Why Does Everyone Want To Stop Horse Slaughter?

Question

I'm for it just for these reasons: Many people who are against horse slaughter are against it because all they see is the death of a magnificent creature... many times, a creature they have never REALLY known personally. They've seen the good sides, a gorgeous blood bay shining in the sun running across a field of grass blowing in the wind.
They haven't seen the bad sides. The potentially terrifying horror stories that are possible with such a powerful creature. The expenses, the problems, behavioural, physical, mental.
Slaughter is needed because of quite a few reasons. Firstly... horses are expensive. Many people can't afford to keep a horse around that is useless. They are expensive to feed and keep. If a horse is beyond use, many people just can't afford to keep it. It's got to go somewhere. Again, not many people are willing to take a useless horse. Even rescues can't really afford to take something absolutely useless because they've got to be able to turn around and adopt a horse out to be able to keep taking in horses. So the horses would end up being abused and most likely starved to death by their owners.
Disposal of a body is even expensive. There are four main options... through euthanasia, you can either bury at a specific depth away from ground water... Rental of a backhoe and a means to get the 1200 lb body into the hole. Or cremation. Which is not overly common, requires a nearby facility, and a way to get the body to the facility. Donation to a large predator facility... trailer the horse there, employees put to sleep, end. Donation to science. Sometimes a University will pick up a body, but most times the body must be taken there. Lastly, the slaughter option. Another point is that most of the people against horse slaughter EAT MEAT. Most mammals are killed the same way, so why does everyone try to save the horses that are slaughtered?

Answer 1

I am not against the slaughter of horses. There would be so many ill or abused animals, without reprieve, if the industry did not exist. In this way, your question does make sense. However, the indiscriminate breeding of horses is the thin end of the wedge, and the manner of dispatch, in many cases, is beyond inhumanity. The transportation of animals, of all types, is often cruel and beyond endurance. There are many moral and ethical issues associated with killing animals, for whatever reason, and until you have seen the full horror of some of the hellish ends to these beautiful creatures, you should not stand in judgement. Slaughter is too often the easy option for the human, but hell for the horse.
I urge you to view these videos (if you have the stomach):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPKI0qCDODw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoIAYIgH_6Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiJmv9l3ASM

Answer 2

You are so young, honey, and it is a noble thing you think you are doing. But since horse slaughter has been stopped in the USA, horse prices have bottomed out and there are thousands of old, injured, sick, dangerous horses no one wants that are being abandoned to stave or be hit y cars. Fight for HUMANE slaughter, but there is a need for slaughter in this world. It just needs to be done more humanely. Who really cares what happens to the body after the life is ended? Treat the horses with dignity and compassion if you must end their lives, but don't let them live in order to be starved and abandoned. Life can be cruel, but the facts are the facts. I still commend you for caring.

Answer 3

Horses are NOTslaughtered the same way as other horses. They are forced into too small trailers, built for cows. They will fall in the trailer because there is nothing to keep there hoves from slipping (shavings or rubber). They will break there legs or be trampled. This is a in himane pratic. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A USLESS HORSE!!!!! Horses that were abused normaly CAN be helped and saved. The stable that I ride at almost all of the horses they own were abused before they were bougt by the stable. They are ALL great horses. NO other horses that are killed for meat are killed in the same way. Many are killed after giving their lives for there owners in horse racing or other times. My barn puts the horses into retirment farms. There they can live to the end of their days in green fealds with no work. The owners of these amaising horses know what they are going to get. They prepair to TRAIN them so they will end up being great animals. If you want a reason that horses should be kept, they can be used for poliece horses. Many of the horses that would be slaughtered have wonderful temperments. The wild horses that are killed are our fault for driving out. They wer here before we first came to the US and the only reason that they are being killed is because farmers that took THEIR land are complaining that they are eating what theire cattle or horses should be eating. Just so you know, blood bays arn't a breed, it is a collor. HORSES SHOULD NEVER BE KILLED!!!!!

Answer 4

The people that are against horse slaughter are making their decision on sentimentality and feelings and not on sound judgement.

Horse shelters are already overflowing. And if you get rid of the horse slaughtering facilities. There will be a lot of horses that get mistreated by not being fed or taken care of properly. If that happens we'll have a much larger problem on our hands than with just trying to save dogs and cats from shelters.

If slaughtering houses close for horses, horse mistreatment will exponentially rise. I'd much rather see a horse put out of its misery than be starved to death and treated improperly. I've seen animals that have been starved by people till they died. It is much more humane to kill them than let them go through something like that.

