Over the past 24 years, 3,929,426 horses have come to their horrific deaths in slaughterhouses. In 2006 alone, about 104,899 have been subjected to brutal killings in slaughterhouses. We, Americans, must stop this disgrace that has overcome this land by raising awareness, signing petitions that help lobby our representatives to pass legislation to protect the rights of horses, reducing the number of unwanted horses by aiding horse rescues, educating women about Premarin, and providing humane euthanization for horses.

Americans must be educated on the conditions and happenings in slaughterhouses if we are ever going to end this massacre of horses. The more people are enlightened on this issue, the more power horse advocates will have to end slaughterhouses for good. High schools, PTO meetings, rallies in public places, clubs, organizations and associations all are potential crowds for raising public awareness about the conditions that horses are subjected to in slaughterhouses. Visuals, like equipment used in slaughterhouses, or horse stories and accomplishments of those rescued in time, would be effective means of educating people about slaughterhouses.

Striking fear into the hearts of Americans who own horses would help encourage horse owners to be more inclined to act in behalf of the safety of their own horses. By presenting cases where horses have been either stolen from properties or sold to killer buyers by unsuspecting owners, would probably get the ball rolling.

Starting petitions to end the slaughter of horses and close down slaughterhouses will get the cause heard by our representatives and the public. If the public is united in this effort, fear of not being re-elected, for example, can be used to push our politicians to protect the rights of horses. Signing petitions is a great way to show our government that we are united in this cause.

Creating safe havens for horses to go when their owners don’t want them anymore will help reduce a significant number of horses who end up at slaughterhouses. Rescue groups need to move toward a more workable plan to make adopting horses easier as well as a more inviting ways to turn over your horse or horses to a rescue group. Most horses are in horrific conditions by the time they end up at rescues. If we can decrease and eventually eliminate the number of horses in critical conditions, we can reduce a large amount of medical bills, allowing horse rescues to care for more horses, as well as adopting out horses quicker, making more room for other horses. We can accomplish this by motivating horse owners to turn over their horses that they are unable to take care of anymore. By creating stricter punishments for people who abuse and or abandon their horses, people would be more inclined to think twice about their actions.

One of the main categories of horses that end up in slaughterhouses is Premarin (PMU) foals and mares. In 2004, 65,976 PMU horses were slaughtered. Premarin is an estrogen inducing drug given to women who are going through menopause. This drug is taken from pregnant mares’ urine. The process of collecting this drug is traumatic for horses in this situation. The process begins within about 175-185 days of a horse becoming pregnant. Mares are herded into stalls with measurements 8 feet long, by 3 1/2 feet wide, by 5 feet high. The mares cannot turn around, only move back and forth. They are offered water two times a day and live in this stall for about six months strait, not once leaving it. The mares are hooked up to a machine that collects urine every time they pee. The mares are only let out when they are about to give birth. Then, the process starts all over again for the mares. Over 9 million women are taking this drug. Educating women about Premarin is a must if we ever truly want to end the slaughter of horses. Most women don’t even know how the process of creating this drug affects horses. The sad thing is that there are other options out there for women. Women should be better educated on the conditions surrounding the Premarin industry, so that women can make an educated choice on whether they want to continue using the drug or not. Laws can be created to make medical professionals educate their patients about the drug, Premarin, that they are taking and the history and abuse behind it, as well as the other available options out there. Failure to do so would result in fines and or suspensions, making sure that medical professionals follow through.

The slaughtering of horses is an extremely inhumane way to take the life of horses. Some horses that end up at slaughterhouses are in terrible condition, and it would be cruel to keep them alive, but they shouldn’t die by being slaughtered. There are other ways. Euthanizing horses by lethal injection is the most humane and peaceful way to end a horse’s life. The process costs about $300 dollars from beginning to end. There are many ways to help raise money to euthanize horses. Fund raising, auctions, and garage sales are just a few ways. Rescue groups are already donating money to horse owners who can’t afford to euthanize their horse or horses.

The horses of America need us. We can help them by raising awareness, signing petitions that help lobby our representatives to pass legislation to protect the rights of horses, reducing the number of unwanted horses by aiding horse rescues, educating women about Premarin, and humanely euthanizing horses.