There is a growing problem here in the United States with unwanted horses.
Every day, I read horrid stories about abandoned horses. I can understand how something changes and you are no longer able to afford them or take care of them. What I don’t understand is why you would just abandon them.
Last week, I read a story about a couple who were hiking in the southern United States, where they came upon a horse tied to a tree in the middle of a national forest.
All I can say is, seriously? This was your idea of how to deal with a horse you didn’t want any longer? This was the best way to dispose of it? I’m sorry, but there is no excuse to do that to any animal.
The horse reportedly died before the couple could get it help.
Another story I’ve read recently mentioned horses that are being let go into the woods and they run onto roadways and get hit.
By letting go of that horse, you are endangering its life and motorists. I’ve read multiple reports of this happening and it baffles me.
I mean, it is one thing when an accident happens and a horse gets on the road. It’s another to be irresponsible.
And a third terrible story I read was about a horse left at an animal shelter 400 pounds underweight. I don’t understand! How does an animal get that far underweight and you don’t do something about it sooner? OK, so you can’t afford to feed the horse, but you don’t wait until it is at that point to realize you have a problem!
Don’t get me wrong, my senior horse is starting to show his age and weight is an issue in my barn. However, I’ve consulted with the veterinarian, had his teeth floated and have changed his diet to increase weight and, believe me, it’s starting to work. But I didn’t wait for it to be a huge problem. After all, Montana is 31 this summer.
Maybe we should consider opening the horse slaughterhouses back up. That may help move some horses in the market and give pathways to help those who need to get rid of their horses somewhere to do just that.
Something has to be done in order to avoid stories like these from happening. I know everyone wants to think they can run free and have good homes, but there is a limit to what can be done. Some people would rather be irresponsible than face the possibility of euthanasia. They think by running away, the problem is solved.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my horses. And I will do whatever I have to keep them because I take my responsibility very seriously, but I also know not everyone is as lucky as me. But if anyone thinks that tying a horse to a tree in the middle of the forest is any more humane than slaughter, then I think you are crazy!
By the way, I feel I can write this blog, because I recently gave a pony a home. Her family had decided to get out of horses and the children she had been bought for had grown up. There wasn’t a market for her and they wanted a good home for the miniature horse.
Her name is Jetta! And three little girls have found the love of their lives with her.
I’ll be the first to say is that, yes, some of the free horses can get good homes, if you just look for them and, yes, the free horses can be great additions to your farm.
37 comments
Jeannie says:
Jul 19, 2011
Hi, as far as a horse being found tied to a tree, I would not consider that someone that could not take care of him/her, that would be either a stolen horse that someone took and was coming back for or absolute abuse. To say that opening up a slaughter house again, well that in itself is abuse, if you know anything about the captive bolt, you would certainly know different, especially with horses born with that amazing sence that enables them to sence danger up to a mile away and smell blood up to a mile away, surley you must know that being a horse lover. With that said, can you just imageine the panic as those horses are now passing through that chute heading to the captive bolt. Nicely, don’t you realize the panic that has now set in, oh gosh, my heart breaks, thinking of what they go through, struggling to get away and then the captive bolt, which is made for cows, not horses, watch a slaughter video. Do you realize how they thrash about, knocked unconscious(not always) and wakening to being cut open, oh dear Lord, how sad, how horribly heartbreaking. We need to change laws about over breeding and we need to make those that wrecklessly breed stand accountable. There should also be an euthanization bank, that is humane, not the slaughtering of these wonderful horses that were once someones companion, or workhorse or race horse or whatever it may be, people need to start stepping up to the plate instead of throwing these horses and burro’s to the winds of abuse and suffering. Yes, it is wrong to just let them go and dangerous, did you know that many folk’s that do that , do it because they don’t want them to be slaughtered. Very, easily a killbuyer can be called to take the horses away, for free but many do not want them to die in such an horrific way..Yes, I know letting them just go is also not humane, if they end up starving, I so understand your point here, SO yes there has to be a better way but a humane way, in all way’s, for these horses
CASReaves says:
Jul 19, 2011
The captive bolt is not employed on a horse with its head free. The animals’ head are immobilized, and if the operator knows what they are doing, death is instantaneous.
How many horses do YOU own? Have you ANY idea what it costs to FEED them? Isn’t a quick, painless death FAR preferable to starvation?
I damn near WORSHIP horses, but I will by GOD not allow one to starve when a bullet or the captive bolt can keep that from happening!
Jeris Turner says:
Jul 19, 2011
There are options between slaughter and letting a horse starve to death. Apparently we all own horses, love them, and spend ourselves blind on them.I know of no place that uses a captive bolt that is sized to horses. In Mexico they do in fact bolt horses who are not restrained. They miss a lot.
Horses bound for slaughter suffer a lot more than just the bolt though. They are stuffed in transport like sardines where they can get injured if they aren’t already, they spend countless hours on the truck with no food or water, and when they arrive, if they are still alive, they immediately smell the blood and bodies of other horses. Whether the bolt works or not, they are hung from a meat hook by one back leg and butchered while they are still alive.You’re right that starvation is not an option, but neither is slaughter. If I have to have a horse put down, I’ll do what I did last time–the bullet.
