Stop Horse Slaughter

[nbark]

Hi everyone,

Please visit www.theanimalrescuesite.com and click on the purple tab on the right that says "take action". There is a petition there going to the President to stop the slaughter of U. S. horses to be sent to other countries for consumption. Please help stop this and add your name to the petition. After all, would you eat your best friend? EWWWWWWWW

Thanks so much

Nancy

 

[mandi]

This is a bit of a touchy subject for me. Arent all of the horse slaughter plants now closed in the USA. With foreign countries the only place for them to go, where do you supose these unwanted horses should end up? I am not really an advocate for slaughterhouses and I personally would never send my beloved friend to one, BUT what do you supose for all the other people to do who cant afford them, cant sell them, cant give them away to do. My husband is a farrier and is always affored free horses from clients or other people. This year ALONE he has been offered 52 FREE horses. I start a count every year. Some that are trained to the hills, other that need special shoes, and some that are yearlings or two year olds. These people have no where for them to go other than to overseas to a slaughterhouse. Some people can not affored to have the vet put them down and all the vets by us will NOT put a healthy horse down. So what are people to do. I know by me what has been happening is that people are hauling their horses to either take them to a slaughter overseas or they haul them out in the middle of nowhere... which is where I happen to live and let them lose. Last year we had 10 horses running lose by our house with no owner ever found. This year we have already had 1 miniature without an owner found. I can only imagine how many more we will have dropped off at our doorstep. I have literally walked out my front door with someone unloading their horse, letting them loose and running off as I began to scream and try to get a plate number. I for one, do NOT like the idea of people eating horses or them going to slaughter and if I could stop it, I would but I first need to know WHAT is the BETTER alternative for all of these unwanted horses.

 

[Songcatcher]

Hi everyone,
Please visit www.theanimalrescuesite.com and click on the purple tab on the right that says "take action". There is a petition there going to the President to stop the slaughter of U. S. horses to be sent to other countries for consumption. Please help stop this and add your name to the petition. After all, would you eat your best friend? EWWWWWWWW

Thanks so much

Nancy

I have had calves, chickens, turkeys, and geese that I was very fond of, but still enjoy eating the meat. I personally prefer not to eat horse meat, but not for the reason stated above.

Apparently, in Massacchussetts, you have not seen horses starving, a slow and painful death because there was no way of disposing of un-needed/un-wanted animals. I much prefer they be slaughtered than starved to death. AND, I much prefer they be slaughtered here in the United States than be shipped to Mexico or Canada before being slaughtered.

 

[Littleum]

After all, would you eat your best friend? EWWWWWWWW

Just a word of advice, but phrases like this make you sound like a bleeding heart tree-hugger who doesn't want to see the cute ponies eaten, not someone with a serious, well-considered argument.

 

[nbark]

Okay, I will take my beatings on this one, but I still don't like the fact that these horses are being shipped out of the country, from what I have heard, not in the best of conditions for transport or the best of condition health wise. Maybe there is a need for horse slaughter in the U.S., but after what happened with the Peanut plant, can we really trust the government to keep watch on this. Yes, I have rescued many animals and horses that were unwanted, abused and neglected so I do have experience with that. I don't have a solution to the problem of unwanted animals, I really wish I did. What would be nice is if someone came up with a solution to this problem without herding them into shipping containers, some with open wounds, others too old to make the trip etc. to be slaughtered, who knows how and made into a meal. Maybe we should keep the slaughter houses open in the U.S. but again, without an agency overseeing how the animals are kept before slaughter and during the process leaves all kinds of doors open for abuse. So, with that said, tell me what the solution is to this problem.

 

[Lilac Lane Farm]

You might not like them being slaughtered in another country and shipped in containers in horrible conditions, but this is because we can no longer slaughter horses here!!!! I am not one for sending a horse to the killers BUT we have no way of disposing of all the unwanted horses anymore. I do not want to see any horse starve for months until they die, they are better off dead then suffering for a long time.

I know myself I can’t take any more horses to feed and there are a lot of people like me. As much as I don’t like to think of them at a slaughter house we do need them.

There may be abuse and open doors, but it will be short because they want to process them fast. I hate to say that but short time abuse is better than months of lingering and months of suffering. Any way you look at it loving horses can be hard and these decesions just SUCK!

Too bad we couldn’t live in a perfect world and no person or animal had to suffer

Heidi

 

[minifancier]

Horses have NOT been slaughtered in this country now for 2 YEARS. They are however Shipped into Canada, and Mexico and then go to the tables in Europe etc.

However we SHOULD be slaughtering in THIS country to help the neglected, starving or just plain turned loose horses.~!~ Nice to what closing the Processing Plants in the USA have caused. All thanks to the folks that voted to close the Processing Plants in the USA for Human Consumption.

