Thousands of horses are transported annually from the US to slaughter facilities in Canada and Mexico, experiencing prolonged transport stress and inadequate welfare protections.
The removal of domestic horse slaughter without addressing the underlying surplus horse problem has created a welfare crisis with horses being transported farther in worse conditions. Long-distance transport to Canadian and Mexican facilities causes more welfare harm than well-regulated domestic slaughter would. Addressing the root cause requires reducing the supply of surplus horses through breeding reduction and improving equine rescue capacity.