This week, law enforcement in Northern New York State made a critical traffic stop near the Canadian border, successfully rescuing over two dozen horses who were en route to a slaughterhouse. This marked a significant achievement in combatting the notorious slaughter pipeline that transports horses for human consumption across international borders. Following a law signed by Governor Hochul in December 2023, which prohibits the slaughter, sale, purchase, and transport of horses intended for slaughter in New York, the police intercepted a truck containing 25 horses from Pennsylvania heading to Quebec.

At Unbridled Sanctuary in Southern Albany County, these rescued horses now enjoy their freedom and live out their lives in safety. Susan Cain, the sanctuary’s founder, has dedicated her life to saving equines and highlights the cruelty of the slaughter industry, where horses are bought and transported inhumane conditions. She advocates for similar laws in neighboring states and is working towards nationwide protections for horses.

While the laws are groundbreaking for New York, the absence of nationwide regulation means that horses may still be rerouted through different states for slaughter. Cain and fellow advocates urge Congress to enact legislation ensuring the protection of horses across the US, emphasizing that the welfare of animals is a bipartisan issue. Through over 20 years of service, Unbridled has become a critical sanctuary for horses saved from this abusive pipeline, showcasing the need for continued awareness and action against horse slaughter.

GREENVILLE, N.Y. (WNYT) – A New York traffic stop blocked a shipment of 25 horses bound for slaughter and renewed calls for a nationwide ban.

Earlier this week, law enforcement stopped a truck in northern New York carrying 25 horses that had been loaded in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and were headed to a slaughterhouse in Quebec, Canada. Transporting horses for slaughter is illegal in New York under legislation Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in December 2023.

In 2025 alone, more than 25,000 horses were exported to Mexico or Canada for slaughter. At Unbridled Sanctuary in Greenville, founder Susan Kayne said the stop marked an important step against what advocates call the slaughter pipeline.

“It is disheartening to see and to have learned the callousness and the hard hearts that just package these horses up by the pound,” Susan Kayne said. “Load them onto trailers for 36 hour drives. And throw them away.”

Kayne founded Unbridled Sanctuary in Greenville, where 65 equines roam the property on any given day. Levy reported the sanctuary has spent 22 years caring for unwanted horses and says it has built what it believes is New York’s largest living archive of horses rescued from the slaughter pipeline.

“Horses are sold and priced by the pound at the end of their useful life or when they outlive their economic utility,” Kayne said. “People who use those horses typically will give those horses away. So there’s very little investment by a slaughter broker. They gather up the horses by the pound, ship them across the border, and its 60 cents to 80 cents a pound.”

Kayne said she led the push for the 2023 New York law that bans not only the slaughter of horses for human consumption but also their sale, purchase, possession or transport when the intent is slaughter.

“What New York state has done is groundbreaking with the statute,” Kayne said. “We hope states adjoining us will put those same laws on the books to protect horses.”

“I think it will deter them from shipping horses through New York state,” Kayne said. “Now the really hard part of this is because there is not nationwide protection, these horses will now be shipped around New York state. It will be a longer trip for them to go to slaughter.”

Kayne and other horse advocates are now pushing Congress to pass nationwide legislation. She said the goal is to stop horse shipments from simply rerouting around New York.

“I think no matter what your party line is I think everybody can agree we should all be kind to animals,” Kayne said. “We should give voice and protection to those who don’t have a say in their own fate. It would be very simple for lawmakers to sign on and just say no to the slaughter of America’s horses.”

Unbridled said its work over more than two decades has focused on giving rescued horses a place to live out their final years.

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