Americans Against Horse Slaughter

The difference small groups of people can make are astonishing. Americans Against Horse Slaughter is one of these groups. Their main goal is to spread the word about horse slaughter to raise awareness in the hopes that more people will want to put in their effort to make a difference too.
Co-founders Shelley Abrams and Debra Lopez joined forces after meeting through a website inspired by Barbaro to put an end to something they felt was ethically and morally wrong. Shelley first introduced a program called Horses Helping Horses, which donates a percentage of any winning purse from a horse race to rescue a horse from slaughter. Debra launched her own charity, Animal Fairy Charities, which best explains itself as the "United Way for Animals". Helping those who help animals is the main mission of Animal Fairy Charities.
Abrams and Lopez have been successful in gaining followers and have held many events to raise more awareness in their local communities. They have created a petition against slaughter that states:

"We, the undersigned, AMERICANS AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER,
urge Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act to end the horrific practice of
transporting and slaughtering horses for human
consumption abroad. No horse should face such a cruel
and brutal end.

In America, no horse is bred for food. He is bred for
sport, industry and agriculture. Many are companions
just like our dogs and cats. Our country was built on
the back of horses who still serve our country to this
day. Horses protect our borders as well as helping
police protect our cities. They provide programs that
help those with disabilities.

When you ask people about the practice of horse
slaughter, the vast majority find this practice
shocking and indefensible. Horse slaughter is NOT
euthanasia but it is the painful butchering of these
American icons. Most of these horses are young,
healthy and well suited for placement in loving homes.

Recent court rulings have shut down the three
slaughter plants in the U.S. but foreign companies are
still able to export American horses to slaughter
houses in Mexico and Canada. Without a federal ban,
they will continue to transport horses across our
borders for slaughter. Without a federal ban, we
stand the chance of a new slaughter facility opening
within our country.

We appeal to Congress to end this cruel and inhumane
practice once and for all by passing HR503/S31."

Despite their hard work, the amount of horses deported from the US to be slaughtered in foreign countries is still one that is quite substantial. But hundreds of people and organizations across the United States are striving to raise awareness of this awful occurrence because it is something that they so strongly believe in. Without this love and passion for horses, what would become of them? Why are horses such a beneficial part of today's society?
Americans Against Horse Slaughter. (2008). Horse slaughter: It's not american. its not our culture. . Retrieved from http://www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com/