Horseshoes for Congress

Horseshoes for Congress Artwork. Created by Vivian Grant Farrell.

Greetings.

We thought it might be interesting to look back at some of the things we have done over the years.

The Internet Archive people at the Way Back Machine have stored random selections from our original website (fund4horses.org). It’s amazing to look around there.

Vivian started it all with a group called Texans for Horses in 2001 whose prime mission was to shut down the two horse slaughter plants operating there. From Texans for Horses Vivian began a nationwide group called The Fund for Horses in October 2003.

The very first campaign we did as The Fund for Horses was launch a large scale campaign in support of H.R. 857, The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, and called it “Horseshoes for Congress”.

We asked constituents to mail a horseshoe to their U.S. Representatives with a letter, a postcard or a tag on it, asking them to cosponsor H.R. 857.

Some folks who lived in the Dallas area went to one of the plants and got some of the shoes from horses who had been slaughtered there to send to Washington D.C.

We found a few pages regarding our Horseshoes for Congress campaign in the Way Back Machine archive. Here are two.

As of October 25, 2003, 96 horseshoes had been sent.
https://web.archive.org/web/20031025222735/http://www.fund4horses.org/

As of February 14, 2004, 2326 horseshoes had been sent.
https://web.archive.org/web/20040214212859/http://www.fund4horses.org/info.php?id=43

From what those of us who are still around from those days can remember, just under 3000 horseshoes were mailed to Congress.

Sadly, we are still fighting to put a total end to the slaughter of American horses. It’s been a long and often heartbreaking journey. The battles have been too many. Too often. But never say die, right?

There’s a bill banning horse slaughter pending right now — H.R. 961. We are asking for everyone’s support.

Historically, our anti horse slaughter bills have died in Committee. However, there’s a rule we can use to break free whatever committees a bill has been assigned to, and get it moved on to the House floor for a debate and vote. We need 290 cosponsors to do it.

We have never been in a stronger position to get a bill like this passed.

Do you have 10 minutes to help?

Please check to see if your U.S. Representative has cosponsored H.R. 961, and if not contact him or her right away. Go here to get started.

You can do it all online. We have a page right here on Tuesday’s Horse which will take you through it step by step.

290 cosponsors sounds like a lot, but we have reached 240 cosponsors before, and are confident we can reach what 290 and more. But it will take a nation. And we are that nation. A horse loving nation.

Thank you!