People won't buy old horses. The sentimentality of ignorant people is probably going to cause a humongous horse problem and cause a lot of horses to get mistreated and starved to death. I hope someone sends them pictures of all the horses that are nothing but bones when they died and show them what a humongous problem their ignorent protesting has caused. Then show them the statistics before and after horse slaughter houses were closed.

I'm all for animals not being mistreated. But what these sentimental people are trying to make happen will be very, very, inhumane on the horses. I don't like horse slaughtering either, but it is better than the alternative.

Yeah, it's nice to think if the horse slaughtering facilities are closed that everything will be nice and dandy and coming up roses. But that's not reality. The reality is that many more horses will get mistreated.

It's not like you can send your horse to the shelter when you don't want it when it's old. And you're going to have trouble selling it because no one wants old horses. A person is very lucky anymore to be able to sell an old horse. Most all of the horse rescue facilities are already full. So you can't send it there. That basically forces the owner's hand to keep it. What normally happens when a person keeps an animal they no longer want, especially when it costs a lot to keep?....They mistreat it or kill it.

Answer 5

i asked the same question a while ago but didn't go into that much detail. i am 100% with u. i am a horse lover and never had to take a horse to slaughter, but i think it is necessary because there are so many horses out there that people dont take care, or cant afford or crippled. not to mention over bred and since there are so many out there, u cant give a horse away. i dont like the idea bout how they kill the animals but i am for slaughter. people dont need to stop slaughter, they need to find a cheap but faster way to kill the animals that's more humane.

Answer 6

For one thing, there are plenty of people who would take in a useless horse. And to tell you the truth, no horse is useless. I, for one, take in abandoned and so called "useless" horses. They turn out to be great companions. Love for an animal is far greater than the need for space and money. If you love something, you should not get rid of it because it is "useless". And if you just can't afford it, sell it to someone like me, not to slaughter houses. It's not right! Another example is my neighbor. He has about 20 mustangs that he saved from the grip of slaughterers, and took in. you could say they were "useless", but I think just the opposite. If you can take a piece of wood and turn it into a house, you can do the same with a horse and turn it into a something. And the real reason that some horses have a bad side to them, is that the owner has a worse side. The Bible says, "The one-toed animals are to be used to do the work of people. The two-toed animal for their food. Ha, explain that! Yes, we are aware that cattle have one toe, but there's just no way to explain what horses do for the world surrounding them. And in what better way to pay them back for their contribution? Think about it.

Answer 7

I've been asking the same question for a while now. I have been a horse trainer and breeder for the past 10+ years, so don't get me wrong, I LOVE horses. I've been to many many meat sales and the horses that are worth keeping do get bought by nice folks. The others get bought by meat buyers and shipped to slaughter. The equine market is flooded and the price of horses has dropped over the past few years because of the decrease in slaughter. A decent horse should bring decent money, but it can't anymore. Great horses are starving because people feel that slaughter is worse than keeping the animal at home without adequate food and care. I don't understand it. I hurts me that horses are being killed by the thousands, but us humans have caused it.

Answer 8

"They haven't seen the bad sides. The potentially terrifying horror stories that are possible with such a powerful creature. The expenses, the problems, behavioural, physical, mental."

I can already tell by your detail of expression that behaviors are caused only by the horses actions, which automatically make it their "fault". In reality, human errors is what causes Equine behaviors to cause fight or flight reactions. Majority of horses who are up for slaughter are abused/neglected by humans. Horses have natural instincts. When they don't want to be messed with, they will let you know. How would you like it if someone came up to you and begin to mess with you? I highly doubt you will tolerate it. Horses too wake up on the wrong "side of the barn". When a horse reacts, now they are labled as "bad". In reality, the human is being disrespectful and rude. Yet, it is the animal that is always blamed.

Does say a lot about our human kind.....and says a lot about your personality already.

"Firstly... horses are expensive."

So are kids. So is anyone's way of life. Don't act as if you are not expensive. Also, dogs, cats, and other animals are expensive too.

"that is useless."

Horses are not useless. I Imagine you are from the deep part of a city. You are too niave still and haven't explore the world yet.

"They are expensive to feed and keep."

yes, I have three. Obviously I am able to feed/keep up and still have money for my living expenses with school/work. Obviously not that much expensive, unless a person don't work period.

"Even rescues can't really afford to take something absolutely useless"

It is because people like you have negative point of view and not willing to donate, but rather spend money on a video game, that is useless....*cough cough.

