Rep. Tonko is a longtime member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and has consistently championed horse protection legislation including the Save America's Forgotten Equines Act to prevent the slaughter of American horses and the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act to protect certain gaited horse breeds from the abusive training practice known as soring.

“During his time in Congress, Representative Tonko has been a tireless champion for equine protection, always going above and beyond,” stated Keith Dane, senior director of equine protection at the Humane Society of the United States. “We are so appreciative of his remarkable leadership to stop terrible cruelties to equines including the slaughter of horses for human consumption, soring of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to win prizes, and doping of racehorses, which has caused so many tragic fatalities.”

“I am humbled to be named Humane Horseman of the Year by the Humane Society of the United States,” stated Rep. Tonko. “My work—really our work—to elevate the sport of horseracing with strong, enforceable standards of integrity and safety would not have been possible without all of the champions working to lift up the health of our equine athletes. I look forward to a long successful partnership as we continue paving a bright future for this noble sport.”

In the House of Representatives Rep. Tonko was the lead sponsor of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which was signed into law in December of 2020. This law will address widespread doping—a key contributing factor to frequent fatalities on American racetracks, as horses including injured ones are drugged up with painkillers and performance-enhancing substances and pushed beyond their limits. This animal protection measure will ban race-day medication, substantially increase out-of-competition testing and establish uniform national rules and oversight for the use of drugs in racehorses, replacing the hodgepodge of different rules in 38 U.S. racing jurisdictions. It creates a new independent nonprofit authority that will contract with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency as its anti-doping and medication control enforcement agency.

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The amendment, which would effectively ban horse slaughter in the United States if it becomes law, was sponsored in the House of Representatives by Troy Carter (D-LA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and John Katko (R-NY). The amendment was supported by a number of U.S. Thoroughbred industry organizations, including the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). The NTRA will be advocating for the inclusion of this amendment as part of any final infrastructure bill passed by Congress.

The measure is supported by leading animal welfare groups, including the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), the Animal Welfare Institute, the Humane Society of the United States, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, and Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation – members of a coalition that worked with the sponsors and members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to strengthen the language of this new amendment.

American horses have not been slaughtered for human consumption in the U.S. since 2007, thanks to overwhelming public opposition and a federal restriction on funding. However, a loophole in the law allows tens of thousands of equines to be trucked across U.S. borders each year.

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Hosted by the equine caregivers at Black Beauty from Dec. 14 to 25, viewers will get a daily behind-the-scenes look at feeding time, caring and therapy treatments for special needs horses. The videos will also feature staff patrolling across the 800-acre pasture and other surprises. Caregivers will also read holiday-themed books alongside horses and share the back stories that brought these animals to the sanctuary.

Noelle Almrud, senior director of Black Beauty, said: “We want to give a virtual holiday gift to our supporters and share an inside look at what it takes to properly care for hundreds of horses and donkeys every day. Our expert equine caregivers will take viewers through an array of daily activities and introduce some of our incredible animals who were rescued from cruelty and neglect. We miss being able to offer our monthly tours due to the pandemic and created this virtual alternative experience for all to enjoy.”

Some of the residents who will be featured are Katniss, a special needs mustang; Pride, rescued from a Humane Society of the United States undercover investigation into soring of Tennessee walking horses; Stewie, a donkey found as a stray by law enforcement; and Mulan, part of a large rescue of over 800 feral mustangs who were found starving. Along with nearly 800 residents at the 1,400-acre sanctuary – from tigers, bears and primates to the nearly 400 donkeys and horses – these animals are living happily ever after with proper care at the sanctuary for the rest of their lives.

Videos will post at 9:00 a.m. CST daily on Facebook.

Founded in 1979, the 1,400-acre Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, operated by the Fund for Animals in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, is one of America's largest and most diverse animal sanctuaries. Located in Murchison, Texas, Black Beauty is a permanent haven to nearly 800 domestic and exotic animals rescued from research laboratories, circuses, zoos, private pet ownership, roadside zoos, captive hunting operations, and government roundups. Residents include tigers, bears, primates, bison, tortoises, horses, burros and more. To respect the peace and privacy of the animals, the sanctuary is open to the public only twice a month for intimate prescheduled Ranch of Dreams Tours. However, due to COVID-19 concerns, tours are on hiatus until further notice. Visit https://www.facebook.com/BlackBeautyRanch.

Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States fights the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, we take on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries. With our affiliates, we rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals every year through our animal rescue team's work and other hands-on animal care services. We fight all forms of animal cruelty to achieve the vision behind our name: A humane society.

Learn more about our work at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to Kitty Block's blog, A Humane World. Follow the HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter. Read the award-winning All Animals magazine. Listen to the Humane Voices Podcast.  

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