Why do horse lovers support slaughter?

maura · 12-23-2011, 05:14 PM

Let's attempt to make this thread a civil, reasonable discussion.

Asking "Does anyone on this forum besides me actually like horses?" is an example of "If you're not with us, you're against us" and is a decpetively simplistic argument that doesn't recognize all the factors contributing to the problem.

I do not describe my self as pro-slaughter. I hate the fact that horses in this country are bred to be disposable. I hate the fact that horses are shipped in double decker trailers to Mexico and Canada to be slaughtered in questionable conditions. In a perfect world, all horses would have healthy happy lives without abuse and neglect and quick, comfortable deaths.

For the record, I do not have a problem with a horse having that clean, comfortable death and his remains being used to feed something or someone else. I do find that preferable to letting a corpse rot in the ground.

However, I do think advocating against slaughter is attacking the wrong end of the problem. Advocate against the reasons so many horses are slaughtered, and you'll have my support.

Until you can do something about the TB, STB, QH and Arab racing industries breeding 20 foals to get 3 to the track and 1 winner, until you can keep halter breeders from breeding unsound, unusable horses and until you can do something to stem the tide of back yard breeders, slaughter is an sad necessity. While I'm dreaming, please do something about the glut of mustangs on the taxpayers dime, the economy, the price of hay and all the novice horse owners who didn't understand what they were getting into.

Then you would reduce the population going to slaughter to the truly sick, lame and unusable.

Until that time, slaughter is a sad necessity. Argue for making it as humane as possible, argue for making it less necessary. Or propose a workable alternative plan to cope with the incredible surplus of horses other than the hopelessly naive idea of adopting them all out.

But don't tell someone who's devoted their entire life to the care and welfare of horses that I "don't like horses" because I understand the reality of the situation.

InStyle · 12-23-2011, 05:16 PM

I absolutely hate mine, and like usandpets, I now have 10 to hate. That seems to be my maximum hatingness. Sometimes, because of my hate, I groom them (GASP) and ride them (double GASP).

My hate was so great today I just went out with treats and freely handed them out!!! The nerve of me!!

I used to hate the whole horse slaughter idea, but I researched both sides, and don't force my thoughts on it to anyone who doesn't want to listen. I live 4hrs from an auction house that runs horses through on a regular basis. I bought 2 mares with colts by their sides. Rehomed one mare and colt, kept the other 2 for me. I also have a registered paint mare from the auction. As well as a large Arab/Percheron that was headed to the auction the following week, whom I bought before hand. When I want a project, off I go.

While I may not like the idea of somebody eating MY horses, the thought of people eating horses, especially if they were raised for meat doesn't bother me anymore then the thought of eating the steer in our pasture does.........I kinda want ribs now.

Since you are against the idea of horse meat and slaughter for meat, Do you feel the same for cows? Poultry? I would *assume* you are a vegetarian.
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wyominggrandma · 12-23-2011, 05:40 PM

Are we supposed to like our horses?? Oh man, I guess I have been wrong the past 40 years. Darn, and I truly enjoyed feeding them, shoeing them, vet care, horse trailer purchases and all the other stuff because I hate them and just throwing money out the window.
I hate paying taxes but since I live in the US I have to. I hate seeing people getting free medical, free income and not pay their bills, while I work for my money.
But that is the big grown up world. In a wonderful world there would be no slaughter houses because there would not be an over abundance of horses.
Too bad it won't happen in my life time. Don't like the necessity of having them, but again, that is a reality of having to a place to send horses when the time comes.

kitten_Val · 12-23-2011, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maura

Advocate against the reasons so many horses are slaughtered, and you'll have my support.

This. Because there are so many unwanted horses out there noone wants/needs, they will die this way or another anyway. Some people kindly put them down (vet or the gun shot), unfortunately some just let them starve. I'm always wondering how starving (which is a horrible horrible death) is any better then slaughtering.

As plenty of people already mentioned what would be the reason then the responsible owner (and I have to say I think the majority of people on this forum are) spends so much time and money on those animals? Just to ride I can go and pay for the lesson or trail riding barn, still I own my mares with all big expenses that comes with it.

Joe4d · 12-23-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maura

Let's attempt to make this thread a civil, reasonable discussion.

Asking "Does anyone on this forum besides me actually like horses?" is an example of "If you're not with us, you're against us" and is a decpetively simplistic argument that doesn't recognize all the factors contributing to the problem.

I do not describe my self as pro-slaughter. I hate the fact that horses in this country are bred to be disposable. I hate the fact that horses are shipped in double decker trailers to Mexico and Canada to be slaughtered in questionable conditions. In a perfect world, all horses would have healthy happy lives without abuse and neglect and quick, comfortable deaths.

For the record, I do not have a problem with a horse having that clean, comfortable death and his remains being used to feed something or someone else. I do find that preferable to letting a corpse rot in the ground.

However, I do think advocating against slaughter is attacking the wrong end of the problem. Advocate against the reasons so many horses are slaughtered, and you'll have my support.

Until you can do something about the TB, STB, QH and Arab racing industries breeding 20 foals to get 3 to the track and 1 winner, until you can keep halter breeders from breeding unsound, unusable horses and until you can do something to stem the tide of back yard breeders, slaughter is an sad necessity. While I'm dreaming, please do something about the glut of mustangs on the taxpayers dime, the economy, the price of hay and all the novice horse owners who didn't understand what they were getting into.

