What do you think about horse slaughter?? HORRIBLE or OK?

Question

Horse slaughter is a spreading conflict in america, and many innocent horses are starved half to death and killed everyday! What good does this do?? www.bebo.com/imaginethedestroyedbeautyband

Answer 1

If transportation, holding and method of death was humane I'd have no problem with horse slaughter. People that are vocally anti-horse slaughter have good intentions but there are MANY things that would come out of the single action of making horse slaughter illegal in the states.

People are abandoning their horses this year (check out thehorse.com, it typically has lots of scientific articles) in record numbers due to the increased price of hay. In my area it has gone from $2/bale to $3.50/bale and we're not even ankle deep into winter yet. It's just about guaranteed to hit $4-4.50/bale before long because there is just not enough to go around. People are literally opening their gates and shooing their horses out of their pastures because they can no longer afford them.
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=8268&kw=abandonment

Horses, like dogs and cats are EXTREMELY overbred. Just look at the thoroughbred racing industry where stallions will cover hundreds of mares per year. The good ones are extremely expensive, but where do you think the unsuccessful ones go? They dwindle down through the ranks and become the unbroke horse you can get at the auction for $400.

What does overpopulation lead to? Simple issue of supply and demand -- the prices are decreasing rapidly. There are still lots of horses that sell for thousands but there is a huge gap between the "average" horse vs. the 50,000$ show horses, just like there is a huge gap between blue-collar and white-collar workers in the United States. People can no longer afford to keep or breed their horses so they get out of the horse business, but that basically just means that it is one less place that will take in horses from auctions and private sellers. It's not even worth breeding horses to sell them anymore because yearlings and 2-year-olds are a dime a dozen. You have to keep them long enough to put lots of training into them, and by the time you sell them for maybe $2,000 (if you have a reputable trainer -- which costs hundreds of dollars per month typically for 2 to 6 months at a time) and you're basically just lucky if you break even.

This might not mean a lot to the 11-year-olds on here that think that horses are a labor of love. I agree that they should be, and I own geldings and an unregistered filly that I don't make money on. But you also have to be realistic. Big stables that breed quality horses (as opposed to your common backyard breeder with no knowledge about bloodlines, conformation, etc) have to be able to make a profit off of their horses or there is no point in keeping them. If they can't make money then they will have to sell off their stock, just adding more horses to the pool of "unwanted" ones.

Like it or not, horse slaughter keeps the prices of horses at an at least somewhere decent rate. It picks up the horses from the auctions that no one else wants. I know this is not all that they take -- I'm quite aware that they slaughter more than just old, diseased or lame horses. But if the horse is being sold for cheap enough that the kill buyer finds it profitable then it is most likely going to be "no-saled" anyway and taken back to its owner that no longer wants it.

if that doesn't sway your opinion, think of this. There are many, MANY people that will not euthanize an injured and/or suffering horse, but they will send it to the sale to end up at the kill buyers. This might be out of ignorance, greed, or the fact that they can't afford the $200 to euthanize it. I have seen this happen before, so do not try to say that this does not happen. It's a terrible way for things to happen, but I'd rather that a horse's suffering increase temporarily before finally letting them die (and stop the pain!) than have them wait in a pasture to die from injuries or neglect.

In a perfect world we wouldn't need horse slaughter. I could not care less about supplying people overseas with horse meat, if not for our situation here I would just say that they should use their own horses and just keep the methods humane. But American NEEDS horse slaughter. This is why horse associations like the AQHA is supporting it. They don't want their horses slaughtered; at bare minimum it would mean that there would be less registry participation and less money coming in for registrations. But they do understand the consequences of getting rid of it.

This is a situation, like many others, where people focus on the wrong end of the problem. Want to get rid of abortion? Then increase sex education and availability of quality contraceptives. Want to get rid of horse slaughter? Then stop breeding horses unless you plan on keeping them for the rest of their lives.

