Jack Knowlton and Assemblyman Jim Tedisco

on Thursday, August 1, 2013 at the City Center in Saratoga Springs, NY

“In this historic year of celebrations for Saratoga Springs, horses and racing, we are delighted to honor two outstanding individuals who have each made history on their own,” said Susan Wagner, President & Founder of Equine Advocates. “It has been ten years since Jack Knowlton and Sackatoga Stable’s Funny Cide became the first New York Bred to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Since then, Jack Knowlton has become a strong voice against equine abuse and slaughter. Assemblyman Jim Tedisco has dedicated his life to the protection of animals and now is fighting for the passage of legislation to ban the slaughter of equines in New York State, which will have national implications as we move forward in passing a federal ban.”

Jack Knowlton will receive the 2013 Safe Home Equine Protection Award. He has been the Operating Manager of Sackatoga Stable since 1995, serving as the racing manager for their Thoroughbreds, including 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide. Mr. Knowlton served on New York State’s Task Force on Retired Race Horses from 2008 through 2011, when the task force issued its recommendations.

“I am honored to receive Equine Advocates’ 2013 Safe Home Protection Award. As a long time race horse owner, both Standardbred and Thoroughbred, I am dedicated to the cause of preventing the slaughter of these wonderful equine athletes and securing suitable second careers or homes for them following retirement,” said Mr. Knowlton.

Assemblyman Tedisco is being honored for his humanitarian work, legislative efforts and strong public stance against animal abuse, and will be awarded the Ellen & Herbert Moelis Equine Savior Award. He wrote Buster’s Bill and worked tirelessly to get it voted into law by the New York State Legislature in 1999. The act amended the Agriculture and Markets Law, in relation to aggravated cruelty to animals. He is an active co-sponsor of AO3905, which would ban the slaughter of equines in and from New York State.

“It’s truly an honor to receive the prestigious Equine Advocates 2013 Ellen and Herbert Moelis Equine Savior Award. Horses are athletes and companions. They work the farm and provide therapeutic services to veterans and people with disabilities.  Horses carried American soldiers into battle and helped build this country.  It’s unpatriotic to allow our horses to be sent abroad to be inhumanely slaughtered and turned into food,” said Assemblyman Tedisco. “Moreover, this is a public safety issue as there’s no guarantee horse meat—which is not fit for human consumption—will not end up in the U.S. food supply.  I will continue to advocate for passage of legislation to ban the slaughter of horses both here in New York State and across the nation.”

The event will be co-chaired by Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth and Saratoga’s own Julie Bonacio, who, along with her husband, Sonny, owns Bonacio Construction. Equine Advocates honored Ms. Neuwirth in 2009, and Ms. Bonacio received a special award in 2011.

Susan and Clare became fast friends and we had the pleasure of having Clare as our guest here at the sanctuary many times over the years which she always thoroughly enjoyed.  Here is a really sweet photo of Clare enjoying a bit of R&R during one of those visits. 

“I am devastated over the loss of my dear friend, Clare Haggarty,” said  Wagner. “She was a kind, wonderfully caring person and a great advocate for animals. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Clare’s family, her friends, all of her co-workers at NAVS and to all the people whose lives she has touched during her amazing but all-too-brief lifetime. She leaves a rich legacy which includes her remarkable achievements with the NAVS Sanctuary Fund which was her pride and joy. Helping animals and those who protect them especially during emergency circumstances was always a  priority for her. Her dedication was fierce and her compassion limitless. We will miss her terribly. Clare Haggarty will remain in our hearts and memories forever.”

The 2013 Annual American Equine Summit will take place Saturday, April 27 – Sunday, April 28 at Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary in Chatham, NY.  This invitation-only Summit will unite the equine community’s foremost experts to speak about how to end horse slaughter which, although opposed by more than 80% of Americans, is now legal in the US.

Said Susan Wagner, founder/president of Equine Advocates, “Horse slaughter goes against our very culture. The outcry in Europe over horsemeat invading their mainstream food chain is a cautionary tale for what could happen here. This unethical and unsavory practice exists because a small group of special interests within the horse industry want a way to dispose of inconvenient equines quickly and for profit, rather than take responsibility for them. It’s downright un-American and must be banned.”

New York State Assemblyman James Tedisco will be the Keynote Speaker. Some of the distinguished speakers coming from across the country to participate in the Summit include:

Patricia M. Hogan, VMD, ACVS (New Jersey): World-renowned equine surgeon will discuss the negative effects horse slaughter has on the racing industry.

Ann Marini, Ph.D., M.D. (Maryland): Award-winning physician will discuss her ground-breaking study on the dangers of the drug Phenylbutazone found in horses sold for human consumption.

