From The Kill Pen (2016)

From the Kill Pen is a 2016 American documentary directed by Sharon Boeckle that exposes the underground horse slaughter industry in the United States, revealing how overbred, unwanted horses end up in kill pens—auctions where they are sold cheaply for export to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada. The film details the inhumane transport conditions, lack of veterinary records leading to tainted meat entering human food chains in Europe and Asia, and the economic incentives driving the pipeline, including taxpayer-funded subsidies and corporate profits. Featuring interviews with experts like former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Humane Society's Keith Dane, and journalists, it profiles rescuers buying horses at the last minute and affected families, while critiquing regulatory failures and the cultural view of horses as companions rather than livestock. Without graphic violence, the production calls for ending the practice through legislation, highlighting over 100,000 annual U.S. horses at risk and the ethical debate over slaughter bans.