Answer 2

Well slaughter in the US has stopped, still active in Canada and Mexico. Any rescue organization can help you with finding a horse that would have been slaughtered. My two cents: why would you want to stop slaughter? It's a horrible thing to say but I am also pro slaughter. With the houses closed up there are more starving horses than ever. I would rather take a hit in the head than starve to death or worse yet be terribly sick and have to suffer. I have seen the slaughter videos out there and they do suck when you see a horse that has the strength to fight - that horse maybe shouldn't be there. But you never see the horses that are so sick they can't hardly walk. The solution to this problem: stop backyard breeding and support a regulated breeding program. If people can't care for an ananimal then they shouldn't be breeding in the first place. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

Horse slaughter is so wrong. Unfortunatley it still happens everywhere. The main causes of this are over breeding. Take the racing industry for example (gallopers and pacers/trotters) How many of these horses actually make it to the track ???? What happens to the rest of them apart from a select few who are lucky to become riding horses????
Too many backyard breeders looking to make a quick buck (no offence to genuine breeders of quaility horses.)
Too many people buying horses on the spur of the moment for themselves or kids then becoming bored with them within 12, months or not educated enough to realise the Time, Commitment, And Money that is involved. Theses horses generally end up at the sales or slaughter.
Then there are just the downright cruel people who neglect their horses, and then send them for slaughter when they have been caught out (before they get fined)
Such a tragic waste.
Horses have feelings too

Answer 4

I absolutely disagree with horse slaughter, but you are wrong about it spreading in America. There are only two slaughter houses left in America and they are both in Texas. There was one in Illinois that was supposed to reopen two years back, but due to a petition it was canceled. The best way for people to make the whole horse slaughter thing is to protect their own horses. People need to microchip their horses, keep gates locked, interview buyers, not support horse racing, and not sell horses at auctions. These are where all the horses come from. And if the horses stop coming into the slaughter houses then they will have to be closed down.

Also, millions of other animals are slaughtered each year that includes cows, sheep, goats, chickens, geese, turkeys, pigs, and fish. Don't any one care about those animals?

Answer 5

It's sad yes but the people who send their horses deliberately to the meat pens aren't going to let them live peacefully in a pasture. I've personally seen cases of horses starved in what seems like a nice barn. Even if they're miserable before they're killed at least it's for a short time. It takes months of pain to starve they often colic, don't get farrier or vet work, and are ignored by neighbors who either don't know what's happening or don't care. Even to euthanize an animal they no longer want requires more time and effort than they can put out. I'll keep my old mare if I have to pay board on her till she's 50 but you can't expect everyone to feel the same and there aren't enough foster homes and rescues for every old, crippled or untrained horse. For some of them it is better than lingering in misery.

Answer 6

It isn't really any different than slaughtering a cow or pig. What makes it horrible is the conditions they are kept in prior to slaughter-and that should be regulated just as other livestock is regulated. All animals should be treated humanely and if slaughtered, slaughtered painlessly.

A horse is no more deserving of life than any other creature.

Answer 7

i think that it is sick. i think that horses should live the rest of their lives in a big pasture and not have to worry about being starved and then to be killed. i have 6 quarter horses and 3 of them i got from shelters that i rescued from a life of torture. now they have been with me for 4 years and they are doing great. before i got them they were on their way to the slaughter house till i went to the shelter to just look and then i came across the 3 quarters and they looked real bad so i asked about them and they gave me the gory details of their lives and i started to cry and then i asked how much were they to adopt and they gave the 3 t me for 250.00 and i took that right away. now i think that anyone that has a horse that is to old they should take it to a sanctuary to live the rest of their lives in peace. i don't like slaughter houses and i think that they should be banned.

Answer 8

it is horrible but we need the horse slaughter industry because there are so many horses that are old, crippled, starved and abused and people cant afford to take them to the vet to have them put down or feed them. they take away the market then what will happen to these horses?- they will stand out in a Field or in a stall starving and in pain. as much as people hate the idea(i am one of them), its more humane for these crippled starved old horses that no one can take care to be put out of their misery

Answer 9

its one thing to kill animals for food - and even that is sad

BUT did you know that every year thousands of mares endure horrible conditions and their foals are Slaughtered so older women can have hormone replacement for menopause????

the drug is PREMARIN - its made from pregant mare urine - the mares are stalled 23 hours a day with bags that chaufe their skin collecting urine... the foals are considered unwanted "by-products" and slaughtered - the mares are rebred.. and live indoors for the rest of their life

as far as slaughtering horses.. its estimated that unless we control our population growth - horses, dogs and cats will become common as food in North America within 50 years. because farm land will be consumed by housing the mass number of people...

Answer 10

I think it is wrong and horrible I have loved horses sence i was little. my husband and I are looking into the rescue horses. either that or PMU foals and unwanted horses.