Former Texas Congressman and House Agriculture Committee chairman Charlie Stenholm dismissed a poll released this week by The National Horse Protection Coalition (NHPC) as an ill-informed attempt to influence public opinion.

The poll, issued in preparation of a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, claims that "71% of Americans believe that horses are part of America's culture and deserve better treatment."

The nation's horse processing facilities agree, which is why they're urging Congress to vote against H.R. 503, "The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act." The legislation would eliminate the three remaining U.S. horse processing plants, currently the only means of federally regulated and supervised humane euthanasia for horses.

"These organizations represent people that care for and own horses, unlike some shortsighted animal rights groups. They know that the passage of H.R. 503 will result in more harm than good for the welfare of America's horses, leaving many to neglect or abandonment," says Stenholm.

"If you get rid of federally supervised humane euthanasia for horses, which H.R. 503 will do, unwanted horses will simply end up in landfills," says former Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block. "That's hardly a ceremonious ending for these majestic animals."

Both Stenholm and Block stress that horse processing is nothing more than an option. If a horse owner wants to keep his or her horse until its final days, they always have that right. Owners can pay for a vet to put it down and then pay a rendering company to pick up the animal. But some owners can't afford or don't prefer that option.

Former Texas Congressman and House Agriculture Committee chairman Charlie Stenholm dismissed a poll released this week by The National Horse Protection Coalition (NHPC) as an ill-informed attempt to influence public opinion.