About Us

This page contains our mission statement, a special message from Executive Director Sinikka Crosland, as well as a list of our ever growing coalition members.

Please direct all inquiries to this email address.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to bring together like-minded individuals and groups to collectively help protect equines in Canada from slaughter and the export of live equines for slaughter. We accomplish this by raising public consciousness through education and achieving the enactment of legislation that will ban these practices in Canada.

Special Message from Sinikka Crosland

Thank you for visiting the official website of The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition!

We welcome the support of organizations and individuals throughout the world who believe that horses, having shared our walk from "barbarism to civilization", deserve a special place in modern culture.

Since the dawn of recorded history, the horse has been an inspiration to humankind. Artists have worked to capture his elegant beauty on canvas and sculptured in bronze...great writers have told stories of his nobility, intelligence, and personality. Throughout the ages, we have seen evidence of the human spirit yearning to connect with the spirit of the horse.

When we tamed him, it seemed as if he permitted us to be his companion, to experience all sides of his remarkable nature. When we bridled him, we felt the awesome power beneath us and strove to control his strength and his speed. He was truly "king of the wind"...and we celebrated the sharing of flight without wings.

Friend, partner, compatriot...or commodity? What is the role of the horse in modern times? He has many "uses", as we know. His brute strength has hauled logs and plowed farmers' fields; his wingless flight has astounded millions at the racetrack. With tireless endurance, he has rounded up infinite herds of cattle...and today, in many cultures, he has evolved to become a pleasure animal, invaluable for riding and show purposes.

The noble horse remains a source of awe and fascination for many, an intelligent and personable animal worthy of our deepest admiration and respect. In fact, it is a widespread belief that the horse is of more value to us as a living being than as a slab of meat on a foreign dinner plate. As shown by an Ipsos-Reid survey conducted in May 2004, two-thirds of citizens polled in Canada are opposed to the slaughter of horses for human consumption.

It is the view of The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition that there is no such thing as the "humane" slaughter of an intelligent, sentient mammal such as the horse. This is simply a fallacy perpetuated by an industry that exists for one reason: profit. Numerous credible sources have described the intense psychological trauma experienced by horses approaching the killing box and, further, have revealed the indisputable physical suffering associated with improper stunning and shooting practices. Dying in terror, not with dignity, is the fate of tens of thousands of Canadian horses every year. In addition, the poor handling and management of horses during loading and transport, as well as at auction marts and feedlots, is a serious animal welfare concern.

We welcome you to read on, and look forward to your support as we campaign to end the mass slaughter of horses in our country.

Help us lead Canada's horses away from barbarism . . . and into the protected pastures of a civilized nation.

Coalition Members

Below are listed members of The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.

"Help us lead Canada's horses away from barbarism . .
and into the protected pastures of a civilized nation."