Every year, thousands of American horses are caught in a system few realize still exists. Although horse slaughterhouses were shut down in the United States in 2007, more than 20,000 horses continue to be exported annually to Mexico and Canada, where they endure long, punishing journeys before being killed for meat consumed overseas, according to the ASPCA.

Horses shipped for slaughter are not only the old or sick. Former racehorses, working animals, family companions, and even prize-winning competition horses find themselves in this pipeline. Many are purchased at auctions by “kill buyers” who outbid legitimate adopters, aiming only to turn a profit from foreign demand. Once a horse enters this system, its fate is sealed.

Horses are not raised for human consumption.

A Brutal and Dangerous Trade

The conditions endured by horses on the way to slaughter are harsh. They are often packed into trucks for more than 24 hours at a time without food, water, or rest. Transport injuries, dehydration, and even death before arrival are common. Once they reach the slaughterhouse, the killing process is rarely swift or humane. Investigations have documented horses remaining conscious during dismemberment, a grim reality for animals that are highly sensitive and easily distressed by noise and chaos.

The industry also poses risks to human health. Horses in the U.S. are not raised as food animals and are routinely given medications, antibiotics, and substances that the Food and Drug Administration has banned for consumption. One of the most common drugs, phenylbutazone—or bute—can cause life-threatening blood disorders in people if ingested. Racehorses often receive this drug before being sold off, sometimes just days before entering the slaughter pipeline. The Animal Welfare Institute warns that horsemeat mixed into the food chain could expose unsuspecting consumers to toxic residues.

American horses face brutal slaughter in foreign countries.

The SAFE Act’s Promise

The Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act offers a clear solution. This bipartisan legislation would permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States and prohibit the export of live horses for slaughter abroad. If passed, it would close the loophole that allows horses to be trucked over borders and killed out of public view.

Reintroduced in 2025 as H.R. 1661 in the House and S. 775 in the Senate, the bill is led by lawmakers across party lines, including Representatives Vern Buchanan and Jan Schakowsky, and Senators Lindsey Graham and Ben Ray Luján. It currently enjoys more than 100 cosponsors. As Animal Equality reports, the measure is being championed for inclusion in the 2025 Farm Bill—a crucial opportunity to bring it into law.

Horsemeat poses serious health risks to humans.

Why the Ban Is Necessary

The SAFE Act is more than a moral response to cruelty; it is also a public health safeguard. Without it, horsemeat continues to enter international markets despite the lack of any system ensuring the meat is safe. The European Union already restricts imports of horsemeat from Mexico due to contamination concerns, cutting into the demand that once saw 150,000 American horses shipped abroad annually. That number has dropped to about 20,000, but the trade persists, as Skydog Ranch & Sanctuary points out.

Opponents of the SAFE Act sometimes argue that slaughter provides a solution for unwanted horses. Yet studies show that rescues and sanctuaries could absorb the remaining animals if the pipeline closed. Programs offering hay banks, low-cost euthanasia, and rehoming options are already operating nationwide, giving owners humane alternatives. By removing slaughter as a convenient option, the Act would also pressure the horse industry to reduce irresponsible breeding practices.

Horse slaughter is a cruel and inhumane practice.

What’s at Stake for Wild Horses

Wild horses and burros face unique dangers once they leave federal protection. Under current law, once title transfers to a new owner, these animals can be sold without restrictions, leaving them vulnerable to slaughter. Passage of the SAFE Act would extend protection to these animals after adoption or sale. As Wild Horse Education notes, this safeguard is essential to prevent America’s iconic wild herds from being funneled into the same brutal system that claims so many domestic horses.

Tens of thousands of horses are shipped for slaughter annually.

A Call for Action

The SAFE Act would end a practice most Americans oppose and close a dangerous loophole in U.S. law. For decades, public opinion has stood firmly against horse slaughter. Yet without federal action, horses remain one bad sale away from a grim fate.

Protecting horses means ensuring they are never again shipped into crowded trucks, subjected to inhumane deaths, or turned into unsafe meat abroad. Passing the SAFE Act is not just a legislative step—it is a moral obligation to honor the role horses have played as companions, workers, and symbols of freedom in American life.

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