"So the horses would end up being abused and most likely starved to death by their owners."

Once again, blame is placed on the horse with action to be put to death, for only human benefit of food or other Equine made products.

The irony in that.

"Disposal of a body is even expensive. euthanasia .......Or cremation. Which is not overly common, requires a nearby facility, and a way to get the body to the facility."

3 of my horses have been euthanaised and cremation truck came and picked them up. Total of $200 for most part. Then another 1 we took to a land field and paid only $20. Euthanasia was only $75 at the time. That isn't expensive to me to put down a horse who is suffering. There is no price tag on suffering due to human error to these horses that I rescued.

Those who are against slaughter is against the inhumane way of killing all animals used for meat, skin or other body purposes, even science lab experiments. Don't have to be a member of the PETA to feel strong and active about it.

Your "examples" are only but excuses that is not valid reasons to have slaughter houses.

Slaughter houses uphold horses in the worst unhealthy manner and kill horses inhumanly, Don't use all the body parts and horses are raised just to be slaughtered. At the same time, horses with sever lameness and diseases can not be slaughtered/processed for meat. Which majority of horses who are auctioned to slaughter are good quality horses from race track, rodeo's and those who can't afford, but don't want to put forth the effort. The people you described who feel they can't afford them due abuse/neglect them only because they are back yard breeders/buyers who don't know a thing about horses other than having it as a "show off". Once again, horses in your mind should be punished for human error of neglectfulness....which is sad.

I am against how animals are killed and slaughter houses has never had good reputations on how they take care of the livestock before processing.

Answer 9

OK, let me get my flame ret. suit on now!!!!! First of all, I do not take my cow for a 6 hour trail ride and jump him in shows, nor do i brush and comb my pig, I also do not use my chickens as a therapy tool for handicapped children....I most definitely do not use my goat for races and making others very rich at the Kentucky Derby. And as far as Mammals go? Well, I do not see the Police Department riding a Blue Whale down a skinny stretch of road or a slick beach to catch a criminal. Horses go way beyond the limits of just being " dangerous" They are wonderful animals that you and I have all in one way or another in life watched, admired, or marveled at. These animals are so much more than just livestock and the problem is not the animal, it is the careless breeders who do not care what they breed or try to sell. We end up with tons of unwanted horses.
No one, I mean no one here sees the horrible truth like I once i went to the site --- www.bloodcountry.com

Answer 10

OK, this is a hard question for me because I love horses. First things first. Yes horse are classified as a dangerous animal. They are powerful, flighty, stallions are stallions, and they can injure or even kill you. I know that there are bad things about horses but the good out ways the bad ten fold. They are extremely sensitive companion animals, they are beautiful, riding is the most amazing experience in the world, and so much more. Horses as they get older become gentler. Just like humans. A teenage horse is hot tempered and flighty just like a teen human. We have a lot in common with the horse. As for the bad it is impossible to classify a behavior to "horse" because all horses are so different. Just like humans. Some horses have health problems and some horses can go there whole life without ever seeing a vet. Horses are expensive I will give you that but not as expensive as most people think. If your keeping a horse on your own property, and you have an easy keeper horse, you can expect to pay about 2,000 to 4,000 a year. If you keep show horses that increases.

I think that horse slaughter is a necessary evil. There are just to many horses to not put any down. But things must be done differently then they are now. Many times a horse is stolen and sold to a slaughter house to make easy money, and other times perfectly good horses are slaughtered because their owners cant do anything else. Horses should be evaluated before being sent to a slaughter house to see whether it would make an adoptable pet. Second, the slaughtering itself must be done differently then it is now not only for horses but for all animals meant for consumption. It must be done humanly and quickly, and with more concern for the animal. There must be more laws made to protect animals. Especially pet animals like horses, and dogs, and cats.

As for the people who are against killing horses, even though they themselves eat meat, think of it like this for most people a horse is not an animal to eat, eating horses for most Americans is as repulsive as eating a cat or a dog, they are pets. Unlike cows, and pigs, and chickens who were bred for that purpose. Humans are omivours we eat meat as well as veggies because out bodies need it.

As much as I don't want to see horses killed, it is like dogs and cats, there population is to big there is no way they can all find homes and some need to be put down. As horrible as that is. But things should be regulated so that it is less cruel to the animals.

I wish more than anything that animals did not have to go this way but this is a necessary evil and we will have to live with it.