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Advocacy Center

Action Alert

USA: Ask Your Rep to Support a Ban on Inhumane Transport of Horses

US H.R. 7— Ban on Double-Deck Horse Transport in the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act
ASPCA Position: Support
Action Needed: Contact your U.S. representative in Washington, D.C., and ask him or her to support a ban on the use of double-deck trailers to transport horses.

We recently asked you to contact your federal lawmakers to urge their support for a ban on double-deck trailers for the transport of horses. The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on a large transportation bill (H.R. 7) that currently includes this ban.

While your calls and messages on this issue created a buzz on Capitol Hill and helped us win preliminary battles in committee, the fight is not over. Some in Congress have moved the discussion behind closed doors—a tactic that makes the ban on double-deck transport in H.R. 7 more vulnerable to removal. We must not let it be stripped from the bill in a back-room negotiation! We ask you to contact your U.S. representative again to let him/her know that you are watching this bill closely, and that a spotlight will remain on this issue.

Designed for cattle and other short-necked livestock, double-deck trailers are dangerous and inhumane when used to transport horses. Because horses are significantly taller and require more head room, these trailers cannot physically provide enough space to stand upright, leading to unstable footing, falls, injuries, trampling and death. The American Veterinary Medical Association supports a ban on double-deck trailers for horses, regardless of the destination.

What You Can Do
We need you to take two actions for horses.

First, use the form below to email your U.S. representative. Don’t forget to add your own message in the box provided.

Second, follow up with a brief, polite call to your representative’s D.C. office. Tell your rep that as a constituent, you care about the humane treatment of horses—they should not be transported to any destination in cruel and unsafe double-deck trailers. You can use the text on this page as talking points. Don’t be intimidated by the call—it’s easy, fast and by far the most effective thing you can do! Look up your representative's name and phone number here.

Thank you for your help, animal advocates!

Take Action

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Your U.S. House Representative

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Subject:
Hold On to a Ban on Double-Deck Trailers for Horses in the Transportation Bill!

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As your constituent, I support a ban on the use of double-deck trailers for transport of horses, and I strongly urge you to support that provision in H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012. Please ensure that this language stays in the bill.

Please consider the following points:

- The USDA has stated that double-deck trailers are inherently unsafe and inhumane for horses and has banned use of double-deck trailers for transporting horses to slaughter plants. The American Veterinary Medical Association also supports a complete ban.

- Double-deck trailers, which are designed for short-necked livestock, are too small for transporting horses. These trailers prohibit horses from standing upright, causing them to lose their balance, fall, become injured or trampled, and even to die.

- No design modification can make this form of equine transport safe. If the trailers are tall enough to accommodate two levels of horses, they will be unstable and present a danger to horses and motorists alike.

- Double-deck trailers are a threat to local communities when used for horses. Accidents in recent years have created gruesome roadside scenes of horses twisted, entangled, dead and dying. Motorists are endangered, emergency responders are often unprepared, and local communities have had to pay for rescue and rehabilitation costs.

- There is no logical reason why the USDA's ban should not be extended to all horses being transported, no matter the destination. If the trailer design is inhumane for horses, then it is inhumane regardless of the purpose behind the transportation.

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