The 2014 American Equine Summit, which will feature presentations from prominent equine experts, will be held April 26-27 at Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary in Chatham, N.Y.
Vice President Joe Biden, who was responsible for adding language defunding horse slaughter to the 2014 Omnibus Bill and signed by President Obama Jan. 17, will address the summit with a message on video.
Veteran television news journalist, author, and animal advocate Jane Velez-Mitchell will deliver the keynote address. Susan Wagner, host of the summit and president and founder of Equine Advocates, will open the program.
April 26 presentations will cover how legal and logical arguments will ultimately prevail in ending the slaughter of America's horses, how the recent horse meat scandal in Europe compromised food safety, the need for federal legislation to ban the use of performance-enhancing drugs in horse racing, and how animal journalism is covered, according to a release from Equine Advocates.
The April 27 session will be devoted to the complexities involved over the U.S. wild horse and burro populations, the organization said.
"It was thanks to the gathering of experts at the first American Equine Summit in 2012 and the vision of Victoria McCullough, who used much of their research to create a convincing case, which ultimately led to horse slaughter being defunded in the U.S.," said Wagner in a release. "Our efforts are now focused on a permanent ban and ensuring that no equine from the U.S. can be shipped across our borders into Canada or Mexico for the purpose of slaughter. This could soon be achieved, and we're hoping to have important news announced at the summit in support of this goal."
Visit EquineAdvocates.org for the full 2014 American Equine Summit Schedule.
