As Hurricane Florence batters the coast of the Carolinas, wreaking havoc with screaming winds and lashing rain, our Humane Society of the United States Animal Rescue Team is at the ready to deploy for search and rescue in the impacted areas, and to support shelters and communities that officially...

The Humane Society of the United States, joined by several other organizations, is suing to stop the U.S. Forest Service from carrying out a plan that could result in the sale of wild horses, now being rounded up in California, to slaughter. Earlier this month, I told you about the misguided plan to...

The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States, is the nation’s only organization for veterinary professionals that focuses solely on animal welfare. The HSVMA contributes to the work we do every day, by bringing the important veterinary...

Each year, our campaigns work on a multitude of issues related to improving the lives of companion animals, including dogs, cats and horses. In 2019, we made incredible gains on this front, culminating with the signing of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act into law in November. The...

On June 2, Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, suspended horse racing upon the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority after 12 horses died in a span of a few weeks at the track. Just 10 days prior the Authority finally gained the power to fully enforce the...

When I joined the Humane Society of the United States back in 1992 as a legal investigator, I couldn’t have predicted that my career path would lead me to the role I serve now, as president and CEO of the HSUS and CEO of Humane Society International. In my three decades of service, I’ve had the...

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson The saga of 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify, recently chronicled in a New York Times article , provides one of the most compelling arguments yet for reform in the horseracing industry and in particular for ending the massive leeway the industry now enjoys in...

The regulatory system in horse racing has been broken for years, and public confidence in the sport continues to wane. This week’s news that Medina Spirit is being stripped of his 2021 Kentucky Derby win is yet another blow. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Monday vacated Medina Spirit’s...

An overwhelming majority of Kentucky voters oppose horse soring—the intentional infliction of pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds—and want Congress to end it, according to the results of a new poll we are releasing today. Seventy-eight percent of poll...

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson Just weeks after the U.S. House of Representatives’ historic passage of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 693), there’s more good news for Tennessee walking horses. The Nashville, TN Metro Council has approved a resolution supporting passage of PAST and...

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson Recent developments in a case involving a Tennessee walking horse named Honors, who was crowned champion despite clear evidence that he was a victim of cruel soring, highlight the urgent need for Congress to swiftly pass the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act. The...

Some of the people and interests tied to cruelty to animals seem to come right from central casting. That’s going to help us succeed in our efforts to secure passage of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 961/S. 2006, to permanently ban domestic horse slaughter and end the export of...

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson The Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program is broken. Since inception of the program, the BLM has removed approximately 270,000 wild horses and burros from our public lands, without any significant use of fertility control tools, and without a plan...

The Horseracing Integrity Act, H.R. 2651, will better protect our nation’s racehorses by replacing outdated state-by-state drug and medication rules, banning race-day medication, and putting the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in charge of a program to set one national uniform set of rules on...

It is a long way from the stable, paddock and winner’s circle at Churchill Downs to the dark, dank and bloody slaughterhouses in which tens of thousands of American horses meet their sad and pitiable end each year. Yet some former racehorses do make that terrible journey, and it’s hard not to think...

The horse racing season concludes this weekend with the Belmont Stakes, the third and final race in the Triple Crown series. Racing enthusiasts will watch to see which horse takes home the big prize. But once the race ends and the tracks are empty again, the horse racing industry will find itself in...

As 2018 draws to a close, so too does the 115th Congress. Each year, the federal team at our affiliate Humane Society Legislative Fund pushes hard to advance legislation that protects animals, and this year, we saw strong progress. Notably, in the Farm Bill signed last week by President Trump, we...

While 2020 was no ordinary year, each and every one of us associated with the Humane Society family of organizations did our best to make it an extraordinary one for animals. Here in the U.S., our colleagues at the Humane Society Legislative Fund finished strong by landing a host of animal...

Update 6/23/22: The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection voted today to advance two important horse protection bills, the SAFE and PAST Act. The Subcommittee voted in favor 22-0 for both bills and we look forward to further advancement to the Full Committee. This week...

Last Saturday, Americans tuned in to watch the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown. On the same day, the New York Times exposed horrific details of our country’s wild horses ending up at slaughter plants in other nations; Americans who had obtained these...