Equine Empowerment

 *The U.S. has approximately 10 million horses, and historically only 1%  end up going to slaughter annually.  Some 900,000 horses die annually and are safely disposed of by means  other than slaughter, and the infrastructure can easily absorb an  increase in numbers.
  *The average age of a slaughter horse is 4 to 6 years old.
  *Not old or sick, 92.3% are in good to excellent condition with no behavioral problems according to a USDA study.
  *Only 4% of a horses slaughtered are over 9 years old. 

* The majority of U.S. horses going to slaughter are Quarter Horses, as many as 7 out of 10.  
  *In a poll by the prestigious Lake Research Partners, 80% of Americans say no to horse slaughter. 

These people are for the most part irresponsible owners who can't be  bothered to (1) find another home or occupation for their horse,  (2)  find a rescue or sanctuary to take their horse in, or (3) have the  horse euthanized and the body properly disposed of.

This group also includes breeders who have misjudged or ignored the  market and now can't sell their horses because they have produced too  many.People send horses to slaughter because they  want a quick and easy  way to get rid of them and make a bit of money at the same time.  

• The S.A.F.E. Act is federal legislation that would prevent the horse slaughter industry from  reestablishing operations in the U.S. and prohibit the export of  American horses abroad for slaughter. 

"Using the link to the form below, please take a moment to send an email  to your U.S. representative urging him or her to cosponsor and support  the SAFE Act. If your member of Congress has already signed on to be a cosponsor, our system will instead generate a message of thanks - . 

https://awionline.org/compassion-index#/bills/detail/id/25869

• Update—February 15, 2019: In a win for both wild and domestic horses, Congress and the White House reached an agreement on FY2019 Appropriations today to  fund the federal government through September 30, 2019. The spending  package retained provisions to keep horse slaughter off American soil  and to protect wild horses and burros, so they are safe for a few  months, but emails to Congress are still needed in anticipation of  FY2020 planning, which begins soon. 

"Use the link below for the ASPCA Email form to contact your members of Congress asking them to protect America’s horses."  

 There are many alternatives to horse slaughter. Horses can be given another chance at life through retraining and adoption programs or with rescues, retirement homes, and sanctuaries. Sound horses can also enjoy second careers as pleasure horses, Mounted Police horses, and therapy horses. When a horse becomes old, infirm or mortally ill, the horse should be euthanized by a qualified veterinarian. There are a wide variety of options for post mortem disposal that range from the costly to economical. These include burial (where permitted), cremation, rendering, composting and landfills.Texas A&M, in response to this question, released a special report on composting as a viable alternative that would be both environmentally and politically beneficial, predicting that this could become a big market when horse slaughter is banned.

 https://articles.extension.org/pages/20164/horse-disposal-options