# mini horse slaughter



## charmedlife

I have heard some people say minis are not going to slaughter due to their size. I have heard that the slaughter plants don't want horses or donkies under 1000lbs. Does anyone know what the real story is here. I am totally against horse slaughter for human consumption and would like to know the truth. Thanks so much for information. Ramona F


----------



## jdomep

The only thing I heard recently was that they were used for their hides


----------



## MBennettp

I know that in Oklahoma and Texas, the meat buyers will buy anything that goes through the ring, regardless of size. If there was a 1000 pound limit, a lot of big horses wouldn't go either, there are a lot of them that are in really poor shape that weigh less than 1000 lbs.

Mary


----------



## Jill

Someone posted about buying minis at auction for $40 or so. At that price, I bet it is happening











In a perfect world, AMHR and AMHA would give deep discounts to hardship these rescued minis, assuming they pass an inspection and are suitable to receive papers.

It's hard to imagine much good happening to horses who sell for $40, unless they are lucky enough to be bought by a rescuer.


----------



## Magic

Just curious, charmedlife, but why are you against slaughter of horses for human consumption? Does that mean that you feel it is ok for horsemeat to be used for animal food? I'm not trying to flame you or anything, just wondering...


----------



## Miniaturebrats

My two mini boys are rescues. The person i got them off paid Â£35 for the pair of them...and she was biding againest the local meat man....for two...patheticlooking little runt of ponies (is what they looked like!) Now surely no meat on them!

So my Tigga and Dinki could have been going to the meat man if it wasn't for her!


----------



## Dances_in_the_moon

That is awful. How can they sleep at night knowing they buy horses and take them to there deaths.



We sould do something.


----------



## Minimor

MBennettp said:


> I know that in Oklahoma and Texas, the meat buyers will buy anything that goes through the ring, regardless of size. If there was a 1000 pound limit, a lot of big horses wouldn't go either, there are a lot of them that are in really poor shape that weigh less than 1000 lbs.Mary


It's the same here--if the price is right, the meat buyers buy 'em in all sizes.

By the way, those that are in poor shape--well, actually all of them--generally go from the sales ring to a feed lot somewhere. The 'meat buyers' are usually feed lot operators who buy up the horses, get them into prime condition, then sell them on to the slaughter house. Those that are in poor shape just stay longer in the feed lot, but (around here anyway, & I think most places are the same) the horses do not go direct from the sales ring to the slaughter house.


----------



## rabbitsfizz

Whilst you feed your dogs meat you cannot criticise Knackers. Over here there is often a steady trade in horse meat, it cannot go alive out of the country unless valued at over $400. so we still have some control over the 'cruelty' aspect. Even so I have known standard Shetlands bought out of the yearly sale, going for an average of $200 for a _licensed_ ( and Shetland licenses are like hens teeth) 39" stallion, that I would have been happier going to his death than the lives they were going to. These ponies were on the streets of Dublin for the Wednesday market, sold to the Tinker kids (Aaah- well, it's part of their culture!!) and being ridden round the streets the same day. Some of these animals were _foals_ and still had the market stickers on them. Sometimes, just sometimes, they are better off dead!!!


----------



## shminifancier

Yes I would think this is happening when the auction prices are as low 40 bucks I know a mini donkey went through an auction ring at 45 bucks I would say that a "Buyer" may have gotten him also



I sure wish my friends who were at that acution would have bought the little guy~



But they were afraid i wouldn't have wanted him



..But I had already told them that I was thinking of getting a "friend" for my mini donkey



I know there are some people in AZ that want to bring back the week long celabration Donkey BB'Q






Where they round up wild donkeys are well I can't even write anymore


----------



## Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis

yes minis and ponies are sent to slaughter anyone who says they arent hasnt done there homework


----------



## justaboutgeese

The slaughter market for minis is a mute point. The yeild of meat is smaller but it still goes for animal feed. They go through the sale rings the same as larger horses. While in this area few go for human comsumtion the demand for dog and cat food is high. The market is currently low priced and a buyer can fill his truck for not a great deal of money. Our best defense to keeping minis off the truck is not to breed. I was at a sale not very long ago and one breeder sold eight yearling stallions then complained the price was to low. They averaged one hundred dollars each. How much more did she expect. Its a matter of economics and space. There is only so much space available on a farm for stallions. At some point a decision has to be made about their disposition. If we raise foals a percentage of them are going to be stallions and will need homes down the road. For some of them a dog food can is going to be their ultimate resting place. My current team is a pair of jet black minis I bought at an auction for $180.00 (One for $70 and one $110) They were shy of being two year olds. I had them gelded after a few months and had a great team of driving horses in less than a year. Breeders should not expect to flood the market with animals and expect that each and every one will be as lucky as my two are.


