On a rather nice November day I was looking over my Facebook page where several of my “Ag” friends had posted links. No, not to YouTube, or about some boots they may want to purchase, or what ring they just got from their boyfriend, but about the re-opening of horse slaughter. My eyes got bright, what are they saying? Have our prayers been answered? I clicked the link, and in big letters it read: Congress Lifts Ban on Horse Slaughter. This was it, just the thing that the equine industry needed.
But why was this needed? How can this help an industry that looks like it’s doing well? Behind the barn doors it isn’t all Hollywood and racetracks. Thousands of horses (at least 170,000 a year according to the Unwanted Horse Coalition) have entered the unwanted corral. The ban’s lift means families, facilities and stockyards have an outlet for these animals.
I am not saying load up your trailer and take your horses to the closest horse sale. I’m simply stating this will allow horses to be humanely disposed of instead of being neglected, abandoned, abused and over-bred, which is what is happening now. This is a better option for the animals.
I know there are people who would say I’m going to “agriculture hell” for wanting horses processed. The fact of the matter is, in this great state of South Dakota horses are considered livestock. Horses should not be placed on the same pedestal as cats and dogs. This is why in America we find it taboo to even think about horses as a source of food (and let me remind you, in other cultures cows are sacred and our furry friends are on the menu). Would I try horse? Sure! Why not, you only live once. Would I eat it daily? Probably not. Horse meat wasn’t always so “taboo.” In World War I and II, it was fed to our troops when beef was scarce.
“Eww, horse meat!” you might be saying, but I’m not here to tell you it’s the new, up and coming protein that you’ll find at your local grocery stores. I’m not saying that our fast food places will be selling quarter pounders of horse. Most of the horse meat processed in America was exported. Meat that stayed in the United States was sold to zoos and wildlife sanctuaries for animal feed, another practical use for this protein.
The humane processing of horses is a must. We have a growing number of horses that are being neglected, abused, and forgotten. Like it or not, this will be a better alternative to doing nothing.
Related posts:
You are seriously uninformed. There is no such thing and humane slaughter of horses. Have you seen the pictures taken at Kaufman? Non-existent over-sight by Feds.
The federally regulated USA slaughter of horses that I have witnessed is humane – every bit as humane as being euthanized. The inhumane treatment of horses comes when there is NO way to dispose of unwanted horses. It is so bad in every state that even our government is acknowledging the problem. And the neglect and harm is ongoing and getting worse. Horses are livestock. I love my horse like a ‘pet’ but he is livestock. Don’t let the humane-iacs convince you that starvation and general neglect is more humane than slaughter…
Fran you are the one seriously uninformed……get a life, better yet do some research done by professionals, not the Pacelle’s, John Hollands, Madeline Pickens, and Rt Finch’s of the world that do not have a clue and cannot buya vowel!!!!! pro horse processing and damm proud of it!!!!
CJ Oakwood? As in low-end-auction-feedlot-”Cattle-Co-Quarter-Horses”-CJ Oakwood? Why is that not surprising? OF COURSE you’re a horse slaughter enthusiast…
I don’t have a PhD after my name either, CJ, but I sure can quote papers by people who DO!
Food And Toxicology Report: http://www.box.net/shared/lqi4hhkg42
Veterinary Report: Bute In Slaughter Horses: http://www.box.net/shared/ln3qh88kz42avo4ys1oa
Horse Meat Is Deadly To Humans: http://www.box.net/shared/smhn2fmdeb
By the way, CJ, what letters do you have after YOUR name?
And just where and when did you “observe” this humane slaughter of horses, Annie? I certainly wasn’t in our plants in Texas! I and my horses lived in Dallas for 15 years with Beltex on one side and Dallas Crown on the other. Horse theft was at epidemic proportions. Several of my friends had their horses stolen, and my own horse escaped by a hair’s breadth.
I was at that hell-hole in Kaufman, TX, helping my frantic friends search for their stolen horses. Let me say, there was NOTHING even remotely humane about what they were doing with our horses. It was horrible, unthinkable, unconscionable.
It was just as bad as this new, state-of-the-art, designed by Temple Grandin slaughter plant in Quebec. The Gold Standard for slaughtering horses. Check out this series of articles in FORBES: http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2011/12/06/horse-slaughterhouse-investigation-sounds-food-safety-and-cruelty-alarms/
Calling your horses “livestock” does NOT make them food-animals. Nowhere in the definition of “livestock” does it say they are exclusively food animals. As I posted before, the FDA considers horses to be “companion animals.” That IS important because companion animals aren’t regulated regarding substances banned from the human food chain, but food-animals are.
Where was that humane horse slaughter plant again?
Why does every hack writer who finds horse slaughter to be a hot topic feel obliged to write an article about it without first learning anything whatever about it.
Your “great state” can call horses anything it wants and they will still be magnificent animals. Do you know anything about the miracles of hippo therapy that saves so many children and adults with mental autism and PTSD?
Have you heard of Sgt. Reckless, the horse that became a real war hero during the Korean War? Did you know she had been ranked as one of America’s top 100 war heroes by Life Magazine?
Have you heard of the accomplishments of the world’s smartest horse, Lukas?
Finally, did you know that the FDA does not call horses livestock but rather companion animals?
Did you know that horses are not raised as food animals and thus are given drugs that are banned in animals slaughtered for human consumption?
Do you in fact, know anything at all about the subject? If so, it did not show.
John,
you are the one unimformed……..
*uninformed. (just helping out the pro-slaughter folks who seem to struggle with spelling and grammar.)
Well, if it isn’t our old friend, CJ Oakwood – that ain’t his name, friends. He LIVES in Oakwood. God only knows what his real name is, but he has called me a liar for putting a scientific study on my blog that shows without doubt that 1-There is indeed Bute residue in US horses, and 2-Phenylbutazone was and still is a banned substance long before this particular paper was published.
Because the FDA considers horses companion animals, they don’t regulate the products that can be used on horses like they do with food animals. Therefore, the manufacturers of horse products often use ingredients that are – like bute – banned in food animals. Many commonly used horse products contain banned substances and carry the warning plainly on the labels: “Not for use in horses intended for food purposes.” This means that if a horse has been exposed to this substance even ONE time in that horse’s entire life – no matter how long ago – that horse must be permanently banned from the human food chain.
Regardless of what people like CJ here would have you believe, this is the LAW in the US, Mexico, Canada, the European Union, pending in China, and, since Russia already banns several of our Ag products, they would be unlikely to go with contaminated horse meat.
This is NOT my opinion, I did not write the laws, and no amount of spin is going to make it go away. http://www.box.com/shared/lqi4hhkg42
Yes, there are many drugs that DO have withdrawal times – meaning they are safe to eat after a certain period of time. Those drugs have the withdrawal period on the label. Unfortunately, since we have NO traceability system in the US comparable to the passport system – well, we have no traceability system AT ALL. Even with drugs that have withdrawal times, we have no way to determine what drugs an individual horse has been given or how long ago, because owners don’t keep records like that. When was the last time – actual DATE – that you sprayed your horse with fly spray? Don’t know? Doesn’t matter because fly spray is one of those that is totally banned anyway, but it does make my point. We have NO way of knowing if the withdrawal period has been met of not. Furthermore kill-buyers don’t CARE.
