Thank you for the question.
Personally, I cannot speak to how the horses are cared for in Japan, although I believe Jennifer Woods has testified to committee regarding that aspect, having first-hand experience. What I can offer is that I have 20 years of working with horses and cattle in the food animals sector and with horses on the pleasure horse side.
I also had the opportunity to tour feed yards in Alberta a number of years ago, where these horses were being purpose-bred and were being raised for export to Japan. I can tell you that during my time there, I saw very little that was concerning from an animal welfare perspective. I would suggest that many of the horses were receiving exceptional care, care that would be comparable to the normal standard that I would apply to client horses.