July 18, 2008 - Unwanted horses have become a growing concern across the U.S., and this winter as feed sources become less available, the number of abandoned and neglected horses is poised to escalate considerably.
  At present, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has in its ownership some 30,000 unwanted horses that cost U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars annually to feed and care for. The BLM recently announced its own concerns over mounting costs to taxpayers and increased abandonment of horses on federal lands.
  Equine veterinarians across the country have been increasingly reporting a growing number of emaciated horses and abandonment cases. Boarding stable owners are seeing clients no longer wanting their horses and just walking away, leaving the burden of feeding and care with the stable owner. Responsible horse owners are waking to find strange horses in their pastures, putting at risk the health and welfare of their horses and adding an immediate financial burden to their operations.
  Reports of unwanted horses are widespread and many, but until now, not adequately documented or verified. The Horse Welfare Committee has been formed to provide such facts. The goal of the committee is to factually document the incidents of unwanted horses in the U.S. and determine if this trend is directly related to the closure of U.S. horse slaughter plants. The committee advocates discussion of all alternatives to benefit horse welfare and does not advocate one alternative to the exclusion of others.
  The committee recognizes this is a highly emotional issue for many but is urging people to fully explore the issue in terms of facts and logic before coming to conclusions. There are a number of documents at the website that can help elucidate the issue. Horse lovers, in particular, are urged to become fully educated on this issue and rationally balance their decisions. Information gathered by the committee is being posted at www.horsewelfarecommittee.com. 
  Unwanted horse related incidents can be reported to the Horse Welfare Committee through use of the online submission form found at www.horsewelfarecommittee.com or by contacting the Horse Welfare Committee at info@horsewelfarecommittee.com.

We, Kail and Renee, at Montana Horses sit on this Committee.  It is an issue extremely important to us.  With the rising prices of hay, the difficulty in travel, the loss of rangeland, and the changing attitudes about horses and livestock, we feel it is important to monitor the welfare of the horse.  We strive to maintain the status of horses as livestock, an agricultural base with strong exports and good relations, and to preserve our ability to do business in a highly specialized industry.  Most importantly, we are concerned about the future of the horse and its position in our society.  We advocate responsible horse ownership.  We advocate proper care and respect for the horse.  We advocate free market, capitalism unbound by misdirected, inappropriate, or unwarranted regulation.  We love our horses, our horse-business, and our position in this industry.  We are concerned about the future and hope that by arming ourselves with solid facts and statistics, we can help to create an environment that is beneficial to the horse and to the community in which he lives.