New Equine Rescue Registry Will Save Horses From Slaughter

Some say that cases of horse neglect have been on the rise over the past few years. But rather than attribute it to the most likely cause — people unable to afford caring for their horses in a struggling economy — slaughter proponents blame it on the 2007 federal ruling that effectively shut down horse slaughterhouses in the U.S. They claim that, since people can't just sell their horses for meat, they end up abandoning and neglecting them when they can no longer afford them (or no longer care).

It's an argument that makes little sense. For one thing, horses are still being sold for slaughter — tens of thousands every year — it's just that now the horses have to be shipped across the border to Canada or Mexico. People who are willing to sell their horses to slaughter — to let them endure the cruelty of transportation and slaughterhouses — always saw their horses as little more than a piece of meat.

In some cases, well-intentioned owners who can no longer provide care relinquish their horses to rescue groups who turn out to be little more than horse dealers, or simply let them loose to fend for themselves.

The state of Arizona just made it a whole lot easier for horse owners to do the right thing ... or, depending on how you want to look at it, a whole lot harder for shady rescuers to take advantage of people and for slaughter apologists to continue blaming the slaughter ban for horse neglect.

Last year, the Arizona Horse Council and the equine rescue community started lobbying for a public list of reputable rescue organizations to help people find help for their horses. Thanks to their efforts, the Arizona Department of Agriculture has established the statewide Equine Rescue Registry. While other states have been trying to reinstate horse slaughter, Arizona's solution is one that will save lives.

In order to get on the list, horse rescues must be nonprofit organizations and get a veterinarian's stamp of approval for their health and safety standards. They also pay a small registration fee and are reviewed annually.

Chip Wilson, vice president of the Arizona Horse Council, said the registry will give people a way to tell the difference between rescues they can trust and the unscrupulous organizations who bill themselves as shelters, then turn around and sell horses, sometimes to slaughterhouses. The good rescue groups will not only keep the horses safe, they also try to work with horse owners to help them keep their animals, when possible.

Selling horses for slaughter could be coming to an end in the U.S. as the market for horse meat continues to decline, Canada debates closing its borders to the 50,000 American horses shipped there every year, and legislators consider the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act. But until the industry is shut down, "starve or slaughter" are not the only options, and Arizona's Equine Rescue Registry will help protect both horses and owners.

Photo credit: Kevin.Cochran