Then you would reduce the population going to slaughter to the truly sick, lame and unusable.

Until that time, slaughter is a sad necessity. Argue for making it as humane as possible, argue for making it less necessary. Or propose a workable alternative plan to cope with the incredible surplus of horses other than the hopelessly naive idea of adopting them all out.

But don't tell someone who's devoted their entire life to the care and welfare of horses that I "don't like horses" because I understand the reality of the situation.

well said, You care if I cut and paste ?
Yep slaughter is bad, but US supervised and regulated slaughter is the best solution I have heard. I am perfectly open to other suggestions. I just havent heard any.

Kimmylikestojump · 12-23-2011, 07:08 PM

Make the conditions at slaughterhouses and transportation more humane and reasonable and I'm behind it.

MySissyGirl · 12-23-2011, 07:19 PM

I also would rather see horses go to meat than starve and be neglected and it happens way to often when there is no place to send them. :( It is a sad world for those horses. Mine are happy I own them. :)

bubba13 · 12-23-2011, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celeste

Does anybody on this forum besides me actually like horses? All I see is people wanting to eat them. Those few that actually don't want to spend their tax money inspecting horses for slaughter and export so that other countries can make big profits from our horses at our expense are called idiots.

If you don't want to see horses slaughtered, why don't you rescue about 30 and convince all of your friends to do the same, and they their friends? That should pretty well take care of the problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallaby

Personally, I think horse slaughter is dumb, mainly due to the fact that most people love their horses and give them all sorts of medication that will and does taint the horse's meat. Do I really want to be ingesting bute and other drugs that say on them "not for use on animals intended for human consumption" by eating a horse that had been treated with a drug like that? No thanks.

See, that's one of those things blown out of proportion. Most of those drugs are perfectly safe after a short withdrawal period. Have you ever heard of anyone actually getting sick after eating "tainted" horsemeat? Yet it's consumed daily.....

Gremmy · 12-23-2011, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celeste

Does anybody on this forum besides me actually like horses? All I see is people wanting to eat them. Those few that actually don't want to spend their tax money inspecting horses for slaughter and export so that other countries can make big profits from our horses at our expense are called idiots.

I have an idea. Why don't we put a huge export tax on horse meat if we are going to slaughter them. Then we can take the extra money and use it to take care of unwanted horses....................

I don't want to spend my money on it and I am forced to pay taxes.

Mind explaining this? That's like saying you make big profits from going out and buying groceries

You do realize that the horse meat isn't just exported for free right? The countries that buy it actually have to pay for it. Like it or not, horse slaughter is a profitable industry, or else it would not exist. So don't you worry, your tax dollars are not being sucked into a black hole; there is money coming back in.

Also import/export taxes already exist. They're called tariffs.

Spyder · 12-23-2011, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubba13

See, that's one of those things blown out of proportion. Most of those drugs are perfectly safe after a short withdrawal period. Have you ever heard of anyone actually getting sick after eating "tainted" horsemeat? Yet it's consumed daily.....

Many places are banning horse meat being sold for food due to the possibility of contamination.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/d...abc-16pic9.jpg

And

Dirty little secret: Canada

Quote:

A 2010 U.S. Study on animals sent to slaughter found the presence of a particularly troubling drug commonly administered to horses � phenylbutazone (PBZ), an anti-inflammatory used for pain relief. The drug is banned for human consumption by the U.S., Canada, you.K. And European Union because of documented health hazards, sometimes fatal, including a blood disorder in which the body's bone marrow doesn't make enough new blood cells and a condition that triggers chronic bacterial infections.
The study�s researchers found 9,000 pounds of meat from horses �with known exposure to PBZ� sent for human consumption over the five-year study period.
�There appears to be inadequate testing to ensure that horses given banned substances such as PBZ do not enter the slaughter pipeline,� the study concludes. �The lack of oversight to prevent horses given PBZ from being sent to slaughter for human consumption � indicates a serious gap in food safety and constitutes a significant public health risk.�
Ann Marini, professor of neurology and neuroscience at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and a co-author of the study, says every horse in the U.S. Receives at least one dose of PBZ each year.
�There�s no horse in (the U.S.) that is eligible for slaughter for human use,� she said in an interview. �It�s a health regulation violation�. This is now Canada�s problem. And nothing has been done to end this. We�re sending contaminated horse meat to the people eating it. We�re equally liable.�
Use of PBZ is equally common in Canadian horses, says Sinikka Crosland, executive director of the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition which is seeking a ban on horse slaughter in Canada.
�It�s like you and I taking an aspirin,� she says. �It�s the drug of choice when a horse is showing pain.�
She�s given both of her horses the drug to deal with inflammation or lameness, she says.
�If I were a liar, I could send them along (to slaughter) and say they haven�t had any drugs and who would question me?�
The few publicly-available horse meat test results conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have not indicated health hazards related to PBZ.
The contradiction lies in the debate over whether the testing methods are sufficient to ensure public safety.
And agency officials say scrutiny over horse medication monitoring was tightened last year when they began requiring all slaughterhouse operators killing horses for human consumption to have complete identity and medical records for all animals presented for slaughter.
But Marini and other experts say those testing and monitoring measures fall well short of ensuring public safety.
�When you slaughter as many horses as Canada does, there�s no way that any agency can test every carcass. So you have to be selective in the carcasses that you test. Clearly, it�s a hit-or-miss kind of thing.�

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