What are your views on Horse Slaughter?

Question

What are your views on horse slaughter and why? Should it be illegal? Why do you think it happens? What are some things you think should happen?

Ok, I love horses. I just want to see what everyone else's view were. I'm against horse slaughter. I don't kill horses and I never plan on it.

Answer 1

Horse slaughter should be outlawed in ALL of the united states!!! The three horse slaughter plants remaining in the US (two in Texas and one in Illinois) killed 65,976 horses in 2004 for human consumption and about twenty thousand horses were transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. Together, these numbers represent about 1% of the total number of horses in the U.S., and the entire industry is only 0.001% the size of the U.S. meat industry. It is entirely foreign owned, and pays no corporate taxes or export tariffs. The horse slaughter industry is economically insignificant....

They send abused, rejected, or racehorses that are not fast enough to be SLAUGHTERED... Poor horses, just because they aren't fast enough doesn't mean we have the righ tto take their life in any way-- they could still be a great companion horse, a great show horse and still have a ton of potential! Many argue that, we slaughter cows why not horses? Well, It is just as inhumane. The slaughter industry in the United States is beginning to come under attack for this very reason. However, this argument relates to horses and for that I'll give a specific answer. Horses are not raised for consumption. They are bred and raised for companionship, showmanship, horseracing or for therapy. Horses are lucky to enjoy the status of being a magnificent creature without equal. Horses have a long history of being war time heroes and royal gifts of kings. There is seldom a statue of a hero without their horse in this country. They also stand for speed, wind and freedom. Humans love and honor to horses is displayed throughout this country. Pictures of horses are placed on license plates (Wyoming, Texas, etc) and cars are named after them (Mustang for example). The magic or the horse is without competition and as humans, we are only betraying ourselves if we treat this animal that we have created to be such a conqueror of hearts as all this would mean nothing.


We don't even use the horse we slaughter, we use their meat occasionaly for dog food but mostly use beef.... According to the Humane Society of the United States, who recently conducted a survey of nationally recognized zoos, horse meat is not the preferred choice for large cats. Beef, goats and pigs do just as well. We export it all to europe and don't even use it for ourselves....

So basically we are cruelly and inhumanely killing an animal for the fun of it-- it's a waste of money, a waste of time and it's INHUMANE!!! If you want to see what really happens inside a slaughterhouse go here-- but i warn you THE CONTENTS are GRAPHIC and brought tears to my eyes...
http://www.equineadvocates.com/hs/inside.html

If what you have seen and heard horrifys you then go to this link and join the fight to stop slaughter by buying one of these bracelets....
http://www.habitatforhorses.org/getinvolved/untiltheyaresafe.html

Answer 2

Actually, I believe that slaughter houses such as Dallas Crown and Bel-Tex should be reopened. When you think about it, shutting down these plants is only making it harder on the horses kill buyers purchase. They're crammed into a trailer and have to make the journey all the way to Mexico where there are slim to no regulations on slaughter. I'm a horse owner and lover, but I want what's best for the species as a whole. When these plants were shut down, the horse market tanked and you had to pay to get rid of horses. Many people began letting their domesticated horses go. If I had to choose between my horses starving or being sent to slaughter in Texas, (Dallas Crown is the nearest plant) then I would choose slaughter every time. The death is quick, and as humane as can possibly be done on an animal with this biology.

Answer 3

Yes, i think it should be illegal. Why? Becuase the horse is raised as a pet and not livestock, for one. But mainly? The horses which are shipped to slaughter ARE NOT used for US purposes. They aren't "glue" or "dogfood".

Their meat is sent overseas, mostly to Europe and Japan, and EATEN BY HUMANS. Its considered a delicassey over there. So our horses are dying for them to eat and they pay $20+ a pound. The horses are shipped in double deckers and treated very inhumanely-- often not eating or drinking for the final week of their life, and arriving at slaughter plants bleeding and weak.

Why does it happen? Because there's a market for it. horse dealers can turn a profit by picking up cheap horses at auction and selling them for meat. Little Johnny's pony which he got too big for is sold at Auction for a quick sale. They think some other family will buy it-- and when no one does, its sent to a kill buyer. Or a horse that gave 25+ years of their life and is thus "over the hill" is now given an undiginified death. Or perhaps a 2 year old came off the track with a bowed tendon and the trainer/owner didn't want to take the 6+ months for a full recovery.

I recently got 2 horses out of a feedlot (the interim place they sit for a few weeks as they wait for enough horses to fill a double decker) and both are the most amazing horses ever. A 2 year old and a 3 year old. One is a filly-- sweet, quiet, just untrained. She's a red dun Quarter Horse and is absolutely beautiful....but becaause of her lack of training no one wanted her at the auction-- except the horse dealer.

The other is a 16 hand 2 year old appaloosa who had hooves twice as long as they should have been. He's had a couple trims and he's now the most athletic, naturally balnced horse I've ever seen. He's got a future as a jumper or gamer for sure!

both these horses were bound for slaughter and both hav bright futures ahead of them.
Slaughter should be outlawed--- horses deserve more dignity!!

Answer 4

As a general rule, it's not good for horses to be slaughtered.

And, depending on where you live, in most cases it is already illegal to slaughter them. I think it happens because someone doing the slaughtering never was able to ride a horse or pony when they were little.

Some things I think should happen is that horses should be left alone. I also think brown M&M's are redundant, and should be taken out of the mix. I think Brittany Spears should just, for crissake, GO AWAY!!! I think I should be given a new ferrari for just the hell of it. I think Hillary Clinton should retire from politics and start up an online "homegirls investigations" company or perhaps open a small pie shop on the shores of southern florida. I think the Raiders as a football team should be banned from the league...oh wait, they never show up in the post season anyway...scratch that.

errr...did you have any sort of limit on that last part of the question?

Answer 5

I am against horse slaughtering for human comsumption, but if the horse is very sick or hurt then I think it should be put to sleep.
I'm definately for carcass transporting, I hate the way humans transport sick horses and animals to be slaughtered in a different country, the poor conditions they are travelled in is horrible, often standing up for days in small spaces without food or water.

Answer 6

I'd rather see them slaughtered than neglected when they become too old to earn their keep and too expensive to treat.

Banning horse slaughter here won't stop it. The horses will just have a much longer, more unpleasant journey to Mexico, where the US government cannot regulate standards.

Answer 7

I think it should be illegal. Just because horses are old doesn't mean they can't be loved. Any kind of animal slaughterer is selfish, and only think about themselves and money. I HATE THEM!!!!!!!

Answer 8

I'm not sure I understand your question? Do you mean horse slaughter for human consumption or just for getting rid of them?

Answer 9

ok im going to play the devils advocate again
what do you do with the old horses, injured ones, the ones whos minds are fried from over use, or the just plain dangerous ones?
would you rather have them starve to death?
so any one with any ideas and it is the "killer" market that keeps the riding market up and balanced.

Answer 10

Why are you asking this?
I mean NO ONE would want to kill a horse!!!
Not anyone! And I hope you haven't killed any horses lately mister!!!!!
I mean really horses are soo pretty and fun to ride!!!