Cheers to New York Governor Kathy Hochul for giving racehorses a reprieve and ensuring they don’t end up in the slaughter pipeline.

Earlier this week she signed into law a bill prohibiting the sale of any horse “known” to be a racehorse or racehorse breeding stock for the purposes of slaughter, which the bill defines as the “intentional killing” of a horse “for human or animal consumption.”

We want to thank all our Friends of Animals members who we asked to contact the governor and urge her to sign the legislation, which passed the legislature over the summer.

Any individual who violates the law would be fined “not more than $1,000” for each horse, while any company or corporate entity would be fined “not more than $2,500” per horse. Violators would also face license revocation by the New York Gaming Commission. All fines collected under the law will go toward aftercare programs run by the New York State Breeding Fund.

Until public backlash puts the final nail in the coffin of the racing industry nationwide, this law is a step in the right direction. Susan Wagner, president of NY-based Equine Advocates, a sanctuary for horses, including former racehorses, agrees.

“While I wish the New York State horse slaughter ban protected all equines in the state from slaughter and not just Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, it is still a major accomplishment as it will add to the number of states to pass anti-horse slaughter legislation, including California, Texas and Illinois,” Wagner said. “This is important as we continue to push for an effective federal ban.”