John Holland - President, Equine Welfare Alliance

John Holland testified at the Public Hearing on the Welfare of Racehorses in New York State before the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering and the Senate Standing Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. John Holland is President of the Equine Welfare Alliance (https://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/) , an organization dedicated to ending the slaughter of American horses and the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on public lands. Mr. Holland has determined that about 18% of the 96,000 horses going to slaughter annually from the United States are racehorses. EWA tracks everything they can about the slaughter industry. He says the slaughter industry is an absolute horror. Nobody cares about the animals at all, and it’s all about making money. The racing industry breeds 20,000 horses a year in New York State alone resulting in thousands of unwanted horses who never make the cut or are worthless after a short racing career. Most of these horses end up going to slaughter because their usefulness is over, no one wants them, and there's nowhere else for them to go. He estimated that providing care for 20,000 horses a year, with average lifespan of 25 years, at a low cost of $2,000 a year would cost $1 billion a year. If the United States banned horse slaughter and transport to other countries for slaughter, horses could not be disposed of so easily, and breeders would have to become more responsible for the animals they produce.