GOVERNOR HOCHUL SIGNS BILL PROTECTING EQUINE RIGHTS – SPURRING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INTO ACTION
For Immediate Release
Contact: Karin Carreau, Chair
HORSEPOWER, INC.
518-339-0765
GOVERNOR HOCHUL SIGNS BILL PROTECTING EQUINE RIGHTS – SPURRING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INTO ACTION
ALBANY, NY: Equine Advocates across the state are lauding the enactment of a measure passed earlier in the year to ban the sale or transfer of equines bound for slaughter. SB. 1442a / A4154b, sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, Chairs of Racing and Wagering in their respective houses, was signed on December 2, 2021 and as such, will ban the practice of off-loading Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses considered to be “past their prime” to kill buyers who then ship them to slaughterhouses. The measure also requires the racing industry to help fund their care once their racing careers have ended.
“We cannot thank our sponsors and Assembly Member Donna Lupardo, Chair of Agriculture Committee, enough for their steadfast support and commitment in the face of the many challenges this bill encountered. This initiative is a huge stride forward in protecting equines in the racing industry” noted Karin Carreau, Founder and Chair of HORSEPOWER, Inc. the states only equine welfare policy advocacy organization.
Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. said “As Chair of the Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee, I understand the importance of aftercare for racehorses in the racing industry. Greater oversight, including ensuring there is appropriate funding available for aftercare, microchipping to track ownership, and holding owners accountable in instances of slaughter, are all critical to improving the racing industry and future fate of horses. Over the past ten years, a variety of nonprofits and for-profit businesses have been created to address the aftercare problem, so it’s exciting to see new regulations being implemented to ensure proper care is in place for horses after they retire. My thanks to the equine advocates and my colleagues in government in advancing this significant legislative initiative.”
Assemblymember Gary Pretlow, Chair of Racing and Wagering noted “This effort was a hard fought and long overdue recognition of an issue that has, for years gone under the radar. Equines have, for centuries benefitted the world, and served to advance the human condition. It is impossible to think about our lives today without gratitude for their service and usefulness, and in the racing industry, wonderment at their astonishing speed, agility, power, and gracefulness. Yet for all their value and the joy they bring to us, they often suffer from inhumane treatment by the very industries they benefit. This bill is a strong step in the direction of rectifying this and I am proud to have sponsored and championed.”
Echoing a similar sentiment, Assemblywoman Lupardo, Chair, Assembly Committee on Agriculture, said, “Americans have a long relationship with horses from early colonial days, to settling the West, to war time and sporting. The bill will ensure that these noble creatures, who were purposely bred for racing are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. I am proud that this bill passed unanimously in both houses of the Legislature.”
Carreau went onto say “When we think of horse racing, we think of the elegance, the pomp and circumstance, replete with legions of fans cheering as their longshot rounds the homestretch, but we need to pay attention to the realities of the so-called ‘Sport of Kings’ and the fact that the real ‘finish line’ for many of these horses is tragic. For those willing to look, a scratch at the surface exposes an industry rife with abuse - pushing animals to perform beyond their neuromuskoskeletal abilities and doping them to mask their pain. The result is often a broken down 2–3-year-old horse who is off-loaded at auction to kill buyers who then ship them in tightly packed trailers across the border where an excruciating and terrifying death awaits them. And while certainly, not all breeders and trainers operate this way, enough of them do to result in more than 100,000 horses each year being sent to such a fate. Enough is enough, this bill will hold the Thoroughbred and Standardbred industry accountable for the fate of the very equines who serve them and it’s a bill that is long overdue."
New York state’s efforts on this topic were lauded by federal lawmakers and advocates who are pushing a similar initiative in Washington DC. New York is clearly leading the charge on this vital effort. HORSEPOWER will continue to push the legislature on issues affecting the care and well-being of all horses and will operate under the notion that it is within the realm of possibility to honor and protect equine welfare and allow for their participation in sport. However, the latter must be preceded by stronger regulations, care, and humane approaches. This new law will lay the foundation for such work.
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