Cheers to Gov. Kathy Hochul for signing a bill into law that protects all New York horses from slaughter. And thank you to Friends of Animals supporters for pressing her to do the right thing. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate National Horse Day!

Kudos also to the bill’s champions—Assemblymember Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan) and Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Woodhaven)—as the law sets the gold standard for anti-horse slaughter legislation in America because it bans the slaughter of horses for human and animal consumption in, from, and through the State of New York. (Unfortunately, the federal horse slaughter bill known as The SAFE Act will not prohibit the slaughter of U.S. horses for export or within a state for zoo/animal food and needs to be amended.)

“Horses are beautiful animals entwined with our nation’s history. I have worked for 19 years with advocates to prohibit the buying, selling and transportation of horses for the purposes of slaughter in New York, and I applaud Gov. Hochul for signing this critical humane legislation, finally giving these cherished animals the protection they deserve,” said Assemblymember Glick.

The new law is set to take effect 120 days from today. It is a follow-up to a 2021 law enacted by Hochul that stopped the sale or transfer of thoroughbred and standardbred race horses for the purpose of slaughter.