U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson (R-NY) will discuss H.R. 1094, the Safeguard American Food Exports Act (SAFE Act).

John Holland (Virginia): Equine Welfare Alliance President will speak about understanding the forces behind horse slaughter.

Ginger Kathrens (Colorado): Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation will discuss wild horse and wild burro issues as they relate to slaughter.

R.T. Fitch (Texas): “Straight From the Horse’s Heart” author and blogger on the BLM’s agenda to destroy America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds.

Paula Bacon (Texas) Former Mayor of Kaufman, TX and Vickery Eckhoff (New York), Forbes.com writer, on the issues and impact of opening a horse slaughterhouse.

Victoria McCullough (Florida), Horse advocate/Chairwoman of Chesapeake Petroleum and Florida State Senator Joseph Abruzzo will discuss how horse slaughter impacts food safety in the US and Europe.

Jo Anne Normile (Michigan), author of the book, Saving Baby, principal of Normile Racehorse Protection Consulting and the founder of CANTER will present a program for the racing industry on how it can effectively take responsibility for the horses it breeds and races so that no horse ends up going to slaughter.

Billy Smith (New York), teacher & natural horseman of Billy Smith Horsemanship will present a lecture demonstration in the Outdoor Arena at Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary with a former PMU mare who had been severely abused in Canada.

With Featured Talks by:
Elizabeth Forel, Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
Stephanie Graham, Domestic and Wild Horse Advocate from Oklahoma
Sue McDonough, New York State Humane Association

Founded in 1996, Equine Advocates is a non-profit equine protection organization based in Chatham, NY. Its mission is to rescue, protect and prevent the abuse of equines, especially through banning the slaughter of American horses, through education, investigation, rescue operations and public education. Email info@equineadvocates.org or call 518-245-1599 for more information.

PRESS: Susan Bang/Emily Collins
Bang + Collins PR
Ph: 917-991-9714 / 518-771-3003
susan@bangcollinspr.com / emily@bangcollinspr.com

Cabbage, a Pony, sadly passed away on March 26, 2013. She was in her mid-twenties.

Cabbage was on her way to slaughter when she was rescued by Equine Advocates in 2001, along with two Belgian draft horses. We thought Cabbage was in foal when rescued… but she was not. She was diagnosed with a thyroid condition when first examined by our veterinarian. For years she was on medication that controlled her thyroid and did just fine, but she always did look pregnant.

Cabbage shared her days here at the sanctuary with her best buddy, Rain Main, a miniature horse. They were the first horses everyone saw entering the sanctuary and were our “official greeters” as they would whinny at every car coming in. No one could drive by without stopping to say hello and give a treat to these two inseparable friends.

Cabbage was a very sweet pony. She will be sorely missed by Rain Man and all who had the pleasure of knowing her.

This broadcast can be heard for the next week on KOOL’s website, www.kool1055fm.com. At their home page, go to the yellow box in the left margin and click on KOOL Konversations. Following Susan’s portion of the interview, George Plummer interviewed pro-horse slaughter Oklahoma State Rep. Skye McNeil who introduced the slaughter bill in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.

We are urging the good people of Oklahoma to contact Governor Mary Fallin to oppose the horse slaughter legislation, Bills HB 1999 and SB 375, that may get to her desk as early as next week for approval. Horse slaughter brings NOTHING good to the community.

The Office of Governor Mary Fallin
Oklahoma State Capitol
2300 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Room 212
Oklahoma City, OK  73105
Telephone:  405-521-2342
Fax:  405-521-3353

Tulsa Office of Governor Mary Fallin
440 S. Houston Avenue
Suite 304
Tulsa, OK  741217
Telephone:  918-581-2801
Fax 918-581-2835

Donors:

• Agway
• Aviator Wine & Liquors
• BD Outdoors
• BJ Wiegelt Horse Bedding
• Blue Seal Horse Feeds
• Carquest
• Chatham Kids
• Chatham Steel & Alloy Fabricators, LLC.
• Chatham Wine & Liquor
• Clock Tower Baby Toys
• Country Critters Pet Salon
• The Dakota, Clothing & Accessories
• Envogue Hair Salon
• Fairview Cinema 3
• Fairview Liquor
• Greene County Horseshoe Supply, Inc.
• Hannaford
• Kent Nutrition Group
• Kinderhook Wine & Spirits
• Labella’s
• Lagonia’s Pizza & Café
• Mario’s
• Mark’s Pizza
• Mirror Image Unisex Hairstyling
• MJ’s Sports Bar & Grill
• Mrs. Alessi
• Tom Pavelek
• Nutrena
• Price Chopper
• Simmons Automotive
• Tractor Supply
• Turnpike Tavern

Horse Slaughter in the United States
In 2011, the Obama Administration lifted a USDA funding ban on equine slaughterhouse inspections. Horse slaughter, itself, has not been banned at a federal level, despite the efforts of many good people and organizations, however, there are unconfirmed reports that the Obama Administration now wants to reinstate the ban on horse slaughter. A federal ban must be the happy ending to this story, but more on that later.

