“After years of pressing for a ban on the slaughter of our American horses, I am thrilled with this latest development and applaud our leadership in Washington for their commitment to the issue,” said Staci Hancock, co-founder of the Water, Hay, Oats Alliance, and whose Stone Farm has raised Three Kentucky Derby winners. “It is time to end this brutal practice in the U.S. once and for all.  Horses are bred for sport, competition, and companionship, not to be part of the food chain. As owners and breeders we must be the stewards of our horses’ safety and welfare. They look to us for their care and protection and to allow them to go to a horrific slaughter is unconscionable.”

"We are so very excited to have the incredible support and commitment  from Reps. Carter, Katko, and Fitzpatrick in our efforts to end the ongoing extortion and destruction of our American athletes in the slaughter pipeline,” said Michelle Crawford, CEO of Crawford Farms. “Our horses give us  their heart and soul throughout their careers and deserve to have an aftercare plan in place, not a trip to a kill pen and slaughterhouse so that they can become a delicacy  in another country."

“It is astounding to me that our country’s beloved wild horses, who are supposed to be federally protected, are being sent to unimaginable slaughter in Mexico and Canada,” said Ashley Avis, the director behind Disney’s newly released Black Beauty film and president of the Wild Beauty Foundation. “These are mares, foals, pregnant horses, healthy horses.  How is there no accountability?  The abuse of the BLM’s adoption incentive program, where individuals receive $1,000 to give a mustang a home, has instead driven countless wild horses to slaughter across our borders. The system is being abused for profit, and that needs to end.”

“We applaud Reps. Carter, Katko, and Fitzpatrick for their commitment to prevent the horses we care so deeply about from ending up in the slaughter pipeline,” said Freddie Hudson, president of the U.S. Harness Racing Alumni Association. “There’s no excuse for allowing the horses who have served us in work and sport to end up as dinner fare on foreign plates, and we must ensure safety and peace in their retirement or end of life circumstances.”

“The brutality of horse slaughter has no bounds. I’ve been rescuing horses for 17 years in New Mexico and it’s business as usual to eyewitness the horrific conditions and treatment the horses are subjected to,” said Debbie Coburn, founder of Four Corners Equine Rescue. “No horse is spared, not even wild ones. Recently I bore witness to wild stallions that were castrated without the benefit of drugs and were immediately thrown onto a trailer headed for Mexico. We have to stop this. No horse should have to endure the abuse and cruelty of the slaughter pipeline.”