innoccent Brothers and Sisters!

So this Time there is This Heartbreaking Story of about 30 Horses that have been Rescued by our wonderfull Friend and Colleague, the A Angel and Hero if you ask me, Hayley Saul, from South Africa, she is also on FACEBOOK.

And those Hoses were rescued from a Animal Testing Facility, where a Cruel, Money greedy, Ugly Organization uses them to test Vaccines for other Horses on them!
After they finished with them (after the Horses develop a Immunization against the vaccines) they sell Them to the Slaughter house for a Kilo of Meat they get 3 Rand!

So to make a Long Story Short here are 2 Links:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1045577119&ref=profile#/album.php?aid=98284&id=534655876&ref=mf
(Haleys' Album of the Horses)

And for the Story of the Horses go to: http://obphorses.wordpress.com/

AND NOW HALEY needs Funds URGENTLY to take care of these Horses:
Please I beg ALL OF U TO GIVE at least $1, THAT WAY IT WILL ADD UP! AS of NOW its Not possible to receive Money through PayPal in South Africa, but we are working on another Solution....MEANWHILE the good old
BANK ACCOUNT Transfer has to do:
Read Haileys Message bellow: and see her DATA for DONATION!!!

"Can anyone help?? We have a mare who urgently needs help. We have decided to pay for the vet ourselves but will the public and corporates start to help us with The Onderstepoort Bio Product Horses who we have rescued or have we failed and will the next batch simply go back to slaughter because there is no money to support the project. My guts are twisting and my heart is broken. I feel like I have failed them myself."

DONATION DATA
PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT U PUT 'OBP HORSES DONATION' as THE REFERENCE!!!!!
Our Banking Details
Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre
First National Bank
Branch- Lynnwood
Branch code- 252045
Account number- 62009123126

Many many thanks.
WET NOSE PBO INFORMATION
PBO Reference Number: RG/0034/05/07
Exemption Number: 930 011 421
NPO Registration Number: 046-432

PLEASE FIND IT IN YOUR HEART TO GIVE AT LEAST $1-and thats something anyone has!!!
ONE LOVE & THANKS from the HORSES!
FREEDOM THERRY j.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

2 MICHIGAN HORSES IN NEED OF RESCUING! CAN ANYONE OFFER ANY HELP!!

2009-05-26T18:28:00.006-04:00

I'm posting this blog in desperation of 2 horses that need rescuing within my area. I don't know of any rescue organizations in Michigan that can help me with this situation, any help would be greatly appreciated. I drove by this house and took pictures of 2 horses that are being starved to death. One horse, whose bones are visible in his/her ribs and hip area was examined by a vet and told authorities that the horse was healthy. The other horse, who looks to be in better condition than the other horse, had a wheezing sound and had a terrible cough. He/she was coughing so hard that he/she had to extend their head out straight in order to cough out properly. It looked like someone who has bronchitis, a bad case of it. I have posted the pictures that I took today below. Please, if anyone can help me with these horses, or if you know of anyone that can help me get these horses to a rescue facility and get the care they deserve, I would appreciate it tremendously!!! I'm going to contact the media tomorrow because Animal Control has closed the case and is doing nothing about it. I hope I get some responses from this blog, I'm desperate for some help! Below, please find the pictures of the 2 horses I'm talking about:

NOTICE THE HORSE IN THE BACK WITH IT'S HIP BONE STICKING OUT!

PLEASE, I'M BEGGING ANYONE WHO CAN HELP ME WITH THESE HORSES! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE, AND WHAT FORM OF ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO GET RESULTS.

Thank you in advance for all your help and concern........WE ARE THEIR VOICE!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

WE NEED YOUR HELP! AMERICAN'S AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER PLEASE MAKE THE CALL!

2009-05-26T07:56:00.005-04:00

This blog is to give information to those who are serious about putting an end to horse slaughter. We need to move swiftly on this, and we can't just turn away. I know it's easier to say, "There are a lot of people out there who will make the calls, I don't need to do it." or "I don't have time." But if everyone had that same thought, horse slaughter would never come to an end. We are their voices, they are literally crying out to us to help them. Below is a memo from the organization "AMERICANS AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER", you can also find them on facebook. Please take a few minutes of your time to view the information below, and let your heart lead you into doing the right thing, and that is making the call to the Representative's in the House of Reps. Below you will find their phone numbers, and also a TOLL FREE number listed below. It will only take about 10 minutes of your time, but it would make a WORLD of difference to many horses who need us. :)

We need to act fast on this, as other states are tyring to open up Slaughter Facilities in their own states! Montana is just one of those states who past to have Horse Slaughter in their state. It's nice to know that Montana agreed to have a foreign company open up a plant to slaughter OUR horses and ship them to their own Foreign Countries for their own profit!! Let's do something at a Federal level that will prevent Montana and other U.S. states from doing the same thing!! Make the call, PLEASE!!
HERE IS THE INFORMATION YOU WILL NEED:

STRATEGY FOR WEEK OF 5/26/09

Dear Friends,

With the start of this week, we are implementing a variation to our strategy in an effort to gain swift support for H.R.503.

Below is our target list (past cosponsors of H.R.6598).

When calling each office, please ask for the LD (legislative Aide) who is handling H.R.503. When speaking with the LD, it is very important to gather feedback. Once you have feedback, please email that feedback to CJ (potlucky@sbcglobal.net)

We are currently at 128 cosponsors. Great job everyone!!

Target List For H.R.503 (House Bill)

Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - Phone: 202-225-0123 Fax: 202-225-2256
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - Phone: 202-225-4535 Fax: 202-225-4403
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - Phone: 202-225-4755 Fax: 202-225-4886
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - Phone: 202-225-2861 Fax: 202-225-6791
Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] - Phone: 202-225-2542 Fax: 202-225-0378
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - Phone: 202-225-8885
Rep Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [GA-4] Phone: 202-225-1605
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - Phone: 202-225-4172 Fax: 202-225-7564
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - Phone: 202-225-8050
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] - Phone: 202-225-4671 Fax: 202-225-9665
Rep Schmidt, Jean [OH-2] - Phone: 202-225-3164 Fax: 202-225-1992
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - Phone: 202-225-8020 Fax: 202-225-5915
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - Phone: 202-225-5936 Fax: 202-225-1018
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] - Phone: 202-225-3411 Fax: 202-226-0771
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - Phone: 202-225-4115 Fax: 202-225-5974
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - Phone: 202-225-2452 Fax: 202-225-2455
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - 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 their extension, the last 5 numbers of legislator's office phone) 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

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TO ANYONE WHO LOVES HORSES! PLEASE PLACE YOUR BETS!

2009-05-14T08:48:00.003-04:00

To anyone that loves horses, and wants a chance to do a good deed in saving some horses from slaughter. Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue has come up with a way for people to have fun with placing bets on the Preakness Race and Belmont, and have their bets go towards saving horses from slaughter! What better way to encourage people to save a wonderful horse in need of saving. I would like to invite you to visit this site and "Place Your Bets" for the top 3 horses of your choice. Your money goes towards saving horses that are in danger of going to Horse Slaughter. The majority of horses going to slaughter are healthy and young race horses. The bet is only $2.00 per horse, which ends up being $6.00 total. Here is the website: https://www.purethoughtshorserescue.com/index.php
the bet is for the Preakness Race coming up. Your $6.00 bet is a little price to pay, but would mean so much to a horse that can be saved from horse slaughter. Also, if you win, you will get some nice prizes also. Check out the site for more details!
Thank you so much for your support, and for caring so much about our American Horses!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

STRATEGY WEEK OF APRIL 27 TO END HORSE SLAUGHTER

2009-04-27T19:09:00.004-04:00

THIS MESSAGE WAS SENT BY SHELLEY ABRAMS TO ALL OF THE MEMBERS THAT BELONG TO "AMERICANS AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER" ON FACEBOOK......

Hello American's against Horse Slaughter!

We're still holding at 120 cosponsors for HR503 and 16 cosponsors for S727. Although we realize that Congress has been very busy working on improving our economy, we must keep "The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act" a hot issue in D.C.

We must do all that we can to help ensure passage of HR503 and S727 to end horse slaughter in America and the transport of our horses across our borders to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

Please call your own U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 503 and S.727. Once you have finished calling your own Representatives, and have the time to help more, please focus on the lists below. Both lists represent past cosponsors of HR6598 and S.311 and will help us gain swift support for our bills. Thanks for all of your help.

Target List For H.R.6598 (House Bill)
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - Phone: 202-225-0123 Fax: 202-225-2256
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - Phone: 202-225-4535 Fax: 202-225-4403
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - Phone: 202-225-4755 Fax: 202-225-4886
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - Phone: 202-225-2861 Fax: 202-225-6791
Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] - Phone: 202-225-2542 Fax: 202-225-0378
Rep Johnson, Eddie [TX-30] - Phone: 202-225-8885 Fax: 202-226-1477
Rep Johnson, Henry C.[GA-4] - Phone: 202-225-1605 Fax: 202-226-0691
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] - Phone: 202-225-6631 Fax: 202-225-1968
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - Phone: 202-225-4172 Fax: 202-225-7564
Rep Norton, Eleanor [DC] - Phone: 202-225-8050 Fax: 202-225-3002
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] - Phone: 202-225-4671 Fax: 202-225-9665
Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [NJ-8] - Phone: 202-225-5751 Fax: 202-225-5782
Rep Roybal-Allard, [CA-34] - Phone: 202-225-1766 Fax: 202-226-0350
Rep Schmidt, Jean [OH-2] - Phone: 202-225-3164 Fax: 202-225-1992
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - Phone: 202-225-8020 Fax: 202-225-5915
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - Phone: 202-225-5936 Fax: 202-225-1018
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] - Phone: 202-225-3411 Fax: 202-226-0771
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - Phone: 202-225-4115 Fax: 202-225-5974
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - Phone: 202-225-2452 Fax: 202-225-2455
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - Phone: 202-225-4261 Fax: 202-225-4382

Target List for S.727 (Senate Bill)
Sen Akaka, Daniel K. [HI] - Tel: (202) 224-6361 Fax: (202) 224-2126
Sen Bayh, Evan [IN] - Tel: (202) 224-5623 Fax: (202) 228-1377
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] - Tel: (202) 224-2315 Fax: (202) 228-6321
Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA] - Tel: 202-224-3441 Fax: 202-228-0514
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - Tel: (202) 224-2823 Fax: (202) 224-1083
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] - Tel: (202) 224-2152 Fax: (202) 228-0400
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] - Tel: (202) 224-3841 Fax: (202) 228-3954
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [HI] - Tel: (202) 224-3934 Fax: (202) 224-6747
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] - Tel: (202) 224-4654 Fax: (202) 224-8858
Sen Murkowski, Lisa [AK] - Tel: (202) 224-6665 Fax: (202) 224-5301
Sen Reed, Jack [RI] - Tel: (202) 224-4642 Fax: (202) 224-4680
Sen Rockefeller, John D. [WV] - Tel: (202) 224-6472 Fax: (202) 224-7665
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] - Tel: (202) 224-5141 Fax: (202) 228-0776
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] - Tel: (202) 224-6542 Fax: (202) 228-3027
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] - Tel: (202) 224-5344 Fax: (202) 224-1946
Sen Specter, Arlen [PA] - Tel: (202) 224-4254 Fax: (202) 228-1229
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] - Tel: (202) 224-4822 Fax: (202) 228-0325
e-mail: senator@stabenow.senate.gov
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - Tel: (202) 224-2921 Fax: (202) 228-6362

EVEN TAKING 10 MINUTES OUT OF YOUR TIME CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE TO OUR HORSES! THEY NEED US AND THEY NEED OUR VOICES TO BE HEARD FOR THEM. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND TAKING THE TIME TO HELP OUT IN THE FIGHT FOR STOPPING HORSE SLAUGHTER.....

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

STATE UPHOLDS BAN ON HORSE SLAUGHTER HOUSES IN ILLINOIS!

2009-04-02T08:11:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends, It looks like we won this battle for now! Thanks for all of your hard work and your dedication to help defeat the opposition. Stay tuned for further strategy to help pass the Federal Bill. For those of you who have not learned yet, The Senate introduced S727, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act!

Finally... enjoy the read (courtesy of cbs2chicago.com)

State Upholds Ban On Horse Slaughter houses

Slaughter house Used To Operate In DeKalb SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- The Illinois House has rejected a push to overturn the state's ban on slaughtering horses for meat. Lawmakers approved the ban two years ago to shut down a slaughter house in DeKalb. But critics say it had the unintended consequence of increasing cruelty to horses. They say that without an affordable way to dispose of unwanted horses, some owners are neglecting or even abandoning their animals. Other owners are sending horses to Mexico, where they may not be slaughtered in a humane way. The legislation would have allowed horses to be slaughtered in Illinois so they could be sold as food overseas. The measure was failing 50-67 Wednesday when the sponsor halted the vote. This message was sent by:

Americans Against Horse Slaughter
1551 Willow Pond Dr.
Yardley, PA 19067

THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM ME: AFTER VIEWING THE LIVE FEED IN THE DEBATE OF ILLINOIS AND IT'S REPRESENTATIVES TRYING TO DECIDE WHICH WAY TO VOTE ON BILL HB583. I HAVE COME TO REALIZE ONE THING, NOT ALL THE REPRESENTATIVES KNOW A LOT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HORSE SLAUGHTER AND HOW BRUTAL THE PROCESS IS, WHETHER IT'S HERE IN THE STATES OR IT IS IN OTHER COUNTRIES. THEY DON'T KNOW THAT HORSES BEING SLAUGHTERED HAVE A MORE HORRIFYING PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH. FROM THEIR RIDE IN THE TRUCKS, BEING TORCHURED BY SOME TRUCK HALERS TAKEN THEM TO THEIR DESTINATION, LACK OF WATER AND FOOD, NOT TO MENTION THE NEGLECT, ABUSE AND MISTREATMENT OF HORSES ON FEEDLOTS, WAITING TO GO TO SLAUGHTER. THESE REPRESENTATIVES HAVE TO BE TOLD THE TRUTHS OF HORSE SLAUGHTER, NOT FALSE FACTS GIVEN BY THEIR COLLEAGE REP. SACIA. SINCE HORSE SLAUGHTER WAS SHUTDOWN IN 2007 IN THE UNITED STATES, FACTS SHOW LESS ABUSE, NEGLECT AND THEFT OF HORSES IN THE UNITED STATES. IF PEOPLE WERE HELD MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE OF THEIR HORSES AND MADE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS IN THE CARE OF THEIR HORSES, THEN MAYBE THE PROBLEM WILL EVENTUALLY BE CORRECTED AND HORSE SLAUGHTER WON'T BE AN EXCUSE TO EXIST. HORSE SLAUGHTER IS NOT THE ANSWER TO THE PROBLEMS WE FACE WITH OUR HORSES, IT'S SOME OF THE IRRESPONSIBLE OWNERS AND LARGE ORGANIZATIONS THAT IS THE PROBLEM. THE ONE THING WE ARE UP AGAINST IS OVER-BREDING OF LARGE ORGANIZATIONS WHO ENCOURAGE OVER-BREDING AND ARE LINING THE POCKETS OF OUR CONGRESSMEN/WOMEN AND SENATORS TO KEEP HORSE SLAUGHTER IN EXISTANCE, IN ORDER FOR THEM TO HAVE AN OUTLET OF THE OVER-BREDING OF HORSES AND JUST DISCARD THE ONES THAT ARE NOT WANTED BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. SO BY ENDING HORSE SLAUGHTER IN THIS COUNTRY AND FROM BEING SENT OUT TO OTHER COUNTRIES, IT WILL HOLD PRIVATE OWNERS AND LARGE ORGANIZATIONS MORE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INPUT ON THIS SUBJECT OR ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO SOLVE THE ISSUE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MAKE A COMMENT HERE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN AND SUPPORT!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION THAT WILL BE SENT TO THE GOVERNOR OF MONTANA ASKING HIM TO VETO THE BILL HB418! URGE HIM NOT TO SIGN THE BILL!

2009-03-31T08:58:00.004-04:00

FOREIGN COUNTRIES ARE BUILDING HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANTS IN THE US AND NOT BEING RESPONSIBLE TO PAY ANY TAXES. THEY ARE TAKING OUR PRECIOUS HORSES FROM US AND HAVING THEM SLAUGHTERED FOR FOOD FOR THEIR OWN COUNTRIES. WE NEED TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DEMAND THAT THE GOVERNOR OF MONTANA VETO THE BILL HB418, THAT WILL ALLOW THESE FOREIGN COMPANIES TO BUILD THEIR PLANTS HERE AND SLAUGHTER OUR HORSES!! HOW MUCH LONGER ARE WE GOING TO LET THE FOREIGN COUNTRIES TAKE OVER OUR COUNTRY?! WE NEED TO PROTECT WHAT IS OURS, AND WE NEED TO PROTECT THE ANIMALS THAT DON'T HAVE A VOICE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND SPEAK UP FOR THEMSELVES!

This was filmed in Montana on March 22, 2009. Please call the Governor of Montana at this number: (406)444-3111. You can do this regardless of whether you are a Montana resident. If the bill becomes law, Montana could become the first state to reintroduce Horse Slaughter since the last US-based slaughter house closed down in 2007. It will also set back any momentum we have gained at the Federal level. Please sign the petition below by copy/paste the link below. Thank you so much for your support. The 2 minutes it takes to make this call will make a world of difference to every single horse out there that doesn't have a voice.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/319413487

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URGENT! RACE HORSES NEED HOME - WILL BE GOING TO KILL AUCTION, THEY WILL BE BOUGHT BY KILLER BUYERS! PLEASE HELP THESE PRECIOUS HORSES!

2009-03-23T12:41:00.010-04:00

TB Racehorses going to Kill Auction, need Homes ASAP!!!!

The horses listed below are in danger of going to auction in Sugar Creek, OH on Monday. They will most certainly sell direct to kill if a private buyer is not found ASAP! None of these horses have injuries that would prevent them from being trained and worked in another discipline. All horses are located at or near the Mountaineer Race Track which is in WV. If you are interested or can help any of these horses, please contact Crystal at the number listed below.

LIST OF RACE HORSES IN DANGER OF GOING TO SLAUGHTER:

CANTER listings are below, if the photo links don't work....go to http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.canterusa.org%2Fmidatlantic%2Ftrainerowned_mtr.htm to see pictures.

Three Urgent Geldings at Mountaineer!: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 10:55 AM
These three horses are very urgent. The trainer has already made arrangements to ship them out. The trainer can no longer lay the one up listed at $1,000, he will take $300.00 OBO on ANY of these horses. Please forward to anybody who may be interested.

THESE 3 HORSES MUST GO ASAP. Arrangement have already been made to ship these 3 horse out. Will take $300 for each of them.

He Ran So Fast: 3 year old 16hh bay gelding. Trainer has only had him three weeks, he raced Saturday coming back off on his right front. He's a well behaved horse, trainer says he hasn't found anything wrong with his personality yet. Asking $600/OBO
CONTACT: Crystal (304)-374-7134

I've Got To Go: 3 year old 16.1hh bay gelding. Has a tendon injury and is a little hot from stall rest, nice horse with a cute head. Trainer will lay him up if he doesn't sell. Asking $1000 firm. (no longer asking $1000. $300 or OBO)
CONTACT: Crystal (304)-374-7134

Super Nitro: 5 year ol 15.23hh chestnut gelding. Very stocky. He has a little bit of an old knee, is racing sound on it, trainer just needs to cut back on horses. Nitro can be a little strong while at the track but is safe and kind. Needs to go! Asking $600/obo.

CONTACT: Crystal (304)-374-7134

IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN ANY OF THESE HORSES OR IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE ROOM OR FINANCES, PLEASE HELP BY FINDING SOMEONE WHO MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE THESE 3 RACEHORSES INTO THEIR HOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND HELP!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

ILLEGAL HORSE SLAUGHTER HAPPENING IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA! MIAMI FLORIDA TO BE EXACT!

2009-03-20T08:09:00.006-04:00

With today's fight to end horse slaughter, I just learned new news that there is a black market in Florida for horse meat. There are people steeling horses from owners and butchering them in fields, on the side of the road and even in their own stalls where the horses are kept by their owners. This is happening at night and authorities still haven't made any arrests. They are saying that they can't prove if it is being done by the horse's owners or by poachers. This is the most horrifying thing I have ever heard of and these people (poachers) have to be stopped!! Please help me by spreading the word and maybe if we all come together, we can put a stop to this from happening ever again. Please visit this site to read and view the slideshow on what's happening to these racehorses and privately owned horses. I have to warn you that the slide show does have some graphic seens, but I watched it anyway. It has given me this fire inside to put a stop to this!!! I plan on calling President Barack Obama and informing him of this activity. I WILL DO ANYTHING TO SEE THIS TREATMENT AND BUTCHERING OF HORSES COME TO AN END ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!

Please Copy/Paste this URL and view the slideshow to the left:
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/weird/From-Race-Horse-To-Main-Course.html

This is what the news posted about these findings:

These Lucky Horses were saved in a raid of a slaughter house in Miami

FROM RACE HORSE TO MAIN COURSE

Horses are being poached and slaughtered for their meat on the black market
By JEFF BURNSIDE and TODD WRIGHT

The story sounds like the summary of a bad horror flick. Dozens of horses disappearing in the dead of night only to be found stripped of skin and meat on a roadside. Other horses are discovered butchered in their stables by mortified owners.

But the culprit isn't some half-wolf, half-man abomination that preys on thoroughbreds during the full moon.

They are poachers from Miami's black market who sell the horses' meat, which is a popular delicacy among new arrivals from other countries to the area. The horse meat can go for as much as $20 per pound and based on the number of bloody horse remains and meat-stripped carcasses found on the side of dirt roads and in stables across Miami-Dade, harvesting horses for meat is a lucrative business.

The sale of horse meat for human consumption is illegal in the U.S., but that hasn't stopped the meat from being in high demand by natives of the Caribbean, Cuba and other European countries who crave horse cuisine.

Some U.S. cattle ranchers have worked around the law by exporting horses to Mexico or Canada, where killing horses for dinner is legal.

Fostering some of the boom in slaughterhouses has been the horse-racing industry and some owners of race horses. Some discard a horse after it's out-lived its racing life or is injured. They are usually sold to the first person who offers a few bucks for the animal, as was the case for Freedom's Flight, a horse rescued during a raid at a Miami area slaughterhouse.

"Freedom's Flight would have definitely ended up on someone's plate. Absolutely. And we've seen it too many times," said Richard Cuoto, who volunteers for the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Freedom's Flight's blood line includes Secretariat and Seattle Slew, two of the greatest thoroughbreds of all-time. But his wealthy owner, Herman Heinlein, gave the horse to a handler after it broke a leg in a race at Gulfstream Park. The handler, Marian Brill, sold Freedom's Flight for $500, but refuses to say to whom. Police believe Freedom's Flight eventually ended up at a pony ride show before he wound up at the slaughterhouse.

