Wednesday, January 28, 2009

LIVE FEED ON SATURDAY FEB 7th 3 PM With John Holland (Senior Analyst for AAHS) and Paula Bacon and Laura Allen!

Saving America's Horses on WFL Endangered Stream Live, Talk Radio for the Protection of Animals

The Hidden Cruelty of Horse Slaughter and the Fight for Federal Support to Make it Stop.

Host Katia Louise interviews an expert panel of guests on the continuing sordid practice of horse slaughter as currently sustained by the United States. Horses suffer unimaginable cruel treatment in the process of their transport out of the US to Mexico and Canada where they experience barbaric slaughter. Listeners will learn the truth about one of America's darkest secrets and how to take action to stop this cruel and rapidly growing business of exports through the support of current, yet disregarded bills lingering in Congress for the past 8 years.

Guests include Paula Bacon representing Americans Against Horse Slaughter and as former mayor of Kaufman TX, she helped to shut down the Dallas Crown, a US horse slaughter plant now operating in Mexico, among the worst malign abusers of cruelty in this brutal practice. Also joining us is the renown author on the issue of horse slaughter, John Holland; senior analyst for Americans Against Horse Slaughter. Holland has authored and coauthored studies on the relationship of horse slaughter to the rate of abuse and neglect in horses and has written dozens of articles on the subject of horse slaughter and its politics. Plus we have Animal Law Attorney, Laura Allen of the Animal Law Coalition who's been fiercely active in the support of getting legislature passed for the Prevention of the Equine Cruelty. These panelists are fighting to abolish horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter with support more stringent enforcement of laws to prevent abuse and neglect.

Call-in number: (646) 727- 2170. Calls will be accepted live during the show. The chat room at the show's WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio page will be open throughout the broadcast for simultaneous discussion and to help answer questions. Registered listeners may connect and talk straight from their computer from anywhere in the world. (learn more)

Listen live on Saturday, Feb 7th at 3pm (PST) at WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio.
Listen anytime on demand.


Links:
http://wflendangeredstreamlive.org/showlineup.html

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wflendangeredstreamlive/2009/02/07/Saving-Americas-Horses

Thursday, January 15, 2009

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!

Bill to End Horse Slaughter Reintroduced in 111th Congress

Washington, DC (January 15, 2009) – The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503), was reintroduced yesterday by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN). They first introduced the bill, which will ban horse slaughter, in the summer of 2008. It gained quick bipartisan support and passed out of the Judiciary Committee but did not move further as the legislative clock wound down. Committed to seeing the measure passed into law, Chairman Conyers has given the bill priority in his committee, as signaled by its reintroduction so early on the legislative calendar. With sixty-one original cosponsors, the bill already enjoys strong bipartisan support.

Although the few remaining horse slaughter plants operating in the US were shut down in 2007 under state law, the absence of a federal law banning the practice means that American horses are still at risk of being slaughtered for human consumption. In fact, more than 100,000 horses were exported to Mexico and Canada in 2008 for slaughter; In Canada horses are often shot to death while in Mexico some plants still use the “puntilla” knife to stab the horse into a state of paralysis prior to being slaughtered while still fully conscious. The meat is then sold to high-end consumers in Europe and Asia.

“There are naysayers who claim we should reopen the US plants rather than seek to ban all horse slaughter. Clearly, they’ve already forgotten how awful the plants here were,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of Government and Legal Affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute.

Documents recently released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal just how brutal conditions were at the US plants before they were shut down. Hundreds of graphic photographs taken by U.S. Department of Agriculture employees at one plant show live horses with missing legs, with eyeballs hanging out, with skin ripped from the body and the birth of foals at the plant. Other photos show horses dead on arrival, having succumbed to the miseries of transport.

“The suffering of hundreds of thousands of our horses rests solely on the shoulders of those blocking this bill. Were it not for their stalling tactics horse slaughter would have ceased years ago. Meanwhile an American horse is slaughtered every five minutes. We commend Chairman Conyers and Representative Burton for taking the lead once again to end this cruel practice through introduction of H.R. 503, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act,” said Heyde.

