EQUINE | Equine Disease Quarterly
Equine Disease Quarterly –
October 2019
COMMENTARY
The term “Unwanted Horse” was first coined by the
American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)
in 2005. Unwanted horses include both unadoptable
feral horses and domestic horses that are no longer
wanted by their owners because they are geriatric,
incurably lame, not athletic, unmanageable, cost too
much to maintain, unmarketable, or fail to meet their
owner’s expectations. Most of the American public was
unaware that there was a subset of horses that become
unwanted until the bovine spongiform encephalopathy
(BSE) outbreak in Europe in 2000 and the foot-and-
mouth disease epidemic that occurred in the United
Kingdom in 2001. Both outbreaks were responsible for
temporarily changing European consumers’ preference
from beef to horse meat due to concerns with beef
safety. This change drew U.S. media attention to the fact
that many unwanted horses were being processed in
the United States and their meat exported to Europe.
The result was pressure from the American public and
animal activists’ groups to pass federal legislation to
prohibit the processing of horses in the United States
for human consumption. Because horses processed for
human consumption epitomize the unwanted horse,
they continue to be a part of the discussion, but normal,
healthy horses of all breeds and disciplines can become
unwanted.
options for resolving the unwanted horse issue. The
result was the formation of the Unwanted Horse
Coalition, which was placed under the umbrella of the
American Horse Council. The goal of the organization
was to raise awareness of the unwanted horse and
provide a medium for the exchange of information
about adoption, proper care, alternative careers, and
responsible ownership. In 2018, it was agreed that
awareness had been accomplished, so the Unwanted
Horse Coalition transitioned to the United Horse
Coalition with a goal of “providing information for
existing and prospective owners, breeders, sellers,
and horse organizations regarding the long-term
responsibilities of owning and caring for horses, as
well as focusing on the opportunities available for
these horses through industry collaboration.” Particular
attention has been given to education regarding the
cost of care, proper husbandry, training requirements,
expectations and life-ending decisions. In addition,
since 2001 virtually every horse breed and discipline
has developed a program to identify unwanted horses
and to provide options for retraining, rehoming and
post-career care. These include the American Quarter
Horse’s Re-ride Adoption program, the U.S. Trotting
Association’s Full Circle Program, The American Horse
Council’s Time to Ride Initiative, and several programs in
the Thoroughbred industry including the TB Aftercare
Alliance, Take the Lead Program, and Retirement Check-
off Program. A new unwanted-horse advocacy group,
At the 2005 American Horse Council meeting, leaders
from across the industry came together to discuss
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