"I've already told you, I can't and I won't," she said in an interview with NBC6.

Freedom's Flight's saga and salvation is the exception to the rule, animal rights advocates said. Other race horses have had a less than ceremonial retirement.

The real horror may be that no arrests have been made in the deaths. Authorities claim it would be hard to charge someone with a crime because it's difficult to tell if a horse found butchered on the side of the road was killed by a poacher or an owner.

This was the end of the story! Now my question is, "Even if it was the owner that did it, shouldn't they be arrested as well?" Miami police can't just say, "we don't know who did, therefore there's nothing we can do about it." BULL SHIT!! They need to start trying harder to catch these people!! And if the people of Miami Florida start making noise to these police and demand them to do something more, believe me, they will have no choice but to do something! So everyone in Florida and around the Country, PLEASE LET'S MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD!!!!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

JAGUAR HOPE - RIP - 4/15/98 TO 3/18/09

2009-03-19T10:40:00.011-04:00

JAGUAR HOPE AND HIS LOVING OWNER WENDY UZELAC

I wanted to post this in honor of a friend of mine Wendy Uzelac, who had to euthanize her best friend and companion "Jaguar Hope", who was injured in his paddock do to an accident. Wendy is morning a loss of a true friend today, and I hope this post will bring a smile to her face, as she has so many fond memories of a horse that gave her everything and asked for nothing in return. The love they shared is unmeasureable and you can see it in the photo above. This is for you Wendy and in rememberance of Jaguar Hope. Here is Jaguar Hope's story, by Wendy Uzelac.

This is a race in 2005 where my horse Jaguar Hope makes a great move on the inside to win his race.

Jaguar Hopes First Lesson 1 Year out of Horse Racing

Jaguar Hope an 11 yr old retired thoroughbred race horse beginning to learn the fine points of dressage.

Turkoman out of Enduring Hope. He retired from racing on August 7th, 2007 on a good note. This is Wendy's first ride on him since he came off the track.

Wendy's too sexy horse, Jaguar Hope. A 9 yr old Thoroughbred gelding by Turkoman out of Enduring Hope.

This is a story Wendy wrote about how her and Jag first met and became companions. It's inspiring for all to read. Jaguar will be forever in Wendy's heart and in all of his fans as well. I'm definitely one of his fans! Please read her story below and view the slideshow of this beautiful and classy horse "Jaguar Hope" may God be with you now, for you will be terribly missed.

"JAGUAR HOPE'S STORY" by Wendy Uzelac (Owner of Jag)
I acquired Jag a few months after I saw him race at Great Lakes Downs. He didn't run well but there was something about him that I just had to ask if the owner was ready to retire him from racing. I wrote a letter to his owner and got him a couple months later. He's a dream come true for me.

These are posts I made after I had seen Jag run in a race and sent a letter to his owner/trainer in 2007

7/30/07 I received some great news! I had written a trainer about one of his horses that he owns. I asked him to consider me when he retired his horse Jaguar Hope. He's a nine year old gelding (grandson of Alydar) that's still racing at Great Lakes Downs. The trainer was very happy to hear from me and called me right away. I had visited the horse since the first time I had seen him. He's absolutely stunning. I have another championship to work in a couple of weeks therefore the plan is for me to pick him in August. Here are a couple of photos I took of Jaguar Hope when I first fell in love with him:

And here is a photo slide show of his first day in turnout. He was very interested in the horses in the paddock next door. Copy/Paste the link below to view the slideshow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendy_u/sets/72157601283730508/show/

8/20/07 - I've had Jag for a few weeks now and he's just awesome. He's adjusted well to his new surroundings although he seems to be a little bit studdish - calling out to the girls often. He seems most attracted to the very pretty Paso Fino in the paddock closest to him. He must like latino women :) Although he calls out to the girls, he's otherwise a complete gentleman to handle. Extremely friendly, a lovely nicker for food and treats and has the best ground manners of any horse i've ever been around.

I admit, I made a small mistake with his shoes. I had him go barefoot in back. this was a little too much for this race horses tendons and his back ankles swelled up something ugly. No heat, no pulse, just swelling. So back on went the shoes and amazingly, the swelling is just about gone in 24 hours! Race horses run with such low heels and long toes. it's really something. It'll take some time but my farrier and I will try to build up his heels as best we can and maybe we can get those back shoes off down the road. I'm not holding my breath though. My other ex racer can never go barefoot...

As soon as his tendons are back to normal with an extra day or two thrown in for good measure, I'll try him out in the arena. I can tell you already that he long reins and longe's quite nicely!

11/7/08 - It's funny to read this now as my Toby, my other ex racer has been barefoot in back all summer and Jag's feet haven't had issues although he's still been in shoes. I'm hopeful I can have him barefoot in back this winter. Walking in snow and ice will be much easier for him that way. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

2/1/09 - now it's really funny because both Toby and Jag are completely barefoot this winter. both are doing well. Jag does stock up in his legs if he is kept in due to bad weather but he's not sore nor lame. He's really doing well and his hooves are stronger than when I first got him! So happy am I!

Here is Wendy's final message on Jaguar Hope:

I have some news to share that has shattered my very being tonight. Jaguar Hope had to be put down due to a horrific leg injury from a freak accident in his paddock. He dislocated his back left fetlock joint to where the cannon bone came through the front of the leg. It was horrific to see and no hope of saving him.

He was put down with me by his side and all my friends nearby. He was calm and proud right to the end as if giving the world his final "look of eagles". He was as amazing in his life as he was meeting his death. So very brave.

He gave me some of the best thrills of my life and he helped me fulfill so many of my dreams. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I will miss him. But I am so very grateful that he did enter my life and that I had what short time I did have with him.

I love you Jag...

Jaguar Hope
4/15/98 - 3/18/09

Here is a finaly video that Wendy made of Jag, may he rest in peace. Jag and Wendy were fortunate to have found each other. Wendy will say that Jag helped her live her dreams and was her one true love companion. In reality, Wendy was a blessing to Jaguar Hope as well, she gave him the love and freedom to be a horse. He was able to role in the snow and grass, he was able to run and play and just be a horse. He found true love and happiness with Wendy, and I'm sure that is a gift that any horse would ask for. You will see how happy he truly was in the following video:

Stories like this will show people how horses can make an incredible impact on our lives. Every horse has a story, and EVERY horse deserves a second chance at being something great. There is no such thing as a horse that is unwanted or useless, all they need is love, respect and kindness. Their love is always unconditional....

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

A HORSES POWER OF HEALING - A GIFT THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY GOD

2009-03-16T11:31:00.003-04:00

Horsepower Therapy

March 16, 2009
Luisa D'Amato
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO

There's something about horses that brings powerful healing to women with addictions, a Wilfrid Laurier University social work professor discovered.

Shoshana Pollack studied women with addictions who were already receiving counselling, in a study that is soon to be published. The women spent time with horses at stables near Toronto for 12 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes.

As they spent time with the horses, the women "experienced profound healing and growth . . . in ways they couldn't have experienced through talking therapy (talking to a counsellor)," Pollack said.

"There's something unique and special that working with the horses can bring to a person's healing."

The women didn't ride the horses, nor did they groom them, feed them or clean their stables, Pollack said. They just spent time with them, using them to learn more about themselves, she said.

It's called "equine-assisted psychotherapy."

There are just a couple of similar programs across Canada and the only other one for women is in an aboriginal healing lodge in Saskatchewan.

Pollack said horses are very sensitive to the environment around them. So, for example, when one woman was agitated and upset, she noticed that the horses would walk away from her.

"What she took from that was an awareness that her moods have a strong impact on the people around her," Pollack said.

When the woman tried to become calm again through deep breathing, and feel a gentle energy in herself, the horses would approach her once more.

"That kind of experience is so powerful in the moment," Pollack said.

Shame is something a lot of these women must face, and the horses can help with that too.

One woman was able to whisper a secret to one of the horses.

"She was able to share with them some things she couldn't share in individual or group therapy for fear of being judged," said Pollack. "It was between the horse and her. The horse wouldn't judge her."

The woman felt free, after that, Pollack said. "She was able to move into a place of self-forgiveness."

Pollack is the author of a study that urges better support for women who are released from prison. Nearly all the women she studied also had addiction problems.

She said her recent study with the horses showed that "it's a magical relationship that occurs."

"My dream is that we begin to find a way to allow women at Grand Valley (the federal women's prison in Kitchener) to participate in such a program."

ldamato@therecord.com

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UPDATE ON GUINNESS-THE MISSING HORSE

2009-03-16T11:27:00.002-04:00

Guinness has been found and appears to be sound. Patrick, the owner, is in the process of being reunited with him. The only problem is, his new owners have ownership over him, so Patrick has to go through paperwork to try and get him back. But we thank God for Guinness's safety and wellbeing, it could have been a different outcome. Thank you to everyone for your concerns and help with Guinness. :)

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

URGENT ACTION NEEDED! PLEASE HELP FIND THIS MISSING HORSE!

2009-03-10T14:09:00.003-04:00

Missing Grand Prix Jumper - GOOD GUINESS!!!

Here is the story:

On Sept 8th 2008, Patrick Seaton, using Ali as his agent and go-between, sent his grand prix mount Good Guinness to Frank Madden to sell. Frank had seen all the footage, and agreed to take the horse 'on the cuff' to sell. Patrick decided to send him after winning three CA prixs in '08, and he beleived he could sell Good Guinness on the East Coast for a good price as a high jr/ao horse. Ali assured him and encouraged him.....So in good faith he loaded his horse on Earl Jaque's van and he headed to NY. Mixed reviews followed, dissapointing offers, and the fact the horse was being shown in the childrens jumpers was a bit discouraging, but still Patrick trusted the horse was in good hands...Last week Patrick visited WEF to try horses and made a visit to Frank's barn to discuss sending Good Guinness back to CA. Patrick asked the grooms where Guinness was and they directed Patrick to his stall. THE HORSE BEING SHOWN AS GOOD GUINNESS, IS NOT HIM!

If you have seen this horse, or have any leads, please call Patrick: (415) 797-0186

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URGENT ALERT! ILLINOIS LEGISLATORS TRYING TO OVERTURN HORSE SLAUGHTER BAN IN THEIR STATE! ACTION NEEDED NOW!

2009-03-09T09:12:00.004-04:00

John Conyers and Shelley Abrams (AAHS)

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 ALERT

Dear Members of Americans Against Horse Slaughter,

We have witnessed the numerous pro slaughter state resolutions/legislation popping up every day. Although these are very important issues that demand our attention, we must keep our eye on the ball and stay focused on getting the Federal Legislation HR503 passed.

That said, there is a VERY IMPORTANT STATE ISSUE that is time sensitive and demands our united effort.

Illinois Legislators are trying to overturn the current law that outlaws horse slaughter in their state. Although this is a state issue, if Illinois succeeds, it would be a HUGE blow to our campaign.

Please click on the following alert for instructions to help defeat the IL bill H.B.583 and then continue on to help us gain support for the Federal Legislation HR503.

Alert! http://forums.delphiforums.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=34543.1

Thanks again for all of your support.

Sincerely,
Americans Against Horse Slaughter

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A VIDEO EVERYONE SHOULD SEE! A HEART WARMING SAD STORY OF A GIRL AND HER HORSE

2009-03-01T20:24:00.002-05:00

This post goes out to everyone who thinks that horses aren't worth a second chance and that horse slaughter should always exist. This video will prove how wrong those people really are. There is no greater love than what a horse can give it's owner. Please view the video below. Thank you and God Bless this girl and her horse.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

URGENT ACTION NEEDED FOR THE HORSES!

2009-02-26T09:54:00.004-05:00

We all need to put a stop to the lies and deceit that Representative Sacia of Illinois is telling legislation of Illinois and the people of Illinois. He is not giving accurate facts about horse slaughter, and he needs to be stopped! Please read the documentary below from an organization called "American's Against Horse Slaughter". We need to take action now! So please be the horses voice and make calls to the legislative committee in Illinois and plead with them not to support Rep. Sacia's bill H.R.583. Thank you in advance for your support.

Dear Americans Against Horse Slaughter Members,

The following is just in from AWI. Illinois needs our help now! Although this alert is aimed at Illinois constituents, this is a National issue. Please read the following urgent alert and call each member of the House (IL) and ask them to oppose H.B. 583. URGENT AWI eAlert: Illinois Horse Slaughter Advocate Trying to Overturn Ban - Again February 26, 2009 Dear Humanitarian: The Illinois General Assembly may soon consider H.B. 583, a bill designed to overturn the state’s ban on horse slaughter. The ban, which went into effect in 2007, closed the country’s last remaining horse slaughter plant – Cavel International (based in DeKalb, IL) – which was foreign-owned, marking the end to an utterly cruel practice that the majority of Americans oppose. The sponsor of the pro-slaughter bill, Representative Jim Sacia, has a long history of fighting to keep horse slaughter alive despite strong opposition from the majority of Illinois residents and the American public. Rep. Sacia is out of step with public opinion and his effort is in vain; having sat empty for almost two years the former Cavel plant recently opened to slaughter non-equine species. Further, the U.S. Congress is currently considering the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which is anticipated to move quickly, and will prohibit the slaughter of horses here as well as their export for slaughter abroad. Now Rep. Sacia is telling media outlets that support is growing and implying it is the humane community. Rep. Sacia is profoundly mistaken and clearly misleading the public and his colleagues in the General Assembly, opposition is as strong as ever. It is a shame that he is resorting to these tactics in order to pass legislation overturning a law that was soundly supported by the State of Illinois only two years ago.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO

If you are from Illinois please click here for a link and call each member of the House and politely ask them to oppose H.B. 583. Remind them that: You strongly oppose H.B. 583 because horse slaughter is a cruel and unnecessary practice. The Illinois General Assembly banned horse slaughter by an overwhelming majority in 2007, and urge them to reject Representative Sacia’s bill, H.B. 583.

There is no evidence to support Rep. Sacia’s claims that Cavel’s closure has led to an increase in horse abandonment. Ending horse slaughter stopped an overt form of animal cruelty and has only been good for the horses. The state ban is important. Rep. Sacia complained that closing Cavel would put local workers out of business despite the cruelty of the industry. The building that formerly housed Cavel has recently re-opened to slaughter non-equine species, thus bring jobs and income to the local economy. His argument is even more irrelevant given this development. The humane community and the majority if Illinois residents DO NOT support the overturning of this ban no matter what Rep. Sacia may claim, including the inclusion of a $25 fee for each horse slaughtered. Please also let them know that you support passage of the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which is expected to move quickly this Congress. The bill will prohibit the slaughter of American horses throughout the United States as well as their export abroad for the same purpose. Thank you for your support and commitment to equine welfare. We cannot allow those who which to defend animal abuse continue to mislead legislators and the American public. Be Sure to share this eAlert with friends, family and coworkers and encourage them to call as many Representatives as possible. Continue to check back at: http://www.awionline.org/legislation/horse_slaughter/whats_new.htm for updates.

Sincerely,

Chris Heyde Deputy Director
Government and Legal Affairs
Animal Welfare Institute

This message was sent by: Americans Against Horse Slaughter, 1551 Willow Pond Dr., Yardley, PA 19067

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT PREMARIN (MENOPAUSE DRUG) AND HORSES! PLEASE READ AND VIEW VIDEO!

2009-02-25T09:07:00.003-05:00

Premarin, the most popular hormone drug for treating menopausal symptoms, is made from the urine of pregnant horses. Even worse, the horses used for or born from as a result of this industry are often at risk of being sold for slaughter. Find out more about the bitter truth behind drugs like Premarin, and what can you do to help the horses.

If you are taking the drug Premarin or Prempro, please watch this video and visit the United Animal Nations website listed at the end of this video. Premarin and Prempro has been found not to be a safe drug to use for Menopause, please ask your doctor about the synthetic drugs that are out there that have replaced Premarin and Prempro. Premarin and Prempro are made up of Pregnant Mare Urine, and has serious side effects. Please take the time to learn more about this and please spread the word to other women. We need to stop this horrible treatment to Mare's, and we can do that by stop using Premarin and Prempro. Thank you in advance for taking the 2 minutes out of your day to watch this video. :)

The Bitter Truth About Premarin Video

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HORSE SLAUGHTERER'S ARE PILING ON STATE RESOLUTIONS! PLEASE HELP US TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING, MAKE THE CALL TO THE FOLLOWING STATES LISTED!

2009-02-16T09:28:00.004-05:00

PLEASE GO TO THIS WEBSITE TO GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED ON YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND CONTACT INFORMATION. JUST CLICK ON THE HIGHLIGHTED AREAS ON THE WEBSITE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO IT. HERE IS THE WEBSITE URL WHERE THIS ARTICLE IS FOUND:
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/682
Horse Slaughterers Are Piling On State Resolutions
Posted Feb 9, 2009 by laura allen

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:

Montana, H.B. 418 would prohibit courts from issuing injunctions against horse slaughter facilities and impose expensive bonds and high penalties on anyone who challenges a horse slaughter facility in court. The bill also paves the way for a horse slaughter house to open in Montana should it become legal again in the U.S. There is a hearing Feb. 12 on this bill. Go here for more information and how you can voice opposition to this bill.

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.

ND 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 with 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

WFL Endangered Stream Live, Saving Our Horses

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

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

FEDERAL AND STATE ACTION NEEDED ON H.R.503! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

2009-02-09T09:22:00.003-05:00

Dear Americans Against Horse Slaughter Members,

As promised, we will be sending out frequent updates to let you know the status of the Federal Legislation to end horse slaughter along with instructions on how you can help. Also included will be links to information on states that need help in stopping State Legislation promoting the slaughter of horses. Information on Federal Bill HR503
with strategy on action for you to take, please go to:

http://www.alexbrownracing.com/wiki/index.php/Horse_slaughter

If you live in any of the following states, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please pass this information along to friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers.

NORTH DAKOTA
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/663

ARKANSAS http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/state_legislation/arkansas/horse_slaughter.html

KANSAS
http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/state_legislation/state-legislation-list.html?state=kansas

ILLINOIS
http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=33377.1

ARIZONA
https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=30799352

For those of you who are new to the fight to end the slaughter of American horses, you can find links to everything you need to know at www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com as well as links to State Blogs with state specific information. As many of you already know, we have no other agenda than to end the brutal slaughtering and the transport of our horses to slaughter for human consumption.

Thanks for all your help!

Americans Against Horse Slaughter

This message was sent by: Americans Against Horse Slaughter, 1551 Willow Pond Dr., Yardley, PA 19067

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN HELP FURTHER!

Great news......as of the beginning of this week, we have 84 co-sponsors for HR503!! Our goal for this week is to reach 100 co-sponsors. To achieve this goal, we will continue with the following plan. 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. The strategy now is to gain co-sponsors for HR 503, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equity 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: www.thomas.gov and search by Bill number HR503. You can then click on co-sponsors.

Once you have called your own Representative, the plan is to start with those co-sponsors of HR 6598 that have not yet signed on. Following is a list of these Representatives. As they co-sponsor, their name will be removed from this list.

Co-sponsors of 2008 Bill 6598 who have NOT yet signed to 2009 Bill HR503:
NOTE TO MICHIGAN RESIDENCE: I CALLED CONGRESSWOMAN CAROLYN C. KILPATRICKS OFFICE TO ASK HER "MALE RECEPTIONIST" IF REP. KILPATRICK HAS SIGNED THE BILL H.R.503, NOT ONLY WAS HE RUDE IN RESPONSE, BUT HE DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO LOOK IT UP TO LET ME KNOW. THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION FOR WHEN CONSTITUENTS CALL IN, SO PLEASE BE PERSISTANT AND MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR ANSWERS, TELL THEM YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. DON'T LET THESE ASSISTANCE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES INTIMIDATE YOU INTO NOT GETTING YOUR ANSWERS. YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, AND IF IT WASN'T FOR YOUR VOTES, THEY WOULDN'T BE IN OFFICE! You can also try to contact her Administrative Director James Williams at jamesm.williams@mail.house.gov or ask for him at the following Rep. Kilpatrick line listed below

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - Phone: 202-225-2726 Fax: 202-225-4580
Rep Arcuri, Michael A. [NY-24] - Phone: 202-225-3665 Fax: 202-225-1891
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3] - Phone: 202-225-4811 Fax: 202-225-8941
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - Phone: 202-225-0123 Fax: 202-225-2256
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - Phone: 202-225-2406 Fax: 202-226-3717
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - Phone: 202-225-4535 Fax: 202-225-4403
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - Phone: 202-225-5006 Fax: 202-225-5641
Rep Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14] - Phone: 202-225-2135 Fax: 202-225-3084
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - Phone: 202-225-4755 Fax: 202-225-4886
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - Phone :202-225-2464 Fax: 202-225-5513
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - Phone: 202-225-8104 Fax: 202-225-8890
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - Phone: 202-225-2861 Fax: 202-225-6791
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - Phone: 202.225.4001 Fax: 202-225-5392
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - Phone: 202-225-5931 Fax: 202-225-0182
Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] - Phone: 202-225-2542 Fax: 202-225-0378
Rep Harman, Jane [CA-36] - Phone: 202-225-8220 Fax: 202-226-7290
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] - Phone: 202-225-4906 Fax: 202-225-4987
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - Phone: 202-225-8885 Fax: 202-226-1477
Rep Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [GA-4] - Phone: 202-225-1605 Fax: 202-226-0691
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - Phone: 202-225-2261 Fax: 202-225-5730
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - Phone: 202-225-2661 Fax: 202-225-9817
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - Phone: 202-225-8273 Fax: 202-225-3984
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-5] - Phone: 202-225-7163 Fax: 202-225-0566
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] - Phone: 202-225-6631 Fax: 202-225-1968
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - Phone: 202-225-4172 Fax: 202-225-7564
Rep Moore, Dennis [KS-3] - Phone: 202-225-2865 Fax: 202-225-2807
Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] - Phone: 202-225-5601 Fax: 202-225-8112
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - Phone: 202-225-8050 Fax: 202-225-3002
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - Phone: 202-225-5335 Fax: 202-226-1224
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] - Phone: 202-225-4671 Fax: 202-225-9665
Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [NJ-8] - Phone: 202-225-5751 Fax: 202-225-5782
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] - Phone: 202-225-3931 Fax: 202-225-5620
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - Phone: 202-225-1766 Fax: 202-226-0350
Rep Schmidt, Jean [OH-2] - Phone: 202-225-3164 Fax: 202-225-1992
Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] - Phone: 202-225-5464 Fax: 202-225-5467
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - Phone: 202-225-5065 Fax: 202-226-3805
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] - Phone: 202-225-1880 Fax: 202-225-5914
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - Phone: 202-225-8020 Fax: 202-225-5915
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - Phone: 202-225-5936 Fax: 202-225-1018
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] - Phone: 202-225-3411 Fax: 202-226-0771
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - Phone: 202-225-4115 Fax: 202-225-5974
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - Phone: 202-225-2452 Fax: 202-225-2455
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - Phone: 202-225-4261 Fax: 202-225-4382

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE - You can use this toll-free number 800-828-0498and 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.

