How to Save a Racehorse From Slaughter

Many racehorses are sent to the slaughter house for human consumption each year (also called the canning factory, cannery, or glue factory) each year when they become injured, get too old or do not make it as racehorses. There are numerous organizations dedicated to ending the senseless slaughter of perfectly healthy horses. Read on to find out how you can support rescue organizations and help save racehorses.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Locate an organization that focuses on saving racehorses. Many are located in towns and cities surrounding horse racetracks. These organizations are usually full to their capacity with horses that need homes.

2. Send the organization a monetary donation to help feed and care for the horses. Most rescues offer "sponsor a horse" programs which involves making continual donations to pay for the ongoing care of a permanent resident. Other organizations allow you to become a member and make ongoing contributions that go toward the care of animals until they can be adopted.

3. Adopt a racehorse if you live in the vicinity of a rescue organization. Adopting a retired racehorse requires completing an application and paying an adoption fee. See related eHow article titled "How to Adopt a Retired Racehorse."

4. Support legislation banning the slaughter of horses. Currently there are no slaughterhouses operating in the United States. However American horses are shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. Proposed legislation will make it illegal to ship horses out of the country for slaughter.

5. Volunteer at a racehorse rescue organization. Even if you adopt a racehorse yourself, these organizations can still use your help. There are always an abundance of chores to complete when you have a barn full of horses. You can exercise the horses, clean stalls, feed and water the horses or even clean their tack.

6. If you would like to get involved but do not live near a rescue, cannot adopt or have no horse experience, there's still plenty you can do. Rescues need people to assist with PR, fundraising, compiling and editing their newsletter, maintaining their website and more. Most rescues are happy to put any volunteer to work.

7. Support programs and organizations aimed at reducing the number of unwanted horses.

8. Support rescue in general. Many all-breed horse rescues take in ex-racehorses when they are neglected, abused or on the road to slaughter. Even if the organization nearest you isn't specifically devoted to race horses, they often help racehorses in addition to the other horses in their program.

Resources

• Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation
• CANTER (TB Rehoming)
• LOPE (Texas program rehoming racehorses of many breeds)
• Standardbred Retirement Foundation
• Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society

Who Can Help Sponsored

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