Just check out what they think of contamination in the EU Member Countries – the ones who are actually EATING our exports: http://www.box.com/s/ln3qh88kz42avo4ys1oa
American horses are not food animals, and calling them livestock doesn’t make the contamination go away.
You are very ill-informed! Slaughter is not done humanely and the meat is toxic. The solution to “unwanted” horses is for the greedy horse industry to stop breeding too many. Please visit our website page for info and links to accurate horse slaughter info. http://www.jersanctuary.org/animal-advocacy/horse-slaughter-facts/
First of all there is no such thing as the “unwanted horse”, only unlucky horses. The use of the derogatory term “unwanted” makes the fate of these horses more acceptable. A more accurate term is excess horses. You see, the term “excess horses” must be avoided at all costs! This is because if the description is “excess horses”, then it follows that the problem is over breeding and not some individual failing on the part of the horses. The horses, as it turns out, are not worthless; there are just way too many of them. The slaughter defenders cannot allow the problem to be seen to be over breeding because breeders pay the registration fees that support the American Quarter Horse Association, and other pro-slaughter breed registries. And it is these registries that fund the lobbyists, the public relations experts, the publicists and the phony welfare organizations that defend horse slaughter.
The number of horses slaughtered is dependent on the demand for horse meat in Europe and Asia, NOT the supply of unwanted horses from America. Kill buyers acquire horses to meet slaughterhouses’ demand, not as a service to remove the unwanted. Horse slaughter is a convenient way for the horse industry to remove stock it doesn’t want, without taking the time and cost to find other markets that would happily take the horse for a new purpose. And isn’t it amazing that through some magic of the laws of supply and demand, the total number of “Unwanted Horses” seems to be almost the same as the number of horses being sent to slaughter each year? The pro-slaughter folks want you to believe that the countryside is teaming with masses of skinny, starving horses all tromping through State and National Parks. The pro-slaughter people need to convince you that 1) closing the US slaughterhouses was the sole cause of the destruction of the equine market, 2) that this country needs to get back those wonderful facilities on our own soil, 3) that people are dumping thousands of horses in every roadside park in the nation and 4) the only reason for horse slaughter is to help us have a safe and happy way to dispose of our excess horses. Now here is the kicker people…slaughter never ceased to be an option. Yep thats right folks the only thig that changed was the location. The option to send your horse to slaughter has never been banned. So really this is not about horse welfare to the pros but about $$$. Here’s an idea…Start charging people to dispose of horses through slaughter with the money going to horse rescues and euth and gelding clinics. Then we’d see how many really are pro slaughter.
http://habitatforhorses.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/lessons-in-deceit-horse-slaughter/
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/theunwantedhorse-179.shtml
Please read the following article….it is short, well written and describes a small Texas town that is home to a horse slaughter plant. I think before you recommend horse slaughter, they should open a plant in your town and you should work in it for 5 years and see if you still feel the same about horse slaughter.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2012/01/10/texas-mayor-paula-bacon-kicks-some-tail/
Yep, I was there, and I KNOW all this is absolutely true.
Another uninformed article .Horses have been going to slaughter across the borders,estimated over 100,000 every year so that argument is moot. Ireland and Canada both have horse slaughter and still have many cases of abandoned and neglected horses.And,by the way,the slaughter plants don’t want the sick and skinny ones.They want the big and healthy ones.More meat.Read the reports from Animals Angels how there are pens with the sick and skinny horses that are starving and dying there because the kill buyers don’t want them.Did you know that they gouge their eyes out so they won’t shy away from the stun gun?Did you know that unborn foals are cut out of their mothers and left to die on the kill floor?That there is no way to humanely slaughter a horse because the stun gun does not work on them?Why don’t you look at some videos taken in the slaughter houses in Canada?It was no more humane in the US.The USDA has released over 900 pages of reports about extreme cruelty that happened in US slaughter houses:eye balls hanging out,legs torn off living horses,gaping wounds,holes in the heads,etc,foals watching their moms being killed,moms watching their foals being killed. Educate yourselves before you write an article about something!
Calling horses livestock does not make them food animals. Slaughter (not processing) is for food production and unless an animal has been raised strictly as a food animal, they are not eligible for slaughter. It is not a disposal service or dumping ground. The horse industry does not produce meat and to say this is what the horse industry needs is absurd.
Good points. The return of horse slaughter will not save the horse industry. What can save the horse industry is if breeders, vets, horse owners, rescue operators someone come to the table and get creative about how to use the many wonderful, generous, kind horses we have in this country.
Just last evening I had the opportunity to observe a group of autistic children take part in a horse back riding program at the barn where I board. Some of the older children have participated in riding for years, and their ability to interact with adults and other teens, younger kids, and horses is not so different from a group of similar children without autism. Horses are extraordinarily intuitive animals. They are one of the very few species of animals that has been able to build a relationship with man based on mutual trust.
The people trying to insist that horses are simply lifestock are swimming upstream on this. I could never consider a horse a food animal. I understand there have been times in history when this may have made sense, but who would risk his own health and the lives of his children, brothers, parents, or good friends by feeding them horse meat.
Those of us who see this as an ethical issue that has implications for the type of country we want to live in may be able to handle the idea that someone might go to France and eat horse meat while there, but we will have less patience with anyone who tries to re-open the bloody, cruel, evil business to this country. If Sue Wallis and her cast of killers want to raise horses for meat to sell to Russia and China, she might like living in St. Petersburg or Moscow to be closer to her market.
Americans haven’t been prevented from slaughtering horses, they can still load up that truck and drive it to the local auction and sell their horse to the kill buyer. What has that fact done to eliminate or lessen the horse population or horse suffering?
Even at the most high-tech slaughterhouse in Canada, La Petite-Nation, there were gross violations. This despite the fact that the plant was given a loan of $2 million for improving and modernizing slaughter capacity, resulting in the trademark Temple Grandin designed walkway for cattle. One horse received 11 shots to the head by captive bolt. If you’re eating horse your’re eating banned substances as well – horses weren’t bred for the food chain and were given drugs as the private performance horses that most of them were!
Let me ask pro-slaughters this – “How much money do you think should be invested in these plants, when it is clear that the desired outcome – an effort to humanize slaughter, remains unattainable?”
Since many people who are still on-the-fence about horse slaughter claim that we can fix the problem by retro-fitting plants and simply throwing money at them to do so, how much money would it take? Funny thing is that a great many pro-slaughter people advocate for the return of slaughter to the US, but not for “their” horses. If it’s appropriate for someone else’s horses, why not your own? Why not send your own horses down the slaughter pipeline? The fact that so many people let their horses starve seems to suggest that they don’t want to send them to slaughter either.