Americans Against Horse Slaughter

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

URGENT ALERT FOR KANSAS, NORTH DAKOTA AND ARKANSAS RESIDENTS! PLEASE STOP YOUR LEGISLATION FROM OPENING UP HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANTS IN YOUR STATE!

2009-02-05T09:35:00.004-05:00

I was just informed from a reliable source of mine that Kansas, North Dakota, and Arkansas legislatures are trying to open "horse processing" plants in their state.

I'm urging the people who live in these 3 states to call their Congressmen and Senators and express to them that this is not what you want. Tell them that you don't want horse slaughter to exist in your state, and that you want them to support bill H.R.503, that is pending in the Committee as we speak.

Please, there is no time to waiste, it only takes a couple minutes of your time to call these Representatives. It would mean so much to all the horses. We are really close to ending horse slaughter here in the U.S.A. and our horses will be safe from being transported out of our Country for slaughter. So please, I'm begging you, please don't give up the fight. Don't fall into the lies of the Pro-slaughter industry that slaughter is a necessary evil, because it's not. If you saw how horse slaughter employees and truck drivers abuse and mistreat horses, you would see that they are worse than any private owner out there that may be mistreating their horse. There are many more horses being starved, abused and neglected on feedlots and in double decker trailers than any horse in the US that have private owners. There is no such thing as a unwanted horse, and if we change the fact that there is too much over-breeding and put stipulations on these types of things, we could end this problem we are having. But horse slaughter is not the answer! So please call your state Representatives today! Before it's to late.........thank you for all your support and care for our horses.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

ATTENTION RACE TRACKS! DON'T GIVE THE AMISH YOUR BROKENDOWN HORSES!! Boycott Amish Products (Equine Cruelty is More Widespread Than Ever!)

2009-02-03T09:28:00.003-05:00

AFTER READING THIS STORY ON HOW CRUEL AND ABUSIVE THE AMISH ARE TO THEIR HORSES, PLEASE DON'T BUY ANY AMISH PRODUCTS, SUCH AS "SARGENTO CHEESE'S" AND OTHER AMISH PRODUCTS.

ATTENTION RACE TRACKS!! PLEASE DO NOT SELL YOUR BROKENDOWN AND NOT FAST ENOUGH HORSES TO THE AMISH!! THE HORSE WILL HAVE A LIFE OF ABUSE AND CRUELITY DONE TO THEM.

I found the following "letter to the editor" on the internet and I believe the writer to be 100% honest about horrific treatment of horses by the Amish.

Let me preface my remarks by noting that while I have not lived in this area (PA) for nearly thirty years, I grew up in Southern Lancaster County, where I lived and worked on my family's dairy farm from the time I could help until I left for college in 1980. I also rode and showed horses during my junior high and high school years. I know the challenges of farming and that sometimes animals can be contrary and uncooperative, requiring humane correction.

That being said, I was appalled and sickened, as I believe anyone with an ounce of compassion would have been, at the scene that greeted me in the early afternoon of July 12 as I turned onto Pumping Station Road, en route back to my brother's home near Kirkwood. I saw an Amish buggy stopped alongside the road, the horse pulling it had fallen on the ground and was clearly in distress, and a team of draft horses with some sort of conveyance behind them in front of the stricken horse. A rope attached to the conveyance was also attached to the fallen horse's bridle.
I assumed that the injured horse had been struck by a vehicle, but no, the young Amishman and the preteen Amish boy who were there casually informed me, the horse was a "balker" and had fallen to the ground after their attempts to yank him forcefully along behind the draft animals. This horse was clearly injured and in distress; he was bleeding from both his front and rear legs and from his mouth. He was also terrified; his neck was twisted in an awkward and painful angle, and he was still attached to the buggy, finding it very difficult to move. When I asked if he had broken a leg, the Amishman nonchalantly replied, "No, just a stubborn horse," and proceeded to viciously kick this horse in the head to try to get him to stand up. They finally got the buggy removed from him, at which point more brutal kicking was delivered to both his head and hindquarters. Though the horse tried to get up, he had fallen on the road and thus had no means of traction and fell to the ground again. At this point, the Amishman suggested that I could be on my way. With my hands bloodied from where I had touched the horse's head to try to calm him, I managed to utter in my disgust that I seriously doubted that beating the horse was going to accomplish their goal. I seemed to have little choice but to drive away, though I was tempted to call the police. As I looked in the rear-view mirror I saw another round of blows delivered to the horse's head. It was one of the most brutal cases of animal abuse I have ever witnessed. Perhaps I should have tried to do more; perhaps making this incident public is the best I can do.

This is not the first time in my years living here and then visiting at least twice a year since I left that I have observed Amish cruelty to animals. Workhorses and mules can be seen even from the road as they are grazing with open, untreated collar sores. (Known as an "Amish Necklace" I've seen Amish families driving lame horses at a fast trot, and who hasn't seen horses and buggies tied for hours in the hot summer sun? And we all know that some inhumane Amish breeders are key players in Lancaster County's dubious distinction of being the puppy mill capital of the United States. There are horrible cases of animal cruelty throughout this country. Nor, I imagine, are all Amish abusive to their stock. However. the myth of the Amish is that they are a deeply religious, Christian, meek, gentle, pacifist people. As I watched that Amishman brutally abuse that injured and terrified horse, I could not help but think how such behavior flies in the face of all they profess with their faith. Yes, their Biblical injunction gives them dominion over the animals, but somehow I just can't see the God nor the Christ they claim to worship looking down on this scene with approval. It is sheer hypocrisy. Certainly most reasonable people would agree that this brutality was a much greater sin, according to Christian theology, than having a telephone in your house.

Few in Lancaster County want to criticize the Amish because, of course, they are economic bread and butter to the region. The money depends on the mythology. I have plenty of opportunities where I now live and where I travel to answer questions about the Amish, which are always forthcoming once people find out where I'm from. They are curious about this group of people and their traditional ways. One thing you can be sure of: when asked, I will be offering the straight story and a fair one, but one that is not marked by some romanticized, false view of a gentle, consistently nonviolent people.

ONCE AGAIN, READ THE BIBLE VERSE ON "GOD'S WRATH FOR HIS HORSES" BELOW THIS BLOG SITE, AND YOU TELL ME IF GOD REALLY WANTS HIS HORSES TO BE TREATED THIS WAY. EVEN THOUGH MANY YEARS AGO HORSES WERE USED AS WORK HORSES AND SLAVES, GOD DID NOT INTEND FOR THEM TO BE USED AS SUCH. PLEASE READ THE BIBLE VERSE BELOW!!
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

HOW TO END THE SLAUGHTER OF AMERICAN HORSES

2009-02-02T14:14:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends of Americans Against Horse Slaughter
This is to let you know the status of the Federal Legislation to end horse slaughter along with instructions on how you can help. Also included will be links to information on states that need help in stopping State Legislation. For information on Federal Bill HR503 with strategy on action for you to take, please go to:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.alexbrownracing.com%2Fwiki%2Findex.php%2FHorse_slaughter

If you live in any of these states, we need your help! Please pass this information along to friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers.

North Dakota http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.animallawcoalition.com%2Fhorse-slaughter%2Farticle%2F663

Arkansas http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.hsus.org%2Flegislation_laws%2Fstate_legislation%2Farkansas%2Fhorse_slaughter.html

Kansas http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.hsus.org%2Flegislation_laws%2Fstate_legislation%2Fstate-legislation-list.html%3Fstate%3Dkansas

For those of you who are new to the fight to end the slaughter of American horses, you can find links to everything you need to know at:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com
as well as links to State Blogs with state specific information. As many of you already know, we have no other agenda than to end the brutal slaughtering and the transport of our horses to slaughter for human consumption.

Thanks for all your help!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

"NO DAY OFF" RACEHORSE GOES TO SLAUGHTER! AN HBO DOCUMENTARY WITH VIDEO

2009-01-24T10:33:00.005-05:00

After reading this documentary, I had to post this on my site for everyone to read. I have to admit, I cried like a baby for hours, and I pleaded with God to end horse slaughter and to help us with putting an end to horse slaughter for good! Please take the time to read this.........A story of a Filly racehorse, please watch the 2 videos below this blog as well. Thank you for taking the time to read and watch this blog. The Horses thank you as well.

"No Day Off"--"Running For Their Lives"

**Please note** I am simply passing along this story on my blog. I was not involved with this documentary. However, if you would like to donate to the rescue that WAS involved with this documentary, please contact Gail Vacca at- GLV190@aol.com or you can call her at 815-761-4937. Thank you for caring :)

No Day Off
Behind the Scenes of the HBO Real Sports Documentary:
"Running For Their Lives"

by: Anne Russek

The following is my account of the behind the scene events that contributed to the HBO documentary" Hidden Horses." The following individuals will be mentioned in this story as they played vital roles in the production as it pertained to the racehorses. Gail Vacca, Becky Care, and Diana McClure are members of the racing industry, without whose help the Sugarcreek segment would not have been possible. I am sure that there are no words I can write that will adequately convey to the rest of you how supportive and involved these three women were. Hopefully, by the end of the story, you will see them for the unique and caring individuals that they are. I am blessed to have them as my friends.

I had previously written about events that occurred at the Sugarcreek Auction in Ohio on April 11 of this year. At that time, because of a scheduling conflict with HBO, six
thoroughbreds and one pony were rescued from the auction. (That story is on many horse sites referred to as "How Luck and a Village Saved the Sugarcreek Six").

After that rescue, an assistant producer from HBO, Ryan Goldberg, contacted me to ask if I would be interested in assisting in an undercover documentary depicting the chain of events that allows for Thoroughbreds to go from the racetrack to the auctions that then ship to slaughter. I was more than willing to assist in this
production.

I have been involved in racing for over thirty years. I love horses, and I love racing. Five years ago I became aware of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. It was at that time I first became aware of how many thousands of Thoroughbreds go to
slaughter every year. This was absolutely unacceptable to me, and I committed myself to helping to end horse slaughter in this country.

Since this practice of disposing of racehorses happens at every track across the country, we first needed to decide which track to video. I told Ryan that for several years, a young girl named Becky Care, who worked as a groom at Mountaineer Racetrack, had been reporting to me about the terrible conditions there. Mountaineer is located within an hours drive of the Sugarcreek Auction. This allows for owners and trainers to conveniently dispose of racehorses on a weekly basis. On several occasions, I had helped Becky rescue some of these horses, but it truly was a drop in the bucket. The last horse we rescued, Almighty Above, was such an upsetting experience for Becky that she quit her job as a groom and took a job in one of the restaurants at the
Mountaineer Casino.

I called Becky and asked her if it was still" business as usual" at the track. Becky assured me that things had only gotten worse. The track has a policy that any horse who does not finish first through fourth in their last five races, must be removed
from the stable area within five days of that last race. Since most of the trainers at Mountaineer do not have farms and do not make money from their training endeavors, sending horses to Sugarcreek is an acceptable option for disposal. There are actually designated pick up days, Mondays and Thursdays, at which time either Dick Rudibaugh or Wilson Langley will bring their trailers into the stable area to get the horses. For years, Dick Rudibaugh was the main "meat man", but after suffering a heart attack, Rudibaugh has slowed down a little and word on the backside is that Langley would like to take over.

HBO explained to me that it was imperative we could chronicle specific Thoroughbreds being loaded at Mountaineer Park, transported to Sugarcreek, run through the auction, purchased by known kill buyers, and then being loaded onto the trailers bound for either Canada or Mexico. The only way to identify that the Thoroughbreds were the same ones from the track to the auction was through their tattoo numbers.

Ryan explained to me that I would have to track the horses once they arrived at the auction. I assured him I could do this, but I would need Becky to help me. I called Becky and asked her if she was interested in the project. I told her I understood that there could be ramifications for her if she chose to participate because, unlike me, she lived there. Becky never hesitated for a moment. Although Becky acknowledged that if Mountaineer found out she had helped, she would likely lose her job, she understood that this was a chance to show the entire country the abuse and horror these horses endure. Becky was totally on board.

When I called Ryan back to tell him we were set to go, he dropped the bombshell. I was told that the legal department of HBO had indicated that there could not be any rescue of any of the horses filmed. It was explained to me that a rescue could be perceived as a staged event, and that those people who profited from horse slaughter, would only dismiss the documentary as such. I was devastated and emotionally distraught. How could I possibly participate in a documentary knowing that the horses I helped identify would go to slaughter?

I appealed to the HBO producers to rewrite their story. "Wouldn't it be so much better for people to know the horses were saved?" I asked. "Once we showed that the horses had been purchased by a kill buyer, wouldn't that prove our point?". I presented my case over and over, using every angle I could think of to change the
producers mind, but the HBO legal counsel would not/could not budge. Since the documentary was undercover, I was not at liberty to call my friends and ask their advice. I realized for the first time in my life that I was not special. I was not strong enough or smart enough to figure out a way to get my way. I was going to have to compromise my integrity to prove a point. For years I have been telling anyone who would listen that there is nothing legal I won't do to help stop horse slaughter. I never could have imagined that I would have to facilitate slaughter to help end it. I wear my shame every day.

It was decided that we would meet at Mountaineer Racetrack on Thursday, April 17. I left my home in Virginia at 2 AM Wednesday morning. I was better prepared for the auction having been there the week before. This time I brought my own halter and a tape recorder in case we couldn't write down the tattoo numbers. I also brought a thermometer because I wanted to take the temperature of any horses that looked sick. At the time, I actually thought if I could show that certain horses were too sick to travel, they would not be sent to slaughter. Driving for hours in the early morning darkness, I was alone with my thoughts. I was aware that this was no dress rehearsal.
Everything depended on all the players maintaining their usual routine. What if Rudibaugh was sick? What if HBO wasn't discreet? What if I could not get to see the sign out sheet for the horses as I had the week before? My mind was overwhelmed with details. As the morning sun began to appear, I determined to remain optimistic.

I arrived at Mountaineer Park around 8:30 A.M. I pulled into an employee parking lot that sits between the stable area and the racetrack. Dick Rudibaugh´s truck and stock trailer were parked alongside the fence, where he always parks before going into the backside to pick up horses. At least I knew I was on time. I called Ryan on my cell phone and he told me where to meet him. Ryan and the camera person, Sarah, were by the track watching horses gallop. Since I knew the pick up procedure from the week before, Sarah decided she would wait by the stable gate and follow Rudibaugh as he drove through the stable area, and Ryan and I would wander the barn area following Rudibaugh from a different direction. The stable area at Mountaineer has very poor visual access from barn to barn. The barns are very long and are situated parallel to each other alongside a slight hill. You can only see down alleyways between each barn, we had to keep track of each other via our phones.

Sarah called to tell us that Rudibaugh had pulled into the stable area and was heading towards his first barn. Sarah was able to film two men, and Rudibaugh, attempting to load a bay filly onto the trailer. The filly was absolutely refusing to get on the metal stock-trailer. They had put a lip chain on her and were very aggressive, shanking her repeatedly.

Sarah heard the men tell Rudibaugh he needed to move the trailer to another spot so that the step up was more level. Rudibaugh said he knew a spot closer to the stable gate and they should meet him there. Sarah and I followed Rudibaugh and once he had
parked the trailer, the two men walked the filly to the new loading spot. Once again, the filly would not load. Sarah was standing almost next to the one man, Nino Pizzuro. He started to tell Sarah that the filly did not want to race, and that she was going to a farm or a sale. Nino even told Sarah the mares name, NO DAY OFF.

Nino and his friend spent quite awhile trying to force the filly onto the trailer, continuing to shank her mercilessly for her refusal. I had to keep walking away to keep myself from interfering. It was impossible not to keep thinking that somehow
she knew getting on that trailer was the wrong thing to do. Finally, they backed the filly onto the trailer. Rudibaugh got back in his truck, drove to the stable gate, signed the horse out, and left. Sarah walked over to where I was sitting and sat down
beside me. I asked her if she had gotten everything and she said yes. I told her that was one of the most unprofessional and abusive examples of loading a horse I had ever witnessed. I couldn't keep from quietly crying, I told Sarah I felt very guilty, she agreed it was a very hard situation.

Sarah went to her car to check out the footage and Ryan called Gail to tell her the name of the horse so that Gail could identify her tattoo number. I went to see a trainer I knew who was stabled there. I was carrying my digital camera that I had
brought along for no particular reason. As I walked past the track security office, a guard came out the door and hollered at me ,"hey, no cameras allowed back here". I told him I only had it to take some pictures of my friends horses. The guard told me I
must take it to my car immediately or I would be asked to leave the stable area. I asked him what the problem was, and said surely owners come to the track to take pictures of their horses. He told me that Rosemary Williams, the Mountaineer general
manager, had prohibited cameras on the backside and I needed to get permission from her. I have been on the racetrack over thirty years and I have never heard of such a stupid rule. Another trainer who was passing by and overheard the guard, made the
sarcastic comment that the reason Williams didn't want people taking pictures was because she was afraid that someone would steal the architectural designs for the barns. Considering that Mountaineer Park is one of the most debilitated barn areas I have ever seen, his remark was quite funny.

Gail called back with No Day Off's tattoo number, H19563, and told us that the filly had just raced the previous Saturday and had been pulled up during the race. She was owned and trained by Ricardo Hernandez. We did not know at that time that Nino was not
Ricardo.

Ryan had to drive Sarah to the airport as she was returning to New York and so I told Ryan I would meet him early the next morning at Sugarcreek. I had the rest of the day to drive to Ohio to my motel and so I decided to drive by Rudibaugh´s farm to see if I could find No Day Off. About that time I met up with Becky who told me she had trouble getting off from work and did not think she could get to Sugarcreek before
2 P.M. the next day. I knew that would be a big problem, you definitely need two
people to identify the horses. One person to hold the horses head, and the other to read the tattoo. I called Gail and told her the problem. Gail was worried also and said she would call a few people she knew who had rescued horses from Sugarcreek to see if they could meet me on Friday to help. I told Becky not to worry, something would work out, although at the time I wasn't sure what.

I did drive past Rudibaugh´s house but there were no horses in sight. By the time I got there, he had already unhooked his trailer but I could only see his truck from the road. I was quite certain that No Day Off was not there. I actually had a knot in my stomach because I was worried that Rudibaugh was going to leave her on the stock trailer all night because she had been so difficult to load.

I then drove to Leroy Bakers farm because it is on the way to Sugarcreek. In fact, Bakers farm is about thirteen miles from Rudibaugh´s. There were several houses on either side of the road that must have been relatives of Bakers because each driveway had either a truck or a semi in it with the Sugarcreek Auction logo on the side. There was a barn, but it was too far off the road for me to see into, but I suspected that No Day Off and other horses could be in there. I couldn't shake the feeling that if she was in that barn, she was without hay or water. I was starting to realize that from the time she had left Mountaineer that morning, her journey to slaughter would be a constant downward spiral. Everything happening to her now would be totally foreign to her, her entire routine was disrupted, there would be no kindness, only varying degrees of brutality. My own thoughts were turning into despair.

I was almost to Sugarcreek when Gail called. She told me that my good friend, Diana McClure was going to fly into Akron from Virginia to help me on Friday. I expressed concern that Diana was leaving her training farm operation at the drop of a hat to come be with me. Gail said there was no way they were going to let me do this alone. I cannot begin to convey the wave of relief that overcame me. I did not want to endure this experience by myself, I was so very thankful that these two friends had sensed my vulnerability. I picked Diana up late Thursday night and we checked into a hotel and made our plans for the next morning.

We arrived at the auction around 9 AM Friday morning. Besides the Amish employees, we were one of the first ones there. I showed Diana how to navigate the auction and the pen areas, and she was quick to notice the very thin and sick horses that were already
there.

We found a pen of horses that we knew were Standardbreds and we decided to record their tattoo numbers. Diana was quick to catch on that the horses are in constant motion to protect themselves from getting kicked. During the day, as the pens fill up, the horses push and bump each other to find safety. Diana commented that she did not understand why there were so many horses in very good shape at the auction. It made no sense why people would think this auction would be a good venue to re market their horses.

As we walked down an aisleway, I noticed a large bottle of Banamine (painkiller)sitting on a ledge behind a post. There was a syringe stuck into the top of the bottle. Anyone could have used this medication for any purpose. We went to the unloading area and watched the horses coming in. Trailer after trailer pulled up. The usual kill dealers were there, Ramey(KY), Bauer(OH)& Fisher(PA).

The same veterinarian from the previous week, Melissa Reddick, was drawing blood for coggins testing. As usual, horses with halters were held for this procedure. Horses without halters were run down chutes, individually singled out by being beaten with
sticks, pinned between a wooden gate and the wall, slapped and kicked if they moved a muscle, while Reddick climbed up the side of the gate and reached over to stick the needle into the vein and draw blood. This method is repeated over and over throughout
the day. There is never any attempt by Dr. Reddick to record tattoo numbers, even on those horses that come directly from the racetracks.

Diana and I became very busy trying to follow the groups of horses as they were herded into different pens. The larger pens were filling up very quickly and in one such pen Diana spotted a severely injured horse that looked like a thoroughbred. We
climbed into the pen and it was apparent that the horse had a broken hock. He was unable to bear any weight on the leg, and Diana attempted to move him to a corner of the pen where he would be less likely to be kicked by others, but he was unable to move because the horses were packed so tightly together.

We pulled his tattoo number, he was a Standardbred, R9428. I told Diana to go tell Dr. Reddick that the horse was in trouble. I told Diana to be sure and tell Reddick that she (Diana) is a Thoroughbred trainer who can identify a horse with a broken leg
when she sees one. Diana went to Reddick who was back at the unloading area and reported the horse. Dr. Reddick told Diana it was not her (Reddick´s) problem. She told Diana that since the horse was still owned privately, only the owner of the horse
could authorize her to treat the horse. Since the horse was in a pen with horses that had been dropped off, it was highly unlikely the owner was presently at the auction. Diana went to the office with the horses hip number#81, and asked them to tell her the
name of the owner. The lady in the office said she was too busy and would look later if she had time.

Diana returned to Dr. Reddick and again implored her to please come look at the horse. Dr. Reddick said if Diana was that concerned, she should ask one of the Amish to move the horse to a private pen. Diana approached not one, but several of the Amish
to ask them to help her. Aside from looking at her as if she had three heads, they did nothing. Diana was starting to realize the hell hole she was in.