Jeannie says:
Jul 19, 2011
Please beware of folk’s as Sue Wallis (pro-Slaughter) that want our horses to be served up as someone’s dinner. Please read anything she say’s carefully. Sue claims to care about the horses but her main concern is the Horse Industry, overbreeding. Claiming to love horses but only coming up with let’s slaughter them? All these years Sue could have been starting all kinds of programs and alternatives instead of simply taking the easy way out. When you care about something to do not compile more abuse atop of already abused horses..Compassion seems to have fallen to the wayside and sadly she is bent on calling folk’s that truly care about horses in bad condition’s terrorist’s and tree huggers. You cannot fix a heart that is cold as ice and she is cold as ice.
Gloria says:
Jul 19, 2011
Slaughter is not the answer. The process of slaughter for horses in this country was heinous. It was cruel and riddled with problems. There is no other animal processed for slaughter like horses were. You don’t see cattle coming through the line with broken legs, lacerations, infections, dehydrated, eyes gouged (so aggressive horses can’t fight in holding pens)and stressed out of their minds. All of that was common for horses in slaughter plants. Among those problems of complete cruelty were the environmental disasters and property declines of homes/land where slaughter plants were located. Don’t forget slaughter plants were closed because of the amount of overwhelming USDA citations. I have seen the slaughter plants and not that I am condoning it, but being turned out or tied to a tree ain’t so bad considering. You’re right there must me a better way. Maybe tax breaks for Veterinarians to give away discounted euthanasia, horse drop off programs like “dog pounds” have or maybe just stop the easy breeding of mistake horses (paints with no color etc). We have to think of a better way, but slaughter of horses was not the answer then not and is it not the answer now.
Lori Coleman says:
Jul 19, 2011
Slaughter IS NOT euthanasia. There is no humane slaughter.
These anecdotal stories are alarming, for sure, but where did they come from? Can you cite your sources?
It’s commendable to rescue horses. I have rescued 3.
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know for certain that slaughter is the wrong one, for many reasons. It’s inhumane; horses are starved, panicked, and painfully and gruesomely killed. People eat the horse flesh (pet food companies won’t buy it) even though much of it is poisoned with drugs. It encourages overbreeding to have that out for horses not bred to perfection. It encourages the Premarin market. It creates an underground market at auctionhouses and lines the pockets of kill buyers. If only it were outlawed in Canada and in Mexico we could be on the road to a real solution.
Kim says:
Jul 19, 2011
I posted a free horse, as she was too nice to have killed. I got a whole load of crackpot inquiries. She is better off dead than with most of them. (For the record, her half brother was 6th in the nation in hunter breedin 3 yr old, hald sister showing in FL at big shows-got great comments on Judge My Ride from Rob Gage (former Olympian and now USEF judge).
Cattle are sentient beings, so we need to stop killing them. swine are even smarter-save them all, and put them in school-they are smarter than a lot of kids that are wasting taxpayer dollars getting “educated”.
Why is getting toxic doses of drugs better than a swift, professional hit? The euthanasia drugs will likely be taken off the market soon-they are imported and makers overseas resent that they are used for criminal executions also. They will quit selling them. There is nothing that is FDA approved (legal and humane) anyway. If you believe there is no humane slaughter, are you familiar with the Code of Federal Regulations? Have you been in a packinghouse? or are you trying to convert us all to your vegan lifestyle?? We have a right to know if you are opposed to all animal slaughter. Do you butcher your own meat?
I worked a horse sale for years, there were loose horses at every sale that NO ONE WANTED. I didnt see you there buying them. You want one of my horses? You can do what you want. They are from proven hunter lines and very nice. I cant feed them all, no one answers ads. Ive talked to trainers, and dont have unlimited funds to train them. I cant afford rising feed costs, and will put them down if homes arent found.
While you are revolted by etaing the flesh of horses, that is also the part we eat of cattle, swine, sheep, rabbits, deer, elk, buffalo and other vertebrates, poultry andfish. There are cultures (some in this country) that also eat dogs and cats…..
I have had clients go shoot their own horses-sometimes they even get it right the first shot….other times, it makes the professionals in an abbatoir look very professional. I had an elderly lady put her horse to sleep because she could no longer ride. He was a 15 yr old Arab…No market…but there’s a glut of the worthless ones aroundm that’s for sure!!!
I take it you never sell a horse, as it could be abused at the next home. I could at this point, actually have my horses outlive me, so I wont know where they go or if they’re properly cared for. come and get’em. I live in Iowa. For the record, any medications given will clear the system in a reasonable time. Race and show horses are cleared for most chemicals in 1-2 weeks. The slaughter horses I have seen were not the ones that anyone spent any money on-not tetanus, sleeping sickness, west nile vaccinations, not medicine for wounds, not bandaging, not even castration…..There are worse things than dying. If the vegans have their way, we will be getting killed hitting cattle and hogs on the road when they are no longer eaten too….
CASReaves says:
Jul 19, 2011
You people watch too many PETA videos on YouTube. Yes, horse slaughter USED to be that bad. Then the laws to make it better began to crack down and the plants were made to make horse slaughter no more traumatic than that for cattle, sheep, pigs or goats.