There is no such thing as “Humane Slaughter” any more than there is “Humane Rape,” “Humane Torture,” or any series of violent acts – how can you bestow humanity where there can be none? Should anyone campaign in favour of “humane” rape as a gateway to no rape?
You should be saying “STOP BREEDING!!!!!” if you want to help horses. But no you have to say how great horse slaughter is. Have you not heard of the law of supply and demand? If the equine industry keeps breeding you will always have too many horses. And now with this economy not many “Yuppies” will be buying horses for lawn ornaments so the horse industry had better STOP BREEDING!
And, horse slaughter is cruel and inhumane and will never be humane for the horses because the horse slaughter industry is only about the money and time is money so horses will always suffer.
Oh and I just saw this from a man who has been involved in some of the biggest and worst rescues of all animals, including horses, dogs, cats, cattle, and even camels. Read what he has to say about your great solution of the “unwanted horse” problem:
http://habitatforhorses.org/
I QUIT!
11 Jan
I’ve finally had all I can take – filled to the limit, my cup ran over. I’ve listened to all the excuses, tried to understand, tried to reason, to engage in logical discussions, tried everything I know to grasp the meaning and motivation of those who hurt animals. “Understand your enemy,” has been a mantra, a driving force behind hours of classroom work, literally hundreds of books, articles and long discussions with those far wiser than I.
The psychosis of hoarding (don’t tell me it’s just a neurosis. I’ve seen the horror up close and personal. Even neurotic people have their limits), the sociopathic beatings, the purposeful starvation, the power driven need to show complete dominance over all living things (including spouses and children), the utter and complete ignorance and lack of desire to learn about anything outside of giving pleasure to their own mortal bodies – I’ve studied all of it, tried to comprehend, did my best to overcome my bias, to swallow the thoughts of disgust and contempt.
Slaughterhouse reject
I stood outside of horse slaughterhouses and did my best to make sense of the unthinkable. I talked with ranchers who completely believe the “slippery slope” theory and killer-buyers who see horse slaughter as a business, the same as selling used cars. They use a logic that any high school graduate can see is faulty, circular and irrational, yet I tried to understand.
I can’t anymore. It’s over. I quit.
In just a few more weeks I will have been around for 68 years. It’s almost time for me to decide what I want to be when I grow up. One thing I don’t want to be anymore is understanding. That’s pretty much over. I’ve had all the lessons in economics, government, supply and demand, psychology and religion that I need. My internal hard drive is full.
I’m just not going to be nice anymore. If you starve your horse, I’m calling you down, if you ship your best friend off to the slaughterhouse, I will tell you that, to me, you are the lowest form of life. There is no excuse. Don’t even bother opening your mouth. Go tell someone else how great you are.
I also quit trying to talk with pro-slaughter politicians. Money is the only thing they understand and the only reason they vote as they do. No person with any form of education can honestly tell me that they believe all the dribble and slobber that comes out of the mouths of those who are in it for the money. The politicians have simply joined forces to grab a handful of blood money.
So typical of what some consider “humane” treatment
The welfare ranchers want the land to graze cattle and want all the wild horses gone. Money motivated.
The breeders want slaughter so they can cull the babies with bad conformation. Money in their pockets.
The Unwanted Horse Coalition? Seriously? Filled with pro-slaughter people. Money.
The AQHA? AVMA? APHA? Uh, did I mention money?
I’m tired of the stupid arguments – “What are we going to do with all the old, neglected horses?” Well, you won’t be selling them to the slaughterhouse because they won’t buy them! The slaughterhouse rejects are dumped by the killer-buyers, then start the rumors about “people can’t feed their horses anymore so they dump them.” Wrong. The slaughterhouses want young, healthy, fat horses.
“What about the 170,000 unwanted horses being dumped every year?” WHAT? Are you really that ignorant? Who took that count? Who exactly did that survey? What measurement did they use? Is this the true example of your supposed “scientific” ability? And people are suppose to actually BELIEVE you?
“But if we open up slaughterhouses in the US, we can be assured that horses will be slaughtered humanely.” This is on the same level of, “If we elect ___ for President, all our problems will be over.”
Partner, I’ve been there, watching the slaughter process right here in the good old USA and I KNOW that no inspectors even cared one iota about any horse. None. I would not be a bit surprised if a horse were slaughtered better and with more kindness in the suburbs of Miami than on the kill floor of Dallas Crown.
Temple Grandin’s wonderful design? Right. We all saw her response to the video of the killing floor in Canada. What an absolute joke that she says she “cares” about the animals.
There is simply no reason to slaughter horses. None.
“Give your excuse to the cop.”
And that’s why I quit being nice and kind and understanding to the humans that tell me all about how much we need slaughter. That’s why I will never again feel the least bit sorry for the person that starved, beat or killed a horse – or a dog. It’s just not in me anymore. You are not worthy of a place in my world nor worthy of a moment of my time, with the exception of the pleasure I feel when the law slaps handcuffs on you and puts your sorry butt in the patrol car.
When it gets right down to the core of life, about the only thing in this world that makes any sense is the beauty I find in the eyes of an animal – horses, dogs, cows, pigs – heck, throw in a few birds, an elephant and a leopard. One thing about the animal kingdom – what you see is what you get. I’ve never been lied to by my horse, he never cheated on me, never ran me down to others, never left me because someone else offered him more money.
Yes, I quit. I quit being Mr. Nice Guy. Maybe I never was “nice” to begin with and, if that’s the case, I’m not about to start.
——————————
Help Habitat for Horses stay strong. A pat on the back means a lot, but a donation helps us feed the horses. Donate here.
It is quite interesting to me that the ‘sign off’ thing below your post which entirely revolves around money, even when they don’t make any sense to be connected, is about donating MONEY……hummm that makes sense.
So you don’t like that rescues ask for money to help clean up the messes made by over breeding breeders and irresponsible owners? But its OK for Kill Buyers and the horse slaughter industry to make money selling horses to the horrors of the slaughter pipeline?Horse slaughter is only about the money not the welfare of the horse.
I left that contact info on it so the good people who want to help horses thrown away like trash, could easily help make a difference for some “unwanted” horses to get a second chance. So your post makes no sense to me????
And by the way, Habitat for Horses has been on some of the biggest saves of many different animals, besides horses they have helped save cattle, sheep, pigs, camels and many more. So they do good work for many animals and getting donations is the only way they can help where other people just complain about rescues asking for donations.
That was one snide remark you really should have kept for yourself, Katie. Habitat For Horses is one of the most highly respected horse rescues in the country. And Jerry Finch is one of the most respected rescuers. He didn’t say he was going to stop rescuing animals – he said he was going to stop tippy-toeing around these pro-slaughter phonies who would probably feed their own Mothers tainted horse meat if there was a profit to be make out of it.
You need to do your homework if you are going to make comments. Otherwise, you’ll make yourself look as woefully ignorant as you have here.
Great article and the truth. I have been in the horse business 20 years and I have never seen the abuse and neglect like it is now. Horse prices are going up and neglect and unwanted horses are going down. This is one of the first positive things Obama has done. Good job!
