All The Pretty Horses... Slaughtered??

Like most Americans, you are probably shocked to learn that our beloved horses are still sent to slaughter, by the tens of thousands, every year. Americans don't eat horsemeat -- there simply is no domestic demand for it. But last year, more than 90,000 American horses were either killed in one of three foreign-owned slaughterhouses in the United States or shipped to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Our thoroughbreds, show horses, mustangs, carriage horses, and family ponies are shipped in inhumane conditions and butchered.
The Humane Society of the United States has been fighting for years to end horse slaughter, and last year in two landslide, bipartisan votes, Congress passed measures to prevent the use of tax dollars to fund horse slaughter inspections. Shocklingly, President Bush signed the final ban on November 10, 2005, and it was scheduled to take effect on March 10, less than a month away. This was a huge victory for America's horses and those of us who want to protect them from cruelty and abuse.
Never did we imagine that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), an administrative agency charged with carrying out Congress' will, might betray the members of Congress and the Americans they represent. But unbelievably, the USDA, with its ties to the livestock industry, says it will not implement this Congressional mandate. These bureaucrats are obviously hell-bent on allowing the slaughter of America's horses and they're moving forward with a plan to buck Congress' slaughter ban.

It is clear that we can not rely on the USDA alone. We must urge Congress today to pass a permanent ban on horse slaughter. It is the only way we can put our horses out of the reach of agency bureaucrats who will apparently do anything to keep American horsemeat flowing to French and Belgian chefs. Their actions are shameless, and they must be stopped!
1. Take action. We have no time to waste -- Congress must act now and pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act this year. Click here to contact your members of Congress.
2. Spread the word. Most people are shocked to learn that our horses are being slaughtered and shipped overseas for human consumption. Click here to tell your friends and family how they can help end horse slaughter.
Knowing that hundreds of thousands of our loyal companions have already been slaughtered is simply devastating. Please stand with us and do everything you can to spare the lives of our horses. With your help, I know we can prevail and save tens of thousands of American horses from the butcher block. We all must take action now to save these horses from a grim and painful end.