We NEED plants to reopen and be inspected for a quick and human kill. Plain and Simple and to the point..

Now the PET industry is still using horses to feed The Big Cats that has not stopped, but there are way over to many horses to have that industry make up for those plants that closed. So I will Not Sign that petition in fact there are OTHER Petitions out there to Bring BACK Horse Processing and those I have signed.

 

[jleonard]

Maybe we should keep the slaughter houses open in the U.S. but again, without an agency overseeing how the animals are kept before slaughter and during the process leaves all kinds of doors open for abuse.

That is what the USDA is for. The process for slaughter for all animals in the U.S. is highly regulated. There is an inspector there for every slaughter to ensure that it is done properly, and in that case, the actual slaughter process is very quick and painless. The animals must be rendered insensitive to pain before they are killed, and, if done correctly, the animals feel nothing! They try to make the process as stress free as possible for the animals. The horrific videos and pictures that you see come mainly from PETA, an organization that will stop at nothing to achieve their means. What they show is not the norm! I would much prefere that they reopen the U.S. slaughter houses rather than ship these poor animals across the border, to less humane conditions, thus prolonging their suffering. I hate the idea of slaughtering horses, but I would prefere that their pain is ended quickly and humanely than to see all of the poor horses that are now starving to death and being turned loose to fend for themselves. IMO, slaughter may be a necessity. I would love to hear others ideas of possible solutions, but so far, I've not come across anyone who has a better solution.

 

[Hosscrazy]

And I, too, support bringing it back to the U.S.

Liz R.

 

[muffntuf]

Nbark - you have opened a can of worms here. Much debate has already happened. We are now reaping the harvest of what we have sown - that is why we have over run rescues.

No one likes the idea of slaughter houses for equine - but until we stop running the country over with breeding unused, unwanted horses, we stop abusing horses beyond a trust factor, and stop breeding for pregnant mare urine collection and whole slew of other things.....we have an issue in the US.

We need slaughter houses in the US, plain and simple.

 

[Indy's mom]

Hi Nancy! I'm with you and signed the petition! Horse slaughter IS indeed done in a very inhumane way and all the violations are just swept under the rug! I invite anyone who thinks it is humane and highly regulated to visit the New England Equine Rescues (NEER) website and/or Another Chance For Horses website, they both have very disturbing horse slaughter video's! I don't think there is anything humane about hitting a horse in the head with a bolt to temporarily knock him unconcious and then string them up by the hind legs to have their throats slit! In MANY MANY cases the horse comes to and struggles with his hind feet tethered together and is completely awake and petrified when his throat gets slit! It is "illegal" to slaughter pregnant mares but it happens ALL THE TIME!!!!!! A mare hanging by her hind legs and when they start cutting her up and foal slips out! It is very barbaric!

Don't blame the halt to slaughter for all the unwanted horses turning up, blame irresponsible horse owners who need to do right by their horses and if another home can not be found for them....put them in the ground yourself!!!!! Spare him the torture!

~Tammy

 

[minifancier]

And those so called slaughter videos that have been spread all over the net. in NO Way represents the Modern Processing plant and was produced by the Highly biased peta and the far out side of the Animal Rights wackos.~!

 

[nbark]

Nbark - you have opened a can of worms here. Much debate has already happened. We are now reaping the harvest of what we have sown - that is why we have over run rescues.
No one likes the idea of slaughter houses for equine - but until we stop running the country over with breeding unused, unwanted horses, we stop abusing horses beyond a trust factor, and stop breeding for pregnant mare urine collection and whole slew of other things.....we have an issue in the US.

We need slaughter houses in the US, plain and simple.

Hi muffintuff,

I know I opened a can of worms and I am not against slaughter, if regulated properly, I am against loading horses in containers in bad conditions and in bad health and shipping them out for slaughter. I don't think horse slaughter will be back in the U.S. again anytime soon and because we banned them, we now face the shipping out of the country issue. I still believe that anyone who can drop an animal off, has no conscience and really does not give a rats behind about them to begin with, and use the "I can't afford to keep them" as a lame excuse to abandon them. There are rescue leagues, SPCA's etc that will help a person try to find a home or euthanize them humanely. A lot of vets do not put healthy animals to sleep, but the rescue leagues, at least in this area, do. They do ask for a donation, but in these economic times, they also know that some people just can't afford it and they are so full, they will help with other options. The premarin horses is another big can of worms, maybe even a few snakes in that can. What do they do with the foals? I know of one farm locally to me who has "adopted" a few of them, but with the big pharmeceutical companies running the show with big money, they are allowed to just keep breeding horses and don't face any consequences for their actions. We live in a very sad time for animals in general I guess. Not only the horses, but all the animals that you read about in the paper from puppy mills to dog fighting.