Are you serious? You’ve seen prices go up and abuse go down when absolutely NOTHING has changed? No plants have been built on US soil, and they may never be, so HOW could they have an effect on prices and abuse when they DO NOT EXIST?
Of course, we have been slaughtering just as many horses since US plants closed as we were doing when they were open. So, how does slaughter no matter where the plants are have ANYTHING to do with abuse or neglect? Now, you are saying that plants that haven ‘t been built are helping abuse and neglect. WHAT?
Before you post another comment, you better figure out what the article said and read some of the previous posts. Or, maybe a doctor’s visit is called for – you are hallucinating.
Horses ARE magnificent animals. So are cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Hippo therapy is a wonderful thing, yes, but don’t try to tell me that every single horse is a candidate to be a therapy horse. And don’t try to tell me that just because horses have served mankind they can’t be food animals. Oxen pulled more wagons west than horses did. Just because your great great uncle was a soldier does not make YOU a war hero.
LOL John Holland…mental autism? Seriously? Is there any other kind? A recent blog showed just how caring you people are about people autism. If anyone hasnt read it, I suggest you go check out Horse Farts Anonymous and see what the anti processing folk REALLY think!
The FDA calls horses companion animals, the USDA calls them livestock. Tit for tat.
All drugs have withdrawal periods, and if horse meat was “toxic” don’t you think there would have been a major outbreak of sickness in countries where it is routinely consumed?
The anti-slaughter crowd has had since 2007 when domestic plants closed to fix the unwanted horse problem, and guess what– it hasn’t happened, and won’t happen. People dont have disposable income like they used to, and hay costs an arm and a leg. Rescues go bankrupt all the time, horses are seized from private owners and rescues ALL THE TIME.
Ms Ritlaw, how many more horses can YOUR “sanctuary” take in right now? Not very many I bet.
@Amy: regarding your comment: “The anti-slaughter crowd has had since 2007 when domestic plants closed to fix the unwanted horse problem, and guess what– it hasn’t happened, and won’t happen. ”
1.) the “pro-slaughter” crowd had many years up until 2007 to “fix” their problems with the existing horse slaughter plants; not only humane violations, but environmental ones as well — guess what? It never happened, and won’t happen. (an example is the recent report on Les Viandes de la Petite Nation, a state-of-the-art,Temple Grandin designed, and CFIA regulated slaughter house–watch that footage and tell us all how “humane” horse slaughter is…)
2.) There was never even a “pause” in horse slaughter after the US closures; same numbers of horses are being slaughtered. Given that, it would appear that the slaughtering horses has not “fixed” any of the “unwanted” horse problems — are you suggesting that we are simply not killing *enough* of them?
Bringing back horse slaughter to the US isn’t going to solve a darn thing you just mentioned. All it will do is increase cruelty and irresponsibility. Why don’t you look at the real reason hay is so high??? Because if you did you wouldn’t be able to try and use it as an excuse to bring back inhumane slaughter to the states. Drought, economy and exportation of our hay are the reasons. Cessation of domestic horse slaughter has NOTHING to do with the issues you mentioned. NO CORRELATION. And as far as your reference to Horse farts anonymous, that is just a stupid, childish blog, that took information completely out of context. Its also written and supported by United Horsemen (eaters). Anyone that follow Slaughter Sue Wallis of Dave Dingle Berry Duquette has no sense what so ever.
Amy, I don’t know where you get your information, but all drugs do NOT have withdrawal periods! None of the products labeled “Not for use in horses intended for food purposes” have withdrawal periods. LOOK IT UP! That is very dangerous disinformation you’re spreading here and I’m betting you got this from Sue Wallis, who rewrites the laws to suit herself.
Bute is especially dangerous to humans, and it has NO withdrawal period. It NEVER completely clears a horse’s body, and some people – especially children – are extremely sensitive to it and can develop aplastic anemia. READ: http://www.box.com/s/ln3qh88kz42avo4ys1oa
Do you even own horses? If so, haven’t you EVER read the labels of the products you are using? Maybe you should.
Except when the FDA calls them companion animals it means they don’t regulate the ingredients in horse products like they do products for food animals.
If you owned a horse you could look at the labels of the products – bute is only one of many- and see the warning: “Not for use in horses intended for food purposes.” What in the world to you think that means? Nothing? It means that if you use this on a food animal, it’s NOT a food animal any more.
You people drive me nuts with your smirky “don’t you think if the meat were toxic” blah, blah, blah! It’s NOT what we or you THINK. It’s Food Safety LAWS in every country that ban these products. How can anyone be so DENSE? How about what our Italian friends – who EAT our exported horse meat – think about our unregulated horses: http://www.horseprotection.it/dett_articolo.asp?id_a=380 They are quite worried about the dangerous substances in our horse meat.
Why do YOU think the EU has said they will no longer accept our horses for slaughter if we are not on a traceability program comparable to their passport program by next year? Good grief!
While the down turn in the economy has been the driving factor in individual horse owners relinquishing their horses, the closing of the slaughter houses has been the driving factor in these horses now being worthless. This driving down of prices has then had a negative feed back on the professional horse industry in that we are now downsizing and letting go of breeding stock and young livestock, thus flooding the market even more with horses that now have little value and no where to go. There will always be horses that people need to relinquish because of financial misfortune, that are lame, poorly trained, bad minded or dangerous animals and with no way to have a salvage value, the problem will not go away.
Mellony, don’t you think it’s getting to be time for you to do some of your own research – other than what you read from United Horsemen? We have been sending just as many horses to slaughter – actually, more – that we did when the domestic plants were open.
You are suffering from the delusion that slaughter is a disposal service for “unwanted” horses, when in fact slaughter plants are in the business of making FOOD for humans to eat. We can never sell any more horses than the market will bear, no matter WHERE the plants are located.
Besides, NO ONE “needs” to send their horse to slaughter. If they have been keeping a horse at all, they can afford to have their animal euthanized by a veterinarian and properly disposed of. It’s called RESPONSIBILITY. All slaughter does is to enable these irresponsible people to take the easy way out – easy for THEM that is. This argument is wearing VERY thin. Besides, it isn’t individual owners anyway. Its the AQHA, Jockey Club, APHA, etc. And, a new source of abandoned horses was just recently discovered: http://www.box.com/s/sn881xn6m3ukb5t3ks4k
If anyone is honestly interested in learning the facts about this – please do some research and talk to local equine professionals in your area. Hundreds of thousands of horses have suffered since the ban and all of the negative posts about slaughter are being fueled by emotions rather than education, experience, knowledge and facts. If you truly are interested in humane treatment of horses – look up the issue on sites such as UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-228 , or other factual professional sites.
Ranch Barbie, good grief! Don’t you know YET that that GAO report was requested by the pro-slaughter advocates, fed material from the pro-slaughter advocates, “suggested” interviewees from the pro-slaughter advocates, and STILL could not produce ONE documented FACT. Even they admitted that just as many horses were going to slaughter as when the domestic plants were open, that we have always sent horses to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, there were no reports or any hard evidence at all that the closing of domestic plants – we only had THREE! – had anything to do with horses losing value.
