There's No Time Like Derby Time to Push the SAFE Act

For all the efforts of well-meaning advocates, there seemed to be a point at which the sale and purchase of horses in the United States for transport to foreign slaughter facilities became nothing more than a minor irritation to a Thoroughbred industry obsessed with Lasix, takeout, and conflicting post times.

As a result, after pounding at the same bent nail for nearly two decades, this reporter was about to find a towel and throw it in. Then, just in the past week, the issue of horse slaughter as a legislative priority rose again like mighty Moby-Dick. With media attention focused on the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), a pair of well-timed opinion pieces challenged the racing industry anew to help pass the SAFE Act before the 117th U.S. Congress adjourns for its summer break in August.

"What is needed to get this crucial bill over the finish line is increased public awareness and support," wrote retired Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron in the Lexington Herald-Leader. "I urge racing fans and all animal lovers to contact their U.S. representative and senators with the message that they abhor horse slaughter, and they vote—and urge those legislators to pass the SAFE Act in this Congress."

A recent poll commissioned by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found 83% of those responding opposed the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The talking points are fairly simple: Horses are not raised in the U.S. as a food source. Traditional methods of animal shipment and slaughter are unsuited to the equine physiology. The legal medications used for performance and pleasure horses are not allowed be found in the food chain.

"Horse slaughter is a cruel and unnecessary practice where any horse in this country can be purchased by a kill buyer, individuals who contract with the slaughter industry, then shipped to foreign slaughterhouses," wrote James Gagliano of The Jockey Club and Nancy Perry, senior vice president of government relations for the ASPCA, in The Hill. "As flight animals, horses can be fractious when stressed and routinely experience fear, pain, and terrible injuries in the transport to and during slaughter."

Currently, there are no horse slaughter facilities operating in the United States, but the U.S. is still a supplier as long as some states allow the transport of slaughter-bound horses across their borders. In 2020, the year with the most reliable recent statistics, there were 36,885 horses transported to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

"Ten years ago we had 160,000 American horses shipped for consumption," said Valerie Pringle, project manager in the Equine Protection Department of the HSUS. "So we're on the road to solving the problem. There's a lot of good work in rescue and retraining going on, and the dramatic reduction in horses sent to slaughter is proof that the issue is being gradually addressed. A federal law is necessary, though, because it would take slaughter off the table as an alternative to retraining and rehoming horses who still have something to offer."

Clearly, the case has been made to the American public that any facilitation of the horse slaughter industry should not be allowed. Most of the public arrived at their conclusion as pet owners who would reject the idea of making a buck off the death of their domestic companions. And, in most cases, they knew horse slaughter was wrong without viewing the grisly pictures and videos circulated by animal welfare organizations documenting the conditions suffered by horses during transport and eventual slaughter.

Currently, the SAFE Act is parked in a subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives. The chairman is Frank Pallone, who represents New Jersey's 6th Congressional District and lists Monmouth Park among his constituent businesses. McCarron is right—personal contact will help move the dial. So for readers who are not shy about sending an email or picking up the phone, here is a list of Pallone's committee members, all of them with easily accessible office message systems, ready to hear what you think about shutting down the horse slaughter pipeline:

Alabama - Gary Palmer; Arizona - Tom O'Halleran, Debbie Lasko; California - Anna Eshoo, Dolores Matsui, Jerry McNerney, Tony Cardenas, Scott Peters, Raul Ruiz, Nanette Diaz Barragan; Colorado - Diana DeGette; Delaware - Lisa Blunt Rochester; Florida - Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Gus Bilirakis, Neal Dunn; Georgia - Earl "Buddy" Carter; Illinois - Janice Schakowsky, Bobby Rush, Robin Kelly, Adam Kinzinger; Indiana - Larry Bucshon, Greg Pence; Kentucky - Brett Guthrie; Louisiana - Steve Scalise; Maryland - John Sarbanes; Massachusetts - Lori Trahan; Michigan - Debbie Dingell, Fred Upton, Tim Walberg; Minnesota - Angie Craig; Missouri - Billy Long; New Hampshire - Ann Kuster; New York - Paul Tonko, Yvette Clarke, Kathleen Rice; North Carolina - G. K. Butterfield, Richard Hudson; North Dakota - Kelly Armstrong; Ohio - Robert Latta, Bill Johnson; Oklahoma - Markwayne Mullin; Oregon - Kurt Schrader; Pennsylvania - Michael Doyle, John Joyce; South Carolina - Jeff Duncan; Texas - Marc Veasey, Lizzie Fletcher, Michael Burgess, Dan Crenshaw; Utah - John Curtis; Vermont - Peter Welch; Virginia - A. Donald McEachin, H. Morgan Griffith; Washington - Kim Schrier, Cathy McMorris Rodgers; West Virginia - David McKinley.

They are supposed to listen. At least, that's in the job description.

"I'm hopeful we'll get a hearing on the bill very soon," said Christopher Heyde of Blue Marble Strategy, who has been at the forefront of efforts to pass anti-slaughter legislation for more than 20 years.

Heyde began the effort at the side of John Hettinger, the owner, breeder, and member of the board of trustees of the New York Racing Association. Hettinger, who died in 2008, was honored with a Special Eclipse Award in 2000 for his effective support and promotion of racehorse retirement programs. This reporter was privileged to consult him more than once.

"The slaughter of horses is a convenient garbage pail, and nothing more," Hettinger said in an interview. "Enabling a callous and irresponsible person to walk away from a problem, pocket a few hundred dollars, and feel good about it, is a disservice to our industry and the animal they profess to care about.

"There are two things that flourish in the dark," Hettinger added. "Mushrooms and horse slaughter. Most people don't know it's going on. We must deny them the darkness."

Perhaps, if the right stars align, the SAFE Act can see the light of day.