Kentucky calls itself the Horse Capital of the World. But right now, in Breathitt County, free-roaming wild horses are being rounded up under the state’s stray-hold law — and many are at risk of being shipped to slaughterhouses in Mexico or Canada.

These herds, which live on abandoned mine lands near Jackson, have become a major tourism draw. Visitors come from across the country to see them, guided by the Appalachian Horse Project. While the population has grown and created challenges for nearby residents and motorists, there has been a clear, humane solution on the table for two years: creating a sanctuary where the horses could receive veterinary care, adequate food, and birth control to slow their growth.

The Breathitt County Industrial Authority supported the sanctuary plan, recognizing the value these horses bring to the local economy. But the Breathitt Fiscal Court ignored it, voting instead to “get rid” of the horses through the stray-hold process. That process allows anyone to take the animals after a short holding period — with no safeguards against them ending up in kill pens before being shipped on grueling journeys to slaughter.

Right now, at least 24 horses are on the state veterinarian’s stray-hold list. Some have been rescued by the Kentucky Humane Society, but most were taken by a horse dealer who admits they could be sold to buyers who send horses to slaughter. Witnesses have reported others being darted and removed without any paperwork at all, making it impossible to track their fate.

Horse slaughter is banned in the United States because we’ve recognized that horses are not livestock to be butchered — they are companion animals, working partners, and part of our shared heritage. For a state that owes so much to the horse, this betrayal is unacceptable.

We call on Kentucky’s governor, legislature, and Department of Agriculture to immediately halt the removal of Breathitt County’s wild horses for slaughter, strengthen the stray-hold law to prevent this pipeline, and fund humane population control solutions like the proposed Appalachian Horse Center.

Sign this petition to demand Kentucky protect its wild horses, honor its heritage, and choose humane solutions over cruelty.