Live Export of Horses: Welfare at the End of Racing Careers

The live export of horses for slaughter, particularly ex-racehorses, involves long-distance transport and welfare harms that have attracted significant public attention in several countries.

Key Facts

An estimated 65,000 horses are transported within and exported from the EU annually for slaughter, often after careers in racing, sport, or work
Australian horse racing produces thousands of horses annually whose post-racing fate has included live export to Southeast Asia for slaughter
Long-distance horse transport is associated with shipping fever, dehydration, injury from travel stress, and mortality during and after transport
Horse slaughter welfare standards are significantly lower in some destination countries than in the countries of origin, creating a regulatory arbitrage problem
Campaigns including Horses in our Hands in Australia and EU live transport reform efforts have raised public awareness and created political pressure for reform

Welfare Considerations

Horse live export for slaughter sits at the intersection of sport animal welfare and livestock welfare. Horses with known names, relationships with humans, and high cognitive complexity are transported in conditions that cause suffering to be slaughtered in facilities with lower welfare standards than domestic alternatives. The welfare case against live horse export is clear; the economic drivers relate to the gap between what horses are worth at slaughter and the cost of domestic humane slaughter infrastructure. Closing this gap through industry-funded retirement and domestic slaughter welfare reform is the most direct policy solution.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns against live horse export for slaughter in your country
Advocate for mandatory retirement and retraining provisions funded by horse racing industry levies
Push for domestic humane slaughter as the only permitted end-of-life option for horses in high-income countries
Raise awareness among horse racing audiences about the live export issue and its welfare implications
Support equine rescue organisations that provide retirement placement for horses at risk of live export