In 2024, New York enacted a law that makes it illegal to transport horses through the state for the purpose of slaughter. Although it is the best of its kind in the nation, no arrests had been made under that law – until the wee hours of yesterday morning.
Driver Robert Seitz was arrested about 25 miles from the Canadian border for hauling 25 horses to what would have been their personal version of hell – exsanguination at the Viande Richelieu slaughterhouse in Quebec. Unfortunately, this will be a monetary penalty only ($1,000 per horse), no jail time. But of more import is whether the authorities can connect this to Seitz’s employer – the notorious kill-buyer Bruce Rotz, among the most despicable human beings in the country.
Although multiple groups were/are involved (including the New York State Humane Association, of which I am a board member), the driving force was Animals’ Angels (AA), a nonprofit that has been documenting the horrors of slaughter and transport to slaughter for years. (I have posted on AA’s great work before: here, here.)
According to AA founder Sonja Medaows, Rotz has been flouting the NY law since its inception. In a WWNY report, Sonja says, “It was very disheartening, especially if you look at 2025 numbers of horses exported for slaughter by Rotz Livestock. It was close to 1,600 horses in 2025 that suffered that fate.” She adds: “I have documented many, many transports…of slaughter horses, and filmed what they go through, and they’re all dead now. We have documented, more than I care to remember, horses falling in the trailer and other horses trampling them to death.” This time, at least, a different ending.
The now-fortunate 25 beautiful souls began their journey Tuesday from Shippensburg, PA. And that’s when AA sprung into action, coordinating not just with the other groups, but the Warren County DA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and, of course, the state police. Apparently, the horses are Drafts and Standardbreds, with some (surprise) being erstwhile racehorses. They are currently in a safe location. I will update.
(Please take our action in support of the SAFE Act, a federal bill that would both permanently ban horse slaughter in the U.S. and stop American horses from being shipped to Canadian and Mexican slaughterhouses: TAKE ACTION.)
A $1,000.00 fine per horse means it’s costing them, this will certainly make an enormous difference!
When the profits from dumping are obstructed, it obstructs the whole pipeline which will further slow breeding, which further shrinks fields, a domino effect.
It may lower horse and horse meat prices in the area because it’s no longer easy fast money for owners to call a meat truck.
I hope this kills NY horse racing. It just might ;)
This is such wonderful news!
Thanks Elizabeth & the NYT subscriber in allowing us to see that very informative article. So sad that the govt. really doesn`t care about feral horses. The sanctuary mentioned is here in our state of Oregon.
There is no law that stops people from exploiting horses for money in the various ways; breeding, buying, selling, etc. As long as people can treat horses like chattel, they will continue to buy and sell and use and dump horses. People will continue to mistreat horses, cause injuries to horses, abuse them, neglect them, and dump them or abandon them to starve and die.
Unfortunately, there are not enough rescues that are reputable and have unlimited resources in land, water, hay, financial backing. Something has to change drastically. You can’t just rely on one SAVE ACT to stop the abuse and torture and neglect of horses. Nobody should be delusional about the reality of what happens to horses and the fact that so many people in the equine industry get away with so much abuse and neglect of horses aside from the slaughter issue.
The racing industry is a prime example of how people who are extremely sadistic and who have access to lots of money are put on a pedestal. Take Bob Baffert for the poster child of this; Bob Baffert who has killed more than 75 horses, and is in the horse racing Hall of Fame, and now a member of one of the “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority” committees.
The laws of letting the foxes guard the henhouse must be drastically altered so that these people can go to jail instead of receiving thousands and millions and billions of dollars of support.
Please save our American Horses. Please pass the Safe Act
I have read that possibly quite a few are former racers, both standarbred and thoroughbreds (shocker, and go figure), with some draft horses mixed in. I’m sure quite a few were Amish dumps to auction also.
But under it all, the racing industry needs the kill industry to help them discard their injured and used up horses.
And how many trucks like this cross into Canada at other state crossings also? This is how the racing industry disappears the majority of their horses on the DL. The end of racing can’t come soon enough.
When Governor Hochul approved the $455-Million State-backed Bond Loan to the New York Racing Association, she basically threw thousands of horses under the bus.
At least she did something right for horses when she signed the legislation into law to save slaughterbound horses from being transported through New York State.
Congressman Nick Langworthy, my congressman, a few months back, was giving himself pats on the back because he shut down a facility that bred beagles for laboratories. The seized dogs were taken to places they can be adopted out from. All very good-and I told him so. And, I asked when horse racing is going to be shut down in NY? I detailed the way horses are treated, how so many end up being euthanized on a track with gruesome injuries, how tracks obviously don’t spend money on adequate security, as being “found dead in stall in morning,” seems to be another big cause of death. How many end up in slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. How racing, heavily subsidized by taxpayers, is a huge drain on the people and economy of NY. I also pointed out, the corruption at the core of Office Track Betting ( OTB), the state entity that runs racing in NY. How VIP’s and big betters received free tickets to Bills and Sabres games, in my area, and probably Yankees, Mets, Islanders and other pro sports as well. And these were not just seats, they were seats in the luxury boxes, where food and drinks are served to the VIP’s.
I’ve heard nothing from Congressman Langworthy.
He’s a guy who does self promotion like no one else. He takes credit for anything he can I fully expect to see him take credit for this truck driver’s arrest.
The driver is a flunky. The person who needs to be arrested and have the most serious charges placed against him or her, is whoever hired that driver.
I urge everyone to contact your local, state, and federal legislators whether your state has this ban on transporting of horses to slaughter or not.
Tell them, how this law worked in NY, and if your states have such a law, police need to enforce it. How other states need this law.
I was so happy to hear this yesterday. Finally, an actual enforcement of this law. Animals’ Angels is a wonderful group. The logistics of pulling something like this off is certainly not easy, but their persistence and dedication is extraordinary. Thank you!!
Patrick, thank you for sharing this report. Here’s a gifted article from the NY Times about “protected” wild Mustangs also headed to slaughter. This is a gifted article so there shouldn’t be a paywall.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/us/trump-wild-horses-legal-loophole-slaughter.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-lA.S9iT.6DVZ5M8ShJ9W&smid=nytcore-android-share