August 3, 2007

To

The Honorable Representative Rick Rahall

From

Valerie James-Patton
xxx
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Dear Representative Rahall,

I am writing to you about a matter that I feel is extremely important involving the USDA
statistics on American horses being exported from the U.S. to Mexico for slaughter and other purposes.

I have been keeping track of the USDA statistics for all horses exported from the U.S. to Mexico, but I have discovered that there are some very odd and strange statistics reported in the USDA reports, involving horses exported from New Mexico to Mexico, and particularly for an unusually high number of geldings being exported, which are not listed as horses going to slaughter, and doesn't seem to have any verifiable justification. The numbers just don't add up or make sense.

I am including for your review PDF report charts that show the statistics for exported horses from Texas and from New Mexico. The USDA posts daily reports for Texas, and New Mexico's reports are posted every Tuesday. On the New Mexico charts you will find the current weekly exports, the previous week's exports, the current exports for this year to date, and the previous year's exports to date. On the Texas charts you will find the current daily exports, the previous day's exports, the current exports for this year to date, and the previous year's exports to date.

The export statistics show the number of horses that are listed as those going to slaughter, and then other horses are listed, such as breeding males, breeding females, geldings, and donkeys, which are not included in the horses sent for slaughter.

As you look at the chart for Texas, you will see that Texas has sent a small amount of 'other' horses not listed as slaughter for both this current year to date, and for the previous year to date.

By comparison, the New Mexico chart is very odd. They have been exporting an unusually high number of geldings which are not listed as slaughter horses, to Mexico each week. For this year and 2006 the previous year, they've been sending slaughter horses and geldings. Only slaughter horses and geldings. No breeding females and no breeding males, but only the geldings.

The statistics don't show in the horses listed for slaughter, how many of those horses are females, males, or geldings, so there's no way of knowing how many geldings are included in the horses listed under slaughter, but I'm sure many of the slaughter bound horses are geldings as well. If New Mexico was exporting breeding males and breeding females, as is shown in the Texas statistics, the gelding numbers would not seem so strange in comparison.

Note as well that Texas also exports other species of animals, but New Mexico exports no other species of animals to Mexico. The only animals New Mexico is exporting are horses listed for slaughter, and geldings not for slaughter.

Most of these horses are processed at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

From the Santa Teresa website: Santa Teresa Port of Entry is New Mexico to Mexico's largest livestock export port and the New Mexico Border Authority (the only agency of it's kind in the U.S., which is involved in the international trade activities on both sides of the border) can process and walk the animals over from Santa Teresa to Geronimo (the Mexico side of the Port of Entry), "saving time and transportation costs while minimizing weight loss. Elsewhere, livestock must be trucked between processing facilities on each side of the border increasing costs and adding stress to the animals."

The horse protection groups have been keeping track of the number of horses that are slaughtered in the U.S., and of the entire figure for exported horses to Mexico for slaughter, but the number of geldings, or breeding females, etc. has not been a point of interest.

I've written to several well known and highly regarded leaders from various leading horse
protection organizations, as well leading members of certain wild horse protection groups, and no one I've discussed this with, has any explanation or any idea why New Mexico is exporting so many geldings or where all those geldings are coming from, although all have agreed the numbers for the geldings sent from New Mexico to Mexico doesn't seem to have any justification. Why are the numbers of just geldings so high, and why only geldings? Where are all these geldings coming from, and why are there no breeding females, or breeding males exported any longer, since they began exporting just the geldings? Where would thousands of horses that were only geldings be found, and why would they be sent in such large numbers to New Mexico for export? Breeding males and breeding females could certainly be used by the Mexican farmers who intend to raise horses for food, but geldings not listed under slaughter, would not be needed for this purpose. It seems that they are surely destined for slaughter, and why aren't they listed under slaughter horses?
Could it be possible that certain government officials would not be willing to list freeze
branded wild horses or wild horses with the long term facility brands on their rumps, as horses exported for slaughter, but will allow their export if they are listed as geldings not intended for slaughter?

I have been wondering if these geldings could very well be wild horses coming from the BLM long term holding facilities. It is well known that BLM is now gelding the stallions almost
immediately after capture, and all those over the age of 10, or those who have 3 adoption strikes against them are sent to the BLM long term facilities. I have no proof that these geldings are coming from BLM or the long term holding facilities, or even that they are wild horses. The idea is only my speculation, but after tracking the numbers and trying to find an answer, and with the agreement by those that I have shared this information with, there just doesn't seem to be a better or more valid explanation, especially after finding out about John Hughes, an Oklahoma rancher, who holds two BLM long term holding facility contracts to keep the wild horses on his 2 separate ranches, which are BLM's long term holding facilities. John Hughes has approximately 4,400 wild horses in long term holding, all of which are geldings only. One of his ranches is located in Barttlesville, OK, and the other ranch is located in Catoosa, OK.

I'm worried that whatever is going on with these geldings not listed as going to slaughter, will continue even after the hopeful passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, since the legislation of that act stops only the horses sent to slaughter, and does not stop horses from going over the border for other purposes. I don't believe these horses are going to Mexico for anything but slaughter, although they might first be sent to the horse tripping rodeos that the Mexican people find so entertaining, and then I have no doubt they go on to slaughter for their final destination.

Once you've looked at the charts I've sent, I think you'll easily see how the statistics just
don't make sense when you compare the geldings from New Mexico, to the geldings in Texas and comparing how many of the "other horses" New Mexico sends to the "other horses" sent by Texas.

On August 9, 2005, New Mexico had exported 357 breeding males and only 10 geldings under the non-slaughter status. There were no more breeding males exported for the remainder of the year. On August 16, the export of geldings in higher numbers began, and by the end of the year they had exported 839 geldings, and 17 breeding females. The exportation of these non-slaughter geldings continued for the entire year of 2006 which ended with 2,217 geldings, and has continued up through today for this year, 2007. For 2 entire years now, New Mexico has been exporting the slaughter horses, and these geldings.

I have no doubt after studying these charts, you will understand my cause for concern, and I am sincerely hoping by sending this information to you, that you will look into this matter, as I believe the situation is highly suspicious of wrongful and, or, illegal activities and I can not find any other valid reasons for these numbers of geldings, and I have not found anyone else who is able to give me any answers. While I will continue to search for any answers to explain this, I am hoping you will also look into this matter and hopefully be able find the answers that I have been unable to find. I feel I have hit a dead end, and I hope you may be able to progress farther than I have.

I have included all of my contact information, so you can call or email me, should you have any questions at all about any of this information, or would just like to discuss any of the research I have done on this. Also, I'd be more than happy to help with any research that might be needed if you decide to investigate this, and, of course, I would be very interested in any information you are able to find and would be honored if you should decide to share any of it with me.

I also would like to thank you for the action you took last year against the Sheldon Hart Refuge management, in stopping the removal of the Sheldon horses. I was one of the persons in the Special Research Group who helped investigate that matter, and helped to inform the public of the situation that was taking place with the horses at Sheldon.

From the bottom of my heart, and for the Sheldon horses, thank you.

Best Regards,

Valerie James-Patton

Attached:

NM to MX Livestock Exports July 24, 2007
TX to MX Livestock Exports July 27, 2007
NM to MX Live Exports September 4, 2007