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As your constituent and a supporter of equine welfare, I am writing to urge you to cosponsor the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3475/S. 2037), and support its inclusion in the Farm Bill. This legislation will simply add equines to an existing, uncontroversial law banning the slaughter of dogs and cats for meat, ending the slaughter of American horses for human consumption—a practice that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose. Horse slaughter is a cruel, unnecessary and predatory industry that has no domestic market and interferes with our legitimate equine industries. It also threatens human health. Horses are raised outside the regulatory system designed to ensure food safety because they are not considered food animals in this country. Their basic, daily care includes giving them medications and treatments (like fly spray and de-wormer) that contain drugs banned by the FDA for use in food animals due to their toxicity to humans. Consuming horsemeat raises significant health concerns for people. The continuation of this underground industry also strikes constant fear in the hearts of horse owners, who worry that their equine work partner, athlete or trusted friend might be stolen or fall into the wrong hands and meet such a fate. Horses have not been slaughtered legally in the U.S. for human consumption since 2007 thanks to Congressional action to prohibit taxpayer dollars from propping up this industry. Yet tens of thousands of horses continue to be exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter each year, when we can either find new homes for them in the U.S. or provide them with compassionate euthanasia if that is what is necessary. We need the SAFE Act to put an end to this shameful chapter of American history. Animal protection is a priority for me, and I would appreciate you taking a stand on such an important issue. Please cosponsor the SAFE Act and include it in the Farm Bill.