The captive bolt is NOT cruel – it pierces the brain and death is instant. Neither is a bullet a cruel way to euthanize a horse. Most slaughter houses now use a headgate to hold the animal still so that the chance of missing is nearly nonexistent. The ONLY thing that making horse slaughter illegal did was cause MORE suffering. Now, there are MORE starving, unwanted horses. Now there are MORE horses that are too dangerous to handle and uncontrollable having to be kept.
Injection euthanasia only for all unwanted horses? Who will pay for it? Do ANY of you know what that COSTS? Do ANY of you know how badly that would contaminate the ground and water with those drugs?
Do ANY of you currently take in unwanted, abandoned or neglected horses? I have – and it is no picnic bringing them back to life from being starved nearly to death. The rescues are full. The good ones are overfull. People abandon horses in forests and fields because they have lost jobs and homes and can’t feed them, but they can’t do anything else with them, either. Most auctions require a deposit these days of however much it would cost to put a horse down – around $600. Horses are selling for less than GOATS – and getting homes less desirable than goats, too.
Want to do something about the issue: convince breeders to stop popping out hundreds of foals every damn year. Convince registries to STOP REGISTERING 10 foals per mare via embryo transplant. Good luck with that, by the way. Oh, and don’t go saying that it’s all the back yard breeders’ fault. Most BYBs don’t have over a hundred mares bred every year.
Elizabeth Zarkos says:
Jul 19, 2011
Horse slaughter is not now, and has never been humane. The horses are scared and refuse to go into the chute- and the process for killing the horse is the same as a cow. A cow has almost no neck- a horse has a very long one, in fact. One of the hardest parts of a horse’s head is right in between the eyes. Compound both of these, and usually the people have to bolt the horse SEVERAL times before actually killing the horse- and often they can only stun the horse, meaning that the horse is alive while being vivisected.
There is only one humane answer, and that is to stop overbreeding horses. Continuing to breed animals for which there is no market is irresponsible and inhumane. For those who have older horses who have served them well through their life, there is a humane way to euthanize them- a vet can do this for a few hundred dollars, and the horse can be deprived from a horrific end. The body is then sent to a rendering plant where it is disposed of in a safe manner.
For those who believe horse slaughter is humane, I encourage them to visit this site: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/Investigations.html . Click on any of the four videos.
Jay'me Golden says:
Jul 20, 2011
Thak you Gloria slaughter is NEVER an answer. I would have my horses humanely euthanized rather than desert them,starve them,but never would sending them to the meat packers be an optio
n. It obvious to me that Kristy was raised where the killing of animals for food was commonplace and routien
Jay'me Golden says:
Jul 20, 2011
Casreaves…you dont know a thing about the slaughter of any animal let alone horeses…I guess for you ignorajce is bliss!!
Calico says:
Jul 19, 2011
Dear Kristy,
Horse slaughter was NEVER banned in the US. About 100,000 American horses go to slaughter each year now — about the same as it was before 2007 when Texas and Illinois had their horse processing plants (USDA statistics). If the same number of horses die now as before, how can we blame lack of slaughter for the neglect cases you’re seeing?
I would also like to educate people that the meat buyers do not want the sickly, dying horses or the 31 yr old skin-and-bones horses. Those are the types you may label “unwanted”, but in fact those types make the worst meat. Killbuyers purchase the young, healthy, “meaty” horses instead — taking good sound horses out of the marketplace while doing nothing to help the elderly and chronically ill.
I have a concern about word “unwanted” in the first place. Who decides which horses to count in the supposedly-growing numbers? The slaughter advocates say an unwanted horse is any horse the current owner doesn’t desire to keep anymore. In other words, any horse that is up for sale is “unwanted” by definition. So the buyer of the $1million racehorses technically spent $1million on an “unwanted” animal? That doesn’t make sense! And if you consider almost all horses are sold at least one during their lifetime, technically ALL horses were “unwanted”. See the flaw in the logic?
The reality is the horses going to slaughter are NOT unwanted. Rescues and individuals bid against kill buyers, and when the killbuyers can bid higher, the horse ends up in a kill pen. If these animals were truly unwanted, why are they not free? Why isn’t the former owner paying someone to remove them, as you would do with an unwanted appliance or unwanted old sofa?
If you truly believe there are so many “unwanted” horses, why doesn’t your solution include breeders? Why not include breed organizations, many of which are currently rewarding breeders to overbreed and compete too young? Why not address some aspects of the horse industry that are all about money and which treat horses as disposable objects?
Calico says:
Jul 19, 2011
CASREAVES: In the commercial horse processing plant, the horse’s head *is* free and the horse is not calm/sedate. Even the pro-slaughter AAEP organization states that for captive bolt use to be considered “humane” both criteria must be met. I encourage you to watch some of the many videos online that show what happens in a commercial horse slaughter plant. Horses are quickly run up a chute and one at a time allowed into the kill-room. The horse is locked in the knock box. Many horses panic, since they are flight animals: in a strange room smelling of fresh blood and surrounded by aggressive acting humans. There is only a small area on the forehead that will result in a clean “stun”. A horse is a fast moving animal with a long neck, so misses happen more often than you think. Some horses have to be “stunned” over and over until the handler is lucky and knocks him down.
