What will happen to the horses if there is a ban?

We never would have started this campaign in 2006 if we had not considered the welfare of the horses. Yet, no matter how often i have answered this question, and the fact that it is addressed on our web site, it still comes up. So I will answer it again. "What will happen to the horses if there is a ban? Won't they go to slaughter?" For a better understanding, please also read my article on One Green Planet - New Council Bill Will Prevent Carriage Horses From Going to Kill Auctions

HORSES ARE NOT A BILLBOARD: This question appears to be a knee jerk reaction to scare tactics put out by the industry mixed with a genuine concern for the horses. There is an unconscious assumption that the horse population is stagnant - like a billboard - never changing. But the truth is that there is a huge turnover of horses in the business - about 1/3 - 60-70 each year. I know this because I have been analyzing horse lists received from the Department of Health since 2005. I compare the lists and determine what horses are no longer in the business and who is new. The average yearly turnover over one year is 60-70 horses.

THE REAL HIDDEN PROBLEM: The second part of this topic is that horses sold outside of NYC (most are) currently have no protection under the law. Records are not required to be sent to the Department of Health so it is not known where the horses end up. It is very possible many are brought to auction since that is the easiest and fastest way to recoup the cost of the horse and purchase a new one. Kill buyers frequent auctions such as New Holland in Pennsylvania. So the question people should actually be asking is - What is happening to the horses NOW?. -- Not what will happen to the horses if there is a ban.

OUR SOLUTION: Every piece of legislation that has been introduced into the City Council or the NYS legislature addresses this issue by changing the Disposition section of the existing law. Records would be required to be submitted to the Department of Health and the owner required to either adopt his horse to a responsible owner or sanctuary. Nothing else is allowed. Click on this link to Intro 670 - the stand alone bill. This exact language can be found in the NYC bill - Intro 86A - and the NY State bill - S5013 and A7748. If a horse does end up at a kill auction, it is the OWNER - not activists who brought him there. Owners currently should do everything in their power to find a good home for the horses they get rid of - but do they? Our bill would require them to be accountable. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION!!