Diana came back to me and we discussed our limited options. The injured horse was at the back of the crowded pen, farthest from the gate. He could not walk, so Diana climbed back into the pen and herded the more aggressive horses away from him. For a few minutes I was horrified that Diana was going to get kicked. Horses were pushing and shoving, biting each other, kicking, squealing, all in an attempt to get away from the aggressive horses. I grabbed Diana by her shirt collar and helped pull her
back up out of the pen.

About this time Ryan called us on his cell and told us a trailer with Thoroughbreds had just pulled in. We watched as they were run off the trailer with sticks and into an alleyway with gates at each end. Diana and I sprang into action to get tattoos.

Using the halter I had brought with me we developed a system whereby I would hold the horses and hold back their lips, Diana would read the number, then she would hold the horse while I wrote down the number, and then she would reread the number back to me for clarification. The difficulty lie in the fact that there was so much commotion all around us. Not to mention, the Amish knew we were up to something, so they continued to keep the horses moving from one end of the aisleway to the other.

Most of these horses, under ordinary circumstances, would stand very quietly while we handled them. The problem is that from the time the Thoroughbreds leave the track, everyone who handles them uses such abusive force during the auction process, they
instinctively revert to their flight instincts. This can be said for any horse at this auction. In a very short time, people have become predators to these horses. The constant yelling, hitting and kicking these horses endure makes it very difficult for
anyone to handle them once they are at Sugarcreek.

We began to notice that all the Thoroughbreds were kept in pens closest to the auction ring. This should have made things easier except that the Amish kept moving them from pen to pen. At one point, five or six thoroughbreds came running at us, slipping and sliding on the concrete floor, with their halters on. The halters actually had the horses names on them, Point of Attack and Timbers Prospect. How in the world does a trainer take the time to have a horses name embroidered on a halter, only to send that horse to slaughter?

Diana and I frantically tried to quiet them down and read their tattoos. As I would hold one of them, the Amish would try and take the halter off before we could read the tattoo. I would ask them to wait, but they acted as if they couldn't hear me. We
continued to record tattoos in spite of the Amish. I was constantly asking God to help us, especially with the horses that were reluctant to let us hold their heads and flip their lips.

Sometimes Diana could not make out a letter or a number, and we would have to try again and again. One horse in particular, had an unreadable tattoo. Every time we had a chance, we kept going back to that horse to try again. We never did get it right, he
was our only failure.

Around noon, five thoroughbreds were trailered in with Jim Snodgrass from Thistledown Racetrack. He actually told us personal traits about some of the horses, and indicated he hoped we would purchase them privately. At first we thought Snodgrass
might have an ounce of redeemable character, but when he proceeded to pull the halters off the horses, while we were trying to get their tattoos, we realized he was as bad as a kill buyer, because he acknowledged how awful this place was and still
continued to bring horses here week after week.

Just before the start of the horse sale at 1 PM, we still had not found No Day Off. I was having an anxiety attack from hell. I kept thinking that somehow Baker had found out about us being at the racetrack the day before, and had called his son and told him not to bring any horses from Mountaineer Park to the auction. Diana and I had recorded the tattoos of over 34 Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds.

I called Gail and told her my fear. Gail suggested that we must have missed her, or that Bakers son was running late. All I knew was that the clock was ticking and without No Day Off, there would be no HBO documentary.

Diana told me that she was going to go into the auction and record the sale prices on the hip numbers we had tattoos on. I told her to go ahead, I was going to sit at the unloading area and wait for No Day Off. I was at my wits end, where the hell was she? I begged God to help me. I started to leaf through the list of tattoo numbers we had gotten, page after page. I kept staring at the number Gail had given us for No Day Off, H19563 . I flipped a page and saw the number M19563. "Wait a minute" I thought to myself, "what are the chances that two thoroughbreds would have the same numbers with a different letter?" I then realized that No Day Off was already at Sugarcreek and we knew her hip number, 481!

I leapt to my feet and raced to the pens. I called Diana on my cell and told her that No Day Off was hip #481 and we had to find her. Diana answered me back that she had just watched #481 go through the ring and sell to kill buyer, Fred Bauer. I called
Ryan and told him we knew that No Day Off was here. Diana met me and we asked an employee where the Bauer pen was. We went to a pen with about twenty horses in it. Most of them were Thoroughbreds we had already identified, and then we saw her, #481.

We walked in and quietly walked up to her. I held out a handful of hay and she walked over. Diana slipped the grooming halter over her head and we read her tattoo. H19563. Diana immediately said she remembered reading this tattoo earlier because the filly's gums were cut from the lip chain the day before. That was why Diana had first read the H as a M. I told Diana to look at it again, and then we led her over to the camera woman so that she could video the tattoo. We had our documentary.

And then , in an instant, reality sunk in. No Day Off was just standing there. Diana and I were petting her and crying our eyes out. We could not save her. She stood there waiting for us to take her out of that horrible place, and the best we could do was to lead her over to the hay manger so that she could eat hay before she was loaded up for the trip to the slaughterhouse in Canada.

Diana and I went back up on the catwalk and watched the sales horses being run into the different kill buyer pens. It was at this time Diana noticed Hip #81, the horse with the broken hock, standing in a pen of horses that Baker had bought. Diana couldn't believe they had run the horse through the auction in that condition. Diana saw Dr. Reddick standing on the catwalk. She went over to Reddick and asked her to please come look at #81. Dr. Reddick tried to ignore Diana but Diana insisted that
Reddick come look at the horse.

From a distance of over twenty feet, Dr. Reddick told Diana that as far as she was concerned, the horse was weight-bearing and therefore, Reddick saw no reason the horse could not be transported. Diana told Dr. Reddick that she was absolutely wrong, and that the horse was non weight-bearing. Dr. Reddick ended the conversation by telling Diana that Diana was entitled to her opinion.

About this time Becky arrived and I told her what had been happening. Becky told me she was going to try and buy one of the ponies or horses that was in such poor shape they would never survive the trip to slaughter. We walked to the back pen where the worst horses were kept and we saw a chestnut mare lying on the ground. We went into the pen and we saw that she was dying. Her head was resting on the bottom rung of the gate, and her legs were stretched out in front of her. She was barely breathing. She was lying on a manure covered floor, surrounded by horses destined for slaughter.
Once again we approached Dr. Reddick and asked her to intervene. Once again she advised us it was not her job.

I went back to the pen where No Day Off was. Diana and I watched as each horse was let out of the pen and briefly haltered while a farrier removed the shoes from the Thoroughbreds. This is a federal regulation requirement for all horses being transported to slaughter. It is difficult to explain how distressing this is to watch.

At this point I had to leave the auction. Diana had far more courage than me. She stayed with the camera crew to video the horses being loaded onto the trailers. Diana watched as No Day Off slipped and crashed to the ground before being loaded onto a
trailer bound for the Canadian slaughterhouse. The cameras continued rolling as the trailers pulled out of the Sugarcreek parking lot.

Later, I ventured back into the auction to find out if Becky had purchased any horses. I found her in a state of complete distress. While waiting for Leroy Baker to give her a price on one of the debilitated horses, she had witnessed him attempting
to lift the dying chestnut horse with a front end loader. The horse was unable to stand, and Baker finally gave up. Unfortunately, this despicable atrocity is not on video.

Five years ago I read the story of how a Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand, was slaughtered for human consumption. No Day Off was not a Derby winner. No Day Off was one of the thousands of racehorses that nobody ever remembers.

I will remember No Day Off forever. I see her face every day. I see her eyes every day looking deep into my soul asking me to take her home. I wake up every day remembering the sacrifice she made for all Thoroughbreds and horses so that Americans would unite together and force our legislators to get off their procrastinating soap boxes and pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Many of you may despise me for not rescuing No Day Off. But if you do not contact your Congressmen and Senators on her behalf, you share in my complicity. No Day Off was sacrificed in an attempt to show Americans that every aspect of the horse slaughter industry is cruel, abusive, and minimal regulations are not enforced.

The incomprehensible slaughter of Thoroughbred champion, Ferdinand, sparked the effort to ban horse slaughter in the United States. I pray that the equally incomprehensible and unnecessary slaughter of No Day Off, will be the catalyst to
finally end the unconscionable slaughter of American horses.

Postscript: Remembering Those We Lost
by: Gail Vacca
I'm sure that I can safely speak for all of us who love horses and who want to see an end to the atrocity that is horse slaughter, in offering our profound gratitude to HBO for dragging America's dirty little secret out from behind the dark shadows
and exposing the underbelly of the horse industry and its heinous alliance with those who profit in the trade of horses for their flesh.

I hope and pray that everyone who sees this documentary will join forces and take action by demanding that Congress immediately enact the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R.503 and S.311).

I hope and pray that everyone who sees this documentary will contact their local racetracks and the "powers that be" within the Thoroughbred racing industry, and demand that every North American racetrack immediately put into place a program to
protect injured and retiring racehorses from ending up at low-end auctions and being exported to slaughter. The racing industry can and must do better by its horses. The suffering and slaughter of these incredible equine athletes must end at once.

I hope and pray that everyone who sees this documentary will remember that each and every week while passage of the AHSPA is delayed, thousands of U.S. horses will continue to be auctioned off by the "pound" and will continue to be cruelly transported to slaughter in Canada and Mexico. Time is of the essence. Let's end this horrendous cruelty, once and for all.

The horses who were lost on April 18, 2008 in order that truth of
this hideous cruelty could be brought to light.

No Day Off: 2004 Dark bay or brown filly. Tattoo # H19563. 10 starts 0-0-3. Earned $3,993.00. Last raced, 4-12-08 at Mountaineer Park for owner/trainer Ricardo Hernandez. No Day Off was sent to slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction on 4-18-08, only 6 days after having not been able to finish in her last race. The comment on her race record reads "gave way, eased upper stretch. "No Day Off's only crime was that she was too injured to race competitively. No Day Off was bred by Jerome C. Burdick and was foaled in Pennsylvania. No Day Off was slaughtered in a Canadian
horse slaughter plant in April of 2008 at only 4 years of age.

Balachour Prince: 2001 Bay gelding. Tattoo # E14092. 26 starts, 3-7-3. Earned$43,485.00. Last raced 4-12-08 at Mountaineer Park for trainer, Bart Baird and owner, The Estate of Dale Baird. Balachour Prince was sent to slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction on 4-18-08, only 6 days after his last race in which he finished 10th, beaten 15 1/2 lengths. The comment on his race record reads "lost ground, tired. "Balachour Prince was bred by G.J. Collins Bloodstock and Holly Collins and was foaled in Ontario, Canada. Balachour Prince was slaughtered in April of 2008 at 7 years of age.

Crow Autumn: 2002 Dark bay or brown mare. Tattoo #F20759. 37 starts, 0-2-4. Earned $26,370.00. Last raced 4-12-08 at Mountaineer Park for trainer Bart Baird and owner, The Estate of Dale Baird. Crow Autumn was sent to slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction only 6 days after her last race in which she finished 7th
beaten 17 1/2 lengths. The comment on her chart reads, "in tight start, tired." Crow Autumn was bred by JB Enterprises Inc., and was foaled in California. Crow Autumn was slaughtered in April of 2008 at 6 years of age.

Arranged Marriage: 2004 bay filly. Tattoo # H27783. 6 starts, 0-1-2. Earned $18,897.00Last raced 4-7-08 at Mountaineer Park for trainer Bart Baird, owner The Estate of Dale Baird. Arranged Marriage was sent to slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction on
4-18-08, only 11 days after her last race which she did not finish. The comment on her chart reads "bad step, vanned-off." Arranged Marriage was bred by Bass/Seeligson Partnership and was foaled in California. Arranged Marriage sold for $10,500 at the Barrett's Equine Limited 2007 Fall Mixed Sale. Arranged Marriage, clearly suffering from the injuries sustained in her last race, was slaughtered in April of 2008, at merely 4 years of age.

Point of Attack: 2004 Dark bay or brown filly. Tattoo # H05614. 22 starts, 2-1-5. Earned $25,654.00. Last raced on 3-25-08 at Mountaineer Park for trainer Penny L. Mathias, and owner, The Estate of Dale Baird. Point of Attack was sold for slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction on 4-18-08, only 25 days after her last race in which she finished 6th beaten 11-1/2 lengths. The comment on her chart reads, "Rated pace, wore down". Point of Attack was bred by Point Break Partners and was foaled in California. This daughter of Bertrando sold for $32,000 at the Barrett's Equine Limited 2006 Mixed Sale. Point of Attack was slaughtered in April of 2008 at only 4 years of age.

Explosive Light: 1991 Bay gelding. Tattoo # U00446. 16 starts 1-1-0. Earned $9,375.00 Explosive Light was a steeplechaser who last raced in 1997. At the time he was last raced, he was trained by F. B. Miller and owned by John H. Peace. Explosive Light was
bred by Fares Farm and was foaled in Kentucky. The well bred son of Majestic Light
(73) Explosive Tobin (86), by Explodent(69)sold at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 1992 for $220,000. Explosive Light was sold to slaughter via the
Sugarcreek Auction on 4-18-08 and was later that month slaughtered at 17 years of age, following many years of service to his human connections.

Emerald Crossing: 2002 Bay mare. Tattoo #F24713. 7 starts, 0-2-0. Earned $3,339.00. Emerald Crossing last raced on 3-8-06 at Penn National where she finished 2nd, beaten only 1-3/4 lengths. The comment on her chart reads, "3-wide, evenly stretch." At the
time of her last race, Emerald Crossing was trained by George R. Albright and owned by Landslide Farm. Emerald Crossing was sold to slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction on 4-18-08. Emerald Crossing was bred by Redmond C. S. Finney and was foaled in Maryland. Emerald Crossing was slaughtered in April of 2008, at 6 years of age.

Bohica: 2002 Bay mare. Tattoo # F34049. 34 starts, 3-7-3. Earned $33,290.00. Bohica last raced 7-9-07 at Mountaineer Park for owner/trainer Ashley J. Lewis, where she finished 9th, beaten 32-1/2 lengths. Bohica was sold to slaughter via the Sugarcreek
Auction on 4-18-08. Bohica was bred by F. W. Allen and was foaled in Florida. Bohica was slaughtered in April of 2008, at 6 years of age.

Another Passion: 2004 Bay filly. Tattoo #H14386. Starts 2, 1-0-0. Earned $6,925.00. Another passion last raced on 6-17-06 for trainer Art Sherman and owner Frederick J. Liebau, Sr. Another Passion won her last race by 3 lengths. Another Passion was sold
to slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction on 4-18-08. Another passion was bred by Janet Sexton and was foaled in California. In January of 2008 Another Passion sold for $900.00 at the Barrett's Equine Limited January 2008 Mixed Sale. Another Passion was
slaughtered in April of 2008 at only 4 years of age.

November News: 2003 Dark bay or brown gelding. Tattoo # G28014. November News never raced. He was bred by Kathryn C. Schultz and was foaled in Florida. November News was sold to slaughter via the Sugarcreek Auction on 4-18-08. November News sold for $3,000
at the Ocala Breeder's Sales Company 2004 Winter Mixed Sale. November News was slaughtered in April of 2008 at only 5 years of age.

***Please note that Balachour Prince, Crow Autumn, Arranged Marriage, and Point of Attack were all owned by the Estate of Dale Baird. All but, Point of Attack (who was trained by Penny Mathias) were trained by the late Dale Baird's son, Bart Baird. Dale Baird has been heralded as the most winning trainer in US history, winning over 9,000 races before his death in 2007. Baird has been twice nominated for consideration by Racing's Hall of Fame. Thankfully, he was denied entry both times. What a lot of people didn´t know about Dale Baird was that while he was no doubt America's winning-most trainer, he was also a man who thought nothing of sending hundreds if not thousands of horses to slaughter, once they were no longer of any use to him. He may
very well have been the trainer who in his lifetime sent more horses to slaughter than any of his counterparts. The sale of Balachour Prince, Crow Autumn, Arranged Marriage, and Point of Attack to slaughter on April 18, 2008 proves that despite Dale Baird's death, his legacy of cruelty and total disregard for the welfare of horses, continues on with his son, Bart Baird. The Baird family reign of equine cruelty must end. Dale Baird must never again be considered for entry into racing's Hall of Fame. To do so would be an insult to all true horsemen. "Trainers" such as Dale and Bart Baird have no place among the many fine horsemen within the racing industry, and they along with others like them, should be banned from racing. ***

In memory of all the horses who have suffered the inhumanity of man, and in honor of all who fight so hard to protect them, I offer you this poem written by Lucille Matte and offered with our heart felt gratitude to all of you, who fight so hard to protect
horses.

A Letter from God about "No Day Off"

I want you all to know, I saw them hit her too.
I was standing right there by her, with every one of you.
Believe me when I tell you, it broke my heart in two and
It was then that I knew, exactly what to do.

That´s why I´m writing this letter, to try and
comfort you.

To let everyone know her treatment was not what I would choose.
I stood there next to her, as she tried to run away.
I told her that I loved her and she was coming with me that day.
So long before the sun went down, I took No Day Off home.
She is here with me in heaven and has miles of fields to roam.
Like all the other horses, that are here in heaven with me,
No Day Off is in paradise, she´s young and wild and free.
I want you all to know, I see you all each day.
I cry with you in anger and my heart breaks in the same way.
I love you all for trying, to save them one and all.
I want you to know I am here, to catch you if you fall.
I want you each to give to me, all the pain that this has caused.
And trust me when I tell you, I will save them all without
pause.

I need you all to hold your heads up high and strong, and protect
those who need us, till you are all safe with me at home.

I love you!

God

Lucille Matte
April 25, 2008

Here are videos of "NO DAY OFF" going to slaughter, a HBO Documentary that everyone must see.

HBO Documentary Part 1

HBO Documentary Part 2

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Tell the US Congress to pass H.R. 503 (Horse Slaughter Transportation bill)

2009-01-16T09:39:00.002-05:00

H.R. 503 is the bill that's currently sitting on the floor of the US House of Representatives. Its predecessor, H.R. 6598, was not passed by the last Congress.

H.R. 503 will finally make it ilegal to transport all equines (horses, burros, donkeys) across US borders for the purpose of slaughter.

Every day that this bill is not signed, each day it is not law--horses are dying a painful, cruel, vicious, violent death. Greed is the root of this cruelty-soul wrenching pain is the end result.

The ONLY ones who benefit from the slaughter of horses are the killer-buyers; New Holland and Texas auction houses--and the Ag lobbyists, who make obscene amounts of money working to convince Congress people that ending horse slaughter will eventually topple American agriculture.

That's a crock-a lie-a slippery slope of lies. Every check written to an Ag lobbyist is written in the blood of a dead horse.

Please contact your Congressperson, and tell them that you want them to sign this bill, and make it law.

Go to the 'site for Congress, and find your Rep. It will take you TWO minutes to call and tell them that you want H.R. 503 passed.

http://www.house.gov

If you're outside the United States, we need your support, too! Please contact the United States Congress--most notably the office of Rep. John Conyers (Democrat/Michigan)--he's the good man who originated this bill. Please contact his office, via email or phone, to thank him; tell him that you're not an American--but that you're watching what the US is doing. America must be aware that the world is watching--Mr. Conyers cares about the horses, and he should know that you do, too.

(Rep. John Conyers):
Phone: (313) 961-5670
Website: http://capwiz.com/compassionindex/webreturn/?url=http://www.house.gov/conyers)

Gandhi is quoted as saying,
"A society is judged by its treatment of its weakest members," and "A society is judged by its treatment of its animals."

Whichever is the correct quote--the great man was right.

And, that being the case--America, and those horse people who are willing to murder their horses for a few bucks--will be judged very harshly, indeed.

I WILL BE CALLING MY CONGRESSMAN TODAY AND URGE HIM TO GET HIS/HER NAME ON THE H.R.503BILL AND CO-SPONSOR IT!! WE CAN'T WAIT TO ACT, OUR HORSES NEED US, THEY NEED OUR VOICES!! GO THE THE LINK ABOVE TO FIND OUT WHO YOUR CONGRESSMAN IS AND THEIR PHONE NUMBER, AND PLEASE MAKE THE CALL, IT ONLY TAKES 2 MINUTES OUT OF YOUR DAY. BUT IT WILL MEAN THE WORLD TO A HORSE GOING TO SLAUGHTER. REMEMBER THIS QUOTE FROM GOD THAT'S IN THE BIBLE:

.......and the Lord said,"I have created the horse to be my most beautiful and prized creation. How sad I am that man has made him his slave. I will warn my beloved animal: It hurts me to know that you cannot run free and happy in the meadows. You will be owned by man. Heed this warning: You must look man in the eye, and if you see your own reflection, he will be a kind master. But if you see in his eye money and greed, he will be a cruel master, and he will kill you. One day, you will stand before me to testify toward your master's stewardship while you were in his care, and vengeance for you will be mine."

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

PLEASE HELP THE FUTURE OF THESE HORSES THAT ARE IN DANGER!!

