The mission of Pony Savers is to inform the nation of the brutal practices slaughterhouses employ when harvesting American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as rescue horses suffering from neglect, abandonment or abuse. 

Much of the nation doesn't realize that in Europe and Asia, American horse meat fetches high prices. Many American horses are bought by kill buyers, unknown by their sellers. The horses are then shipped to Mexico or Canada in filthy conditions to be inhumanely slaughtered. Pony Savers strives to end this practice for good, and provide a safe place where unwanted horses may live the entirety

of their lives comfortably and well taken care of. 

The crisis over horse meat in consumer products continues, as the Swedish furniture giant Ikea withdraws meatballs from sale in 14 countries. Authorities in the Czech Republic originally detected the horse meat in the Ikea meatballs, which were labeled as pork and beef. Read more at our Horse Blog.

Amid an outcry of disgust, Burger King acknowledged this week that burgers sold in Ireland and Britain contained horse meat. The news officially broke in mid-January by Irish food safety officials when they found that out of 27 beef burgers sampled, 10 contained horse DNA and 23 contained pig DNA. Read more at our Horse Blog.

Sarah Stark's quarter horse Taurus has turned 30 years young, and Pony Savers wants to wish him a happy birthday. Sarah, co-founder of Pony Savers, rescued Taurus from neglect, and thanks to her wonderful care over the years, Taurus doesn't look a day over 10. But if it wasn't for Sarah, Taurus might have been killed at a slaughterhouse and never seen this day. So Taurus' long happy life is a testament to the fact that you should never give up on a life -- be it a horse or a person. 

With funds from private investors and possibly Native American tribes from the area, Oregon could be the site of a new horse slaughter plant. The project's organizer, Dave Duquette, said the plant would be located on 250 acres of land in Hermiston, where 100 horses per day would be slaughtered. This proposal comes after residents in Moutain Grove, Missouri, overwhelmingly rejected a horse slaughter plant in their town. Read more at our Horse Blog.

Horse trainer Jackie McConnell and several of his associates have been indicted on violating the federal Horse Protection Act. McConnell allegedly sprayed harmful chemicals on his horses' front legs (known as soring) to cause them to take higher steps or gaits in competitions. Soring is a cruel practice that was outlawed 40 years. Read more about McConnell at our Horse Blog.



Wyoming state Rep. Sue Wallis (R) is planning to open up a horse meat processing plant in Mountain Grove, Missouri sometime this year. Wallis believes Missourians support her business, even though 7 out of 10 Americans want horse slaughter banned. Missourians are speaking out against the opening of the plant also, sensing that the little town of Mountain Grove will become a hub of horse slaughter and they don't want it. Read more at Horse Blog. 

Kelsey Lefever leaving court on Feb. 21, 2012

Kelsey Lefever, a local horse trainer in Chester county, Pennsylvania, convinced the owners of two racehorses that she would give the retired horses a good and proper home. However, days later police say 24 year old Lefever sold the two thoroughbreds to be slaughtered for human consumption in Canada. But this is not a onetime event for Lefever. Read more about Kelsey at our Horse Blog.