SAFE Act Returns: A Crucial Step To Ban Horse Slaughter & Protect America’s Wild Horses

Yesterday, Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act was reintroduced in the U.S. This critical piece of legislation would permanently protect American horses—both domestic and wild—from commercial slaughter.

The SAFE Act seeks to expand the 2018 Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act, which banned the slaughter of dogs and cats for consumption, to include equines. If passed, the bill would prohibit the slaughter of horses in the U.S. and end their export for slaughter to foreign markets.

This important bill was reintroduced by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), along with Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)

While this legislation is a crucial step toward protecting wild horses in the U.S., these beautiful symbols of America’s wild heritage remain particularly vulnerable to the slaughter pipeline due to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mass roundup and removal program.

The BLM’s taxpayer-funded operation, costing $150 million annually, has created a holding crisis, with over 66,000 wild horses and burros confined in government holding facilities—a number that now surpasses the population of wild horses still roaming free.

To address this crisis, the BLM launched the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), offering individuals $1,000 per adopted wild horse or burro. However, an in-depth investigation by American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC)—the nation’s leading wild horse conservation organization—uncovered rampant fraud and abuse, revealing that many adopted horses were being sent to slaughter for profit. This alarming discovery was exposed in a front-page report by The New York Times.

AWHC is dedicated to protecting America’s wild horses and burros, ensuring they remain free-roaming as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for humane, science-based management, AWHC operates the world’s largest wild horse fertility control program in Nevada’s Virginia Range, providing a sustainable alternative to costly and cruel roundups.

On March 1st, AWHC is leading a nationwide push to gather 50,000 signatures on a petition demanding an immediate end to cruel helicopter roundups, which terrorize, injure, and kill wild horses.

“AWHC welcomes the reintroduction of this important bill at this critical time as we gear up for a national day of action to celebrate National Horse Protection Day on March 1st,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director of AWHC. “The SAFE Act is a crucial step in ensuring that no horse—wild or domestic—ever faces the brutality of slaughter, and we urge Congress to pass this lifesaving legislation.”

Wild horses are a living symbol of America’s untamed spirit, yet they face relentless threats from government roundups, commercial interests, and the looming danger of slaughter. The reintroduction of the SAFE Act is a vital step toward ensuring that these iconic animals are permanently protected—but urgent action is needed to stop the roundups and safeguard their future in the wild.

TAKE ACTION! Help stop helicopter roundups of America’s wild horses and burros by signing AWHC’s petition HERE!