2009-01-10T10:01:00.006-05:00

In the post below this one that you are reading, I warned you about a Horse Farm who is doing unjustice to their horses. The company name is CRANBERRY RUN FARM, and their website is WWW.CRANBERRYRUNFARM.COM. I contacted this lady (Tracey) who is the owner of this farm and told her how it is a disgrace with what she is doing to her horses that she retrieves and sells. This post will show you the ignorance and cruelity this person truly has for horses. Her website makes her business sound like she cares for all her horses, but in reality they are just a commodity to her. This is what she emailed me when I confronted her on the post she typed on someone else's blog. I'm here to give you the facts and nothing but. Notice how she tries to pin the blame on someone else, but never denies saying what she said in her post. Here it is:

THIS IS WHAT I EMAILED TO HER:

I read this post response that you made to a lady's anti-slaughter post
on yahoo, and I was appalled that there are people like you out there.
And the most scary thing is, you make your website look like you care
about your horses, when in reality you can care less. There are many
horse lovers and rescuers out there that will be trying to put you out
of business after I sent this post to them. This is what you said in your
post:

I AM WELL AWARE OF HOW THE SLAUGHTER MARKET WORKS. I AM ALSO AWARE THAT HORSES ARE LIVESTOCK AND NOT "DOMESTIC PETS ". AS WITH MY CATTLE, CHICKENS, ETC. THEY ARE PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF, UNTIL IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO BECOME MY DINNER. I DO BELIEVE THE KILL BUYERS ARE NEEDED AND PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT SERVICE. THERE IS NO NEED TO WASTE OUR VALUABLE GREENLAND ON A NASTY PIECE OF TRASH. I DO TAKE MY TRASH AND NO LONGER USEFUL FOR THE PURPOSE INTENDED TO SALES. INFACT, I SENT A PONY TO AUCTION LAST NIGHT. HE BROUGHT LESS THAN $100 IN THE RING, SO I ASSUME HE IS GOING TO A MINK FARMER. HE WAS KICKED HIS LAST PERSON, WHEN HE KICKED ME. I GET DOZENS OF RACE HORSES EVERY YEAR. I PROVIDE A SERVICE TO THE TRAINERS AT MANY DIFFERENT TRACKS. THE HORSES ARE TURNED OVER TO ME AND I HAVE TO DECIDE IF IT IS WORTHY OF A SECOND CHANCE. MANY OF MY EX RACERS DO GET SECOND CAREERS, BUT THE TRASH GETS SENT TO THE SALES. SOMETIMES EVEN THE GOOD ONES END UP AT SALES. I GIVE THEM A 30 DAY GET OUT OF JAIL CARD. IF I CANT GET THEM SOLD, AND MOST ARE SOLD VERY CHEAP, THEN THEY GO TO AUCTION TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEXT GROUP. I DO NEED TO COVER MY EXPENSES, WHICH MEANS I NEED TO TURN THEM OVER QUICKLY. MY HORSE CUSTOMERS ARE TREATED THE SAME AS MY CATTLE CUSTOMERS. I DONT HARASS THEM AND I DONT TELL THEM WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR PURCHASE. IF SOMEONE WANTS TO KEEP A BLACK ANGUS AS A PET, WELL THATS ON THEM, BUT IT IS NOT FOR ME TO SAY ONCE THEY HAVE PAID FOR IT. HERE IS SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR YOU. OUR DOGS AND CATS WERE NOT BEING POISONED, WHEN WE WERE FEEDING THEM HORSE MEAT. SINCE THE HORSE MEAT HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A BUNCH OF IMPORTED FILLERS " IE RICE PROTEIN ". WE ARE NOW KILLING OUR OWN PETS. OUR ECONOMY IS IN THE TOILET, THE UNEMPLOYMENT IS OUT OF CONTROL, AND WE HAVE PEOPLE GOING TO BED HUNGRY. WE ARE SENDING OUR LIVESTOCK " HORSES" OUT OF THE COUNTRY, SO WE CAN BUY BACK THE FINISHED PRODUCT (IE LEATHER ). WHAT THE HELL, HAVE WE ALL LOST OUR MINDS.
SINCERELY,
TRACEY WICHROWSKI
CRANBERRY RUN FARM

I hope you have enough fear of the Lord to start changing your ways and the way you see horses, because here is what it says in the Bible:

The Lord's Wrath For His Horses
As it says in the Bible:

.......and the Lord said,"I have created the horse to be my most beautiful and prized creation. How sad I am that man has made him his slave. I will warn my beloved animal: It hurts me to know that you cannot run free and happy in the meadows. You will be owned by man. Heed this warning: You must look man in the eye, and if you see your own reflection, he will be a kind master. But if you see in his eye money and greed, he will be a cruel master, and he will kill you. One day, you will stand before me to testify toward your master's stewardship while you were in his care, and vengeance for you will be mine."

Horses were not meant for meat in God's eyes. They were not meant for human consumption like cows, pigs, chickens and etc. Your ignorance will eventually catch up with you when it's your time to leave this world, and may God have mercy on your soul, because you're going to need it. Money is the root of all evil, and you look at your horses as a commodity, not as God's beloved creatures. I'm just getting the word out there about your business, what's nice about this Country is the Freedom of Speech and the press.........You are a pathetic excuse of a human-being. Your post that you stated above will be all over the internet very quickly, and it's nobody's fault but your own for posting such an ignorant post. It's amazing how the first 4 letters of your last name spells out WICH, I guess you live up to that.

THIS IS WHAT SHE EMAILED BACK TO ME: Notice how she points fingers and never denies saying what she said in her post.

Just for your information, this response was not to a yahoo post. This was a response to a dreamhorse spammer, that sent this to me, after I sold an ottb. The ad was marked sold and had been marked for over a month. Her email is now blocked by dreamhorse. She has no business pushing her views on anybody. This post will do nothing to hurt my business. My customer buy horses from me, because I sell top quality stock. Selling dangerous or misrepresented livestock will destroy a business.

CRF

THIS IS WHAT I EMAILED BACK TO HER:

What you typed in your post only shows how little you care for the well-being of your horses. Eventually, you will be out of business. I know a lot of famous and popular people who are outraged at your post. They know many Race Track owners and deal with them daily. You will get what is coming to you, and that is the loss of your business. What goes around comes around, and you mistreating God's precious creatures is just his way of showing you his vengeance, YOUR BUSINESS GOING BELLY UP! I will continue to fight horse slaughter so people like you can't just sell them off to a killer buyer for some small change because you don't want to spend the time to sell them to a good home. Like you said, you have to turn them over quickly, even if you have to sell them to a killer buyer. You disgust me and many others by what you posted. Your words mean nothing to me, because I know what kind of person you really are. People like you will always point the finger at the other person, when you are the only one to blame for your actions. You don't even post any pictures of these so called cheaper for sale horses. But you say in your post that you get tons of horses from race track owners, trainers and etc. Well then why don't you post them on your web as for sale? Instead you give them to killer buyers because you only give a horse 30 days to get sold, you are cruel and should be shutdown, and you will be. I will keep sending out your post to 100's of people and horse lovers. Believe me, word of mouth has shutdown many business in the past. And all us horse lovers are determined to shut you down. That's all I have to say to you, I don't waist to much breath on a person like you. Just as I thought, your mentality can't comprehend treating horses with dignity and respect that they deserve. I bet you never took the time to look a horse in his or her eyes with love and respect, you're to shallow of a person to do something like that. But like I said, God has his time coming with you, and I do have to admit, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when you get to the other side. I'm sure it will be very dark and hot down there!!

THIS IS WHAT SHE EMAILED BACK TO ME:

Please send some of those famous people my way. My Monday morning started with a phone call to take 22 race horses to the auction "NOW"! I hauled 10 and had to get a local dealer to take the rest. I am the go to person, as most of the problem lies with the " goody two shoes " that just want the problem out of their barn, but dont have the balls to step up to the plate. Its about to be the opening of breeding season, I already have a full book, plus foals are already on the ground. The last thing I have time for is hauling horses to auction.
The 200 per head I make isnt worth the time, but like I said I provide a much needed service.

AND FINALLY, THIS IS WHAT I TYPED BACK TO HER:

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS YOU'RE A DISGUSTING PERSON. YOU CAN CARE LESS ABOUT HORSES AND WHAT THEY GO THROUGH WHEN THEY GO TO SLAUGHTER. NOW, I WILL KICK MY DETERMINATION INTO FULL GEAR IN GETTING YOU SHUT DOWN. THANK YOU FOR THESE EMAILS THAT I CAN POST AND LET OTHERS KNOW HOW YOU REALLY ARE. YOU NEED SOME BRAINS LADY!! GOOD-BYE, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE NEWS WHEN I READ THAT "CRANBERRY RUN FARM" IS OUT OF BUSINESS!!! PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO A VERY DARK PLACE WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS EARTH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. I'M GLAD I WON'T SEE YOU IN HEAVEN WHEN THE TIME COMES THAT I GET THERE!!

To the people reading this blog, please tell me what you think and if there is anything that can be done to shut this woman's business down? Please help!!

BEWARE OF THIS HORSE BUYER AND SELLER! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!

2009-01-09T13:05:00.004-05:00

I had to post this on my blog in hopes of other horse lovers out there to copy and paste this on their sites. I want this woman to be put out of business. She's a disgrace to the horses and to us humans. Please read the following:

I received this post, and it was so disturbing that I had to ask you if there was any way we can get this lady's name and Company name out there to all the race tracks, so they don't do business with her. you have more connections than I do by far. Can you help me get the word out? Here is the post I received from a friend and fellow horse owner.

This post below is the response to an anti-slaugher e-flyer sent out by a member of the AC4H rescue group blog I belong to on yahoo. It was sent by a pro-slaughter HORSE BREEDER!! Ironically, this woman helps support her paint breeding operation by being a go between for horses rejected by race trainers/owners, etc. and others; to kill buyers. This woman refers to horses that she can't turn over in 30 days from this activity as "trash". She has a nice website for selling and promoting her paint stallion and his get; that I looked up and found NO images of the horses she buys cheap and turns over quickly to kill buyers if necessary; on her site. So they are not even worthy of that effort that would cost her nothing to do. She is the kind of horsewoman that helps make this terrible irony of slaughter and horse abuse continue. Take note of her farm name, and remember it when you consider buying a paint. Please pass this on if you can. Copy and paste.

Here is her response:

I AM WELL AWARE OF HOW THE SLAUGHTER MARKET WORKS. I AM ALSO AWARE THAT HORSES ARE LIVESTOCK AND NOT "DOMESTIC PETS ". AS WITH MY CATTLE, CHICKENS, ETC. THEY ARE PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF, UNTIL IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO BECOME MY DINNER. I DO BELIEVE THE KILL BUYERS ARE NEEDED AND PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT SERVICE. THERE IS NO NEED TO WASTE OUR VALUABLE GREENLAND ON A NASTY PIECE OF TRASH. I DO TAKE MY TRASH AND NO LONGER USEFUL FOR THE PURPOSE INTENDED TO SALES. INFACT, I SENT A PONY TO AUCTION LAST NIGHT. HE BROUGHT LESS THAN $100 IN THE RING, SO I ASSUME HE IS GOING TO A MINK FARMER. HE WAS KICKED HIS LAST PERSON, WHEN HE KICKED ME. I GET DOZENS OF RACE HORSES EVERY YEAR. I PROVIDE A SERVICE TO THE TRAINERS AT MANY DIFFERENT TRACKS. THE HORSES ARE TURNED OVER TO ME AND I HAVE TO DECIDE IF IT IS WORTHY OF A SECOND CHANCE. MANY OF MY EX RACERS DO GET SECOND CAREERS, BUT THE TRASH GETS SENT TO THE SALES. SOMETIMES EVEN THE GOOD ONES END UP AT SALES. I GIVE THEM A 30 DAY GET OUT OF JAIL CARD. IF I CANT GET THEM SOLD, AND MOST ARE SOLD VERY CHEAP, THEN THEY GO TO AUCTION TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEXT GROUP. I DO NEED TO COVER MY EXPENSES, WHICH MEANS I NEED TO TURN THEM OVER QUICKLY. MY HORSE CUSTOMERS ARE TREATED THE SAME AS MY CATTLE CUSTOMERS. I DONT HARASS THEM AND I DONT TELL THEM WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR PURCHASE. IF SOMEONE WANTS TO KEEP A BLACK ANGUS AS A PET, WELL THATS ON THEM, BUT IT IS NOT FOR ME TO SAY ONCE THEY HAVE PAID FOR IT. HERE IS SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR YOU. OUR DOGS AND CATS WERE NOT BEING POISONED, WHEN WE WERE FEEDING THEM HORSE MEAT. SINCE THE HORSE MEAT HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A BUNCH OF IMPORTED FILLERS " IE RICE PROTEIN ". WE ARE NOW KILLING OUR OWN PETS. OUR ECONOMY IS IN THE TOILET, THE UNEMPLOYMENT IS OUT OF CONTROL, AND WE HAVE PEOPLE GOING TO BED HUNGRY. WE ARE SENDING OUR LIVESTOCK " HORSES" OUT OF THE COUNTRY, SO WE CAN BUY BACK THE FINISHED PRODUCT (IE LEATHER ). WHAT THE HELL, HAVE WE ALL LOST OUR MINDS.
SINCERELY,
TRACEY WICHROWSKI
CRANBERRY RUN FARM

THIS LADY HAS TO BE STOPPED AND PUT OUT OF BUSINESS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE??? Maybe if the race track owners knew about her, they wouldn't deal with her and give her any business.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION (AQHA) NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS!!!

2008-12-24T09:23:00.002-05:00

No breed is more proudly represented in the slaughter trucks rolling toward the abattoirs of Canada and Mexico than the Quarter Horse.
~ by: John Holland from the Roanoke Times, October 13, 2008

The AQHA is constantly whining about all the unwanted and abandoned horses. At the recent AQHA convention, Bill Brewer, the AQHA Executive VP made the following statement “…our challenge becomes looking at ways to introduce an “equine economic stimulus package” that will boost registration numbers so we don’t have a horse shortage in a few years.” Which is it, Mr. Brewer; too many horses or a shortage?

This is priceless. They produce over 130,000 foals each year. According to the USDA, the majority of horses going to slaughter are Quarter Horses. They warn Congress of the 100,000 unwanted horses and now they want an incentive to breed more. BTW-in case you didn't know, they are pro slaughter…

According to USDA statistics, the Quarter Horse represents the highest breed count going to slaughter. In 2006, the AQHA brought 144,000 foals into the population. In 2007, over 135,000 foals were brought into the population. Every year, there are tens of thousands more QH foals born than the number of horses slaughtered. Every year, there are well over 100,000 more QHs brought into the population than the next highest breed count, Thoroughbreds.

When is the AQHA going to answer to this?

When is the AQHA going to start promoting responsible breeding?

Why does the AQHA spend hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting horse slaughter instead of establishing programs to educate and assist owners in need?

How many of the 5 Million registered Quarter Horses have been sent to slaughter?

The National Horse Protection League asked for slogans that convey your disgust with the AQHA. It’s titled Five Words to Stop Slaughter.

Here a few I’ve seen thus far.

Quarter Horses: Not Quarter Pounders
Another Quarter Horse Assassinated
Horse; It’s NOT for Dinner
Keep the Best; Slaughter the Rest (okay, that’s 6 words)
Quarter Horses Born for Slaughter
Quarter Horse Policies Part of the Problem, Not the Solution

Members of the AQHA need to put their foot down and demand that the AQHA stop breeding irresponsibly and tell them to stop supporting horse slaughter!!

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HELP SAVE A HORSES LIFE JUST BY SHOPPING!

2008-11-24T14:26:00.002-05:00

Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue is a non-profit horse rescue that goes above and beyond the call of duty to saving horses. They also place them in good forever homes. Please Read the following news to find out how you can help them save many more horses.

Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue and PetGive.com are pleased to announce a new partnership. This is going to bring together two great organizations with one main goal, raising money for Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue!

Now you too can make a difference and help the horses at Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue, simply by shopping online through PetGive.com.

It's free to register and a donation is made on your behalf after your purchase. Petgive.com has teamed up with thousands of retailers and hundreds of pet charities to come up with a way to turn your everyday shopping into a charitable contribution. With each online purchase through PetGive.com, a portion of your sales total will be donated to Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue.

Not only will your shopping be helping horses in need, but you will also have access to special savings and offers with leading retailers not available anywhere else!

We have major retail participants like Nordstrom, BestBuy, Ebay, Drugstore.com, and hundreds more to choose from. You will also have access to special savings and offers with leading retailers not available anywhere else!

Sign up today on www.PetGive.com for a free membership, select Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue and start shopping for your organization. We are truly excited about our partnership with PetGive.com and every purchase made is continuing to increase the number of horses that we are able to help.

Try to reach out to your friends and family to shop through PetGive.com for Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue because the more people that know, the greater the donations we will receive. Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue and PetGive.com - working together for horses.

Shop now, and help save a life.

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PUT THE PRESSURE ON THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO STOP HORSE SLAUGHTER!

2008-11-19T15:15:00.001-05:00

Senator Larry Craig - famous for misbehaving in a different kind of stall - is using stall tactics on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

His threat to hold up Senate consideration of the bill (S.311 by Sens. Landrieu and Ensign) is putting thousands of horses in danger of ruthless killer buyers who want to buy horses at auction and haul them to Mexico or Canada for a gruesome demise.

Tell your Senator to Stop the Larry Craig Stall.

Please do it today: Follow the link below and send your Senator a message.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5270/t/1875/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=197

And please forward this message to 10 of your horse-loving friends, asking them to do the same.

Thanks for all you do to protect horses.

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VICTORY FOR HORSES!

2008-11-19T15:02:00.001-05:00

In a stunning last-minute move, the 2,000 healthy wild mustangs slated for euthanasia by the Bureau of Land Management have been saved.

"Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionare T. Boone Pickens, made known her intentions to adopt not just the doomed wild horses but most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens," the Washington Post reported. Any of these 30,000 horses kept in federal custody could have been sold by the BLM "without restriction," meaning they could have been sold for slaughter.

"Lifelong animal lovers, the Pickenses just a few years ago led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States." And now, they have assured that 30,000 horses will be allowed live out their lives in comfort. The National Horse Protection League applauds Madeline Pickens for her extraordinary compassion.

To read more about this story and to spread the word, please visit:
http://www.horse-protection.org/

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A HORSE NAMED SITKA DESPERATELY NEEDS OUR HELP!

2008-11-05T21:59:00.006-05:00

SHILOH HORSE RESCUE "A Place Of Peace For Horses In Need"

www.shilohhorserescue.com

Sitka needs your help!

The Sitka Magic Leg Fund

Help us, Help her

We have created a Sitka's Magic Leg Fund to collect donations to help us purchase a custom made prosthetic leg. Sitka has a very deformed and crippled front foot. Years ago she shattered both of her Sesamoid bones in her foot. Although euthanasia was considered at that time, we decided to try a special splint. Sitka did remarkably well in the splint, which she had to wear for almost a full year. After the splint was finally able to be taken off, she was put into specially constructed shoes. Finally after the broken area had fused as well as it could, she was able to walk freely. But, over the last few years, her leg and foot have slowly curled over as Nature found it's own way to stabilaize her foot. It is now this deformity that is causing her pain, because she bears the majority of her weight on what is really her tip of the coffin bone, and her bone is breaking down. Her quality of life has diminished and euthanasia is now being considered. Recently our vets recommended actually amputating her foot and putting on a prosthetic, but the cost was estimated at $10,000 to $12,000, far too much for the rescue to afford.

Then we were contacted by a man named Ronnie Graves in Florida (thanks to Blue Moon's adopter, Carol). Ronnie is an amputee himself and he has successfully designed custom made prosthetics for horses and burros. After looking at Sitka's photos he thinks that he can help her. He can create a prosthetic which fits over her leg, which would eliminate the need to amputate the foot.

This is experimental, we don't have a guarantee that this will work for Sitka, but we are going to try it for her sake. Sitka is healthy in every other way, her blood work is perfect, she has a great appetite, and her will to live is strong. Sitka will live out her life at Shiloh.

Mom (Sitka) and Baby Foal (Sunday) Napping Together

"Sunday" taking a walk

Another complicating factor that we have had to consider is her young foal, Sunday. Sunday was a surprise foal (the result of what we think must have been a late night rendevous with Carson, a young feedlot colt before he was gelded. That is a whole other Shiloh story in it's self!). Sunday was born premature and with his medical history and his young age of only three months, he is still too young to be weaned from his mom.

The estimated cost of this Magic Leg is $4,000.00 (the actual cost to make it).

Please consider a donation to Sitka's Magic Leg Fund to help us her give her a better quality of life. We will keep a running total of the donations received, receipts will be given, and all donations are tax deductable.

All donations collected at this month's Las Vegas Pet Expo that Shiloh will be attending will go into this Fund as well.

HUGE thanks to everyone who is supporting Sitka!

Visiting Shiloh anytime soon? Bring an extra carrot for Sitka and spend some time with her. She needs all of the support and love she can get right now.

The Shiloh Charitable Trust is a non profit organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating slaughter bound, abused, neglected, injured, unwanted horses of all types.

Shiloh is located in Sandy Valley, outside of Las Vegas, NV.

Contact Shiloh: (702) 480-8906 or (702) 249-8987

shilohhorse@aol.com

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HORSE SHOT IN THE HEAD - LEFT TO DIE AND DEFIES THE ODDS

2008-10-31T09:54:00.003-04:00

Rescuers give Arabian bay gelding apt name - 'Trooper'

By Nina Mehlhaf, KTVZ.COM

A beautiful, young, Arabian gelding that was shot in the head and left to die in the forest is recovering wonderfully, while Forest Service officers and Deschutes County sheriff's deputies try to find who did this to him.

The horse has been named "Trooper" and is in the care of veterinarians in Tumalo who say they can't believe someone would resort to this.

"He's got a great appetite. Here Troop, come get some food," Dr. Wayne Schmotzer said Monday.

Schmotzer has seen many rescued horses, but Trooper, at Bend Equine Medical Center for only three days, already has a special place in his heart.

"It's an emotional event for everyone here," Schmotzer said. "That's why we're here, and that's why we rally around him."

Trooper, thought to be about five years old, was found Friday by hunters on Cache Mountain in the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest.

"He came willingly, and he was very calm," Schmotzer said. "He was an excellent little horse."

With his harness and lead line still on, Trooper's face was covered in blood, and an old wound on his leg was literally rotting his flesh off. He was 150 pounds underweight and had lost half of his blood.

"As we were cleaning him up, we saw a spot on the side of this temple and thought, 'Boy, this couldn't be a gunshot wound, could it?'" the vet said.

That's exactly what it was. In the X-rays, you can see bullet fragments that shattered his eye, but missed his brain. But the wound was almost healed, meaning Trooper had been shot over a week ago.

"If you were making a guess, they thought they were shooting the horse in the head, and they missed the parts they were after," Schmotzer said.

Joan Steelhammer of Equine Outreach, an organization that rescues horses in need, says because of the high cost of euthanization and the closure of the Redmond rendering plant, a few horse owners are taking death into their own hands - and most often, can't even get the bullet placement right.

"I have over 100 horses, and they're not just awful horses," Steelhammer said. "It's just, people are up against it. They're losing their homes, hay prices are high and things are happening, and it's a sad thing."

"Every horse comes with a person's story behind it."

Both Steelhammer and Dr. Schmotzer believe rumors and reports running through the horse world ultimately will flush the suspect out.

Meanwhile, eating gingerly with his jaw fracture, Trooper has certainly lived up to his name.

"If we can get the infection cleaned up in his head and once his eye is removed and his wounds are healed, he could potentially be as 100 percent as a one-eyed horse can be," Schmotzer said. "He should be happy."

Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch outside of Bend already has adopted Trooper. The ranch pairs up formally abused horses with abused or neglected children as a form of healing.

This problem has gotten so big that Wednesday night, Equine Outreach is helping to put on a conference to address the issue of getting rid of a horse the humane way.

When he was found, the very hungry and thirsty Arabian bay (dark brown) gelding (de-sexed male) was "very thirsty and hungry," Forest Service spokeswoman Sue Olson said over the weekend.

"The horse appears to have been well cared for in the past," said Forest Service law enforcement officer Fred Perl.

Trooper has a white star on his forehead, a short white sock on his left rear leg and a white ankle sock on his right rear leg.

The Forest Service and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office are jointly investigating the case. Forest Service law enforcement officers ask anyone with information about the horse, or to help locate its owner, to contact them through the sheriff's office dispatch number, (541) 693-6911.

http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=9203187

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DONATION GOING TO RESCUE FARM TO SAVE SLAUGHTER BOUND HORSES! PLEASE VOTE!!