I suppose it’s coincidence that the prices of horses held through 2007 and didn’t dive until the monster recession hit, crashing the price of people’s houses, their cars, their savings, and their HORSES. Economics 101.
If YOU really want to save horses, do some research for yourself. You might want to actually READ that GAO Report, since you seem to have forgotten – like all other pro-slaughterers – that one of the main recommendations was to ban all domestic slaughter of horses for human consumption AND prohibit the transportation of horses for the purpose of slaughter. Exactly what S. 1176/H.B. 2966 would do if they weren’t blocked in Committee by the ever present legislators on the take. http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2011/12/06/horse-slaughterhouse-investigation-sounds-food-safety-and-cruelty-alarms/
Well for one have ANY ONE of you ever been inside a slaughter house? had hands on expereience seen it FIRST HAND and NOT thru a short 4 mins video that was taken over 4 or 5 days JUST to get 4 mins of things going wrong? NO then please let me enlighten you. The horses are rendered BRAIN DEAD. the PENATRATING captive bolt enters the brain rendering that horse dead, you will still see movement, breathing, even noise NOT because the horse is alive but because the delayed response from the brain WHICH IS DEAD to the rest of the body.
I HAVE worked in a slaughter house, been there done that, had my hands on everything from the kill box to the processing table.
Yes the FDA considers them compainion animals BUT i was told that IF that status would change then they will start to test for everything, and OMG they even told me that EVERY DRUG yes even banned drugs have a withdrawl time.
So pray tell me why is it that when you give your cattle ivermectrin it has a withdrawl time, BUT when you give your horse the SAME THING it does not. Ever think about that. SO yes ALL DRUGS have a withdrawl time. GO educate yourself some more and STOP drinking the koolaid from your anti slaughter ppl. START using your OWN HEAD and no ones elses.
Oh Daphane, Daphane, you little horse killer you! Please don’t keep trying to spread that same old stuff about what the FDA says. Many people are new comers to the issue and your keep spewing the same mis information. For those of you asking questions about the horse slaughter issue, please do not believe what she says. The FDA is the agency that controls the drug part of this issue. They have the power to ban drugs they feel are not safe. The FDA has banned bute and many of the drugs used in horse medication like wormers. Once a drug is banned it is banned from being given to an animal that is raised for food. Horses are not raised for food so there is no drug tracking systems for them. The FDA considers horses pets by the way. So if a horse is given an application of bute then that horse cannot be slaughtered for human consumption. The same goes for cattle but farmers and ranchers have a tracking system so it is known when the cattle were given drugs and they cannot be used in the human consumption process. Being able to slaughter horses is not just take the horse to the auction and slaughter him or her. You have the inhumane treatment issue, the drug issue or sending toxic meat to unknowing consumers in foreign countries, then there is the pollution issue, and they, the slaughter houses, don’t pay taxes issues, and the company can leave the country without paying its pollution fines issues and the low paying jobs to non-citizens. So you see there is much to the issue of horse slaughter. Please do your reseach!
When people kill animals as they do in the human consumption slaughter houses, one can only think of how it effects people. One must become desensitized by the processes. It has been found that many of those who work in slaughter houses are criminals. I’m just saying.
I appreciate your practical, realistic view of the dismal situation we’ve allowed our horses to be put in by people who have yet to grasp the harsher realities of life. Thank you for your courage to take a stand for what IS right even though it’s not the stuff fairy tales are made of.
Really??? REALLY??? Horse slaughter is the only option rather then making breeders cut back on breeding or making irresponsible owners take care of their horses???? Really??? Think about it!
How can a thinking person think that slaughter is the ONLY POSSIBLE answer to a problem it has NOT solved? We’ve had slaughter with out a pause all this time. So WHY hasn’t it solved the problems? That’s because slaughter hasn’t solved the horse industry problems and it never will. How can anyone with even half a brain advocate doing the same thing over and over and over even though it has NOT worked and it never will?
Besides that food safety issues which the pro-slaughterers conveniently ignore or rant and rave nonsense about drugs like bute having withdrawal times when it does NOT.
Why do pro slaughter people keep saying that horse slaughter is humane? Are they willing to send their horses there? We still have horse slaughter across our boarders and there are still neglected, abused, and starving horses. How do you all figure that horse slaughter is going to help any of this. I think it will just get worse. If we have horse slaughter here in the USA I will then have to worry about people stealing my horses. Since horse slaughter and transportation is illegal in my state, horse thefts have fallen. If everyone worked together that loves horses I bet we could all come up with way better and more humane ways to help the horses.
Watch this film – only a small testimony for the valor of the equine. You should be ashamed to encourage butchering of them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-16534937
Thank you for reading and participating in the discussion.
At The Collegian, we do not approve comments that personally attack the columnist. If you see that your comment does not appear, that is why.
Thank you,
The Collegian editorial staff
People who want horse slaughter all say they are concerned about the welfare of horses, most say they feel the meat should not be wasted, and that slaughter is humane euthanasia. Most also say “their horses will never go to slaughter but they feel other people should have the right to do what ever they want to do with their property. So why do the pro people who say their horses will not be sent to slaughter waste their horses meat? If it is so humane what is the problem?
Daphne so let me get this right, FDA does not designate horse’s as live stock yet they are going to bring slaughter back and allow the meat to be consumed by people, yet will not accurately test the meat for toxins until they are designated as livestock? Because even IF bute had a withdrawal period,which has NEVER been established, it and other drugs still need to be tested for to ensure that the drugs are cleared from the meat. It is well known that many sport horses are given drugs banned from human consumption on a regular basis and they regularly are sent to slaughter.
Also please post this email that you keep talking about from the USDA that states Bute has a withdrawal time as that is contradictory to their own regulations regarding what drugs are banned from entering the food chain.
DO KNOW THERE ARE MORE ANIMALS BEING SLAUGHTERED THAN CONSUMED, WHERE IS THE JUSTICE IN THAT? IT IS NO LONG FOR FOOD IT IS FOR SPORT. DO YOU KNOW EVERY SECOND THAT PASSES CHILDREN, WOMEN AND MEN ARE DYING OF STARVATION?? IF SO MANY ANIMALS ARE DYING, WHY ARE THERE PEOPLE STARVING??? EXPLAIN IT TO ME LIKE I AM 3 YRS.OLD!!!!!!
MY NAME IS DENISE AND I AM A WOMAN WHO EATS NO MEAT AT THE HUNGRY CAN HAVE MINE!!!!!!!
DENISE
If they eat our horses they may not starve, but they will be poisoned by the drug residues. Is THAT what you advocate? I think you can go ahead and eat your portion of meat – there is plenty enough. Its that these people can’t afford it. But to advocate feeding the starving anywhere tainted meat is unthinkable – at least to me.
I will not rest until I can buy horse burgers and horse steaks at the local grocery store. Instead of letting horses go to waste, we should be eating them, just like any other farm animal.
