Last year I did a post about my mild opposition to a domestic ban on the slaughter of horses for the purposes of using the meat for human consumption. The comments are archived on Haloscan, but take my word for it--until my February 16 Bill Ayers post, my first horse slaughter post attracted the greatest number of comments in the almost four year history of Marathon Pundit.Here's a brief rundown: In 2007, the last three slaughterhouses that processed horse meat for human consumption--the meat was sent to Europe and Asia--were closed down by legal maneuvering involving the pulling of USDA inspectors from the plants. Fine, if that's the people's will, so be it. But I criticized the sentiment behind the ban, making the claim--which I still stand by--that society is ill-equipped to deal with a population boom of unwanted horses.
Because of soaring feed prices--thank you ethanol--maintaining a horse is more expensive than ever. There are reports of increased sightings of wild horses throughout the nation--although the anti-slaughter lobby says those horse herds have been around for decades. Perhaps, but are these herds getting bigger? If they are, it wouldn't surprise me. The horses in the picture, by the way, live off the land in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. The photograph was taken in 2004.
My conclusion in my first equine slaughter post, was that herds like these would continue to grow, and horses would suffer. Which would be quite inhumane. One more prediction I made last year: The unwanted horses would be transported to Mexico and Canada.
Meanwhile, a bill is being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee that could send veterinarians, horse dealers, and horse owners to prison for three years for knowingly shipping a horse to a slaughterhouse that processes horse meat for human consumption.
Should these actions be criminalized? And in such a harsh manner? I don't think so.
And since the closing of the domestic slaughterhouses, what has happened? The Billings Gazette tells us:
Making slaughter a crime, however, will force some people to turn their domestic horses loose to face death on the roads or starvation, (veterinarian Doug) Corey) said. This year alone in Colorado, cases of horse abuse, including starvation, are up 40 percent, Corey said. Hay prices have doubled or tripled. Horses are bringing far less money at resale, and the economic crisis is making many owners struggle to care for them.
"All these factors are coming together to create a crisis of horse abuse, neglect and abandonment," Corey said. "More owners who are desperate haven't found options for what to do with their horses."
A Time Magazine article in May said sanctuaries are being swamped with unwanted horses because people are unable to care for them.
Corey also is involved in the Unwanted Horse Coalition, which is trying to reduce the number of abandoned or unwanted horses. No one knows how many horses now live in sanctuaries, but he estimates that it could be as high as 12,000.
The Gazette reports the number of horse shipped in Canada and Mexico since the domestic abattoirs closed has doubled.
Hiring a vet to euthanize a horse and burying it costs hundreds of dollars. Even shooting a horse and burying it on your own land--a workable option only for rural landowners with many acres of property--is expensive. Renting a backhoe to bury the equine costs $125 in Montana.
Horse lovers who commented here and sent me e-mails made the claim last year that there is a vast network of horse sanctuaries in the United States. I remain unconvinced.
The intentions of the anti-slaughter groups are noble, but as is often the case with such idealists, they don't anticipate the ramifications of their actions.
I'll leave the final words to John Chaffee, who had this to say to The Billings Gazette:
Our (domestic) killing plants are more humane than letting them lay out there and die. Not all horses have heart attacks. An old horse will lay there and beat his head on the ground because he can't get up.
Related posts:
Horse of a different color on abandoned equines story
Abandoned horses in Eastern Kentucky
Hey, another horse slaughter post
Last US horse slaughterhouse shut down, unwanted horse problem will worsen
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7 comments:
few dont get the facts. First let me say your prediction of horses going to mexico and canada is no predictions. Beltex that operated in Texas illegal for years are owned by the same mexican plant that has been killing horses long before any plants were forced to be shut down. The truth is now that the AQHA and the APHA organizations need to take responsiblity toward the overbreeding of horses. There moto is make money on new breeds of registrations Period. This is also the moto of backyard breeders neither have set no funds aside for the future of these horses. IF these horses were humans there would be alot of people behind bars for showing lack of an Oboligations and responsiblity. You seem to want to reward ignorance why because you still believe and support foreign horse plants that operated for years illegal and secretly. They promoted illegal aliens to do there bloody work. You seem to hide behind a PC for there support. We have created a program called the Top Ten Rescues for Donations and can be viewed at www.SaveDaHorses.org lets see if you plan on supporting any of the Rescues that list monthly on our program. Donations start at $10.59 then again you may just continue to whinne like the other pro slaughter sellouts of our American Icons and Pets.