The interesting thing about the captive bolt is that it does NOT kill the horse. It knocks the horse out, supposedly rendering him “insensible” and hopefully destroying enough of the upper brain he will not regain full consciousness. But some horses are only knocked down and regain consciousness once shacked by the back leg. There is video and photo evidence of horses waking up, struggling, looking around – as the knife cuts into their neck and they bleed out hanging upside down. Some have concerns that sometimes the stun only partially incapacitates the horse, making him unable to stand but still able to experience some (all?) of the physiological suffering from pain & fear.
I personally have had the sad experience of seeing firsthand horses euthanized by chemical euthasia and by a well-placed bullet. I was also required to watch a how-to video of a captive bolt being used on a horse. I learned that if you’re not going to immediately butcher the (still breathing) horse after using captive bolt, you are required to induce a pneumothorax (stab him with a big knife at the bottom of the ribcage on each side to collapse the lungs). Or you’re required to exanguinate him and let him bleed out. Given the choice between the 3 methods, it’s obvious which offers instant, peaceful, humane death…. and which method is so unacceptable nobody does except the commercial horsemeat companies.
jsb3 says:
Jul 19, 2011
CASREAVES…I think you need to take a look at the information that Animal Angels have uncovered about horse slaughter using the USDA’s own data on the issue. NONE of it is humane, not single minute of it. From the transport, to moment of captive bolt usage. Horse are CONSCIOUS during slaughter because captive bolt only immobilizes them, it does not kill them. As for the issue of starvation, if you know some one who is doing that, then they need to be reported for animal abuse and they need to be prosecuted!!! If you have not reported them then YOU are a part of the problem! If you have enough money to own a horse,breed it, feed it, take care of it, then you darn well have enough money to humanely euthanize it when it comes time. To Euthanize a horse is the ONLY humane form of death for the animal. Horses are not raised as food animals like cows and pigs are. The medications that are used in horses are not safe for human consumption. That is why it is banned in Europe. You need to get real information about the issue and stop spouting industry propaganda.
JoanBlow says:
Jul 19, 2011
I will venture a guess that if somebody can tie a horse to a tree and walk away, they would likely abuse and do something equally cruel whether slaughter houses were open or not. Still this is one heresay incident that nobody has actually proven to be true. Its going to take the market a few years to correct itself with no slaughter houses, but hopefully it will make backyard breeders find a new hobby. I do own horses and I have owned horses all my life. Not one has ever been sent to slaughter. Proper training and care of your animal significantly reduces the risk they will end up there. Sue Wallis wants the path of least resistance and, personally, I’d be pissed if she represented me and spent all her time and resources tooling around the country asking for horses to be tortured and killed for food. Almost no domestic horse has not been given a commercial wormer or bute….this alone makes them forever unsafe for human consumption. Nobody that truly loves animals and has educated themselves on the reality of slaughter would ever want it made legal again. To think that North American kill floors were humane is just poking your head in the sand. Read this summary of a slaughterhouse in Canada that is reportedly the `Gold Standard’ of horse slaughter and then tell me this is the answer. Imagine any living being spending its last moments on earth like this and tell me its the answer…
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/FootageIndexBouvry.Final.pdf
JenniferMCTR says:
Jul 19, 2011
She is advocating slaughterhouses? Not cool. Sounds like a fraudulent article written by someone with a grade 4 reading level.
Horse chick says:
Jul 19, 2011
The captive bolt does not kill the horse. It was designed to be useful cattle and their skull is not anatomically made the same as a horse. The captive bolt is meant to stun the animal so it is senseless when its throat is slit. The horse has to stand perfectly still for the bolt to work correctly and that is usually not the case with a panicked horse. So instead, they are hoisted up by a hind leg, their throat slit and they drown in their own blood. Yeah, that’s real humane. The solution? Stop breeding so many horses. Make sure you know where your horse is going when you sell him. If you can’t keep them, find a rescue. If you can’t afford to own a horse of your own, support your local rescues. If you can’t afford to give money, there are lots of ways to give some time to help them.
Michelle says:
Jul 19, 2011
The words ‘humane’ and ‘slaughter’ don’t even belong together!! And I’m sorry, but the slaughterhouses were not designed for horses, the system was designed for cattle, so the same rules do not apply. Backyard breeders need to be held accountable for their actions, the associations also need to stop “awarding” breeding as well. Humans have caused the problem, now what, just kill the animals and “sweep them under the rug” like there isn’t a problem. Slaughterhouses however, is not the answer. Associations should be assisting registered rescues for their efforts as well. Instead of assisting the ongoing breeding. For once, can we not take the “easy way out”. I believe that these noble creatures deserve for more than that…At least we (meaning Human Beings) are consistent…consistently screwing things up!!
