Most horses sold at auction are bought by "killer buyers" (middlemen for slaughter plants) and go straight to slaughter. Very little horse meat is used in dog food; it's too expensive with some cuts selling for over US $20.00 per pound.

The majority of surviving foals born to the 80,000 PMU mares in North America to produce the estrogen replacement drug, Premarin, are considered byproducts, and are sold for slaughter.

"State and nationwide polls have shown that the vast majority of Americans are strongly opposed to horse slaughter."

Slaughter Houses are on the Decline
An increasing number of Americans have become aware of the slaughter industry, and over the past ten years, the number of equine slaughter plants in this country has decreased from fourteen to four.

But there are still an average of over 100,000 American horses being slaughtered here and in Canada annually.