One of 4 barrels full of still-shod cut-off horse legs in the basement of Natural Valley Farms horse slaughter plant in Neudorf, Saskatchewan.

The transportation of still-shod horses is illegal in Canada as it poses a severe welfare risk to the other horses on-board. If the horses kick one another it could cause injuries serious enough to bring about death. Also, if a horse goes down during transport (which, according to the increasing numbers of dead-on-arrival horses thrown into the condemned pit, is a strong possibility), it is likely to be trampled to death. Going down on-board is unfortunately a likely scenerio given the health-compromised state of many of the horses, the majority of whom are coming from the Colorado area - up to 25 hours away without food, water or a rest.