Wild Horses and Burros

House Votes to Stop Wild Horse Slaughter

May 18, 2006 - In a voice vote today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the Rahall Wild Horse Slaughter Amendment, introduced by U.S. Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV). If passed into law, this amendment will negate the disastrous effect of the 2004 Burns Amendment.

"We need to stop the slaughter of wild horses and burros not only because it is morally wrong," said Rep. Nick Rahall, "But also because the program itself is a failure."

Passage of the Rahall amendment sends a clear message that Americans oppose horse slaughter for wild horses.

Why The Rahall Amendment Is Necessary

In 2004 U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) introduced a disastrous provision, known as the Burns Amendment, designed to send thousands of wild horses and burros to slaughter annually. It fundamentally altered the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act by allowing some wild horses and burros to be sold at livestock auction "without limitation."

The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act originally prevented the wholesale slaughter of these majestic animals by outlawing their "processing into commercial products." Any horses and burros not adopted were supposed to be retired to government-run pasture facilities. As a result of the Burns Amendment the fate of these "excess" horses and burros was far less certain and less safe.