Fueled by the rising costs of owning and maintaining a horse in a slow economy and the demand for horse meat abroad, the horse slaughter industry continues to provide a humane option for horse owners. Every year over 100,000 horses originating in the United States end up at a slaughter facility. In 2006 and 2007 there were 138,206 and 140,911 U.S. origin horses processed, respectively. Prior to 2007, three equine slaughterhouses operated in the United States, two in Texas and one in Illinois. The meat processed in these plants was primarily exported for human consumption to Europe and Japan or sold to zoos and wildlife centers for carnivore diets.

In 2007, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that it was illegal for horse slaughterhouses to pay the USDA for their own health inspections. With additional legal and legislative bans on horse processing in Texas and Illinois, all three processing plants within the United States closed. Inspection is required for the interstate and international movement of meat for human consumption. Since these closures, the numbers of horses shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter has increased dramatically.

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