What do you think of horse slaughter and why?

Question

I support horse rescues, good owners AND horse slaughter. Aside from horse theft, which is already a crime, horse slaughter is good and useful IMO. What do you do when the shelters are full and there are no more good homes willing to take broken or unwanted horses? At least some use is gained from slaughter. Not to mention it is FAR less painfull then years of starvation and neglect in the name of Love trapped in a backlot somewhere. I've seen too much of that(sigh.) Oh, and if even ONE person suggests "letting them all run free"...well I hope they hit a horse on a highway.

Edit: This is asked, with the total understanding that the horse pop. problem is a Breeding issue.

I still don't see the cruelty in a proprerly running slaughter house.

Oh. One other thing. I own horses, love horses and properly care for my horses. And let's not forget that everyone and everything kills something else to survive. Whether you want to see it or not. Death = Life

Answer 1

I agree. It does help keep the horse population down and it is a good way to get rid of old and sick horses to keep them from being mistreated. Many of the few horse slaughtering places have been closed down due to pet activists and it is starting to create a rise in the over-population of horses. And due to that we are seeing a rise in the mis-treatment of horses.

I wish people really understood the full ramifications of their actions when they try closing places like those down or try getting animals set free that shouldn't be. I don't think they understand how diseases, predators, lack of food, over-population, etc all affect animals.

We have too many people that grow up in the city anymore and have no real understanding regarding raising animals. Those people then try pushing their well intended but unwise ideologies on people such as farmers that have grown up around animals and know how they should be properly cared for and why things are done the way they are done.

I would much rather see an animal slaughtered than it to suffer from injuries or from being maltreated. When a horse gets old and has health problems and there are no slaughtering houses to take them too few people to no one will take it. Horse rescue farms are already over-crowded and can't hardly handle what they already have. That means the owner has to keep a horse they no longer want. When that happens you definitely increase the chances of the horse being mistreated because it is no longer wanted.

Yes, the slaughtering process looks grizzly, but it's the most humane way that has been developed so far while keeping the meat edible and usable. A large bar impaling the head seems gruesome but a couple seconds (2-3) of suffering I think is not nearly as bad as possibly years of suffering and starvation.

Yes, there will be some healthy animals that get slaughtered, but every process has it's faults and good points. I just think it is better than the alternative. Housing horses is much more expensive than housing dogs or cats, so overpopulation with horses can much more easily lead to maltreatment and no place for them to go.

Answer 2

Well I won't have to worry about this too much, since it's all but banned in the US now.
I am against animal slaughter of any kind. It's terrifying and painful for the animal, to say the least.
There seem to be some uneducated answers here. To set the record straight, slaughterhouses do not kill animals that are already dead, nor do they bury them. If the animal is already dead, it would probably go to the rendering plant.
If someone owns a horse, they should be able to take care of it. If they cannot, chances are there will be a rescue or sanctuary to take the animal. My local animal services org has a horse, cow, turkey, goats, etc. They all look pretty healthy to me.
Sending an animal to slaughter means that animal will be eaten or consumed in some other way, but mostly eaten.
As a society we do not promote the consumption of horsemeat. Doing so would be a decline in our moral values.
Afraid of a horse population explosion? I highly doubt that. Quit breeding them and then selling them for millions of dollars.

And status doesn't matter. Did you know that a KY derby winner ended up at the slaughterhouse? I can't recall the name, but it's true.

If a horse is too ill to recover, it should be euthanized by a veterinarian, then either cremated or buried at the expense of the owner.

Slaughter implies mass production for consumption. Horses should not be mass produced.

Answer 3

What do you think of horse slaughter and why?
Because of people this is a necessity. People do not like thinking of these morbid things. If a horse gets attacked by a cat (mountain cat and yes we have them here) and the horse is to far gone, human thing is to shoot the horse. Now what do you do with it?? You call the slaughter house.
If a horse like you said, is starving and neglected and is trapped in a back lot somewhere and none of the "do gooders" want to take on the care and vet bills it will take for this poor thing what to do with it? The slaughter house....what about the horse who finally gave up the ghost in his pasture, what are you going to do with it? Get the shovel out and berry it? Call the slaughter house.
It is easy for the ignorant people to put down those who have the "dirty" job of society. I also notice that peeps who run down these kinds of places have never had or has not had many critters therefor never had to use the services.
People as I had said do not want to think of morbid things...even if someone wants to help there is only so many animals one can help....
Let them run free is a funny one!! Lets take this critter who has always had food water and health taken care of and set it free. This is about the cruelest think I ever herd of!! These people should not have critters, not responsible....If these kinds of people get tired of there pet they will just "dump" them. Having critters and being responsible for a critter sometimes means we have to do things that are not fun....
When the shelters are full of cute little kittens or those cute puppies or that horse they get killed....Plain and simple...

if a person does not see something does this mean it doesn't exist/happen?

Answer 4

Interesting, when I clicked on this I thought it was going to be bashing slaughter.

Here's my take on it: just like with dogs and cats, there are too many backyard breeders of horses and not enough good homes. Just because your purebred mare is papered, doesn't mean she is breeding material. Have you had her conformation evaluated, is she sound not only of body, but of mind??? There is nothing worse than a psycho mare being bred just because she is gorgeous and has papers. Ever deal with those foals??? I have, it's a nightmare! (No pun intended)

If slaughter is banned, where are all the surplus horses going to go. They are NOT cheap to over winter in the north where you have to buy hay. They are not cheap to maintain once they've foundered or have arthritis or have other major health problems like colic. They need regular farrier work, deworming, and vet visits. All this costs money, folks!

