Eating horse meat is considered legal in some countries, and under certain circumstances, is necessary. However, most countries in the free world would rather see the horse on its hoof in the farm rather than on the hook in some cold slaughterhouse. In the United States, federal laws prefer the former.On September 2006, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act won by a 263-146 landslide vote in Congress. Propelled by US Democrat Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky of Illinois, the act was designed to permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States. However, the US Senate failed to vote on the act before the end of the 109th Congress. Montana Senator Conrad Burns held up the act.Prior to the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, there were several legislations created to protect American horses. The Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 were passed to prevent people from capturing, branding, harassing, and killing wild horses. However, several provisions were changed in the act. One of which was ordering the Bureau of Land Management to sell “excess” horses in livestock auctions.United States-based slaughtering operations have been shut down. Unfortunately, there are no laws stopping the transportation of live horses from the Unites States to other countries where they can be legally slaughtered.