Sue Knipe says:
Jul 19, 2011
There is no “humane” euthanasia for horses in existing slaughter houses. It is slaughter. Painful butchering of trusting companion animals. Don’t sugar coat it…
nancy mcmillan says:
Jul 19, 2011
First off, I commend the author for being a responsible owner and taking care of her 31 year old. I also commend her for taking in a victim of the economy. It certainly was not Jettas fault she ended up homeless. I often think aobut what to do when my boy’s time will come. I have a 33 year old. He will remain with me until he tells me it is time. When that day comes, will I load him on a truck and send him thru an auction to try and get every last penny out of him? Will I let him be crammed onto a crowded trailer and shipped for miles without food or water? Will the final insult to his years of service be as he is driven forward thru the chute, his failing legs stumbling only to be stunned with the captive bolt(if the operator is accurate)? Finally to have his throat cut and his blood drained out while he is still alive- after all, the pro slaughter people say its humane IF the operator hits him mark and it takes less than 5 minutes to bleed out. Look at your watch and count the minutes- its a very long time. Its not that warm and fuzzy “harvest” that people like Casreaves would have you believe. Doesnt sound so kind and gentle when you watch the minutes tick off. Will my horse pass this way? NEVER! Slaughter is NOT euthanasia. It is not humane. My horse goes ballistic if he so much as smells and odd smell. How calm would he be and how do you think he would do with the smells of death, blood and slaughter all around? If it is such a positive experience, how come there are NO videos showing how kind and gentle the proscess is? There sure are lots showing how cruel it is. Seeing is believing- and I have yet to see anything positive about horse slaughter. So what can be done with these “unwanted” and “unmanageable” horses?
First I think it is necessary to look at what is being slaughtered. 90% of these animals are young and healthy- many are untrained. Some have soundness issues and have been given large quantaties of medicines like Bute- deemed by the FDA as unsafe for human consumption. Even the pro slaughter side conceedes that at least 6 months are required to reduce the levels of bute, wormers, vacines etc in the horse. Are any of these horses just hanging around for 6 months before they are killed? NOPE- that would cut into the profit margin. After all, who cares if the meat reduces the humans life span, and causes major damage to vital organs? They dont offer to do this for free.
Since most of these horses are young, we do agree on one thing- breeders need to stop breeding for quanity instead of quality. Young horses dont magically appear. Someone lets mares and studs get together. If it is a backyard breeder, clearly education is in order. The breed associations also need to step up and support their products. They should be proud of what they produce, not ship them off to slaughter like a red headed step child. If it isnt breeding quality or has a genetic flaw like hypp or lethal white, dont breed it..It is not rocket science. One mare is not designed to have 10 foals in a year. Breeders like this are their own worst enemy. They saturate the market and devalue the foals. One makes it rare, one of 10 is just that. Several associations already have begun programs to put quality first and reduce the number of foals each year. As consumers, you can speak with your wallet and stop supporting the associations who encourage irresponsible breeding practices. Cancel that membership and stop attending their shows. Support the responsible ones who offer gelding assistance programs, training mentor programs and second career training and or lifetime rehoming. Join their memberships. Speak with your wallet, the message will be loud and clear. There are people out there who say we will hurt the horse industry by walking away and not buying their products. Last time I checked, a slaughtered horse does not attend shows, get trucked in a shiny new trailer, eat hay and grain, use expensive tack or use trainers. The live ones do all these things. Even more importantly, the people crying poverty and saying that goats cost more would SAVE money by NOT feeding that mouth that was never born. Almost logical isnt it?
Now here is the thing that everyone needs to be aware of- if slaughter houses are reopened to take care of those “unwanted horses” and the problem is resolved, what is the slaughter plant going to do? Will they just close their doors? NOPE. They will have created a market for MORE horses to be born so they can be slaughtered. Just think about that when you say that slaughterhouses for horses are the solution and would be a good thing.
Diana B says:
Jul 19, 2011
Kim H you’ve got it all wrong. This is not a property rights issue. You have the right to dispose of your horse in any fashion you like. You do not have the right to pretend you raised a food animal when clearly you have not. Packing plants turn livestock into food. They are not designed to dispose of unwanted animals.
Kim you are a vet. You know the rules. You know your horses have received products that are labeled “not for use in horses intended for food.” I know you like to make your own rules, but I don’t want you putting a black eye on American meat production. I am a beef producer and I follow the rules, even with animals that are not intended for slaughter. I have breeding animals that will NEVER go to slaughter, but being a food species they are subject to the same rules as if they were to be slaughtered.
You say bute will clear the horses system in a week or two, but the studies to prove that have never been done. To get a one week or two week withdrawal period on bute for horses the USDA would have to verify studies that prove that time frame is accurate. Your experience is with blood and urine tests in competition horses. That isn’t good enough for meat production. Those tests do not indicate what is stored in the muscles, fat or organs. If the horse meat were to go to EU you would have to follow their rules which require no bute in their lifetime.
When horse slaughter was allowed in this country the USDA had to keep lowering the standard for humane horse kill. With cattle the standard is 95% kill on the first attempt. Most plants easily reach 98%. It started the same with horses, but they had to lower it to 90% killed on the first attempt. That was still too hard to reach so they lowered it to 90% killed. In other words it no longer mattered how many attempts it took, and it was acceptable for 10% to be stunned with the possibility of them regaining consciousness in 15 to 30 seconds. The reason it is so much harder to kill a horse with the captive bolt is that the brain of a horse sits further back behind the front of the skull than the brain of cattle.
I too have worked in a packing plant. I have worked with the USDA grader collecting carcass data on cattle. I’ve worked at the kill station collecting ear tag data and assigned carcass numbers. I’ve been in every station in the plant from the holding pens to the kill area through the rail processes, the grading and finally the cutting and boxing.
