HORSES IN OUR HANDS JOINS KEY ANIMAL ADVOCACY STAKEHOLDERS TO BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER IN 2023
At the end of 2022, the founders of Horses in Our Hands, Siri Lindley and Rebekah Keat announced they were stepping down from actively lobbying in DC due to the financial and emotional strain. They wanted to focus on rescuing horses on the ground and continuing to save lives in need!
Despite that decision, a light has been lit by a group of key horse experts and advocates that have come together and asked Siri and Bek to join them in a fight they truly believe can be won in 2023! We are excited to announce we are joining them!
For the last 3 years, Horses in Our Hands has been actively lobbying in Washington DC for our beloved horses. We were heartbroken at the end of 2022 when the SAFE Act, which would have banned horse slaughter for human consumption, was blocked by big Ag, ranchers and others from going to full House Committee Markup at the last minute. We were blindsided by this, we learned there are insidious and powerful pro horse slaughter groups who control legislators in Washington DC…but we will never give up fighting for horses! Watch our video series from Cofounder Rebekah Keat for all the details on who blocked the Safe Act.
Our beautiful icons suffer a terrifying and brutal end as they ultimately wind up on dinner plates in China and Japan. It’s pure animal abuse, it’s disgusting and it’s wrong.
Horses are transported long distances to slaughter plants without food, water, or rest and become seriously injured or die during the journey. As flight animals, horses are especially skittish in the kill chute, which causes horrific issues during the slaughter process where many are dismembered alive. This must end this year.
To this end, we love partnering with other organizations who are as dedicated to protecting our American horses from this horrible fate as we are! There is strength in numbers and it’s truly gratifying to work with so many knowledgeable and passionate horse lovers.
Our new focus of the year is joining our fellow stakeholders in lobbying Congress to amend the 2023 Farm Bill to help equines. This can only be done every 5 years, so time is already running out!
In the 2018 Farm Bill, an amendment to ban the slaughter of dogs and cats in America was added. This amendment also included exporting them for this same reason. We believe Equines should be added to this existing Amendment. It follows logic because like dogs and cats, we don’t eat horse meat and we shouldn’t allow them to be exported for the same reason. It’s time this bloody practice ends and including horses and burrows to this amendment is the humane thing to do.
This couldn’t happen at a better time as our fellow horse advocates recently released an investigation on American equines being transported to the border for horrific slaughter.
Animal Wellness Action, Animals’ Angels, and the Center for a Humane Economy released a damning investigation on American equines being transported to the border to be butchered for human consumption. The report, at 34 pages and featuring more than 70 supporting photographs, provides a chilling look inside the business of foreign slaughter of American equines.
A recent poll showed 83% of Americans wants this disgusting practice to end. It’s a
bi partisan issue we can all agree on. House and Senate Agriculture Committee members must listen to their constituents and end the horrific slaughter of our beautiful equines.
We will keep you in the loop with new developments and how you can help. Expect to hear more very soon!
Please donate to help us Ban Horse Slaughter.
With love and gratitude,
Rebekah Keat and Siri Lindley
Founders of Believe Ranch and Rescue and Horses in Our Hands.