On First Day Back in Session, Congress Urged to Protect Horses

 Thousands join National Day of Action Calling on lawmakers to advance 2025 Horse Protection Platform‍

(WASHINGTON, D.C., September 2, 2025) — As Congress returned today from its August recess, thousands of Americans across the country joined a National Day of Action to call on lawmakers to make horse protection a top priority. Supported by American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and the Homes for Horses Coalition (HHC), the daylong mobilization elevated the 2025 Horse Protection Platform, a comprehensive, bipartisan package of reforms designed to safeguard wild and domestic horses.

Participants from coast to coast contacted their elected officials, urging them to:

• Protect wild horses in the federal budget by maintaining the slaughter prohibition and dedicating $11 million of the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program budget to proven, humane fertility control.
  
  
• Join the bipartisan Wild Horse Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and David Schweikert (R-AZ).
  
  
• Cosponsor key bipartisan bills, including:
  
  
  • Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act (H.R. 4356) — Phases out helicopter roundups; in the interim, requires cameras on helicopters. .
    
    
  • SAFE Act (H.R. 1661/S. 775) — Permanently bans horse slaughter in the United States for human consumption, as well as the export of horses for slaughter.
    
    
  • PAST Act (H.R. 1684) — Ends the abusive practice of soring Tennessee Walking Horses.
    
    
  • Horse Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 3623) — Prohibits unsafe use of double-deck trailers for hauling horses.
    
    
  • Veterans for Mustangs Act (H.R. 2864) — Supports veterans in administering humane fertility control for wild herds.
    
    

“Congress is back in session today, and so are we,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of AWHC. “This Day of Action shows the overwhelming public demand for Congress to take meaningful steps to end horse slaughter, replace cruel helicopter roundups with humane solutions, and ensure wild horses remain free on the range where they belong.”

“Every year that Congress delays action, horses – both wild and domestic – continue to suffer from inhumane practices,” said Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., Equine Program Director and Senior Advisor at AWI. “The bipartisan bills in the Horse Protection Platform embody commonsense reforms that reflect the values of the vast majority of Americans.”

“Today’s grassroots mobilization is proof that people across the country care deeply about protecting our nation’s equines,” said Tessa Archibald, Manager of the Homes for Horses Coalition. “Lawmakers must listen to the voices of their constituents and advance these critical equine welfare measures.”

The Horse Protection Platform reflects growing bipartisan momentum for reform in Washington and across the country. The coalition emphasized that Sept. 2 was the perfect time to deliver a clear message: Protecting America’s horses should be a top priority.

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About American Wild Horse Conservation

American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation's leading nonprofit wild horse conservation organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for the protection and preservation of America's wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horse fertility control program in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.

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The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

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The Homes for Horses Coalition is a national coalition dedicated to increasing collaboration, professionalism, and growth in the equine rescue and protection community. Our members are committed to ending horse slaughter and all other forms of equine abuse. The coalition—an initiative of the Animal Welfare Institute and the American Wild Horse Conservation—includes hundreds of equine rescue, sanctuary, and animal welfare organizations throughout the United States and beyond.