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For further information contact:
Chris Heyde, 202-446-2142
Liz Ross, 202-497-6780

For over 58 years, AWI has been the leading voice for animals across the country and on Capitol Hill. Please join us in our ongoing campaigns to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Sign up for AWI eAlerts to receive the latest news on what you can do to help us protect all animals: http://www.awionline.org/joinus.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Gelding saved from slaughter becomes USEF Horse of the Year



January 19, 2009

2008 USEF Horse of the Year Jamaica.

A 17-year-old Dutch gelding that was rescued on his way to the slaughter horse is the 2008 United States Equestrian Federation Horse (USEF) of the Year.
Jamaica, the foundation of Chester Weber's Four-in-Hand team that won Individual Silver at the 2008 FEI World Four-in-Hand Driving Championships, beat out four other nominees for the award.

What he has achieved in his career is remarkable.

"The horse is amazing," said Weber after receiving his trophy from Farnam's Chris Jacobi and USEF President David O'Connor. "It is great to be part of his life."

The Dutch warmblood gelding [by Cambridge Cole S974 and out of Welkom (Noran)] was initially bought to be a tourist carriage horse, rescued on his way to the slaughter house. His refusal to stand still and be patient was the demise of that career but his tenacity and strength of character paid off when he landed in Weber's stable.

Jamaica has been part of all six of Weber's Four-in-Hand National Championship teams, his results speak for themselves but if he could talk, the horse would have plenty to say.

"It's a real honor to share this journey with such an unbelievable horse," said Weber. "Driving is a very small discipline in this country and the support from the rescue organizations and the letters I got from kids was amazing."

The winning veteran will receive a year's worth of Farnam Platform feed for his efforts.

Jamaica had some seriously tough competition from across equestrian sport. Adams Fire, a dynamic Half-Arabian, owned by Starline Arabians, LLC won eight National Championships in 2008 with three different riders, a huge testament to his versatility. Adams Fire won the 2008 US National Champion in Half-Arabian English Pleasure Open after a thrilling finish in a three-way work off.

Tiziano dominated the 15 and Under Hunter division and has been Champion or Grand Champion 16 times in 2008, 15 for Jessica Springsteen. The ultra-consistent Tiziano won at Devon, the Washington International Horse Show, the Hampton Classic and Pennsylvania National. Tiziano, owned by Stone Hill Farm, kicked off the year by winning at the Winter Equestrian Festival three consecutive weeks.

Friesian Quest LLC's Dante FQ dominated his division with an incredibly diverse resume. He excelled in saddle seat, driving, dressage and cross country jumping. He won 15 championship titles in 2008 including hunter pleasure/hack mount.

The show jumpers were represented by Mollie and Harry Chapman's Flexible. The diminutive Irish Sport Horse gelding came back from two career threatening injuries to jump to second place at the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final in Sweden and was a integral member of the winning Nations Cup team at the CSIO5* in Spruce Meadows. Ridden by Rich Fellers, Flexible produced results all year, beginning with three consecutive $50,000 Grand Prix at Thermal in the spring.

Over a hundred other awards were presented, including Grand Champions, National Champions and Reserve Champions across the various USEF Breeds and Disciplines.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

New Legislation Introduced to End Inhumane Transport of Horses!

HR 305

Stop Inhumane Horse Transport
Doubler decker trailers are designed for short-necked species, such as cattle and hogs, not horses. However, current federal law allows horses to be transported in these trailers to any destination other than slaughter plants.

Since these trailers are not meant to carry horses, frequently the top deck of the trailer will collapse, resulting in horrific injuries and even death. Just last year, a double decker trailer carrying 59 young Belgian horses overturned on an Illinois highway, killing 17 horses and injuring dozens of others.

Fortunately, Representatives Kirk (R-IL) and Cohen (D-TN) introduced, H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, to ban the use of double decker trailers for all horse transport.

TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your U.S. Representative to urge support for H.R. 305 to prohibit double decker trailers for horse transport. You can reach your Representative through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or click here to look up your Representative and the phone number.

After making your call, fill in and submit the form on the right to automatically send an email to your U.S. Representative. Remember to personalize the email message by expressing your opinion in your own words; it's much more effective.


Take Action!