How about you go live in Europe? They eat horses all the time and are used to it, although they are planning to ban our horses in 2013 because we lack a traceability program to protect the human food chain from the banned ingredients in many horse products.
Most horses nowadays do NOT live on farms. Do you even own horses? Have you ever? No, you haven’t. So, I say again, if you want to eat horses, go to the countries that have programs in place to keep banned drugs out of the human food chain, and leave the rest of the USA alone. The vast majority of Americans are against horse slaughter and have been for decades. It’s just that every session, legislators in DC who are on the take from special interests block the passage of laws to end this brutal practice for good.
We vote in America, and you lose.
@Bob- you “won’t rest” until you can buy horsemeat?
And this, dear readers, pretty much sums up the mentality of the pro-slaughter crowd…
You nailed it. Just “I wanna do this!” crap with no consideration for the horses, their owners and the unsuspecting consumers overseas. What a role model!
DEAREST AMY, we are taking in a 30 year old stallion and 2 more abused burros this week…that is not the point, horses who cannot find good homes should be euthanized, not TORTURED to death.
This was an excellent, thought provoking article. The author, Andrew Jensen, seems very passionate and knowledgeable about the topic at hand.
Your comment proves you don’t know anything either, Jonesy.
Here is a report done by Temple Grandin on the transit of horses on their way to slaughter in the US before the plants were shut down. Funny how Pro Slaughter people never quote this study by their guru. Horses shipped with broken legs, 92% of horses shipped young and healthy, horses not seperated causing fights during shipping. All the things someone taking their horse to a show or event would never do, but hey once it is going to be slaughtered who cares how it is handled. This is how kill buyers treat horses, they are walking dollar bills and they DON”T CARE as long as their quota gets filled, and they can continue to buy horses cheap and make money!
http://www.grandin.com/references/horse.transport.html
People should know that the slaughter house recently filmed violating so many of the Canadain Food Inspection Agency’s regulations and cruelty laws, was recently granted a NO INTEREST loan of 2.5 million dollars, yet they could not afford to replace the rubber mats in the kill box as stated by Temple Grandin while watching the video is essential to making a horse feel secure. I would be those mats are listed as part of the grant, wonder where that money went and if the Canadian people will ever see a dime of that money returned. I am not holding my breath. Also all the pro slaughter organizations are non-profit and are taking money out of the tax system to support this agenda. Want slaughter back prepare for your tax dollars to support it, while all the profits go overseas.
Jessica, thank you for the great comment proving slaughter should end immediately. Slaughter is as available now as when the US plants were open so your comment proves that slaughter doesn’t prevent abuse and neglect. There is a direct correlation to abuse/neglect with the rise and fall of the economy. You will see a rise in horse values when the economy starts improving and the production meets the demand.
Theresa, Daphne has a serious problem with facts and comprehending information she reads. She claims the FDA is going to start testing meat! First, the FDA does not test meat, they test drugs and the effects on human health. Second, if a drug is banned, it is banned. There isn’t and never will be a withdrawal period. It is banned because there is NO acceptable withdrawal period. She and rest of Wallis’ lemmings are trying every way they can to find a way around food safety laws – letters from “equine scientists” that have nothing to say about human food safety or the skills to render opinions, blood tests that will never detect bute residues and on and on. It’s quite humorous. Wallis’ calls them “restrictions” instead of food safety laws. Pesky little things that try to keep food safe for humans to consume.
I’ll say it again, horses are no different than any livestock such as cattle and pigs and should be treated as such. There is zero reason we shouldn’t be using horses as food. Overly-dramatic attachments to a source of low-fat edible protein only serves to show how kooky the anti-slaughter side is.
Toxic, drug contaminated meat not a good enough reason for ya? Eat away then, but don’t expect a DIME of public money to help pay your oncologist.
Bob, and we’ll say it again. Calling horses livestock doesn’t make them food animals. I’m surprised that you don’t know the difference between an animal that is raised for food and one that is raised for other purposes. That makes a huge difference between cattle, pigs and horses. I could be wrong but I don’t ever recall a cow or pig entered in the Derby or numerous races across the country. Do cattle and pigs perform dressage? Do they carry our law enforcement or provide therapy? The list goes on and on. There are raised to perform functions in our society and don’t suddenly become food when their careers have ended. That is a choice that must be made at birth, not years down the road. Cattle and Pigs are raised as food animals.
All this talk of horse meat is making me hungry.
Well, by all means eat some then! Good enough for you. Do you have an oncologist picked out yet?
Nice to see the horse freaks–with their Breyer collections and pancake butts–out in full force.
Would you like to play with my Breyer horsie? He’s 15 hands, 1100 lbs. Since I doubt you have ever been around horses, perhaps I should offer my mare instead. She can be cranky sometimes and try to take a chunk out of ya. Perfect horse for you. You want to eat horses. My mare just might eat YOU! LOL!
Insults will get you nowhere, Lame Brain. Just about everyone here who is anti-slaughter happens to own horses. Funny, isn’t it. Almost ALL anti-slaughter folk are horse owners. Will wonders never cease!
My comment was deleted yesterday, ostensibly because I called the author of this article a name. I’ll rephrase – it is a cowardly act to send meat drenched with metabolized carcinogenic compounds out of the country to be eaten by others. Anyone who feels it is proper to do so is acting negligently and with careless disregard for other humans.
I was thinking this morning of a little paint mare, pregnant and so close to foaling. Her mane had been braided. Her coat bathed and her hooves trimmed and shining. The last photo of her was of her standing in the feedlot at Morton, TX. Her head was down and her ears cockeyed. A few of her braids had been knocked out. Her coat stained here and there where she had lain in filth but shining brightly where she had not. Her recently trimmed feet were covered with wet manure. Her knees and hocks were discolored. The woman from Animals Angels stood outside the pen and talked to her, trying to raise a response in the little mare with a bit of kindness. As the woman stood, there she saw the foal moving around, the sides of the little mare’s abdomen swaying and protruding. the mare looked up and then dropped her head. She was gone the next day as were all the horses who had accompanied the beautiful little mare in the lot. Gone to Mexico on slaughter trucks.
Some little girl’s pony, made pretty no doubt to assist in getting a good home for her at auction somewhere. We’ll never know where she came from. The paperwork used by this killer industry is unreliable and fraudulent (as determined by GAO 2011).
Really? We need to butcher our horses for meat? This is a disgusting reflection of greed – that is all it is. Don’t call it anything else.
That second paragraph made me *really* hungry.
Do you eat meat? If so, then you’re a hypocrite, plain and simple. There few things worse in this world than hypocrites. Horse meat can be regulated and overseen by the USDA just like beef, pork, poultry, etc. Hysterics over the issue show the emotional immaturity and lack of intelligence of the anti-slaughter folks and show them to be the same as PETA, the Animal Liberation Front, etc.
Bingo.
@’Bob’ —
Eating one kind of meat does not preclude the cultural rejection of another kind — and it has nothing to do with hypocrisy. Asian countries consider dogs and cats routine fare; yet we in the US are repelled by the idea. According to your argument, we are all ‘hypocrites’.