Can't wait for the reports of dead horses popping upin fields and dumps after the snow melts each spring in Lake, McHenry, Kane counties.
Per the first comment "if horses were human My wife would have married Trigger"
I agree the horse breeders created this mess, they should fix it.
Criminalizing actions that you find abhorrent--three years in prison?--is harsh. Congress should not be involved in this, and should focus on other things.
As for the since-closed plants that you say hired illegals--that wouldn't surprise me--they should've been prosecuted for that.
I've owned and loved horses all my life, over 60 years, and the closing of the slaughter houses is the most ill-conceived but far reaching act that has been forced down the road by tree huggers in years.
First, horses aren't dogs, they are big and they can injure a person easily. I have a friend who says he thinks we ought to take some of these bad horses that would have once ended up at the killer market, and picket them on the front lawns of the people who promoted this bill.
Horses have always bridged the gap between farming and recreation. And the horse industry was growing. More and more new people were beginning to enjoy horses and horse ownership, and it truly is a great thing. But these new owners are the very people who are most open to people "giving" them a horse, or "adopting" a horse, and they, of all people, are least trained to HANDLE such horses, most of which are green or just plain mean!!
So, what's happened this year. Horses are being turned out and abandoned in most states, where they face starvation. Horse abuse has gone up. Injuries FROM horses have gone up. The price of horses has fallen, there is no floor in the industry any longer. More horses puts a heavier burden on already stretched feed supplies.
Do we really think it is more humane to end up like we do with dogs, euthanizing hundreds of thousands every year at public expense? Especially when horses served a purpose in feeding world hunger??
Reasonable people who can see the WHOLE picture...and can still LOVE horses need to get more active. It has become popular to want to save everything..what's next? cattle?? It has become unpopular to stand firm and say, "No, slaughter houses HAVE a purpose!" Stop blaming the AQHA and APHA...(How did they get singled out anyway...I can't see that they are any more responsible than the dozens of other registries, or the "mutt" horses being bred because people think foals are "cute!) and look at what makes sense from a responsible social and economic standpoint. Inhumane is someone watching their horses starve because they can't afford feed...they can't sell them, prices have dropped, they can't give them away...everyone else is dong that..so they turn them loose ...and it just STARTS from there!!
Thanks for your insightful observations, 3rd anon.
You are right!
Every year, hundreds and thousands of horses are killed and their meat is sold, mostly in Europe and Asia. Obviously this is a major issue that most people would prefer not to think about it. So What can be done to solve this major issue?:(
I am so relieved to see that the main stream media is finally addressing the disastrous results of the closing of US horse slaughtering plants. Do you think that these animals are better off slowly and painfully dieing in the pasture or being forced on a 1,500 mile truck ride to Canada or Mexico rather than staying here in the US where their hauling and slaughtering can be regulated and with laws that must be followed? The closing of the US plants has not stopped slaughter it has just make it more traumatic for the animal, depressed the economy for the horse market and make it more costly for individuals to dispose of unwanted and unusable livestock.
I am astounded by the shear stubbornness of people that refuse to acknowledge the need for this service and the inaccurate hyperbole that they spew. The anti-slaughter advocates claim that most of the horses are sweet, well trained sound horses that their owners have unknowingly been cheated out of. Recently in an equestrian chat room, someone with limited horse owning experience stated that they were considering going to a local sale barn to try to get a cheap horse and asked opinions and advise on this. Everyone that gave an opinion warned to be very careful, that this was not a good idea for anyone that was not an experienced buyer. It was stated that you must look very closely for signs of lameness and health issues and of horses being misrepresented as to age, training and disposition. Then there was the issue of them being drugged- pain medication for lameness and sedatives for unruly and spoiled horses. The statement made over and over again "if they are at the sale barn, there is probably a reason".
Now owners are faced with the dilemma of trying to unburden themselves of unusable or unsuitable horses that have no value and must either continue the cost of upkeep or the cost of euthanasia- which, if a veterinarian does it, will cost $200-$300 or they can go the cheap way and shoot the animal. And then there is the disposal issue. A thousand pounds of rotting meat is not easily gotten rid of. Like it or not, by the time a horse hits around 20yo, most are starting to have problems that make them unsuitable for moderate riding and yet they can live to 30-35yo, and when you add in those with lameness and behavioral problems it is no wonder that the slaughter market is a necessity. Already the rescues are being over run and horses are just being abandoned.
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