2008-10-30T00:16:00.005-04:00

Hello to everyone who reads and visits my blog. I'm emailing this to the
blog viewers out there and asking for your help. I entered my daughter
in a contest online. If she gets the most votes by the end of the month,
even if it's the following month (November), she will win $2,500.00.

I asked her what she wanted to do with the money, with her only being close
to 3 years old, she told me she wanted to give it to the horsey's (Horsey's
spelled as she put it). Every night we kneel down to pray that God will
intervien and save the horses from slaughter, along with praying for our
family and friends. She's only 3 years old, but she has a heart of gold.

So my daughter Halina and I are asking if you can copy/paste the URL below and please vote for her picture. It only takes a few minutes and you don't have to join anything, it's free to vote. Just click off the screens that ask you if you want to join. If you could also be so kind as to copy her URL below and send it to all of your family and friends and encourage them to do the same, we would be so greatful.

We may not have had our day in the House of Representatives in winning
the fight with stopping horse slaughter this year, but we can raise the money to save as many as we can. I just want to thank each and every one of you in advance for taking the time out to vote for my daughter. And with God's blessing, she will win and the money can go towards saving a few more of God's beautiful creations. I hope everyone has a pleasant evening.

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=829087&x=.JPG

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WHY DO HORSES DESERVE THIS FATE? THEY DON'T!!

2008-10-16T12:23:00.004-04:00

This is a video dedicated to the horses, who have dedicated their lives to their owners and doing the best they could. They give unconditional love, dedication, loyality and affection. Some American's treat their horses the very same way, with unconditional love. But there is other American's and industry that treat them as a commodity and for greed. This video depicts horses who have been abused, sent of to slaughter because they weren't fast enough in a race, because they didn't do good enough in an event, or just down right miss treated for being them. This video will show you how cruel people can really be, and it will show you why horse slaughter should be stopped, FOR GOOD!! It has graphic content, but the song really catches the moment of the pictures. Horses in industry, such as PMU Mares and Foals, Rodeo horses, dude ranch horses, racehorses, and the list goes on, is all subject to abuse and horse slaughter. Don't be fooled by industries saying that they care for their horses and treat them right, because in reality, they do the total opposite of that. Here's proof of that, Please view my blog listed in the September Blog on this website called "CONGRESS-TAKE NOTE OF THESE ILLEGAL ACTIONS! HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL H.R.6598 IS UP FOR REVOTE TODAY!"

PLEASE VIEW THE VIDEO BELOW, and help in the fight to stop Horse Slaughter and Abuse of any kind. Thank you for your support and viewing and God Bless you.............

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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PLEASE DON'T GIVE "RED ROCK RIDING STABLES IN LAS VEGAS" ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS! PLEASE READ WHAT HE DOES TO HIS HORSES!

2008-10-14T10:25:00.004-04:00

Hello Copper is an extremely sweet and gentle gelding who was rescued from slaughter in Utah by Shiloh Horse Rescue. Copper was brought into the auction by his owner who runs the Red Rock Riding Stables in Las Vegas. Copper, and 6 other horse he brought in, were Dude String horses. They could no longer be ridden for hours at a time, so they were brought to the auction. Copper is called "Hello Copper", because his previous owner, as he lead him to the slaughter pen, said with no emotion, "Goodbye Copper" and walked away leaving the old horse to his fate. After 10 years working for this man, this is what he did, dumped Copper at a slaughter auction. Shiloh Horse Rescue outbid the Killer buyer for Copper.

Shiloh adopted out "Hello Copper" to a good home......
Sad news as "Hello Copper" was peacefully euthanised in his adoptive home. He was a beloved member of his family and is badly missed. His arthritis, age, and former life of very hard work on the dude string ranch, had caught up with him and it was decided that he was ready to go to Greener Pastures. His adopted family expressed their love for him by saying that "he was the best first horse they could have ever had and that they learned so much from him." Hello Copper was very spoiled, cared for, and loved for the last 10 months of his life, what else could we, or he, ask for? Rest In Peace and Goodbye, our friend, Copper.

The RED ROCK RIDING STABLES in Las Vegas obviously cares nothing about their horses and their horses are nothing but a commodity to them. Something to make them money. It's a shame that this horse endured a hard life to only find himself at a slaughter house auction by the hands of his owner, (Red Rock Riding Stables). If it were me, I wouldn't give this guy any of my business. We should all take a stand and report this guy and his cold hearted treatment he gives his horses, what do you think?

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THE BOGUS LIES OF PEOPLES STATEMENTS ON HORSE SLAUGHTER

2008-10-03T12:04:00.003-04:00

There is a person out there that is on opencongress.org that goes by the username of Chestaar, this person makes very bogus statements and lies about horse slaughter. I just want to set the record straight to all the people out there that don't know what to think about horse slaughter. People who are falling victims to these other people who try to deceive others, trying to make others believe that horse slaughter is a necessary evil.

To anyone out there reading these comments made by "Chestaar", please don't believe him. For all we know, he could be working for the slaughter house industries to make sure this bill does not come to pass. Not one of his statements are backed up by facts, and most of the things he is saying simply isn't true. Horses are not slaughtered the same way as cows, chickens and pigs because of the horses long necks, their heads can't be restrained to make sure an effective hit to the head is accurate. So that means they are repeatedly stabbed and or shot with a gun to the head a number of times until rendered dead or unconscience. But most of the time, the horse is totally awake while his/her throat is being slit. Don't fall for "Chestaar's" statements. Please take the time to do your research and find out all the facts about horse slaughter as I did. You will see that MANY if not all of his statements are not true. I'm not a Bible thumper, but I know that God didn't intend for his horses to be slaughtered and tortured the way they are in slaughter. And he certainly didn't intend for us to eat horses. There are disturbed minded people out there in the world like "Chestaar", and those people would like you to think that killing a animal inhumanely is the right thing to do, because they think about nothing but the money. Read his comment, this is his words exactly, "horses are also "commodities" - produced for a specific money-making purpose."

Now, you tell me, is this a statement that sounds like this person loves horses, or does he love what horses can earn him in his pocketbook? Don't fall for people's false statistics like "Chestaar". He obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. And if he knew what he was talking about, he would know that the MAJORITY of American's do not support horse slaughter, and they support this bill H.R.6598, so please support this bill like so many of us American's do. People like "Chestaar" are people who don't want this bill to pass for their own selfish reasons, he speaks as if he is on the horse slaughter industries side. Hopefully "Chestaar" is not being paid off by the horse slaughter industry. How do you explain PMU mares and their foals going to slaughter? Mr. Chestaar!! When they are breeding Mares for their foals to be sent to slaughter for the money, since Premarin (the menopause drug) is no longer in high demand like it used to be. Then the PMU Mares are kept up in weight so when they can no longer be bred they go to slaughter also. There needs to be a law that regulates the production of horses. Irresponsible breeders are getting away with murder, literally! They breed a Mare so many times it is sickening. I believe they should regulate how many times one Mare can be bred and make it at a certain time frame in between births. For example, they should set a law that each Mare can only give birth to 4 foals, and she can only be pregnant once every two years. If we started regulating the breeding of horses, I think we will solve the problem with the over breeding of horses. There is a solution to the problem, but horse slaughter is not the solution and never will be. Horse slaughter is only a solution to the greedy, money grubbing hands of the Horse Slaughter industry. When foals are being brought to auctions with the umbilical cords still attached to their bodies and being sent right to slaughter, there is a problem with this Country and it's moral. I'm sure "Chestaar" will say that nothing like this happens, but what he won't tell you is that it does happen, but it is hidden from the public because more people will be outraged at slaughter. Please don't believe a word "Chestaar" says, and form your own opinion. There are 100's of racehorses every week going to slaughter that people don't know about because the race horse industry keeps it under raps, believe me, I know this to be true because I helped save a race horse and we had to give him a different name because the race track told us that we had to so the horse couldn't be tracked by his registered name. There are so many hidden truths to horses and the slaughter house industry, please vote yes to putting an end to horse slaughter, PLEASE!!

Horse slaughter is not a necessary evil and it never will be. Please increase the pressure on Congress (House of Representatives) to vote on bill H.R.6598 before the end of session. Every 5 minutes 100's of Horses are being slaughtered, we need to stop it now!

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H.R.6598 - Congress Will Not Consider Horse Slaughter Bills Before End of Session

2008-09-30T09:11:00.004-04:00

Update Sept. 29, 2008: Sources say Congress will not consider further this session H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008.

The reason given is the focus on the bail out for Wall Street and banks.

Congress will also not consider further the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act which has been stuck in a House Committee and also has not been called for a vote in the Senate because of a threat by Sen. Larry Craig to put a hold on the legislation. 66 votes would be needed to override a hold.

A new session starts in January, 2009. ...

We need to put the pressure on Congress now more than ever to bring this bill before the House floor and make a vote on it. They need to know how strongly us American's feel that this bill needs to become law! Please visit the website below and see the reason why this bill needs to be passed NOW. See all the hidden truths....

http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000528

DON'T TURN YOUR HEAD AND IGNORE THESE VIDEOS, ALTHOUGH THEY MAY BE GRAPHIC, WE ALL NEED TO SEE WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON SO WE CAN GET THE PASSION INSIDE US TO STOP IT. WE ARE STRONG AMERICAN'S, AND WE NEED TO HELP PUT A STOP TO HORSE SLAUGHTER NOW!!

Call 202-224-3124 to find out your Representative! Then call them up. Tell them how you feel about the horse slaughter bill.

You can say this: “I am a constituent and I'm asking you to please co-sponsor the HR 6598 Prevention Equine Cruelty Act! And push for it to be brought on the floor of Congress for a vote.”

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A HORSES STORY OF ABUSE AND RECOVERY

2008-09-29T11:19:00.003-04:00

Below, you will find a video of horse abuse and recovery. This recovery was all made possible by an organization called Habitat For Horses. They do so much in rescuing neglected and abused horses. They help them recover, bring them back to health and adopt them into good and loving homes. Please help them continue to do this great act of kindness and donate to their organization. The one thing some members of congress are saying is that there isn't enough care out there for all the horses, and they are using this reason to say that horse slaughter should exist. This simply isn't true, the majority of us are American's who care, and we will come together in making sure all our horses have the best care America has to offer. So please send a message to those in Congress who feel that there are unwanted horses out there. Tell them that you care deeply about the passage of the bill H.R.6598, and that it needs to become law. Although this video is graphic, there is a happy ending for this horse. With your donations, there can be so many more happy endings for so many more horses. Please view the following video, and may God always be in your heart and encourage you to always do an act of kindness.

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H.R. 6598 NEEDS TO GO THROUGH TWO MORE PROCESSES BEFORE IT'S CONSIDERED LAW! PLEASE KEEP THE PRESSURE ON CONGRESS TO PASS THIS AS LAW!

2008-09-24T13:13:00.002-04:00

Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act Passes House Judiciary Committee and moves to House Floor for Consideration.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 23, 2008) – Despite three weeks of stonewalling by horse slaughter proponents on the House Judiciary Committee, H.R. 6598, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act passed by a voice vote after the majority rejected several poison pill amendments.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) for their swift shepherding of this crucial legislation through the committee, which was achieved with bipartisan support.

“By moving this bill, Chairman Conyers, lead cosponsor Representative Dan Burton and Representative Scott are acting in line with the more than 70 percent of Americans who oppose the senseless slaughter of our nation’s horses,” said Chris Heyde, AWI deputy director of government and legal affairs. “But opponents of this legislation persist in their attempts to mislead the public, and make horses pawns in their political games.”

Despite the claims of horse slaughter supporters, horse slaughter is neither humane, nor a necessary evil. The horses — of which more than 92 percent are deemed to be healthy, adoptable and “in good condition” by the US Department of Agriculture — suffer terribly from start to finish.

“Our opponents love to suggest that horse slaughter is a necessary evil, without which the country will be overrun with a 100,000 horses annually,” notes Heyde. “That’s ludicrous. At most, a few dozen may be confiscated during a criminal investigation, and AWI will work to ensure any such horses are cared for. This isn’t a humane disposal service for sick and old horses; it’s a predatory business that is making a profit off the death of healthy horses.”

AWI urges House leadership to follow through on the Judiciary Committee’s decisive action, and bring the legislation up for a vote before the full House before adjourning at the month’s end. Every five minutes Congress fails to act, another horse is slaughtered.

Issue background:

Each year, more than 100,000 horses are purchased at auction by killer-buyers for export to Canada and Mexico, where they are brutally slaughtered for human consumption. In some cases, the killing method involves activities such as knife stabbing.

In the last Congress, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill banning horse slaughter for human consumption by a vote of 263 to 146. The bill was not taken up by the Senate before the end of the congressional session.

A 2006 national poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies found that almost 70 percent of Americans already support a federal ban on horse slaughter.

Contact:
Chris Heyde, (703) 836-4300 From American Welfare Institute (AWI)

For over 57 years, the Animal Welfare Institute has been the leading voice for animals across the country and on Capitol Hill to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. To learn more about them, please visit www.awionline.org.

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CONGRESS-TAKE NOTE OF THESE ILLEGAL ACTIONS! HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL H.R.6598 IS UP FOR REVOTE TODAY!

2008-09-17T08:47:00.013-04:00

There are many people out there that say that horse slaughter should exist. They claim that if horse slaughter didn't exist there would be abused, neglected and abandoned animals out there. Well then, I ask, what is going to be done about Rodeo's, PMU Mares and their foals. If you (the opposed individual to Horse Slaughter bill H.R.6598) want to tell people that the horse slaughter bill H.R.6598 should not pass in Congress "because you care about animals", which is a lie, then do something about putting an end to Rodeo's, and PMU Mares being mistreated and only being bred to send their foals to slaughter. Watch these video's and it will show you the illegal activity that still goes on in Rodeo's. This is America's true shame! Horse Slaughter isn't the answer to solving horse abuse, neglect and abandonedment, it's the people who don't breed responsibly and the people who only care about the almighty dollar. Horse Slaughter NEEDS TO STOP, and so does Rodeo's and other abuse activities that these organizations get away with.

CRIMINAL HORSE ABUSE AT OKLAHOMA PRISON RODEO!!

PLEASE STOP HORSE SLAUGHTER!

CONGRESS! TAKE NOTE OF THE ABUSE AND ILLEGAL ACTIVITY THAT GOES ON DURING A RODEO. WHY IS CONGRESS NOT SHUTTING DOWN RODEOS, BUT SOME CONGRESS MEMBERS ARE TRYING TO STOP THE HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL H.R.6598 FROM PASSING? WATCH THE HAND PASS OF THE ILLEGAL SHOCK PROD!

A RODEO VETINARIAN WHO SUPPORTS RODEO "LOOK AT HOW CRUEL HE IS TO ANIMALS HIMSELF" WARNING! GRAPHIC VIDEO -"BUT SHOULD BE SEEN TO KNOW WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON"

RODEO'S WILL TELL YOU ALL THE ANIMALS THEY USE ARE WILD- BUT THAT ISN'T THE TRUTH!!
WATCH THIS VIDEO AND SEE HOW GENTLE THEY REALLY ARE!

AN ELECTRIC PROD IN PLAIN SITE OF THE VIDEO CAMERA-SOMETHING THAT IS ILLEGAL TO USE IN RODEO! ALSO, IS THE CAUSE OF A HORSES DEATH IN THIS RODEO, PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO!! THIS VIDEO WAS TAKEN AT "THE PRCA'S 2007 NATIONAL FINALS RODEO" IN LAS VEGAS.

PMU MARES BEING MISTREATED!

RINGLING DRIVES ANIMALS CRAZY

I'M TELLING CONGRESS THAT THESE ABUSES TO ANIMALS HAVE TO STOP!! HORSE SLAUGHTER HAS TO STOP AS WELL AS RODEO'S, PMU FARMS AND OTHER ABUSIVE ORGANIZATIONS! CONGRESS, PLEASE STOP THE MADNESS. WHAT EXAMPLE ARE WE SETTING TO OUR CHILDREN IF WE ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN TO ANIMALS? WHAT IS THIS SAYING ABOUT THE UNITED STATES?

PLEASE READ THIS PASSAGE FROM THE LORD:

.......and the Lord said,"I have created the horse to be my most beautiful and prized creation. How sad I am that man has made him his slave. I will warn my beloved animal: It hurts me to know that you cannot run free and happy in the meadows. You will be owned by man. Heed this warning: You must look man in the eye, and if you see your own reflection, he will be a kind master. But if you see in his eye money and greed, he will be a cruel master, and he will kill you. One day, you will stand before me to testify toward your master's stewardship while you were in his care, and vengeance for you will be mine."

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY FOR HORSES IS TODAY! PLEASE DON'T DELAY!!

2008-09-15T13:00:00.005-04:00

The Humane Society of the United States Humane Alert
September 15, 2008
JOIN WENDIE MALICK TO HELP END HORSE SLAUGHTER! Today is National Call-In Day for Horses! Actress and animal advocate Wendie Malick recently created a video urging support for the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 (H.R. 6598), which is currently being considered by the House Judiciary Committee and will hopefully be brought to the House floor for a vote in the coming days. Copy/Paste the following URL to see the video:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/Sd2dmWS12mJ8/

We need your help to gain support for this crucial bill, which will finally prohibit the sale and transport of American horsesto be barbarically slaughtered for human consumption, including horses being shipped to Mexico and Canada.

1. Check if your U.S. Representative is a co-sponsor of H.R.6598. If not, Please call to urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 6598 to protect horses. When you call, you will speak to a staff member who can pass your message along to your legislator. Remember to be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:

"Hello, my name is [your name] and I'm calling from [your town] to urge Rep.[Your Representative's name] to co-sponsor H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, to end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption. We must end this cruel practice once and for all. Thank you." PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER WITH THE PERSON WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE. OFFER TO GIVE IT TO THEM IF THEY DON'T ASK FOR IT.

2. We are tracking the impact of your calls. Copy/Paste this link and visit us to let us know you called your legislator: WATCH THE VIDEO ON THIS LINK!!
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2008_horsecallinday3/id7bnuw2v7e577xb?

3. Finally, please tell all of your friends and family how they can take action to protect horses, too:
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2008_horsecallinday3/forward/id7bnuw2v7e577xb?

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!! IT'S A POSITIVE THING FOR AMERICA TO PASS THIS BILL.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

PAINT HORSES (MARES & FOALS) WHO ARE IN NEED OF A HOME-IN DANGER OF GOING TO SLAUGHTER!

2008-09-10T15:28:00.002-04:00

These horses, pregnant mares and foals, are in danger of being shipped off to slaughter. Their breeder is downsizing and wants to dump these horses. Shiloh cannot take in any of these horses, but many people in the Southern Nevada are stepping up to offer help to these horses. The horses are located in Moapa, NV, about an hour outside of Las Vegas.

There are some foster homes lined up for these horses, to help give people more time to make a decision. Horse Lovers have been volunteering their time, trailers, and help to help these horses.

For more information on how to help or how to purchase one of these beautiful Paint horses:

The best contact person is:
Michelle
Phone: 435-849-2871
Email: bulldog@xmission.com

People can also contact:
Linda Osborne
707 217 8423
Sonomaoz@yahoo.com

This type of situation goes to show just how irresponsible horse breeders can be. This guy bred all of these horses, but decided that now he doesn't want them, and so he decides to just sell them for slaughter. No doubt he will breed more next year. Another blaringly obvious example of an irresponsible person taking the easy way out and shipping horses off to a horrifying death. The vicious and ugly circle created by horse slaughter.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

RODEO-AMERICA'S SHAME!

2008-09-10T09:11:00.004-04:00

The Rodeo Mafia will tell you that they treat all of their animals in the Rodeo humanely, but it's anything but humane. They will say that the horses they use are wild, but they are anything but wild, they are terrorized into not wanting to cooperate with these sad excuses for humans. In the following video, you will see scenes of many horses being tortured and their ears bitten by these guys to get them to cooperate. So indeed they are not wild, the only wild part of Rodeo are the men and people involved in Rodeo. Please help put a stop to Rodeo, let our voices be heard! We are going to have a victory today with the end of horse slaughter, lets keep up the fight in putting a stop to Rodeo. Rodeo is America's Shame and we shouldn't allow it to happen any further. Rodeo also abuses calves, steer as well as horses. Please watch this video and don't turn a blind eye. These animals were not intended to be used for this purpose we call Rodeo.

Please visit these 3 websites to learn more about this horrifying Rodeo Industry:

TheCruelTruth.com
RodeoCruelty.com
CorporateThugs.com

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Premarin Foals & Premarin Awareness-They Don't Deserve To Die!

2008-09-10T08:24:00.002-04:00

It is now known that the Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, since this drug is becoming less popular do to it's negative side effects, are asking these farms to continue to produce the foals so they can make their money by sending them to slaughter. If these PMU farms don't comply with Wyeth-Ayerst Lab. then they threaten the farms that they will not do business with them. These foals are sent to slaughter at the age of 2 to 5 months of age. Please take the time to read this following document.

Premarin is a drug whose name originates from a key ingredient, pregnant mare's urine (including Prempro, Premphase, and Prempac) is a drug made up of conjugated estrogens obtained from the urine of pregnant mares -- put out in many forms (pills, creams, injections, patches) and is used to reduce the symptoms of menopause in women or women who have had a hysterectomy. It is also prescribed to nearly eliminate the risk of osteoporosis (the brittling of bones) and reduce the chance of heart disease in women over 50.

Approximately nine million American women are currently taking some form of Premarin (about a third of the approximately thirty-five million post menopausal women in the United States are on estrogen replacement therapy/ERT, or hormone replacement therapy/HRT, and of them, about 78% use Premarin based products -- while there are a number of estrogens excreted by the pregnant mare, estrone sulfate, equilin, and equilenin are the most significant.

HOW MANY PREMARIN FARMS EXIST IN CANADA AND THE U.S.?

According to 2000 statistics, there are approximately 450 farms in Canada and 50 farms in the U.S., located in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Indiana containing approximately 60,000 mares.

WHAT IS OBJECTIONABLE ABOUT THE CARE THAT PREGNANT MARES RECEIVE ON PREMAIN FARMS?

Pregnant mares used for Premarin production are confined to narrow tie stalls where they cannot turn or lie down for months at a time without release for exercise. This chronic lack of exercise can cause severe swelling of the legs, breakdown of the hoof structure and sets the stage for colic. These mares are kept tied up indoors for at least six months out of the year. To produce Premarin, these mares are impregnated, fitted with a urine collection device and normally kept throughout their normal pregnancy of 11 months in the tie stalls. The Urine Collection Harnesses are not very hygienic for the mares, since it allows their urine to soak the skin of the vulva, sometimes causing severe infections and painful lesions. These mares are actually tied up in front and strapped in behind. They absolutely cannot turn around or take more than two or three steps forward or backward. Just before foaling they are taken "off line" and allowed to foal in outside paddocks. So that they can be put right back into production the next winter, the mares are re-impregnated within days of giving birth. A few months after giving birth, they are separated from their foals and put back on the "pee line." Fertile mares may go through this same grueling cycle year after year. When the mares become old, infertile, or crippled, they are auctioned off for slaughter.

