In the February 2011 issue of Sidelines, we tackled head on the issue of Unwanted Horses, a story that seriously  challenged us – emotionally, mentally and psychologically. Entitled For The Love of Horses, we went into detail about the plight of unwanted horses, whose numbers continue to increase so that there are too many to save. In spite of heroic efforts by rescue organizations and concerned individuals, horses are falling through the cracks, so to speak, and taking horrific one-way trips to Mexico where humane regulations do not exist. Simply put, the 2007 legislation shut down horse processing plants in the United States, but did nothing to stop the flow of unwanted horses across the northern and southern borders. Canada has strong support to legislate a ban against US horses being sent up there for slaughter, but that doesn’t mean a closure of their processing facilities. Mexico has a contract with the European Union: should that be terminated, horses destined for the abattoir will find their way into the local meat market.