Another thing; waving your hand and trying to dismiss those who are opposed to slaughtering horses by attempting to draw a some kind of criminal association with the ALF or other radical groups is typical of your group. That tactic is commonly employed by people who are losing an argument – it’s one of the oldest logical fallacies around.
Thank you for proving my point. There is no reason to not be using horses as food other than hysterical rantings based on emotional immaturity. Horses can be raised for meat just like anything else. I for one, am looking forward to it. Perhaps we could introduce horses into the wild and open a season on them like deer.
We have a troll! (Does your mother know you’re on the computer?)
Where do I start. Yes there is no such thing as “Unwanted Horses”. Although there is such a thing as a horse that may not be sound anymore, born with a defect, or maybe has some age on it. What do you do with these horses. I would think the folks down south in the drought would not say feed them hay that costs $100/ton and watch him stand and suffer for the rest of its life. The answer may not be to take him to the local auction market where they may stand around for days, weeks, and months waiting for the straight trailer to come and pick them up since they can no longer be hauled on a double deck trailer thanks to all u animal rights folks. The answer may not be to just quit breeding horses, then there would be no rodeos, horse races, and where would we get our good ranch horses without the trial and error of breeding practices.A way of life would be gone if breeding horses would stop. And then you will ask me why should horses pay for our way of life, well God put them on this earth to be our “hired man” and when he can no longer work and is suffering what do we do with them. People it is the facts of life. So many say they are not slaughtered humanely, well think about it people it is a slaughter house, in order to be processed they must be slaughtered. I have seen beef and horses slaughtered and i would say there is probably not a better way for it to be done than what the processing plants feel is the fastest and most painless way there is to put the animal down and prepared for the kill floor. If one is so smart maybe open your own processing plant and think of an easier way to do this, but please dont make us folks out here in , yes, our great state of South Dakota watch our horses become thinner and more cripple every day on our Gods green earth. I think you did a great job on this article Andy, don’t let ignorance stop your opinions on this issue. We need horse slaughter, and if your congressmen or women, and senators have any sense at all as ours do in SD, they would say the same. Thanks for the article and keep them coming.
@CW —
Why is the concept of euthanizing an animal so completely foreign to you slaughter enthusiasts? (Slaughter, by the way, is not “humane euthanasia”)
You have a horse that’s old, crippled, or born with a defect? Pry open your damn wallet, call the vet, and have the animal put down like the owners of 99% of the rest of the horse population in the US does…
Horses are big, expensive, animals — stop whining about how much they cost: NO ONE is forcing you to own one.
I have a boat — it’s really expensive to maintain (insert violin music) do you feel sorry for me?
The complete and utter lack of logic used by the pro-slaughter contingent to rationalize the ‘need’ for slaughter is absolutely mind-numbing.
“The answer may not be to just quit breeding horses, then there would be no rodeos, horse races, and where would we get our good ranch horses without the trial and error of breeding practices.”
We can only hope that much of the solution lies with doing exactly that. If, as a breeder, there is no demand for your horses, why would you keep churning out “product?” And I sure as hell hope that there are no more rodeos!
One of the most genetically perfect herds of horses in North America were sent to a Mexican slaughterhouse notorious for unspeakable cruelty. I’m referring of course, to the Texas Prison horses, part of a herd of 1,600 owned by the State of Texas and managed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. They were all highly spook-proof and trained to heft overweight non-riding prison guards as they supervised prisoners. Yet, each year this prison breeds at least 100 more horses as part of their ongoing “breeding project,” If you breed horses to send directly into the slaughter pipeline, even if that is not your direct intention, then you need to stop.
People have to understand that when their horse is nearing end-of-life, or even if healthy and unmarketable, the kindest thing they can possibly do is remove the chastity belt constricting their wallet and have the animal humanely euthanized.
So if horse slaughters are so “in humane”, then what do you call dumping off horses in the middle of no where letting the horses starve and untreated. I like and care for animals to, but without horse slaughters horses will actually suffer.
@Samuel;
……………..
Um, Sam — if someone “dumps their horse in the middle of no where” it’s not because they can’t send them to slaughter…………slaughter has been, and still is, an option for owners.
So, are you saying that MORE slaughterhouses are the answer, given that people are already rejecting to use them as an option?
Why is it that the absolute simplest of logic cannot be grasped by those who are so in love with the idea of horse slaughter? Love really is blind, I guess…
It also seems that people are ignoring the fact that horse slaughter is not in humane, and that you turn to horse sports like rodeo, horse racing and other sports. NO ONE has actual proof that horse slaughter is in humane it’s just that you don’t want people to eat meat.
@Samuel;
“NO ONE has actual proof that horse slaughter is inhumane”?? You might want to take a break from watching Larry the Cable Guy tonight, and spend a few minutes educating yourself by watching this:
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/lpn.html
Get back to us on this one ok?
How about an eyewitness? ME. I saw enough at Dallas Crown to testify in ANY court that horse slaughter is the MOST inhumane thing I’ve EVER seen done to ANY animal.
That work for ya?
A horse is not a companion animal. A companion animal is one that can accompany you most everywhere you go–like a dog or cat. Even those are not elevated to human status! What do you intend to do with a euthanized horse? Leave him for the coyotes? Bury him? What happens when things become as they are in Eureopeon countries–they’re running out of room to bury people? There will be no room for animals to be buried as well. Maybe your thinking of cremation. Who has a unit large enough for a horse, even if you could haul him to that unit? Our horses get the best treatment we know how to give them, but at some point most of them need to be culled. There are not enough people or “nursing homes” that can give them the care they need & that leads to abuse. There are even reports of human elderly being abused in nursing homes–is that not worse than a horse being abused? Let’s fix the human suffering before we become so emotional about animal abuse. Yes, it’s terrible, but lets put things into perspective.
The FDA refers to horses as companion animals. Most euthanized horses are either buried on-site, or removed by the dead-stock service, where they are disposed of according to municipal or county bylaws. Yes, I know this is yet another expense for horse owners who might be willing to suck the marrow out of their bones in order to save a buck, but most horse owners already do this. If you have enough money, you can certainly cremate a horse – obviously there is a market for this service otherwise it would not be offered as an alternative.
Problems with horse populations and abuse have nothing to do with nursing home abuse, as they aren’t likely perpetrated by the same individuals. ‘Nother problem altogether. Some people advocate for children, some for seniors, some for animals, some for street people, or all of them – we all pick our battles. There’s nothing holding you back from advocating for seniors or against elder abuse, if you so choose.
BMW – all your whining comments have been addressed. Face it – you want to kill horses, you want to butcher them and you want to pocket the money made. Despite all the warnings and solutions provided. It is a predatory business – reflected in news just yesterday of a trailer tractor full turning over because the driver fell asleep at 5 PM! The hores pulled out of the trailer were all wearing slaughter tags. This is from the middle of TN and where were they headed? Texas! Next step Mexico.