Cattle slaughter is humane. Cattle are used to being worked through lanes into chutes where they get some treatment or measurement and are set free. They stand for the process and are killed easily. Horse slaughter never was and never will be that simple.
Nina Eckhoff says:
Jul 19, 2011
Why do people treat animals as if we matter and they don’t? Slaughter as a solution? Anyone who suggests that believes in animal cruelty – and should never own an animal. It is the responsibility of the owner to care for their tamed animal from start to finish. Captive bolt often just stuns the horse or knocks them unconscious. Then when the neck is slit, the animal comes to… as it is being vivisected. Or, go to Mexico and get stabbed in the spine, perhaps repeatedly. Transport to slaughter is horrid. No food or water for 36 hours is legal? Not proud to be an American with that fact. No room to move. Wrong type of hauling vehicle. Who cares – dead horse walking. If you can’t afford to euthanize an animal – don’t own animals. Be responsible – have the money set aside in case you can no longer care for the animal… and give it a loving and humane exit from this world. Anyone who truly loves animals realizes that doing the right thing is not always doing the easy thing, or the fun thing… it is doing the ethical and responsible thing that is in the best interest of the animal. Yes, I took in a horse that was bound for slaughter – on Saturday. She has been placed in a barn in quarantine. She is 5, an OTTB, and there is nothing wrong with her… except that she only earned $46,000. She worked hard. Now she will do something else that she is good at and that she enjoys. Even if it is just eating grass.
twelvedogs says:
Jul 19, 2011
http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horse-investigations/300-slaughter-horse-export-investigation-tx-may-2011.html
http://www.kaufmanzoning.net/
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/522
http://www.kaufmanzoning.net/foiaphotos.html
All of you who think slaughter is humane, and regulated, and a good solution for ‘unwanted’ horses….start reading and shut up until you get a decent education on what really goes on!!! I highly recommend the Mexican slaughter video on the animal law coalition’s site. Can you make it all the way through?
Simone Netherlands says:
Jul 20, 2011
You have to be pretty foolish to fall for the propaganda that the pro horse slaughterers are putting out there. Look one step beyond and perhaps you will figure out that they have good reason to try to fool the American public into thinking that it is a solution to something. Horse Slaughter is the cause of the exact problem it claims to solve.
Horse slaughter has created, is creating and will continue to create the overpopulation problem of horses in America, by giving lottery breeders and back yard breeders alike an easy dumping ground for their horses, it encourages irresponsible breeding practices, and a quick turn around of horses.
Contractors and builders have realized that there is no market for houses right now and they have stopped building them. How come the breeding industry hasnt done the same? Thats right, because they have horse slaughter as their bail out. It is their lucrative convenience. Do you really think it is helping America get rid of sick and skinny and horses that would otherwise be abandoned?
The truth is that the abandoned and starving horses are NOT the ones that end up in the slaughter plants at all, for the simple fact that their owners chose to abandon them rather than send them to slaughter!
Horse slaughter is over abundantly available in this country at every livestock and horse auction, or your local kill buyer.
The horse slaughter industry is nothing but a greed motivated fraudulent business that is sucking the healthy fat horses out of society and leaving the unwanted. It is driven by the demand for horse meat in Japan and Europe. If you were a kill buyer, would you want skinny old horses, or would you want nice big horses for which you could get a higher price per pound at the slaughter house? Over 92% (according to USDA numbers) of horses slaughtered are healthy and in the prime of their lives, between the age of 3 and 10.
There will always be animal abusers and the stupid kind of people that tie up their animals and leave them to die, they are just idiots, they have always been there and I dont think the world will be rid of them any time soon. However this stands completely irrelevant of the issues at hand.
We gain nothing by it. Every argument for preserving the barbaric practice of horse slaughter, is greed motivated, un-factual and clearly deceptive. Horse slaughter is unacceptable and beyond un-necessary. It is time to find solutions without compromising our humanity.
-First we need to take away the option of Horse Slaughter so that breeders will have to breed a horse that there is a market for.
-Second we will need to discourage irresponsible breeding practices further by taking away breed incentives and turning them into humane euthanasia funds.
(and yes we need a lot of good luck with that, because we are fighting billion dollar breed Industries)
- and Third we need to educate and encourage responsible horse ownership.
We dont go selling our old dogs so they can be slaughtered in gruesome ways and become someones dinner in Japan. This is the year 2011.
Think of the suffering of which you so conveniently spare yourself the sight. Instead, know of which you speak before you speak of it.
Think for yourself. Stop Horse Slaughter. Support S.1176!!
Cilevel says:
Jul 20, 2011
Overbreeding is a primary contributing factor in animal suffering caused by a human being and horse slaughter CONTRIBUTES to overpopulation by rewarding the irresponsible; it does not help, at all. Rewarding overpopulation by compensating a horse owner for the death of an animal they fail to care for (or re-home)a horse will do nothing to reduce the total number of horses suffering each year. In fact, it will increase the number of horses that experience those conditions. Overbreeding of cats and dogs is the primary cause of the millions of deaths each year for those animals as well (via euthanasia or otherwise), and also makes it easy for the unscrupulous or irresponsible to obtain an animal, only to fail to take care of them properly or worse (in the case of the criminal who seeks to inflict harm).
