A soul-stirring poem by Equestrian poet Peter Hurst, from the perspective of a horse being shipped for slaughter. The Silent Horse.  I was raised on a farm, where I thought people cared,  for the reason, to be slaughtered, that a family shared. I was fed and raised, for this purpose in mind, the price, of my body, being already consigned. The trust I had was betrayed by all, My life being decided by a government call. My journey began under a nighttime sky, horses crowded together, each, wondering why. Arriving at a destination, with no grass or trees, a place of noise, and confusio ..read more

IATA Live Animal Regulations Violated and Ailing Horse Returned to Feedlot March, 2024 Supporters of the notorious industry that whisks live draft horses to their deaths in Japan are quick to claim that Canadian practices are in compliance with, or even exceed, requirements listed in IATA (International Air Transport Association) Live Animal Regulations. However, this claim was debunked on a recent study of Access to Information documents regarding a January 16, 2024 flight out of Edmonton, Alberta. IATA requirements state: “Groups of 4 horses may be shipped together in a crate with a ..read more

A Milestone for Horses: Bill C-355 Passes in the House of Commons! January 31, 2024 marked a historic win for draft horses in Canada.   Bill C-355 [https://www.parl.ca/documentviewer/en/44-1/bill/C-355/first-reading], an Act to stop the exportation of horses by air to Japan for the purpose of slaughter, achieved a majority of supportive votes in the House of Commons. (Yeas totalled 181 and Nays 137.)    We note that Liberal and NDP members voted in favour of the bill whereas Conservative and Bloc members were apt to vote against. (A handful of Conservative MPs, however, did no ..read more

Bill C-355, an act to end the cruel air shipments of live horses to Japan for slaughter, is scheduled for a vote in the HOC on Jan. 31/24!    On Monday, November 20, 2023 the first hour of Second Reading of Bill C-355 occurred in the House of Commons. After MP Tim Louis’ powerful speech, which addressed his fellow Members of Parliament about the cruelty inherent in the live horse export trade and what horses mean to Canadians, a vigorous debate followed. The second hour of Second Reading took place on December 14, 2023.  The vote on Bill C-355 will be on January 31, 2024.&nb ..read more

Horse defender Lidia Kuleshnyk is the talented author of a chapter called “The Divinity of Horses” in the #1 International Best-Selling Book, “Evolving on Purpose: Co-Creating With the Divine”. Go here to view a 3 minute video about her chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNmYkkQyA5w&list=PLBvRujZbIiy3DpF5RSvKXwK3kZnYhtDu4&index=1.Lidia describes the book as “purely humanitarian efforts designed to help share one’s message with the world, in this case educating the public about horse slaughter and that horses are high spiritual beings who deserve our reverence. The ..read more

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The December/Holiday Issue of HORIZON features an inspiring article on pages 14 and 15, about the work of Jann Arden and CHDC. The cruel horse exports issue is gaining more and more notoriety every day, and we are grateful to the editor of this beautiful magazine for helping to raise awareness about a topic that is on the mind of so many Canadians.  ..read more

The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin: Their History and Future, a thoroughly captivating work of non-fiction by wildlife biologist Wayne McCrory, is an insightful journey into the world of the qiyus, an indigenous name for the majestic, free-roaming horses inhabiting the Chilcotin region of interior B.C. The author describes the dedication of the Xeni Gwet’in people of the Tŝilhqotʼin Nation, whose inspiring efforts over the years have succeeded in achieving a partly protected area for qiyus in the West Chilcotin. The challenges faced by wild horses in Western Canada are many. Althoug ..read more

DEBATE ON BILL C-355 TO CONTINUE On Monday, November 20, 2023 the first hour of Second Reading of Bill C-355 occurred in the House of Commons. After MP Tim Louis’ powerful speech, which addressed his fellow Members of Parliament about the cruelty inherent in the live horse export trade and what horses mean to Canadians, a vigorous debate followed. Please note that debate on this issue is not completed; a new date will be announced when it becomes available. Bill C-355 will be voted on after the period of debating is over. A majority of votes in favour of the bill will propel it to the next ..read more

Another Flight Leaves the Edmonton International Airport September, 2023 On August 21, 2023, another Korean Air Cargo flight left the Edmonton International Airport carrying ninety-nine horses to Japan to be slaughtered for human consumption.  All were Belgian crosses with an average weight of 857.3 kg. (approximately 1900 lbs.).  They were just two-years-old (born in 2021). Of the horses in isolation who underwent testing, three tested positive for equine viral arteritis (EVA) and were removed. On August 24, 2023, an amendment to the Veterinary Health Certificate was issued cor ..read more