 

[Indy's mom]

I'm sorry that you feel that way but I know people personally who have gone undercover and gotten horrific video! These people are in no way affiliated with PETA!!!!!

 

[jleonard]

I don't think there is anything humane about hitting a horse in the head with a bolt to temporarily knock him unconcious and then string them up by the hind legs to have their throats slit! In MANY MANY cases the horse comes to and struggles with his hind feet tethered together and is completely awake and petrified when his throat gets slit!

Captive bolt guns, if used properly, will render the animal completely insensitive to pain and they will not come to in the matter of seconds that it takes for the animal to be bled out. I'm not saying that it does not happen, when proper procedures are not followed, but that is why the slaughterer is supposed to ensure that the animal is stunned correctly prior to taking further action. This is the same device that they use to stun the majority of cattle in the U.S. as well. I have been told that horses are a bit trickier to stun, due to the shape of their skull, but again, if done properly, they should not wake. I have see one in action, the bolt goes out 4", and it is so fast that if you blink, you miss it. They do not know what hit them.

Also, I'm not saying that every video out there is from PETA, but a large numer of them are.

 

[gimp]

Zoo and sanctuaries will often take horses. They must be live, at least in the place over here, and are dispatched at the site for the big cats. It's never nice to think that an animal like the ones that we love are being fed to someone or something, but like dogs and cats, horses are in abundance, and money is not. I would hate sending them off to the rendering plant as well, but many have no other legal means for disposal.

Sorry, I cannot sign any petition. That is what got us in this situation.

 

[fourhorses]

I'm sorry that you feel that way but I know people personally who have gone undercover and gotten horrific video! These people are in no way affiliated with PETA!!!!!

I also know undercover people and most of us are PETA & HSUS bashers. I also attend kill-buy auctions and flipped lips on TB's in the kill pen.

One thing about slaughter is the lines are drawn and have been for some time - doubt anyone is going to change their mind in regards to this subject at this point. However, a huge misconception (among many) is the propoganda that there is more abuse/neglect because of zero plants in the US. It is simply untrue. Those that abuse/neglect do so with or without the slaughter pipeline. Written documentation via a FOIA has also proved, according the various offices of DNR throughout the country, that there are no more "abandoned" horses turned out to fend on their own than any other time. Have some been abandoned - of course. Is it running rampant like the plague? Uh, no.

Another misconception is that those wanting to ban horse slaughter are out to turn the world vegan.

Some of the arguments, on both sides, are absurd. It is so very unrealistic it is almost funny. To read my Farm Bureau newsletter and attend meetings is amusing to say the least.

 

[FoRebel]

I will NOT sign the petition. As much as I don't like to see horses killed, I think we need to open the slaughter plants in the US again with regulations in place.

Think about it this way... Would you sign a petition for the slaughter plants to be closed that kill cattle, goats, sheep, and fowl??? Most people in the US won't eat horse meat but people over seas eat it as a normal meal sometimes or even as a delicacy.

 

[disneyhorse]

Sorry, but I am PRO horse-slaughter. Now, don't get me wrong... I am a vegetarian (if the world was a perfect place, NO animal would be slaughtered!!!) and I would never, ever send one of my horses to slaughter and would definitely find a way to take in a horse that I'd previously owned back to prevent it from going to slaughter and do my part.

That said, I love ALL animals and don't think there is a difference between slaughtering a fish, a cow, a pig, or a chicken. I don't think you can eat meat and ethically say "Well it's okay to kill THESE animals, but not THESE." That's just my stance.

However, given the current situation of the horse industry as a whole... is it better that horses are turned loose, starved, ???

Those who are against slaughter, what exactly do you think is the ETHICAL ALTERNATIVE for ignorant breeders flooding the market, old horses, crazy horses, and others who flood the slaughterhouses? Similar to all of the dogs/cats being euthanized in shelters by the millions, what's the difference??? I really don't understand the issue people are SO adamant against horse slaughter. It's a necessary evil unless there was some other, amazing way to control the horse/cat/dog/etc populations...

Andrea

 

[Laura]

However we SHOULD be slaughtering in THIS country to help the neglected, starving or just plain turned loose horses.~!~ Nice to what closing the Processing Plants in the USA have caused. All thanks to the folks that voted to close the Processing Plants in the USA for Human Consumption.We NEED plants to reopen and be inspected for a quick and human kill. Plain and Simple and to the point..

Also, closing the US slaughter plants took away the BOTTOM to the market. If EVERY horse is worth a minimum of $.80/pound, EVERY 1000 pound horse is worth $800.00 When that was taken away, out went the bottom..