Taking in a companion animal or working animal is a responsibility to be taken seriously for the natural life of the animal. The willingness to kill animals prematurely because a human being failed in their responsibility is not a worthy characteristic.
To argue from a business perspective simple supply and demand indicates that when there is a glut in any marketplace the smartest way to maintain the value of a “product” is to DECREASE the supply to meet the demand in the market.
It is sad that too many people have not evolved to the point of respecting all life and taking our level of consciousness as a responsibility; as opposed to an opportunity to dominate, brutalize and destroy anything that is deamed lesser, weak, or no longer “useful” to an individual’s ego. Very, very sad.
Melissa Ohlsson says:
Jul 20, 2011
I think the origin of this letter is suspect. It starts off by retelling 4 different “stories” about abandoned horses then jumps right to “Maybe we should consider opening the horse slaughterhouses back up. That may help move some horses in the market and give pathways to help those who need to get rid of their horses somewhere to do just that.”
Letters like this are being posted all over the U.S. and are nothing but PRO-SLAUGHTER PROPAGANDA and for the most part they are NOT TRUE! Although there are certainly some horses that are abandoned, tales like the one submitted above should be read and considered with caution. The pro-slaughter industry plants stories like this hoping to garner the public’s support.
The driving force of the slaughter industry is the profit that can be made from selling horse meat. Sue Wallis thinks nothing of eating horse meat and feeds it to her family on a regular basis. She also believes that it’s the perfect food for the part of our population receiving government assistance (welfare recipients) and is actively trying to get it into your child’s school lunch program (Trigger Tacos, anyone?) She also thinks she is the most qualified to own and operate a horse processing plant in her state of Wyoming. (Go here to read about her ultimate goal: http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/re-elected-wyoming-horse-eater-plans-slaughter-gala/)
Can you say “conflict of interest”? How about “abuse of power”?
Horse breeders breed 100 mares, 50 or maybe just 10… the game is the same… keep the top 10% of the foals that will make the most money and get rid of the 90% that won’t. Find an outlet to get rid of those horses fast rather than waste profits feeding them. The 1st choice is selling them to slaughter. Why not cut back on the number of mares bred? Well, then they won’t make as much money and they sure can’t have that!
Statistics show that the downturn in the economy hasn’t resulted in a significant increase in abandoned horses…that’s just more pro-slaughter BS. There are no more horses going across the border to slaughter now than there were before the economy tanked. There are only unscrupulous, money-grubbing profiteers hoping you’ll think so and unwittingly help make it possible to feed your kids horse meat for lunch! (NOTE: processing does NOT remove the dangerous drugs most domestic horses receive throughout their lives) Do you really want tainted horse meat in ANY product you, or your children eat? What about your grand parents, or any relative that receives food from the government? Do you want it in your pet’s food? These are all real possibilities if horse slaughterhouses are allowed to reopen in the United States.
It’s not right versus left, it’s right versus wrong… and NOTHING about slaughter is Right for the HORSES, or Americans!
Gloria says:
Jul 20, 2011
No offense Cas, but your account of the horse slaughter business is completely wrong. It is however correct with the process of slaughtering cattle. Yes, I have unfortunately seen a slaughter plant and have seen the USDA data on citations of horse slaughter plants, individual violations and the frequency. Horse slaughter processing was nothing like cattle processing. Because of the thickness of the equine skull and because the equine brain is located much further back than the bovine brain, the captive bolt does not kill the equine. The captive bolt attempts to render the animal unconscious, but unfortunately failed more than 50% of the time. Horse slaughter plants did not have required restraints while using this and foreign plants had no restraints at all while the animal was in the knock box. Many of the citations were for the animal still being alive during sticking, de-hiding and evisceration. Like I said, horse slaughter was shockingly heinous.
The GAO report found that the economy was the direct result of unwanted horses and banning horse slaughter is not the cause of abused or unwanted horses. I have actually read it twice because of people misstating what was on that report.
I am not affiliated or a member of Peta. I have adopted 2 unwanted horses. Having a horse put down is $200 dollars here and $150 for pick up and rendering. And you are absolutely right about AQHA, APHA etc. but good luck getting them to stop all the money going to breeders to churn out foals ….. because if they can legalize slaughter again, they can continue to make $7 million a year on the registrations of more foals. Why would they give that up?
billie says:
Jul 20, 2011
The plants need to opened back up.Bottom line.The horse tied to a tree was left there in hopes someone else would take it in, there are people cutting the brands out of thier horses hide and droping them into the wild mustang population,there are people turning thier horses loose to fend for them selves.You can’r give a horse awsy out west because there is no water or grass to feed them anylonger.The rescues are full and turning away these animals.here in Ohio the rescues are asking for more donation just to get the ones they have through this winter. horses are still being shiped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, there we have no say in how these animals are treated.If the plants were open the owners would have a place to take thier unwanted horse,the plants can be regulated and made human.This situation will get worse not better and the horses are the ones that suffer from it.You vegan,AR,HSUS and PETA people need to start thinking about the animal for a change and not your selves!!
diana B says:
Jul 20, 2011
Billie you need to start thinking about the animal. Why do you have excess horses that you need to give away? Where did these excess horses come from. Lets get to the root of the problem. I am a breeder and a trainer. I will keep any horse I don’t sell to a good home. When I say Keep I mean until he is 30-something and dies a natural death and is buried on my farm.
