The United States House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 503, which makes slaughtering of horses for human consumption illegal. The bill, sponsored by Representative John Sweeney (R-New York), seeks to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption.

There were two amendments designed to kill the bill but both were put to pasture. One amendment would allow the practice to continue by cultures that traditionally eat horse meat. The second amendment seeks to keep three slaughter plants to remain operational. When signed into law, it will close two plants in Texas and one in Illinois that slaughtered some 90,000 horses for meat.

"We don't allow horse meat to be eaten in this country," said Representative Mark Foley (R-Florida). "To allow shipment of meat overseas is a bit hypocritical."

Meanwhile, Representative Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) said "We're not opposed to the French eating horses and the Belgians eating horses. But they can slaughter them in their country. They don't need to be slaughtering our horses."

But the Horse Welfare Coalition disagrees with the bill calling it the product of a "misinformation campaign waged by our well intentioned but misguided adversaries."

According to the Horse Welfare Coalition, HR 503 will result in more harm than good for the animals. By making humane euthanasia for horses illegal, more than 60,000 additional unwanted horses will flood inadequate, overburdened, unregulated rescue and adoption facilities annually.

These horses, according to the coalition, will be competing for adoption with the 32,000 wild horses U.S. taxpayers are already paying million to shelter and feed. Closing horse processing plants will leave owners with no access to humane euthanasia plus they'd end up paying for carcass disposal.

The Upper House's version, Senate Bill 1915, is already before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.