Equines

AWI seeks stronger protections against all forms of abuse, mistreatment, and neglect of equines, both wild and domestic. We campaign to end the slaughter of American horses and promote humane management techniques that allow wild equines to remain with their family bands on the range.

Programs

Horses and humans have had a special bond for millennia. They enrich our lives as friends and companions; throughout history, they have carried us on their backs, tilled our fields, drawn wagons and carriages, and even served in warfare. Unfortunately, this close relationship has also come with myriad forms of exploitation, neglect, and abuse. AWI works to improve protections for equines, including by campaigning to end horse slaughter and promoting the humane management of wild horses and burros.

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Every horse has intrinsic value and deserves compassion at all stages of their life. Caring for a horse or burro is a significant, time-consuming, and long-term commitment that is not to be entered into lightly. The horse industry, including equine veterinary professionals, has a responsibility to promote responsible horse breeding, ownership, and care. Equines should be cared for with respect and consideration for their natural behaviors, and their use by humans, whether for work, recreation, or competition, should not compromise the well-being of these animals. AWI is strongly opposed to soring of walking horses for shows and competitions and supports the implementation of rules and regulations to better protect racehorses. Additionally, it is essential to prioritize equine welfare in the modern world and protect horses from dangerous transport and work.

On Western rangelands, wild horses (aka mustangs) face stiff competition, as government and industry stakeholders prioritize grazing and extractive industries over the presence of horses on the range. As a result, the Bureau of Land Management removes wild equines in huge numbers via brutal helicopter roundups. Wild horses and burros should be protected on their legal and traditional ranges in accordance with the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Where management is necessary, humane fertility control methods such as PZP (porcine zona pellucida) should be utilized.

All horses deserve a humane end of life, and the slaughter of wild and domestic horses is neither humane nor acceptable. Horses bound for slaughter may be transported long distances to facilities in Mexico and Canada without food or water. At slaughterhouses, they are subjected to brutal treatment and a terrifying end of life. In addition to leading the campaign to end the slaughter of American horses, AWI heads the Homes for Horses Coalition, a network of equine rescues and sanctuaries dedicated to protecting horses and burros and ending horse slaughter. Our wild, companion, and working equines in the United States and internationally deserve protections that will ensure a life without cruelty, abuse, or neglect. Take action for horses via the AWI Action Center.