100,000 Unwanted Horses Every Year

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The 2013 lifting of the ban on horse slaughter in the U.S. brought the topics of euthanasia and overpopulation into public debate along with intermittent economic uncertainty have contributed to a sharp increase in the number of unwanted horses throughout the United States, with estimates totaling 100,000 horses every year.

The need for a permanent equine sanctuary in Oklahoma and immediate surrounding rural areas of the United States is critical. This is underscored by the first comprehensive study of a geographic region and its animal population, published by the Kirkpatrick Foundation. Their findings highlight a significant overpopulation problem among Oklahoma horses, including domestic horses (racing, competitive, carriage, and pets) and wild horses. Welfare issues often arise when owners cannot afford or choose not to care for their animals, and overbreeding further exacerbates the crisis.

The study revealed that the welfare of Oklahoma and other rural horses, particularly racing horses, could improve if state regulations aligned more closely with national and international standards of care.

Additionally, state wildlife faces challenges from habitat destruction, natural disasters, and a lack of rehabilitation facilities, emergency rescue plans, and trained personnel. While the state has a strong tradition of hunting and trapping, there is a need for broader public education about laws governing human-wildlife interactions. The urbanization of rural areas offers opportunities for positive coexistence between humans and horses with proper education and oversight as well as offering additional sanctuary facilities, ensuring mutual benefits for both.

Why Are Horses Unwanted?

Unwanted horses are equine that are no longer useful to their owners due either to characteristics of the individual horse, such as illness, injury, age, misbehavior, and unmarketable qualities, or owner situations such as physical or financial inability to provide care for that animal, a need to decrease herd size, or a loss of interest in horse care and associated activities (Unwanted Horses Coalition, 2009). 

What Happens to the Unwanted Horses?

About one-half of unwanted horses become neglected or are discarded considered unhealthy due to illness, injury, lameness, or poor body condition often sold at auction. In 2023, nearly 20,000 American horses were transported across U.S. borders to be slaughtered for human consumption known as the ‘horse slaughter’ pipeline.

The other half are relinquished due to financial hardship, change in lifestyle or other personal reasons. For every 4 horses relinquished to a nonprofit organization, only 3 horses are typically adopted or sold, and many organizations refuse to accept additional horses for lack of resources. The cost to maintain a horse without stabling averages over $7,500 per year. Senior and special need horses often incur additional expense in the form of healthcare, special feed and vet bills. Many can‘t afford these expenses, including non-profits at capacity.

What is Horse Slaughter?

The term ‘horse slaughter’ specifically refers to the killing of horses for human consumption, a practice far removed from humane euthanasia. While euthanasia is a gentle, painless death meant to prevent suffering, slaughter is a violent and distressing process for horses.

Horses bound for slaughter, including pregnant mares, foals, and those that are injured or blind, often endure harsh transport conditions. It is legal to transport them for over 24 hours without food, water, or rest, crammed into overcrowded trucks. In slaughterhouses, methods used do not consistently result in a quick or painless death. Documented cases show some horses remain conscious during dismemberment. As prey animals, horses react to the sights, sounds, and smells of slaughterhouses with intense panic, often injuring themselves in desperate attempts to escape, particularly within the kill box.

Although horse slaughter has ended within the U.S., with the last three plants closing, an underground industry continues to exploit horse owners, trainers, businesses, and adoption organizations nationwide. At auctions, ‘kill buyers’—individuals who profit by selling horses for slaughter—regularly outbid legitimate buyers and adoption groups, forcing them to exhaust valuable resources to rescue horses that would otherwise have safe homes. These buyers often deceive owners, posing as responsible caretakers, only to later send the horses to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.

The misconception that horses bound for slaughter are old, ill, or neglected is a myth perpetuated to justify this cycle. USDA data shows that 92.3% of horses sent to slaughter are healthy and capable of leading productive lives. These horses could be sold, donated, or rehomed, but kill buyers outbid legitimate horse owners and rescues, denying them a second chance at life. In fact, the average age of a horse sent to slaughter in the U.S. is only 12 years old.

Why Can’t All Horses Be Homed at Rescues?

There aren’t enough rescues to accommodate all the unwanted horses. The estimated maximum capacity of nearly 375 registered non-profit equine rescue facilities in the United States is 13,400 horses—far below the widely cited estimate of 100,000 horses becoming unwanted each year. Nonprofit equine rescue and sanctuary facilities have historically played a crucial role in safeguarding the welfare of horses, yet funding and capacity limitations hinder our ability to expand and continue caring for the growing population of unwanted and neglected horses across the country.

How Can We Help Improve the Lives of Forgotten Horses?

In 2024, Congress can pass U.S. H.R. 3475/S. 2037, the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act with growing, bipartisan support. The bill would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the United States and ban their export abroad for that purpose—but we need your help to ensure Congress passes this important legislation. Visit here to send letters to Congress and learn more through the ASPCA:  Equine Industry and Animal Welfare Orgs Team Up to Ban Horse Slaughter | ASPCA.

Winsome Acres exists offering refuge to those bound for slaughter, neglected or forgotten. We your help, we will continue to grow our herd. Our mission remains to love, care for and honor these special creatures.