So... you have a horse that you can't keep anymore, what do you do with it? Sell it to someone to potentially be neglected or abused? I think slaughter is a necessary evil... it's really no different that slaughtering cows or pigs, it's just that our society has come to see horses like big dogs - but even dogs are a food source in some parts of the world.

If slaughter is completely removed as an option for surplus horses, then all horseowners may be required to euthanize and dispose of all old or crippled or psychotic/dangerous horses. Disposal can be expensive, as is euthanasia (unless done with a bullet). For disposal you will either need to call a rendering company, or hire a backhoe to dig you a hole - if that's a LEGAL option where you live.

As with dogs and cats... stop the senseless breeding of horses, with farmland being bought up and developed at an alarming rate, there are not enough places to put all their offspring. Slaughter should remain an option!

Answer 5

At the basic they are a prey animal. They have the components all prey animals have. WE think nothing of a Zebra being digested on the African Savannah, or cattle, chicken or any thing that is processed.. WE need to cast the blame on Walt Disney.
The animorphism he promoted has done more to harm the rationale of our society than drugs. The sterile world we live in, does not require us to prepare our own food from the source, and we have lost contact with the true predators we are.
Emotion has caused lot's of bad breeding decisions and purchases of horses people were ill equipped to handle. Indication has produced dangerous animals no one can handle. Slaughter makes sense at numberous levels, lowering the numer of horses, removing dangerous animals, and a small re compensation for any investment that was made in an inferior animal.

AS yet, the anti-slaughter has not taken any responsibility for these animals. And until they do, they need to quit interfering with the decisions I make on how to deal with them.

Answer 6

I completely agree with you.
I asked a question here not long ago about why everyone objects so strongly to using horses as food. People in other countries eat them. Why is that a crime in the USA? I think that if they have to be destroyed that at least someone should benefit. It just seems a waste.
I'm not talking about people's pets, I'm not talking about abusing the animals before their death, I mean, like cows. They are slaughtered for their meat, so why not horses?
I don't get it either.

Answer 7

I would have no problem with horse slaughter if they were killed humanely, and only the old, sick and dying horses were sent. But unfortunately that isnt the case...many many young and healthy horses are also slaughtered, and the way they kill them is horrible. For example, the racehorse Ferdinand was sent to Japan and slaughtered, two years after he won the Kentucky Derby, simply because he was not successful at stud. That just makes me sick.

Answer 8

i dont think that slaughtering is the real issue, but breeding horses that are tamed and cannot survive in the wild (as with any domesticated animal) is whats really wrong.
anyhow, slaughter houses are not only hell houses for animals, but for the workers as well. the conditions people have to work in and endure can be as inhumane as the killing of innocent animals..
i understand animal population control, but the bolt/skin method is cruel and inaccurate not to mention the toxins put out by s.houses are extremely wasteful.
what is use full IMO? cruelty free products are just as good and or better.
sorry, i just dont see the use of slaughtering...

Answer 9

As long as they are humanely destroyed, I'm all for it. And yes, I own horses. But the horses I don't own that I see everyday are all pathetically neglected. I'd shoot them through the head myself if nothing else could be done for them. They don't deserve to live like they do. And no, we don't put humans down, but we are spiritual beings and our lives are worth infinitely more. It's our duty to look after our animals, and those who are unable to function or will never find a suitable home are better off destroyed.

Answer 10

The reason slaughter is not okay is the actions behind the word slaughter. (I am not speaking of animals that need to be euthanized due to health problems, but of animals that are slaughtered strictly for their meat and because they have no home.)
Until we stop eating animals, (myself included), we will never seek justice for those who suffer at our hands. Period. What good comes from it, when the terrible way they are treated far outweighs any good. The balance of justice for animals is leaning too far off balance.
The horses suffer tremendously at human hands after they are sold at auctions. How they are packed in with too many other horses. How many die on the way to slaughter because of terribly inhumane treatments. There are no easy answers to the plight of the many horses who have no where to go. If it is to be solved humanely, we humans must first look honestly at the problems we have created. Overbreeding of all domesticated pets has caused terrible problems for those animals. It is important to see the work of people who truly love them and work for the animals. Without them, the problem would remain behind closed doors and then not even one unwanted animal would have a chance.
There are those humans who work hard to find homes for horses, put them into rescue organizations, or have rescue organization themselves. There are those who love horses, even if they are old or disabled and no longer able to serve human needs. We now serve them, because they once served us. But as with dogs and cats, there are so many of them that need homes that not all will ever find one. Slaughter will not eliminate this tragedy, which is a tragedy in itself, because humans allowed the situation to get at this point in the first place. Unless enough people are willing to look at the horror of it all, then the situation will not get better. Too many people who would make a difference in the lives of horses, (and other animals) don't, because they simply are not involved in any lifestyle outside of their own. We just continue to do the unthinkable because we are at the end of the road for any humane answers for the majority of animals who are overbred.
But for those that see the injustice, the inhumane acts, we will continue to work for them, not against them. If we stop working to end the injustice to animals, then they will only continue, until the possibility of breeding them to eat them will be a reality. Surely we do not want to see what has happened to industrial farming of cows, pigs, etc., happen to another breed of animal. We are working to help animals, not increase the mistreatment of them.