More than ten years after exposing the horse meat industry in Spain, Animal Equality and award-winning photojournalist Aitor Garmendia returned for another investigation. Between November 2023 and May 2024, investigators captured the following at a slaughterhouse in Asturias: A worker beating a horse with a stick, forcing them to walk. Horses lined up behind a […]
Breaking: In a huge win for horses, USDA announces final rule seeking to end horse soring
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block From the perspective of public policy, there are certain cruelties that seem to hang around forever, even when their depravity is abundantly evident, defying―in a way―the political equivalent of gravity. Horse soring, which involves the very intentional infliction of pain and suffering on Tennessee walking horses and related breeds […]
Annual ‘celebration’ highlights the need to stop cruelty to horses
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block Last week, members of the Humane Society of the United States’ Equine Protection team traveled to Tennessee to evaluate the condition of the horses at the 85th annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. In the weeks leading up to the show, we posted billboards in town to expose the […]
Breaking: New regulations could finally protect horses from ‘soring’ cruelty
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block There’s new hope for ending the painful practice of horse soring: a long-awaited new administrative rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one that’s badly needed and long overdue. Horse soring is an undeniably cruel practice in which trainers covertly and deliberately torment show horses by slathering their limbs […]
‘It’s a crisis’ – animal org ‘drowning’ in horses
One animal agency is pleading for help as they deal with a non-stop demand to rehome animals, especially horses. Helping You Help Animals (HUHA) currently has 36 horses needing a new paddock, with another 60 on the waitlist. That’s not including the 50 dogs, 40 cats and 30 pigs, adding to a total of 500 […]
Let’s stop USDA from moving backward on cruelty to horses
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block Amidst continuing dissatisfaction over its approach to ending the problem of horse soring, a cruel practice that produces an artificial high-stepping gait in show horses, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken a backward step. The agency plans to withdraw a 2017 rule to come down hard on soring, […]
Progress for horses and alternatives to animal testing in Agriculture funding bill
As in recent years, the annual congressional appropriations process continues to be a key path for us to seek progress for animals. The legislation funding programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration is a top priority because appropriations-focused lobbying and policymaking makes it possible to address a wide range […]
In historic move, Churchill Downs suspends racing after 12 horses die at the track
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block On June 2, Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, suspended horse racing upon the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority after 12 horses died in a span of a few weeks at the track. Just 10 days prior the Authority finally gained the power to […]
Accurately Weighing Horses | My Shetland
My friend, Monika – Sandness Equine Services, has a portable weighbridge for horses and she kindly offered to come over to weigh specifically Iacs (aka Bibble) before his surgery next week so his medication and anaesthesia can be calculated accurately. I have never accurately weighed anyone (cat and dogs included) using pure guesswork as my […]
For horses in the Kentucky Derby, change can’t come soon enough
By Keith Dane For years, we’ve fought to bring greater protection for racehorses, and recently we’ve helped to secure major wins on their behalf, such as ensuring the passage and implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. This bill, which became law in 2020, involved a good deal of effort and extended negotiations with […]