----------



## runamuk

I find it interesting that horsemeat goes for pet food most of the pet foods these days from what I know do not contain horsemeat .....the majority of US horsemeat is exported to countries that eat horsemeat.....there are statistics online at the usda that track horse meat sales etc.........when prices are way down in my experience (per lb meat prices) the meat buyers won't pay much for the ponies/mini's and often in my experience if they see a trader or individual bidding against them they will only run it a little ways......they are business people too and cannot forget about their profit margin....


----------



## _minihorses4ever_

Magic said:


> Just curious, charmedlife, but why are you against slaughter of horses for human consumption?  Does that mean that you feel it is ok for horsemeat to be used for animal food?  I'm not trying to flame you or anything, just wondering...
> 247379[/snapback]
> ​



i think she meant that both human consumption and animal food. the way she sounded in her post she seemed like she wouldn't want that either.





and does anyone know where I could find info on when and where these auctions are/will be?? I am thinking possibly about going to one to give a mini a second chance in a loving home.


----------



## disneyhorse

There is a low-quality horse auction near where I live that I went to a few years back. I also want to mention that I do NOT live in a very rural area or anything...

There were four chestnut mini mules (and kind of ugly ones at that....) that individually went through the auction. They sold for between $30-50 a piece. The man next to me (will not mention race, I am not racist and don't want to come off that way) bid on two of them to slaughter himself and eat. I was sitting next to him and heard him talking to his companions, and then saw him bid.

It broke my heart but I didn't have a bidder number, nor did I have anywhere to put them! I simply cannot go to an auction again.

Andrea


----------



## justaboutgeese

This is just rehashing this subject BUT: Some people do eat horse meat. As much as our cultural distaste goes against this theme we are not going to stop this practice. Heck I spent a year in beautiful exotic southeast asia ( alright it was vietnam) and the whole year I was there I never saw a stray dog. Yes in some parts of the world such as china korea and alot of other countries they eat dog meat. Our moral values not withstanding what is wrong with what they eat ? It might not be normal table fare in this part of the world but normal in others. We don`t consume fresh cattle blood but others do, In other parts of the world cattle are sacred. We do not get to impose our will no matter how strongly we feel on people from other cultures.


----------



## auledasacres

I must give my opinion. I can't say I agree with horse slaughter in anyway. But on the other hand some of these horses are starving to death at the hands of there owner. If it is between starving to death or being put our of my misery, I would choose dying. The human thing sometimes is not the easiest to except but for some animals it surely beats thier *heck *on earth.

We all love our animals and they are part of our family. There are still ignorant people out there that would let a animal dye just to be cruel. A week or so ago someone posted a donkey was shot because he bit his owner. Thankfully his pal was spared and brought into a loving home. How many horse(animals) out there live with people like this man.

Kay


----------



## rabbitsfizz

So long as they are humanely handles and humanely dispatched I don't really have a problem with it. I have eaten horsemeat in Spain and was not sickened by the prospect. At the end of the day, meat is meat, and I am a carnivore!! (Well, strictly speaking I'm an Omnivore but you know what I mean ) I am concerned by the welfare and slaughter of _all_ animals intended for consumption, human or otherwise. We have always eaten meat, we do not have a God given right to put animals through HeII in order to do so. Go to the Compassion in World Farming site and read on...

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/images/logo.jpg


----------



## outlaw

rabbitsfizz,

"So long as they are humanely handles and humanely dispatched I don't really have a problem with it. "

That is just it they are not. My neighbor is a person who buys horses for slaughter and I know that he just got a whole slew of mini stud colts because there is just no market for them. He will wait for a whole trailer load because if he puts them in with the big guys on the truck they would be crushed. Have you looked into how they slaughter horses? It isn't pretty and half the time they are not dead when they slit their throats to bleed them out. Know I am not against slaughtering horses because quite frankly I know people who shouldn't have them and it would be a kinder thing on the horse. I am not trying to burn anybody but I did't' want everybody to think that it is pretty either. This is my opinion and I am done now.

Outlaw


----------



## justaboutgeese

In response to outlaw. Of course the animal is not dead when the throat is slit. The purpose of slptting the throat is to bleed the animal out. If the heart is not beating the blood is not pumping and there is no bleed out. The animals, cows, pigs, chickens etc are stunned prior to the slitting. The slitting and bleed out is what the animal dies from not the stun.


----------