Breeders need to learn the rules of supply and demand. If you need to create demand for your horses by opening horse slaughter in this country then you aren’t raising very good horses, or you are just raising too many of them. Get a clue. If there is no market for your business get into a new business.
Raven says:
Jul 21, 2011
There is a market for horse meat in the US, there is a PROVEN black market in Florida. People do eat horse meat that live in other states, they are just slaughtering them their selves. Bring back the slaughter plants so we can have a regulated market for the meat and a side effect of that will help horses have value again.
Terry says:
Jul 22, 2011
I really want to know? “IF” we were able to guarantee, without a doubt, that the animal is handled in 100% humane way. Without any form of mental/emotional stress prior to slaughter. If we had an experts, that CAN actually, with ONE shot kill the animal. How many of you would consider this a pliable way to kill a horse? If done correctly, the animal is dead as it falls to the ground. The shot is so well placed, that the animal never really feels anything? It’s done it’s over. How many of you that are against slaughter, would consider slaughter a pliable option? Really, I would like to know.
jona says:
Aug 10, 2011
Let the animals free in the wild! Let them at least get a SHORT TASTE of freedom rather than the perpetual enslavement by humanity! There are many areas in the country where horses live fine in the wild! LET THEM GO, if you give a damn about animals at all! Do you think you’d want to be killed just because your owner was afraid you wouldn’t be able to take care of yourself? GET REAL!
Jona says:
Aug 10, 2011
I’ll take a bullet to the head before being deskinned while still breathing! Unfortunately I guess the time and money it costs for such brings down “efficiency”… that’s what happens when society is so cost-driven. Where is the humanity left? Humans have no right to destroy this planet like they are doing! Humans don’t respect or appreciate life and therefore it is questionable whether they deserve the gift of life themselves! Every day that I hear more sick SHI* about the conduct of mankind, I get ashamed and disgusted. I am ashamed to even be a part of this godforsaken human race! SICK!
jona says:
Aug 10, 2011
Slaughterhouses for animals are never decent or humane! Best to shoot your own horse or try to peacefully euthanize than allow it incur such suffering!
Amy says:
Feb 5, 2012
Kristy,
I loudly applaud you for writing this blog and being strong enough to voice your stance on horse slaughter. When President Obama restored horse-slaughter in the United States a few months ago I considered it one of the victories in the agriculture industry over the past few years. I, too, have owned and/or worked with horses all of my life and am a supporter of horse slaughter.
It has became evident over the past 5 years that a majority of the population didn’t realize the damaging impacts of this legislation that repealed federal inspections of horse slaughter facilities in 2006 which essentially ended horse slaughter.
First, since 2006, the horse markets have plummeted, and although many will say economics should not be a factor, I have many friends whose sole income is from the horse industry. They care for their horses every day, at all hours of the day if necessary, to provide a healthy life and to care for their horses. However, with the masses of additional horses on the market the past 5 years, many have struggled to even make a living. Economically speaking, the U.S. has also lost millions in exports since this repeal.
Additionally, as you mentioned in the original blog, hundreds of horses have simply been starved to death or abandoned. No animal deserves that type of cruelty and as humans, it is our responsibility as owners to properly care for our horses, including at the end of their life. Prior to 2006, horses at this stage of life could be humanely euthanized prior to slaughter and utilized for a foreign meat market.
In 2004, I had the opportunity to tour the Ft. Worth slaughter facility. I had been in a beef slaughter house before, but never a horse facility. I was pleasantly surprised to see the cleanliness and efficiency in which horses were euthanized and handled prior to.
I am thankful our government has realized the ‘unexpected consequences’ that has resulted in horses pushed across the Canadian and Mexican borders or left to die without proper care. I truly hope that once properly regulated horse slaughter facilities re-open that the industry can find a balance with a humane end.
Amber says:
Apr 18, 2012
My gelding is 17 years young and costs aproximitly 28 dollars a day to keep pasture sound. When do I say enough is enough! When can it be okay to look into euthanazia? I would spend $100 a day on my sweet-heart if I could, but I must be realistic. I am thinking about euthanizing him in the fall (before the hard winter). It is a hard idea for me to wrap my mind around because he is so alert and so sweet, but his degenerative arthritis is just crippling him and his daily pain medications are crippling me financially. I know it is my responsibility to follow through on his needs as a responsible pet owner, but when is enough-enough?
Michelle Storace says:
Jul 23, 2012
There is a video footage taken by a Candian horse protection group inside the Quebec slaughterhouse revealed that at least 40 percent ofthe horses were still concious after receiving a captive-bolt shot to the head. One horse suffered through an agonizing 11 shots before finally collapsing.In another instance, a worker was taped waving googbye mockingly to a dying horse.You can find this on line if you have the GUTS to watch.Also it is cheaper to send hay to China than to truck it inland in our country. And yes I owned horses for many years.