Photo taken at RTF’s San Luis Obispo, Calif., satellite sanctuary by Cathy Wallace
At least 24,188 American equines were shipped to Mexican or Canadian slaughterhouses during 2025 — a 21% increase from a year earlier.
The total number of exports for the year does not yet include November and December figures for Canada, which are not yet available.
The year-over-year increase is a sobering reminder of the need to push Congress to pass the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act. The bipartisan SAFE Act would ban the export of equines for slaughter and impose a lasting ban on slaughter here at home.
A total of 223 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have now signed on as SAFE Act cosponsors. That’s enough support to pass the bill — but it’s no guarantee that it will be brought up for a vote.
Thank you to everyone who keeps writing and calling in support of this important legislation. Thank you to our lobbyist and advocacy team for their ongoing efforts.
We continue to seek every opportunity to pass a ban, including working to have the same anti-slaughter language included in the Farm Bill.
America’s horses need your help:
- Send a message to your members of Congress urging them to support the SAFE Act and call for a vote.
- Call your senators and representative at (202) 224-3121. Urge them to support the SAFE Act to ban horse slaughter and push for a vote.