As for feeding, the horses are more than adequately fed -- most farms feed hay, grain and oats, which is in excess of what the inactive mare requires. Premarin detractors say that this is to keep them in slaughter-weight for when they break down. Guidelines state that horses should be offered water no less than twice per day. PMU farmers prefer to water as little as possible, thereby increasing the concentration of estrogen in the urine -- which is what it's all about

WHY ARE PREMARIN PRODUCING MARES TREATED THIS WAY?

Stalled horses yearn for release. Taking some mares out of the stable will create a major disturbance among those left behind. The manpower necessary to frequently unhook the mares from the urine collection harness for regular exercise would also decrease the farmer's profit margin. Premarin farming is not a small business; but, an $800,000,000 a year industry.

SINCE PREMARIN MARES MUST BE PREGNANT EACH YEAR, WHAT HAPPENS TO THEIR FOALS?

Although controversy surrounds the state of the Premarin producing mares, one fact is clear: 60,000 grade foals produced in isolated regions of central Canada have almost no chance to find homes as sport horses, working horses or pets. The majority will become casualties of slaughter. The two to five month old foals are taken from their mothers in early September and sent to auctions where they are sold by the pound to meatpackers.

HOW LONG HAS THIS DRUG BEEN IN USE?

Introduced in 1942, long before synthetic alternatives existed. Premarine was one of the first drugs available when hormonal therapy for menopause was introduced. The industry thrived (mostly in Ontario, Canada) for decades until allegations of catheterized mares living in squalor and foals being mistreated could no longer be ignored. The Ontario Government stepped in and issued regulations tied to licensing, citing and revoking permits (PMU Farm Act, 1968-69, Regulation No. 217/70).

WHY ARE THERE STILL PMU FARMS IN EXISTENCE?

Good question. Premarin, like insulin, can now be 100% synthesized.

Premarin is the single most prescribed drug in the U.S. (and the third most prescribed drug in Canada).

ARE THE FOALS REALLY SENT TO SLAUGHTER?

Some of the farms observed do breed quality draft and Quarter horses (and obviously care about the welfare of the horses they breed), while some use a combination (Appaloosas, Belgians, "Generics", Percherons, and Thoroughbreds) of registered and unregistered animals of pleasure and draft type purchased at local auction (the most common breed being the Quarter horse, which is coincidentally the most desirable horse breed slaughtered for human consumption). The offspring from the former are sometimes sold for show purposes and sometimes fillies are raised to go "on line" as soon as they're able to conceive (usually at the age of 20 - 24 months), but mostly they go to slaughter. As for the latter, unregistered foals, their future is almost 100% death.

Tom Hughes (Canadian Farm Animal Care Trust) has publicly stated "Most of the foals from the average PMU farm will be sold purely for meat". Ollie Bracken, a retired Manitoba, Canada PMU farmer, stated in a 1995 interview that he retired from PMU farming because, "When you have to see a colt being born and then have to destroy it, it's rough because they're just babies. I just didn't think it was right to continue what I was doing." Let's not forget that more than just the PMU foals are affected by the Premarin "pee farms"; the total number of mares, replacement mares, stallions, and PMU foals adversely impacted by PMU production is estimated to be at well over 100,000 per year.

Several years ago, HorseAid was able to track over a hundred PMU foals shipped from feedlots in Canada to an export quarantine station near Seattle, WA (U.S.). From there, they were shipped live to Japan. One of our HorseAid founders, Staci Wilson traveled to Japan (on her personal funds) to confirm that the horses were indeed going to specialty meat markets there. So we know first-hand that these foals were not destined for someone's stable, they were destined for someone's table!

WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THE WASTE?

Environmentalists and some Canadian legislators are publicly voicing their concerns about the already taxed sewage treatment system and the potential for overflow into the Assinboine River, which is a water source for much of Manitoba. As of now, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories is the worlds only producer of Premarin -- however, there are now competitors.

HOW GOOD IS THE DRUG?

A growing number of physicians are challenging the idea that a drug derived from animal waste is beneficial to humans. Many women experience unwanted side effects from prescription ERT drugs, and several studies have substantiated a link between premarin and breast cancer. As the ugly facts about Premarin filter through the medical community, more and more doctors have stopped prescribing this drug. Writes Dr. Josh C. Tunca, a Chicago gynecologic oncologist, "In light of [PETA's] information, we have immediately stopped prescribing Premarin and are now using [synthetic estrogens] Estradiol or Estrace." Many doctors, like gynecologist Stephen Rosenman, find that plant-derived synthetic drugs are preferable to Premarin. They work just as well and have fewer negative side effects.

"Premarin is just one of several ERT medications available. Plant-derived synthetic drugs contain none of the impurities found in animal waste and because they are made synthetically and not from an animal byproduct, they are consistent in concentration and quality. Most patients and doctors are unaware of how Premarin is produced. Those who know the background of the production of this drug should tell others and always encourage a healthful lifestyle."
--Dr. Joy Bradley

WHAT CAN I DO?

If you are currently taking estrogen-replacement drugs, find out from your doctor or pharmacist if they are organic or synthetic. If the former, you can demand that your medication be switched to the synthetic (which reportedly have less side-effects than PMU-based ones anyhow). Many women have also been successful in using "natural" estrogen replacement approaches to hormonal shifts, and the new soy protein studies are proving very promising (ALWAYS check with your medical doctor or health practitioner before starting or changing any estrogen replacement therapy!).

If you are truly concerned about the issue, write to the Canadian Minister of Industry and tell him how you feel. After all, the possible loss of tourism dollars may rival that of Premarin income. Minister of Industry, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIA 0A6. Or phone: 613/995-9001.

You can also write the Canadian government: Minister, Department of Western Diversification, House of Commons, 418-M Center Block, Ottawa, Ontario KIA 0A6, and the Manitoba government to protest their funding of Ayerst's expansion plans in Canada: Premier of Manitoba, 450 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0V8.

Also write to the Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 23394, Washington, D.C., 20026, and of course the Premarin patent holder, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories (product control), 555 E. Lancaster Avenue, St. David's, PA 19087, 800.666.7248 and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, PO Box 8299, Philadelphia, PA 19101.

You may also wish to write to: Director, Women's Health Initiatives, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892. Protest their use of Premarin in women's medical studies.

Lastly, help spread the word and let other horse lovers know about this billion dollar industry based entirely on the suffering of horses. As we ask you to do, weigh the pros and cons, and let your friends decide for themselves whether they wish to become involved in the Premarin issue.

There are currently 9 million women taking Premarin. Educating those 9 million women (and their doctors) as to how Premarin is actually produced, and having them use one of the many synthetics now available as a substitute, will eventually dry up all the profits from Premarin production.

ZERO women taking Premarin equals ZERO Premarin produced!

If you are one of the 9 million women currently taking Premarin, won't you please ask your doctor to prescribe a synthetic substitute in its place.

"We are not spiritually unconnected from the drugs we take, or from the pain and suffering that goes into their making."
-Alice Walker

"Please do not take Premarin. Please do not pay for cruelty. Tell your daughters, your mothers, your sisters, your aunts, and your friends."
-Bea Arthur

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

URGENT ALERT! KNOWN ANIMAL ABUSER ON CRAIGSLIST LOOKING FOR PETS TO ABUSE!!

2008-09-09T09:17:00.007-04:00

I know this is a Horse Rescue and Horse Slaughter informational blog website, but I saw this in a Care2.com list of blogs and I had to post it. There is a man that is posting a "pets wanted" email on "Craigs List". Craigs List is a popular website where people can go to buy just about anything. Please view this information on this guy who is abusing animals horribly. He goes by the name of Shon Rahrig. And it is said that he lives in Florida, the website address below will give you a lot of information on this guy.

Here is what he is posting on the Craigs list:

And here's the posting they flagged as his. It was on craigslist in the pets section:
Reply to: comm-122227155@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-01-03, 8:44AM EST

"Hello,

I heard that I should try this site to see if anyone is willing to help. I do not have alot of money to purchase a puppy or a dog, but I have a five year old little angel that has a priceless amount of love to give a puppy or dog. I do not live in a huge place, so I am looking for a small puppy. I can assure you that if you have a puppy that would be a good match for our family, it would be loved and well taken care of. Thank you in advance for your help and God Bless."
This is in or around ALPHARETTA

BEWARE OF THIS MAN!!!

The website to view his picture is this:

http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/25253

This man is not giving these animals a good and loving home like he states in his email on Craigs List. He is abusing them in the most horrific way. Please, if you have a blog or know of someone that can put this information out there for others to see, I would greatly appreciate it. AND PLEASE, DO A BACKGROUND CHECK ON PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PURCHASE AN ANIMAL. The internet can give you information on just about anyone. Have them mail you a copy of a valid drivers license, and then check it out online to see if it's accurate. Any kind of background check is better than nothing. These animals don't deserve this, and there are a lot of cruel people out there. He even uses the words "God Bless" in his email. That goes to show you how much of a disturbed man he is.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

URGENT ALERT! CONGRESS IS VOTING ON BILL H.R.6598 ON SEPTEMBER 10-YOUR CALLS ARE NEEDED!!

2008-09-07T20:30:00.003-04:00

HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL UP FOR COMMITTEE VOTE
September 8, 2008

Dear Humanitarian:

AWI has learned that the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 6598) will be voted on by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, September 10th. The bill, which was introduced in July by Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), will criminalize the slaughter of American horses. While the vast majority of Americans, the United States Congress and members of the House Judiciary Committee support an end to horse slaughter there are some members on the committee who are staunch supporters of horse slaughter and will attempt to kill the bill through subterfuge.

What You Can Do:

Call and/or email members of the House Judiciary Committee (see full list below) TODAY and ask them “to support passage of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 6598) out of committee as introduced, with NO amendments”. Please also ask them “to cosponsor H.R. 6598 if they haven’t done so already.” Let them know that:

Every 5 Minutes an American horse is slaughtered for human consumption abroad. Visit www.every5minutes.org for the current number and to learn more about this industry.

Despite the closure of the country’s three remaining horse slaughter plants in 2007, tens of thousands of American horses continue to be slaughtered in Canada and Mexico in the absence of a strong US law banning prohibiting the trade.

* The photo in my video below (the second from last picture), is of a horse in Texarkana, Arkansas, found beaten and crammed onto a horse trailer being transported to slaughter with 18 other horses.

Horse slaughter is not humane euthanasia; it is a brutal process during which horses suffer terribly from start to finish. Their trip to Mexico is often on double deck trailers where they are crammed with dozens of other horses for up to 30 hours without food, water or rest. Once in Mexico some slaughterhouses use a “puntilla” or knife to stab the horse to death. The entire process is extremely inhumane.

Despite claims to the contrary, horse slaughter is not a necessary evil through which sick, old and unwanted horses are humanely disposed of. The industry is a predatory one that actively seeks out marketable and healthy horses to be slaughtered at great profit.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 92% of horses going to slaughter are in good condition and could be placed in a new home. Those horses who are truly sick or old should be humanely euthanized on the spot by a licensed veterinarian.

Horsemeat is considered a delicacy in many European and Asian countries where it is consumed by high-end diners.

The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 6598) will end this cruel trade for good. Ending horse slaughter is a positive step in improving horse welfare in the US, which is why so many horse industry groups and leaders, veterinarians, humane organizations and equine rescues strongly support an end to horse slaughter.

Whether you contact your legislator by phone or email, please be sure to provide him or her with your name and mailing address, and if you are a constituent, request a response on this specific issue. Please also share this alert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their legislators, too. As always, thank you very much for your help.

NOTE: Because of the urgency and limited time we encourage you to call each office and ask for their support. There is no need to contact Chairman Conyers or Representative Scott given their lead on the bill itself. (*) denotes that the member has a history of supporting measures to end horse slaughter. Bolded name denotes they are a current cosponsor of H.R. 6598.

The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., (MI)*
Chairman
Tel: 202-225-5126
Fax: 202-225-0072
Email: john.conyers@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Lamar Smith (TX)
Ranking Member
Tel: 202-225-4236
Fax: 202-225-8628

The Honorable Mark Berman (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-4695
Fax: 202-225-3196
Email: howard.berman@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Lamar Smith (TX)
Ranking Member
Tel: 202-225-4236
Fax: 202-225-8628

The Honorable Rick Boucher (VA)*
Tel: 202-225-3861
Fax: 202-225-0442
Email: ninthnet@mail.house.gov

The Honorable John Sensenbrenner (WI)
Tel: 202-225-5101
Fax: 202-225-3190

The Honorable Jerry Nadler (NY)*
Tel: 202-225-5635
Fax: 202-225-6923

The Honorable Howard Coble (NC)
Tel: 202-225-3065
Fax: 202-225-8611
Email: howard.coble@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Bobby Scott (VA)*
Tel: 202-225-8351
Fax: 202-225-8354

The Honorable Elton Gallegly (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-5811
Fax: 202-225-1100

The Honorable Melvin Watt (NC)*
Tel: 202-225-1510
Fax: 202-225-1512

The Honorable Bob Goodlatte (VA)
Tel: 202-225-5431
Fax: 202-225-9681

The Honorable Zoe Lofgren (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-3072
Fax: 202-225-3336

The Honorable Steve Chabot (OH)*
Tel: 202-225-2216
Fax: 202-225-3012

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee (TX)*
Tel: 202-225-3816
Fax: 202-225-3317

The Honorable Dan Lungren (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-5716
Fax: 202-226-1298

The Honorable Maxine Waters (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-2201
Fax: 202-225-7854

The Honorable Chris Cannon (UT)
Tel: 202-225-7751
Fax: 202-225-5629
Email: cannon.ut03@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Jim Delahunt (MA)*
Tel: 202-225-3111
Fax: 202-225-5658
Email: william.delahunt@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Ric Keller (FL)*
Tel: 202-225-2176
Fax: 202-225-0999

The Honorable Robert Wexler (FL)*
Tel: 202-225-3001
Fax: 202-225-5974

The Honorable Darrell Issa (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-3906
Fax: 202-225-3303

The Honorable Linda Sanchez (CA)
Tel: 202-225-6676
Fax: 202-226-1012

The Honorable Mike Pence (IN)*
Tel: 202-225-3021
Fax: 202-225-3382

The Honorable Steve Cohen (TN)*
Tel: 202-225-3265
Fax: 202-225-5663

The Honorable Randy Forbes (VA)*
Tel: 202-225-6365
Fax: 202-226-1170

The Honorable Hank Johnson (GA)*
Tel: 202-225-1605
Fax: 202-226-0691

The Honorable Steve King (IA)
Tel: 202-225-4426
Fax: 202-225-3193

The Honorable Betty Sutton (OH)*
Tel: 202-225-3401
Fax: 202-225-2266

The Honorable Tom Feeney (FL)
Tel: 202-225-2706
Fax: 202-226-6299

The Honorable Gutierrez (IL)*
Tel: 202-225-8203
Fax: 202-225-7810

The Honorable Trent Franks (AZ)
Tel: 202-225-4576
Fax: 202-225-6328

The Honorable Brad Sherman (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-5911
Fax: 202-225-5879

The Honorable Louie Gohmert (TX)
Tel: 202-225-3035
Fax: 202-225-5866

The Honorable Tammy Baldwin (WI)*
Tel: 202-225-2906
Fax: 202-225-6942

The Honorable Jim Jordan (OH)
Tel: 202-225-2676
Fax: 202-226-0577

The Honorable Anthony Weiner (NY)*
Tel: 202-225-6616
Fax: 202-226-7253
Email: weiner@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Adam Schiff (CA)*
Tel: 202-225-4176
Fax: 202-225-5828

The Honorable Artur Davis (AL)*
Tel: 202-225-2665
Fax: 202-226-9567

The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL)*
Tel: 202-225-7931
Fax: 202-226-2052

The Honorable Keith Ellison (MN)*
Tel: 202-225-4755
Fax: 202-225-4886

Please be the horses voice, and call each number listed above. It will only
take a few minutes of your time, but it will mean the world to a horse in danger of slaughter. God did not intend for his horses to be slaughtered or treated in such a horrible way, wasn't this Country built on "In God We Trust" by our four fathers?

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

A HORSE CALLED ROMEO IN NEED OF A HOME! HE WAS RESCUED FROM SLAUGHTER...

2008-09-07T12:36:00.002-04:00

PLEASE VISIT ANGEL ACRES HORSE HAVEN RESCUES WEBSITE TO SEE A PICTURE OF ROMEO AND GET MORE INFORMATION ON HIM. Or email Jo (owner) at the following address:

www.angelacreshorsehavenrescue.com (Website)
angelacreshorsehaven@yahoo.com (Email Address)

This is a story about Romeo! Jo-Ellen from PA came out to meet (Angel Acres)our gang at the beginning of August. She wanted to do something special for her 60th birthday. She met Romeo and decided right there to adopt him!

However, she has no place to keep a horse, and after much discussion we decided that Angel Acres would free lease him to a child or young adult who loves to ride, but may not have the means to purchase a horse.

This is a win-win situation! Romeo is adopted, which means a space for another horse in need, and a child or young person is going to get to ride a very sweet and beautiful horse.

Our intended family has decided, due to illness, that they cannot take on another horse at this time. So, who better to turn to than our Angel Acres readers?!

If you know of a 4 H or Pony Clubber (or any other person whom you think would benefit from this situation) please drop us a note! Or feel free to forward our info along to them. (You can find Angel Acres email address listed above this blog.)

He ponied at the track for over a year, this requires a sound, patient, level-headed horse, not just any horse can be a pony horse!

Romeo is almost 6 years old and is up-to-date on shots, deworming, teeth, feet, etc. He is being schooled laterally and frames up quite nicely. He goes off your leg and walks, trots and canters both ways. No jumping yet, but he is willing to learn!

Be sure to call or write for more info!

Just a hint...but you must know that if we are writing to you today about Romeo, then we will be writing soon about Juliet! Also assisted by Jo-Ellen!

There is more to come...soon, watch for the next newsletter from Angel Acres posted on this blog website!

Thank you for you continued support of Angel Acres.

Jo

This is a note from Luv4Horses: This website is strictly for people who have
a love and passion for horses, or for people with a genuine heart. These horses I list on this site must go to a good home and individual. Jo from Angel Acres adores and cares for every horse she saves from slaughter. So please make sure you know someone who would like to have a horse that will allow Romeo to live a happy and loving full life, he deserves that and more.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

RACE HORSES BEING SLAUGHTERED-The hidden Truth!

2008-09-05T10:03:00.004-04:00

Just like the fate of Exceller, who was entered into the Hall of Fame in 1997, was sent to a slaughter house. Also, the same fate was brought to the famous Ferdinand.

Few casual horse racing fans are aware that many former racing horses are slaughtered for profit. When a thoroughbred racehorse reaches the end of its career or is simply no longer profitable on the track, it is often taken directly to auction and sold for meat.

"Because horse slaughter is no longer practiced in this country, these thoroughbreds are now being shipped by 'killer buyers' to slaughterhouses abroad, which are frequently less regulated and less humane than former US slaughterhouses." If slaughter was not an option for U.S. horses and for export, this issue would not exist.

Many of the horses depicted in the HBO segment went from the track to a slaughterhouse in Mexico very quickly. View the video under this blog to see the segment.

"It's disturbing that anyone would sell a horse to slaughter, but to do so the moment a young horse stops earning the owner a big check seems particularly repugnant," said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs with the Animal Welfare Institute. "This piece further demonstrates the clear need for passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act."

While the last three horse slaughterhouses operating on US soil were closed in 2007 under state laws, more than 100,000 American horses continue to be killed annually at plants located in Canada and Mexico. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, introduced in the US Congress as H.R. 503 and S. 311, would prohibit the domestic slaughter of horses for human consumption abroad, as well as their export for the same purpose.

"This is a black eye that the Thoroughbred racing world just can't afford right now," Heyde said. "We hope the industry will clean up its act."

AWI encourages everyone to step up calls to their legislators and House and Senate leadership demanding a vote on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act immediatly to stop the slaughterhouses from exporting tens of thousands of American horses to Mexico and Canada.

RACE HORSE SLAUGHTER PART 1

RACE HORSE SLAUGHTER PART 2

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ILLEGALLY ACQUIRED HORSES-FAITHFUL HORSE OWNERS BEWARE, THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR BELOVED HORSE!!

2008-09-02T10:29:00.006-04:00

Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of our horses are stolen each year. Horse thieves make quick money by unloading illegally obtained horses to killer buyers and slaughterhouses. Slaughterhouses typically kill and process them so quickly that it is almost impossible to trace and recover stolen animals in time to save their lives. Who would imagine their stolen animal was hauled across the border to be slaughtered for meat?

Judy Taylor of Kentucky sought help in caring for her two beloved Appaloosa horses, Poco and PJ, due to her own serious health problems. At the recommendation of a friend, she contacted Lisa and Jeff Burgess. The couple agreed to take care of the animals with the understanding that, if they were unable to continue doing so, the horses would be returned to Judy. Despite this agreement, within seven days of receiving the horses, the Burgesses sold them to a known killer buyer. Soon after, Judy discovered what had happened and frantically searched for the horses acquired with fraudulent intentions.

Eventually, she learned the horrifying truth—her horses had been slaughtered for their meat. Successful charges were brought against the Burgesses. The Kentucky Court of Appeals noted, “The Burgesses’ conduct clearly rises to the level of being outrageous and intolerable in that it offends generally accepted standards of decency and morality, certainly a situation in which the recitation of the facts to an average member of the community would arouse his resentment against the actor, and lead him to exclaim, ‘Outrageous!’”

In another tragic case, a horse owner in northwest Oklahoma contacted the Animal Welfare Institute to report that her two pregnant mares were purchased by someone who in turn sold them for slaughter. “Nobody that works at the auction barn let me know who was buying,” she said. “I found out when I went to the office to ask how to notify the buyers so I could send them the breeding certificates.” When the staff hinted that no certificates would be needed, the owner suspected something might be wrong. By the time she located the buyers, the mares had already been sent to Mexico and slaughtered.

