Filmmaker Ashley Avis, director of Disney+’s Black Beauty and founder of the Wild Beauty Foundation, joins The NOËLLE FLOYD Podcast to discuss horse slaughter and the SAFE Act.In 2025, approximately 25,000 American horses were exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, affecting horses from across the industry, including show jumpers, Thoroughbreds, ponies, and wild horses rounded up from federal land.Avis’s Lost Horses campaign uses short films and a letter-writing microsite to push Congress toward passage of the SAFE Act.In This Episode You’ll LearnWhat Ashley saw with a button cam sewn into her shirt inside a Texas auction where kill buyers wait for the last horses standing.Why the people who love horses most can find this subject the hardest to watch, and how a 90-second film can get them to look anyway.How two minutes, one zip code, and one letter can land on a Congressional desk where someone actually reads it.How a 14-year-old named Casey ended up reading her letter on the Capitol lawn.How Billie Eilish came to give “What Was I Made For?” to a campaign about horses.The story of the black colt with pneumonia Ashley talked out of a kill buyer’s pasture, and the economics that allowed the man to dramatically increase his price.What Anna Sewell risked when she published Black Beauty in 1877, and why Ghost, a gray Lusitano with advanced melanoma, taught Ashley something no film could.Chapters0:00 The 25,000 horses no one talks about5:00 Showing the hard truth without making people look away7:49 Two minutes that reach Congress10:39 When a kid writes to Congress13:05 Billie Eilish, celebrity voices & the Lost Horses anthem17:00 Lady: the wild mare who almost rode the truck20:56 Kill buyers, the black colt & a broken economics23:23 Remaking Black Beauty and why Anna Sewell mattered30:11 New horse stories, Ghost, and horses as medicine39:02 Every way to help pass the SAFE ActMake the Call to Congress to Pass the SAFE ActCall the U.S. Capitol Switchboard to be directed to your Senators and Representative:202-224-3121Once connected, all you have to say is:“Hi, my name is [NAME], and I am calling from [CITY/STATE] to ask that the Senator/Representative support passage of the SAFE Act (H.R. 1661, S. 775) to protect American horses, both domestic and wild, from being exported out of the United States for slaughter. Thank you.”Share the Lost Horses PSAThe Lost Horses campaign and legislation to stop horse slaughter are gaining momentum, and continued awareness is critical. Please share the PSA on social media and with your friends and family.Watch and share on Vimeo, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.Donate to the Lost Horses CampaignHelp the campaign continue reaching people so that no horse is lost again.losthorses.org/supportEpisode Sponsor: YETIMade for early mornings in the barn and long days in the saddle. Whether you’re hauling feed, chasing daylight on the trail, or loading up for a weekend on the road, YETI coolers and drinkware are built to handle it.No shortcuts. No compromise.Just gear that works as hard as you do.Explore more at YETI.com | @YETI | facebook.com/YETIGo Deeper with NF+For even more expert-led workshops, in-depth courses, and exclusive lectures designed to elevate your riding and horsemanship, visit NoelleFloydPlus.com and use code DHW for 15% off annual memberships.NF+ brings you direct access to top equestrian professionals, training insights, and a community of riders dedicated to learning and improving.