Horse Rescue News

The U.S. Senate appears to be on the verge of passing a bill called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT Act), that would establish malicious animal cruelty as a federal felony.

The legislation would prohibit the sale and transport of equines for slaughter which would prevent horse slaughter plants from operating in the U.S. and also ending the export of U.S. horses across our borders to Mexico and Canada for this purpose.

One of the most important things when re-homing a horse is to allow enough time to advertise for a new home in order to locate a safe, qualified placement.

In June 2012, we saved a little paint filly we named Anna from a low-end auction in Colorado. In 2014, Anna was adopted to a wonderful home!

As of December 10th, 190 wild horses (ages 10 and older) captured during the month-long helicopter roundup remain in danger of being sold for slaughter. Our Federal district court case filed to stop the sale of the older horses is ongoing with an expedited briefing schedule.

While Mother Nature prepared your horse for colder days and nights with the growth of a winter hair coat, horse owners might need to adjust feed, shelter and water requirements. You will want to have a well-fitting, waterproof blanket available for sharp temperature drops or if your horse did not grow a good winter hair coat.

The Forest Service’s roundup of the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory has ended with the permanent removal of over 900 horses from their federally-designated habitat on our public lands in California’s Modoc National Forest. We’ve learned that at least 13 horses have died, including a foal. Three mares aborted foals likely due to the trauma of the roundup.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has recently submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary and Chief of the U.S. Forest Service urging them to reverse their decision to sell  California wild horses without restriction.

Advocacy organizations are working hard to find safe, qualified adoptive homes for horses up for adoption as well as humane options for those facing the danger of sale to slaughter. The Forest Service needs to cooperate and do the right thing for the 1,000 horses it removed by adhering to laws protecting wild horses.

Front Range Equine Rescue (FRER) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) have put the U.S. Forest Service on notice regarding the sale without limitation of horses rounded up from California’s Modoc National Forest.