U.S. House Introduces Horse Transportation Safety Act - National Humane Education Society

September 6, 2019

This spring, Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee introduced the Horse Transportation Safety Act, which would ban the use of double-deck trailers to transport horses throughout the United States.

Double-deck trailers allow more horses to be transported at one time, but at the cost of the horses’ welfare. These trailers—which were designed to transport smaller farm animals—do not have enough headroom for horses to stand normally and the stalls are very narrow, promising for very uncomfortable travel for hours or days on end. Many times, horses end up with bruises and lacerations from being forced to stay in these cramped and inhumane conditions.

Not only are double-deck trailers unsafe for horses, but they can be unsafe for travelers who share the road with these oversized vehicles, which have resulted in tragic accidents on highways.

Take Action: This bill was introduced in February and has been referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. Please call or write to your representatives and ask them to cosponsor the Horse Transportation Safety Act for the safety of our roads AND animals! Click here to find your representative by zipcode.