Oklahoma Legislation
Oklahoma passed a state ban on horse slaughter in 1963 and is now seeking to revoke that ban. Two bills passed the Oklahoma state legislature and are awaiting the Governor’s signature. Governor Mary Fallin is being lobbied to veto this legislation.  Stay tuned…

Senate Bill 375, which was passed by a vote of 38-6 with no debate, would revoke the ban on the sale of horsemeat in the state. House Bill 1999, which was passed by a vote of 82-14, would allow horses to be slaughtered in Oklahoma, but only for international export.

Rep. Skye McNiel (R-Bristow) introduced the House bill, saying it was a humane alternative to abuse, starvation and abandonment of horses. But let’s take a closer look at McNiel’s real reasons. McNiel’s family has a financial interest in a livestock auction house, making this a special interest operating at its finest. It seems to us that McNiel is not in this for the best interests of horses as she says, but the best interests of herself, which raises questions of ethical misconduct to us!

New Mexico Legislation
In New Mexico, there are conflicting reports about the USDA granting inspections to the Valley Meat Company in Roswell for the slaughter of horses. The Governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez, is on record as publicly opposed to bringing horse slaughter to her state.  This story is evolving every day.  Please keep writing to her, the New Mexico state legislature and the USDA to express your feelings. Together we can stop the slaughter!

Proponents of Horse Slaughter
Proponents of horse slaughter say that it will help those who can no longer afford to keep their horses and will prevent and reduce starvation, abandonment, and abuse of horses. They will tell you that slaughter is needed because this is already happening to so many horses.

We also have “Slaughterhouse Sue” Wallis and the Agricultural Resource Center who believe there would be an appetite for horsemeat. We’ll say it again. Put aside for the moment the morally-abhorrent act of slaughtering horses, horsemeat IS NOT SAFE for human consumption. Equines must be removed from the food chain!

Horse Slaughter is NOT Humane
Despite those we name and shame above, we are thankful for the many good people like Rep. David Dank (R-Oklahoma City), a former racehorse owner who opposes the bill and who says he “would have shot anyone who suggested slaughtering one of his animals.”

The term “humane slaughter” is an oxymoron! There is nothing humane about horse slaughter.  Horses sent to slaughter suffer extreme terror and pain before meeting a grotesque end.  As a last resort, a responsible horse owner will ALWAYS choose humane euthanasia rather than slaughter.

If this isn’t reason enough to oppose horse slaughter, consider the following that also occur when slaughterhouses are opened:

• Increase in crime rate
• Decrease in property values
• Underpaid workers, along with unsafe working conditions
• Recalls

And let’s not forget the blood of horses flowing through the city sewer system and backing up into people’s homes in Kaufman, Texas prior to the slaughterhouse being closed there.

Public Opinion is Against Horse Slaughter
Eighty percent, or four out of five, Americans are opposed to horse slaughter. As of late last week, a poll on Kfor.com in light of the Oklahoma bills showed 82% of voters do not think horses should be slaughtered for meat.

The only way to stop horsemeat from entering the food chain and to prevent further inhumane treatment of horses is to enact a federal ban on horse slaughter. It’s time to make our collective voices heard.

If you live in Oklahoma, please contact your members of Congress, and visit the Oklahoma Legislature site for more information.

If you live in New Mexico, please contact your members of Congress, and visit the New Mexico Legislature site for more information.

For the rest of us, we need to bring pressure on our State Representatives and Senators and President Obama’s Administration to enact this ban.

We believe this could be the year.  We are optimistic and engaged in the debate, but we need you to make your voice heard too!

This “story” also begs the question of why many people think that something like this couldn’t happen here. We absolutely think that something like this could happen, if it hasn’t already. Officials acknowledge that testing for horsemeat is rare because they don’t expect it to be a concern.  Do you think this is good enough? Forbes writer Vickery Eckhoff also details “Five Reasons Why Burger King’s Horse Meat Scandal Could Happen Here.”

Next: Horse Slaughter in the United States

In the meantime, join us over on Facebook so we can hear your thoughts on these topics. And, as always, we rely on your help to spread the news and help educate your friends, family, and co-workers on the issues involved here. Additionally, one of the best things you can do to promote public awareness of these issues is to send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.