This is one more reason out of many that horse slaughter needs to be stopped permenantly! Don't let others make you believe that horse slaughter is the only humane thing for these horses. They will tell you that there are many unwanted horses out there. They will also tell you that horse slaughter should be legal in the U.S. so they don't have to endure the long ride to Mexico or Canada and be injured in the process of transportation. But the real truth is, if we eliminate horse slaughter all together, we won't have to see another horse injured in a double decker trailer being hauled off to slaughter. Also, horse theives won't have any reason to steal a horse for their meat. Trust me, horse slaughter is not the necessary evil, it is sheer evil and has to be stopped! No animal should ever have to go through so much pain, like they do in slaughter. And once again, God did not intend for his horses to be slaughtered for human consumption.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

THE JILL AND TONY CURTIS SONG

2008-09-01T22:39:00.005-04:00

Here is a video of Jill and Tony Curtis, they do so much for horses in need. They rescue horses from slaughter and take in neglected and abandoned horses. These two individuals have the biggest hearts of anyone I know. They do everything they can to take the best care for all their horses. Please watch this video that they have put together. They are active in trying to put a stop to horse slaughter, I'm here to spread the word for them........God Bless you Tony and Jill Curtis, owners of Shiloh Horse Rescue. Visit them at:
www.shilohhorserescue.rescuegroups.org

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My Husband and His Thoughts On Horse Slaughter

2008-08-27T08:53:00.005-04:00

For quite a while now I have been fighting to put an end to Horse Slaughter. I've been emailing every Senator I can think of. I've been on the phone speaking with many Congressmen and Senators pleading to them to co-sponsor the bill H.R.6598. And through it all, I didn't quite have the support from my husband, because he felt that there were more important things to fight for. You have to understand my husband, he is a fisherman and a deer hunter, but he has a love and respect for all animals. Up until today, he didn't know exactly how horses were slaughtered. He thought that they were slaughtered similar to cows, which he found out today that is not true. He now noticed how inhumane horse slaughter really is compared to cow slaughter houses. He found all this out by looking at the video I have published below on this blog. It takes a strong and loving person to view this video and finally see what's happening to these horses. He could have turned a blind eye and said, "I can't take looking at that kind of stuff." and then go on with his day not knowing exactly what happens to these horses. He probably would have continued to think that I should fight for something more important. But now that he has seen the slaughter video below, he totally supports what I'm doing. So if this blog only accomplishes one thing, and that is finally having my husband by myside in the fight, then it has accomplished enough to make my fight even stronger. To view the video below is not to upset anyone, it's only to inform people of what is really happening and how we should all fight to stop it. God didn't intend for his horses to be treated in such a cruel way. And he certainly didn't intend for us to eat them for food, you can read my blog below on "God's Wrath For His Horses". That will tell you just how strong God feels for his horses, and what price the human race will pay for mistreating them.

There was a time that my husband was skeptical if there even was a God. But when I asked him this, he started to transform his thinking, I asked him, "Would you rather go through life believing in God and having him in your life, and find out when you die there's nothing there. Or would you rather go through life not believing in God and find out when you die that the only place for you is hell?" I told him that he can feel however he wanted, but I'm taking the for sure route and I'm believing in God, and I'm going to try to follow his ways as much as I can. I truly believe that God wants his horses to stop being slaughtered, that is why I'm fighting so hard to stop it. It's also because I love horses and all animals with all my heart. I can't change how cruel this world is, but if I can touch one person's heart into fighting along with me, then I have accomplished something that no amount of money can buy. One by one, we can all make a change and make this world a better place for us to live in. And we can make this world a better place for our young children to live in when they become our age. These are just my thoughts for the day, I welcome anyone to make a comment and give me their thoughts, it's nice to hear from others out there.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

TO EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN ILLINOIS! PLEASE READ THIS!

2008-08-24T11:01:00.005-04:00

Last year, Illinois banned the last operating horse slaughter plant in the U.S., where American horses were killed so their meat could be consumed by gourmands in Europe and Asia.

However, a bill has been amended (H.B. 4489) that would legalize horse slaughter again. This bill has already been heard in the Drivers Education and Safety Committee, where it failed to pass. Now, Rep. Jim Sacia is bringing up his bill again in the committee.

TAKE ACTION!! PLEASE!!
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your Illinois state representative and urge opposition to H.B. 4489 that would legalize horse slaughter. Go to this website to look up your state representative and the phone number:
https://community.hsus.org/humane/leg-lookup/search.html

After making your call, send an email to your state representative to oppose H.B. 4489 legalizing horse slaughter in Illinois. Remember to personalize the email message by expressing your opinion in your own words, it's much more effective.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. We have fought so hard to shut down horse slaughter plants in the United States and have managed to accomplish it. Now we need the people of Illinois to stand up once again and fight back with not allowing horse slaughter to exist in your state. Your Representative Jim Sacia, will do everything in his power to make sure his bill passes. It's up to us to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't pass. He's only one person, we are one of many!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE HORSES! PLEASE HELP!

2008-08-23T15:39:00.004-04:00

This is an urgent blog to inform everyone that while our Congressmen
and Senators are out on break until after Labor Day, we need to call
them at their main branch and ask them to co-sponsor bill H.R.6598.
This is so important to do because once they get back from vacation
(their break) they are going to start having their meetings and voting
on bills that come to the floor of Congress and vote on them. So we
need to act fast and call them while we know they are in their home
town and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. This current bill is the
most recent bill in Committee right now, and with added pressure from
all of us, it will be put to a vote after Labor Day. So please read
the following:

TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your Representative to ask them to co-sponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

When you call, you will speak to a staff member who can pass your message along to your legislator. Please be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:

"Hello, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town]. As a constituent, I'm calling to urge Representative [Your Congressman Name] to co-sponsor H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, a new bill to prevent horses from being cruelly slaughtered for human consumption. Thank you."

After making your call, please send a follow-up email to your Representative in support of protecting horses from slaughter. And don't forget to tell your friends and family and inform them on how they can take action, too.

Thank you so much for all your support and for getting involved in the fight to end horse slaughter. Those little velvet nosed animals will thank you unconditionally. I truly hope you take 5 minutes out of your day to do this. It takes such little time, but it means the world to the horses who are being brutally killed and abused in these slaughter houses. Thanks again!

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Home For Horses Coalition On Horse Slaughter! Also Read the next blog on Wyeth Pharmaceutical Company and what their doing to Horses!

2008-08-21T08:53:00.005-04:00

Horse Slaughter - The Facts!

Background

Americans do not eat horses, nor do we raise them for food. Most Americans support a ban on horse slaughter. Yet more than 100,000 horses were killed in the U.S. in 2006 at three foreign-owned slaughterhouses and tens of thousands more were exported for slaughter abroad. The meat comes from pet horses, work horses, race horses and even wild horses and is sold for human consumption in Europe and Asia where it is considered a delicacy.

The Status of Horse Slaughter

Until recently, three horse slaughterhouses existed in the U.S., two in Texas and one and Illinois. All three were foreign owned, and the meat from the slaughtered horses was sent overseas. Impatient at the inability of the federal government to ban the industry, the Texas plants were effectively shuttered in 2007 when Texas began enforcing a 1949 state law prohibiting horse slaughter. Illinois passed a similar law in 2007 and the slaughter stopped there, too. The result was a steep decline in the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. in 2007 (just under 30,000). However, horses were and continue to be shipped out of the country for slaughter in Mexico, Canada and further abroad, in sharply increasing numbers, with more than 100,000 being brutally butchered last year.

Immense Cruelty

The suffering of horses in slaughter, whether here or abroad, is horrendous. But while the process in domestic slaughterhouse whereby horses were often hit in the head with the captive bolt gun multiple times before being strung up for bleeding out and quartering (sometimes while still conscious) the grisly scene in Mexican slaughterhouses is yet worse. A 2007 investigation by The Humane Society of the United States revealed that horses are literally stabbed to death in Mexican slaughterhouses. To view video footage of the treatment, go to http://www.hsus.org/horses_equines/mexico_slaughter_100407.html (warning: graphic content). The findings are echoed in a story by Lisa Sandberg that ran in the San Antonio News Express in October, 2007 in which she wrote:

"The American mare swung her head frantically when the door shut to the kill box, trapping her inside. A worker jabbed her in the back with a small knife – seven, eight, nine times. Eyes wild, she lowered her head and raised it as the blade punctured her body around the withers, again and again. At the 10th jab, she fell to the floor of this Mexican slaughterhouse, bloodied and paralyzed, but not yet dead. She would lay a good two minutes before being hoisted from a chained rear leg so her throat could be slit and she could bleed to death."

How Horses End Up at Slaughter

Most American horses going to slaughter, whether slaughtered here, in Mexico or elsewhere, arrive at the slaughterhouse via livestock auctions where they are bought by "killer-buyers" working for the slaughter plants. The killer-buyers travel from auction to auction to collect horses they can then sell to the slaughterhouses at a profit. These killer-buyers have a financial incentive to outbid other potential purchasers of the horse, and many individuals selling their horses at auction are unaware that they risk placing their horses in the hands of killer buyers simply by entering them into the auction ring. Few horse owners electively sell their horses to slaughter.

Much of the domestic transport of horses to slaughter is unregulated, with only the final leg of the journey to the slaughterhouse covered by federal regulations. This means that slaughter-bound horses continue to be moved on double-deck trailers designed for cattle and pigs in direct violation of Congressional intent. Not only are the conveyances dangerously top-heavy and have been the cause of multiple fatal accidents but they are fundamentally inhumane for transporting equine, forcing many horses to travel in a bent position. The portion of the journey to slaughter which is regulated by the government allows horses to be shipped for more than 24 hours at a time without food, water or rest. Foals, heavily pregnant mares, horses with broken legs and blind horses can be moved, under the regulations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now seeking to broaden the scope of its transport regulations to cover all segments of the journey to slaughter so as to finally ban the use of double-deckers but it is too little too late, particularly given that the domestic horse slaughter plants have been shut down. The United States government has no authority to regulate the treatment of horses once they cross the border and are outside of U.S. territory.

The Remedy – Passage of federal legislation

The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) prohibits the transport and sale of horses to slaughter for human consumption, effectively halting their slaughter here and export for slaughter abroad. First introduced in 2001 - AHSPA - (S. 311 in the Senate, H.R. 503 in the House) has steadily gained public and Congressional support with the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passing the bill in the 109th Congress. Related measures designed to stop horse slaughter have also received widespread Congressional support including a spending restriction to the FY 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill designed to stop slaughter by withdrawing federal funds for legally mandated inspections. It passed both the House and Senate by a landslide but was circumvented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A similar amendment is in the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

More recently, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 (PECA) was introduced in the House by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN). The bill (H.R. 6598) would ban horse slaughter by amending Title 18 of the US Code thus providing the federal government and law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to ensure that American horses are protected from the brutal practice of slaughter. The bill carries criminal penalties for the purchase, sale, delivery or export of horsemeat intended for human consumption.

Yet the slaughter continues in the absence of final passage of either federal bill, in large part because the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the foreign-owned slaughterhouses continue to defend slaughter in the face of public and professional opinion. The majority of Americans, the humane community, much of the equestrian community and dozens and dozens of celebrities and corporate leaders support passage of the bill, as does the majority of the United States Congress.

What You Can Do

* Contact your elected officials

Please call or email your elected officials and ask them to cosponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503) and the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act ( H.R. 6598). To send an e-letter, or to find out more about contacting your elected representatives, click on one or both of the links below.

AWI’s Compassion Index (go to) http://www.compassionindex.com

HSUS (go to) http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws

* Register your support for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

If you are with an equine rescue organization or work in the equestrian sector and wish to have your business or organization’s name added to the list of those supporting federal legislation to end horse slaughter, please send us an email, our email address is: info@homesforhorses.org

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

New Information on Wyeth the Pharmaceutical Company and what their doing to Horses (Mares and Foals)

2008-08-20T09:20:00.006-04:00

There is news that I just found out about what is happening
with this issue with PMU horses. It appears that the American
Welfare Institute has reported that the company known as
Wyeth, a company that produces vaccinations and pills for
people of all ages, is doing the unthinkable. There is a
drug out there called "Premarin" which the majority of it's
ingredients is "PMU" Pregnant Mare Urine. There are
approximately 60 farms in the US and 450 farms in Canada
that are working with this company "Wyeth" to produce the
Pregnant Mare Urine. These mares are going through extreme
pain and are being bred strictly for their urine. After
the foal is born, they are sent to the slaughter houses at
the age of 2 to 5 Months old for their meat. Then, once
the mare can no longer be of any use to these farms in
breeding them, they are also sent off to the slaughter houses.
Now, I found out through AWI (Animal Welfare Institute) that
since there is no longer a high demand for this "Premarin" drug,
because it was causing death to women and also causing strokes.
The Wyeth company's are telling these farms to continue breeding
these mares so they can make money on sending the foals to
slaughter. I've been told that the Government can't do anything
about this Wyeth Company doing this because they are not
controlled by the government. So this Wyeth company is threatening
these PMU farms that if they don't keep producing foals, that they
will no longer do business with them. So once again, it's all
about the money and not the welfare of the Mares and foals.
Something needs to be done about this immediately! Now you can
see how important it is to end horse slaughter in the United
States and around the world. By ending the transportation of
our horses going to horse slaughter and making horse slaughter
permenantly illegal in the United States, it will stop a lot of
these type of issues with our horses and will start changing
things for the better in this country. Please Read the
"Unwanted Horse Myth" on my blog list. It will tell you how
closing down horse slaughter in the US has stopped abandoned and
neglected horses by a considerable percentage amount. It also
helped decrease horse left by a good percentage. So by horse
slaughter no longer being an easy outlet for horse owners and
these money making horse slaughter companies, then I truly believe
that horses will be able to be adopted by others from owners that
no longer want them or can care for them. They can also go to
these Horse Rescue farms who can also help adopt out horses.
Or, if they are ill or have any medical issues, there is the option
of humanely euthanizing them by a legal vet. Euthanasia is so much
more humane and not so horrifying as the process of horse slaughter.
These horses need to start being respected and loved, like God
intended them to be. Please read my Bible passage at the end
of this page at the bottom. This is why I can't give up the fight
for stopping horse slaughter and the cruel treatment to horses.
There are so many horse rescue farms out there that are able to
take or adopt out many horses that are unwanted, so please don't
fall for the myth of the unwanted horse. It's these slaughter
company's that are benefiting from that story only to make
money, they can care less about the horses or their welfare.

Please visit Habitat For Horses website at:
"www.habitatforhorses.org" and click on "Join Campaigns" at the
top. Then click on "PMU", please read this story on what is
happening to the PMU Mares and their foals. Educating yourself
on this is crucial in putting an end to horse slaughter and the
horrifying treatment these mares are going through. Maybe this
story will give you the passion to fight for these horses like
it did me. The fight can be won if we use our voices and voice
our opinions to the right people, like our Congressmen and
Senators. Please make your voices heard! Speak for the horses
who can't speak for themselves.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Animal Welfare Institute Testifies Before Congress

2008-08-12T17:52:00.002-04:00

Animal Welfare Institute Testifies Before Congress in Favor of New Bill Containing Criminal Penalties for Horse Slaughter

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2008) – “Every five minutes an American horse is slaughtered to fill the demand of high-end European and Asian diners,” Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) federal policy advisor Liz Ross said today, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security in support of a new bill to end the cruel transport and slaughter of America’s horses.

The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008, H.R. 6598, carries criminal penalties for the purchase, sale, delivery or export of horsemeat intended for human consumption including fines and prison time. Introduced on July 24, 2008 by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), the bill would amend Title 18 of the US Code, providing US government officials and law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to ensure that American horses are protected from the brutal trade for their meat.
The bill has already garnered tremendous bipartisan support. “This issue has been vetted in Congress on multiple occasions and every time any measure to prohibit or restrict horse slaughter comes up for a vote the tally is overwhelming in favor of ending this form of animal cruelty,” Ross stated in her testimony.

“I am proud to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 6598,” said lead co-sponsor Representative Burton. “We must treat these magnificent animals with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Not only is there legislative precedence for taking the Judiciary route to address the issue of horse slaughter – via an earlier incarnation of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act that allowed for penalties to be assessed under Title 18 – but horse slaughter, in every respect, is a form of animal cruelty and ought to be recognized and treated as such, Ross explained.

“We thank Representatives Conyers and Burton, who have afforded the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 a fair opportunity to proceed, as well as Chairman Bobby Scott for his co-sponsorship and commitment to moving this important bill,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for AWI. “Now that H.R. 6598 has moved from subcommittee, we hope the Speaker and the Senate will provide similarly swift consideration for a policy that is supported by the vast majority of Americans.”

Testifying before the Subcommittee in favor of H.R. 6598 were, in addition to Liz Ross; Dr. John Boyd, President of the National Black Farmers Association; Wayne Pacelle President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and Dr. Nick Dodman of co-founder of Veterinarians for Equine Welfare. The full text of their statements is available as a PDF by clicking on their names above.

To view the hearing please visit the Subcommittee website at: http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_073108.html

H.R. 6598 is still in Committee, and with everyone's help in voicing to their Congressmen and Senator's that they demand this be passed and be afforded due process, this bill has a very good chance of passing.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Congress Takes Horse Cruelty Head On!

2008-08-09T13:58:00.004-04:00

For seven years now, people have fought hard to protect America’s horses from the cruel and preventable practice of horse slaughter. Sadly, the few individuals profiting from this industry have spent vast sums of money to mislead some in the horse industry and US Congress. They have turned a serious animal cruelty issue into a political game. Despite all of this, support continues to grow for a ban because no false stories or fabricated tales of “unwanted horses” can derail the simple truth – horse slaughter is cruel.

As of today (July 24, 2008), House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) have taken up the reins of this cause and committed themselves to ending horse slaughter by sponsoring H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". This bill directly addresses the cruelty of horse slaughter – a consequence of the industry that even opponents of ending horse slaughter admit exists. This legislation is not new, as the original bill introduced in 2002 to end horse slaughter included enforcement language from Title 18 of the US Criminal Code for those found guilty of breaking the law. Chairman Conyers has simply removed the unnecessary language from the earlier versions to specifically target those causing the cruelty to horses.

Every five minutes, an American horse is brutally slaughtered for human consumption in plants in Mexico and Canada. Ironically, industry lobbyists admit to Congress that the foreign horse slaughter plants are cruel, yet the companies the lobbyists represent also own and operate these very plants across the border! Despite unsubstantiated claims of “unwanted” and “abandoned” horses, these foreign-owned plants and their killer-buyers continue to buy horses from all over America at an alarming rate to meet the demand for the animals’ flesh in fancy European restaurants.

Horse slaughter is a brutal process from beginning to end. Killer-buyers have no regard for the horses’ welfare, they just need to find as many of the animals as possible in order to fill a quota. Because the horses’ final destination is slaughter, no concern is paid to their treatment when they are collected, during transport, or in the slaughterhouse. A former equine investigator for the Pennsylvania state police summed this industry up perfectly when she said, “… horses were deprived of food and water because they were going to slaughter anyway. My conclusion is that the slaughter option encourages neglect…Money is the only objective of selling horses to slaughter. Those of us in the trenches have seen enough.”

Constituents concerned about the welfare of America’s horses must use this opportunity to speak up to their Members of Congress. The slaughterhouses, their lobbyists and the few pro-horse slaughter groups will be on Capitol Hill screaming loudly because they know support for ending horse slaughter is already strong. They know that if this issue is given a fair hearing and a fair vote, horse slaughter will end immediately.

Even though this fight has gone on for years, we must never forget that until Congress acts and passes a federal ban, horses are being hauled across the United States before being sent to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered under even worse conditions. The slaughterhouses and their supporters hope to wear down horse advocates by stalling the political process. We must send a message that we will not stop until ALL horses are protected from slaughter.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please call, write or email your Representative today, urging him or her to support H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". Chairman Conyers and Congressman Burton intend to do everything in their power to move this measure through Congress as soon as possible. Be sure to mention the facts above.

Many Members of Congress have already supported a similar measure, so this is not a new proposal; Find out if your Representative is on the Judiciary Committee, please urge him or her to attend any upcoming hearing and speak out on this important legislation as well.

Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

Unwanted Horse Myth

2008-08-07T09:01:00.000-04:00

Debunking the "Unwanted Horse" Myth*
In recent years some industry groups and other supporters of horse slaughter which consistently fight passage of theAmerican Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) have claimed that there exists a huge “unwanted horse” population in the United States.These organizations, which include the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Quarter Horse Association, have been lobbying Congress to block passage of the AHSPA on the premise that slaughter offers a humane way to dispose of these animals, a necessary evil without which horses would be subjected to neglect, abandonment and abuse. In short, they argue that horse slaughter improves horse welfare. Ironically, these groups were largely silent on issues of equine welfare prior to introduction of the AHSPA. Yet now that the horse slaughter industry is seriously threatened the coalition’s partners are citing animal welfareas the basis for their pro-slaughter stance. The truth is that, no hard data exists on an "unwanted horse" population. The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s own website
states: "No accurate figures document how many unwanted horses actually exist, their age and sex, the breeds represented, how many are purebred versus grade, their most recent use, their value or what happens to them in the long run. Tens of thousands of horses that could be classified as unwanted are being sent to processing facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico each year." In short, the coalition has absolutely no evidence to support its claim that horses going to slaughter are "unwanted". What is clear is that killer buyers working for the slaughterhouses are outbidding other buyers at auction because they have a financial incentive to do so. The market for slaughter horses is set by the international demand for their meat in other countries, not by the number of "unwanted horses".

Here are the facts: Horse slaughter is a brutal, predatory business that purposely seeks out healthy, marketable horses. A U.S. Department of Agriculture study revealed that more than 92% of horses going to slaughter are in good condition. The notion that without horse slaughter there will be flood of abandoned horses is simply unfounded. When the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. fell by approximately 90% between the early 1990s and the early 2000s there was no correlating increase in abandoned, neglected and abused horses. Likewise, equine cruelty investigators in Illinois report that horse abandonment and abuse cases actually dropped during the temporary closure of the Cavel slaughter plant in the early 2000s (the plant is now permanently shut under state law). In California, not only was there no increase in horse abuse and neglect cases following passage of the state’s stringent anti-horse slaughter law in 1998, but there was a 34% drop in horse theft. Horse slaughter actually encourages abuse and neglect. Unscrupulous owners who tire of caring for their horses have the easy outlet of dumping their horses into slaughter. Cruelty investigators report multiple instances where owners stop feeding or providing veterinary care for their horses prior to selling them to slaughter. Such neglect is illegal. There is no statistical evidence to support claims that more horses are being abandoned following closure of the domestic horse slaughter plants. Abandonment is illegal and any instances of abandoned equines (or other animals) should be reported and prosecuted. Ultimately, those supporting horse slaughter – allegedly in the name of equine welfare - suggest that the horse slaughter industry provides a service for the humane disposal of unwanted horses.
Nothing could be further truth. While there may not be a home for every horse, horse slaughter
has no place in a society that cares for its horses. Responsible breeding and ownership, coupled with veterinarian-administered euthanasia when necessary, are the answer; not slaughter.