If you really cared for the horses and want it to be humane – you would STOP transport to slaughter from within the United States untill this issue could be resolvd one way or another. But since the industry insists on continuing to break the law, mishandle the horses, misappropriate (as in steal, promise one thing and deliver another) the horses, falsify paperwork and employ drivers who could care less – auction and transport to slaughter continue.
Please contact your Senators and Represetatives to sign on as cosponsors to S.1176 and H.R. 2966 so these bills can be passed to President Obama to sign. he promised to see to the end of horse slaughter and end of transport to horse slaughter. The American public is 80% against horse slaughter or transport to slaughter. it is time our country and its business is conducted by the majority again.
BMW, I don’t believe you’re qualified to comment on this issue. It’s very obvious you know nothing at all about horses & the horse world & horse owners. I am qualified, as I am 71 years of age & had horses practically all my life. Horse slaughter is wrong is very cruel & inhumane. I’ve lost many horses in death & there are more humane methods than horse slaughter houses. And, believe it or not, there are ways to dispose of their remains than to feed someone.
Read my link,
She say,”When slaughter is performed properly, it is euthanasia”
Except that there is NO “proper” way to slaughter horses.
Sure there is. Captive bolt stun gun followed by exsanguination, just like pigs, cows, sheep, etc. Follow that with standard butchering procedures and you have a large amount of lean, tasty meat perfect for the grill, crock pot, oven, or any cooking method you can think of.
To all the horse eaters….if you wish to have horse slaughter make it where only horses raised as meat can be used not a horse loved by its owner that is facing a financial hardship and sees selling their beloved horse as an act of kindness that the horse will get a home with love and money to provide for it! I personally have horses and would never want to see my horse slaughtered in the inhumane slaughterhouses! There are other ways to disposed of sick, lame or otherwise unfit horses in the USA….one is a rendering plant these will take your animal and process it for non-human uses like pet food or zoos. The slaughter houses don’t want sick, skinny, old horses they are not good for meat for people just like the beef industry uses young cattle for slaughter so does the horse slaughter houses wish to purchase fat, young and healthy looking animals. All the downfall of the horse market is NOT from closing slaughter houses but from over production by big breeders and a poor economic time in this country right now. Abuse and neglect have been continuing issues from before the closing of US plants but has more light now do to the pro slaughter group trying to prove a non existent point! These problems will not go away with reopening plants so get out of your fairytale that it will!
Finally, someone with a brain! We should be raising horses for their meat, along with releasing them into the wild for new hunting opportunities.
Bob, you might make some yummy soylent green yourself!
The problem with all these arguments is you have a group of intelligent, compassionate people trying to reason with greedy, unintelligent sociopaths…. you can’t really win the argument. Let’s just beat them by passing anti-slaughter legislation.
The problem is you have a group of logical, intelligent people trying to reason with hysterical princesses with the emotional maturity of a five year old.
Wow! Aren’t we the mature one, Bob. Okay, exactly what is it that you can’t understand that would lead you to make such a puerile, chauvinistic remark?
Mr. Jensen,
I think you need to go back to journalist school. If you had throughly researched the issue of horse slaughter, you would know that humane horse slaughter is an oxymoran. There are a plethora of documents, research, pictures and videos for you to study at: http://www.kaufmanzoning.net/
And for an example of real journalism, read:
12/06/2011 – Forbes.com – Vickery Eckhoff – Horse Slaughterhouse Investigation Sounds Food Safety and Cruelty Alarms
And then there is the question of just who’s America is this? We the People, the Majority, DON’T EAT HORSES and DON’T WANT HORSE SLAUGHTER IN THE USA.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/aspca-research-confirms-americans-strongly-oppose-slaughter-of-horses-for-human-consumption-2012-02-01
Are you even AWARE of the sneaky, underhanded and unethical way the “defunding” language was removed?
Go back to school, Mr. Jensen.
Sincerely, Beth
First of all, why are all you even getting so worked up on this? This is an article in a college newspaper. Are you just people searching the internet trying to find horse articles to harass people on?
And second, Mr. Jensen is college student who has studied horses. I’m sure he probably understands this issue more than most of you do.
What Mr. Jensen has proven is that he know nothing about this issue. I have owned horses for 35 years, of which 15 were spent in the shadow of Beltex and Dallas Crown in Texas.
I you had ever had a beloved horse stolen, purchased under false pretenses by a kill buyer, watched these killers out bid good people at auctions for the young, perfectly healthy horses that are the only ones the killers buy, you would KNOW why we are getting worked up over the issue of reopening these hell holes on American soil.
It’s horrible enough that a few bought-and-paid-for politicians can ram through legislation like this while blocking anti-slaughter legislation for decades, while our horses are still being shipped by the thousands every year to slaughter plants in Mexico and Canada, but listening to the ill informed writers who know nothing about horses, slaughter, food safety or anything else about this issue is just too much.
Game on!
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/02/horse-slaughtering-resumes-in-us-as-legislation-languishes-in-congress/?test=latestnews
Wonder what all you pro-slaughter peeps will do when in 2013 you CAN’T use slaughter as an out because all horses will require a passport system from the time they are six months old? Are you going to start raising horses specifically for slaughter? What will that solve for recreational horses in the end? And how is this a marketable business when NEXT YEAR the supply will be cut by the majority due to these new regulations! Animal Angels has went to Europe and is spreading the word. Soon enough we won’t have a demand. So stop producing an over abundance of supply! BREED RESPONSIBLY! Are you pro-slaughter proud that the foals you produced are the ones that end up on people’s plates?
Yes, I believe we should start raising horses to end up on people’s plates.
http://theoatmeal.com/story/eat_horses
I don’t see that happening, Bob, because horses are much more expensive to raise than cattle. Horses have the lowest reproduction rate of any domestic animal. They often don’t “settle” even when that monster stud fee is paid. They have a long gestation period and are incapable of producing more than one offspring per year. They mature much more slowly than cattle. They are much harder on pastures than cattle because they are much more active. Which is the same reason horse fencing is so much more expensive than cattle fencing. No barbed wire with horses!
Which leads me to the reason we don’t have a humane method of slaughtering horses. They are still very much a prey animal with an overwhelming flight response. Once that is triggered, they are incredibly strong and raise their long, upright necks and fling their heads wildly. It’s all but impossible to use a captive-bolt in the manner mandated by the Humane Slaughter Act OR the AVMA guidelines for that matter. Improperly stunned horses regain at least some measure of consciousness while they are strung up and bled out. These are facts, and I have documentation out the wazoo from both the USDA and the CFIA.
Farming horses for human consumption would eliminate the problem of banned drug residue, but I don’t think one could make a profit. Horses are NOT cattle.
Besides, I thought you were SO concerned with all the abandoned, neglected horses. How would this help them? Or doesn’t it really matter?
No, it doesn’t really matter to me. I simply don’t care and I don’t care what you think of me not caring.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this passionate discussion. We encourage you to continue the conversation elsewhere and no future comments will be approved to this article.