Dear Horse Lovers and Advocates,

My name is Susan Wagner. I am the president of Equine Advocates, the national non-profit equine protection organization I founded in 1996. I rescued my first horse from slaughter in 1994 and that event completely changed the direction of my life.

I am reaching out to you to for your help to end horse slaughter by directly appealing to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to ban it entirely before they leave office as part of their legacy.  It is not only critical, but extremely urgent to accomplish this before Donald Trump takes office on 1/20/17. We are asking for a complete ban on horse slaughter meaning that no equine from the U.S. could be slaughtered in this country or transported live across our borders into Mexico or Canada or to any other country for the purpose of slaughter.

Slaughtering equines from this country for food is a serious threat to food safety, human health and consequently, extremely unethical. We now have scientific studies, irrefutable evidence, and factual documentation that most horse meat is not only toxic, but that it has also entered our food chain. A landmark study published in Elsevier in 2010, clearly documents the serious health risks for people who eat the meat of equines treated with the common drug, Phenylbutzone or "Bute." Here is a link to an abbreviated version of that study:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691510001225

The vast majority of injectable, oral and topical medications administered to equines in this country have this warning on the packaging,

"Not intended for horses bred for human consumption."

The fact is that NO EQUINE is bred for human consumption in this country. Consequently, all wild and domestic equines should be removed from the food chain entirely and not just because the meat is unsafe but also because of the risks of food fraud. A 2015 Chapman University Study, also published in Elsevier, documented the presence of horse meat in some chopped meat products in the American food supply.  Here is the link to that study:

http://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/food_science_theses/1/

Both President Obama and Vice President Biden are very well aware of the exposure, liability and all the reasons why horse slaughter should be banned. We believe that they have the ability to do what Congress has refused to do for years, which is to stop this unsavory and un-American practice once and for all.

President-Elect Donald Trump has named many known horse slaughter proponents to become part of his administration, despite the fact that horse slaughter is opposed by the vast majority of Americans.

One of the most blatant is his proposed appointment of Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke for Secretary of the Interior. Zinke tried to pass legislation to bring horse slaughter to his state. Imagine the fate of America's wild horses and burros if his appointment is approved.

The list of individuals Trump has named to serve on his "Agricultural Advisory Committee" reads like a Who's Who of horse slaughter supporters. Among the most disturbing is Lucas Oil owner, Forrest Lucas. He runs the pro-horse slaughter/pro-puppy mill PAC, Protect the Harvest.  Lucas said of his PAC, “…we’re out here organized…” and “…we need to get horse slaughter back.”

Some of his other appointments to that committee are:

* Mary Fallin, Governor of Oklahoma had signed a bill to legalize horse slaughter in her state.
* Bob Goodlatte, Congressman from Virginia and former chair of the House Agriculture Committee, has been a major force in blocking legislation to ban horse slaughter for years and a supporter in bringing it back to the U.S.

Here is Trump's proposed list for his Agricultural Advisory Committee:

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/trump-campaign-announces-agricultural-advisory-committee

Former Georgia Congressman, Jack Kingston was one of Trump's surrogates during his presidential campaign and is likely to be given a position in the new administration. Kingston was a member of the infamous 2011 Congressional Conference Committee that voted 3-1 (along with Senator Ray Blunt and former Senator Herb Kohl) to return horse slaughter to the U.S. They based their votes on the special interest-driven Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report #11-228 on Horse Slaughter. John Holland, President of the Equine Welfare Alliance successfully proved that the GAO Report was, in fact, fraudulent:

http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/How_the_GAO_Deceived_Congress-final.pdf

Special interests in the horse and ranching industries have blocked legislation to ban horse slaughter for years. However, President Obama now has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to add the end of horse slaughter to his legacy. The lives of America’s wild and domestic equines depend on it.

Together we can make a difference to stop equine slaughter now. Please sign this petition and help to share and forward it far and wide!

Time is of the essence!

With sincerest thanks,

Susan Wagner, President
Equine Advocates
www.equineadvocates.org

This petition will be delivered to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden

Important Links Related to this Petition:

Horse Slaughter Fact Sheet

More info about Forrest Lucas:

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/forrest-lucas-trump-interior-secretary-228364