Horse interests trying to form an overall lobby

Citing the recession, animal-rights initiatives and increasing abandonment of horses since the last U.S. horse slaughterhouse closed, some horse interests are creating an overall lobbying group for the restoration and viability of the equine industry. The United Organizations of the Horse aims to provide strong leadership in the equine community at the national level and take stands on controversial issues like horse slaughter, Julie Harker reports for Brownfield Network.

One of the organizers, state Rep. Wallis of Wyoming, argues that the industry lacks a viable representative in the federal government. She told Harker, "The horse industry in the United States and has been hit by kind of a – oh – triple whammy," which she says is a combination of the bad economy, an upsurge in animal rights-driven initiatives affecting the industry, and the closing of the three remaining horse-slaughter facilities in the U.S. The result is the future of the equine industry at stake. "We know that in order for there to be any chance of our livelihoods, our traditions, our culture surviving, we have to find a way to communicate." The United Organizations of the Horse has its first planning meeting in Washington, D.C. on June 14. (Read more)