Are you pro-slaughter? POLL

This is a very hot topic so people will respond as they feel you can not get mad at how they feel it is each person's feeling about the slaughter of all animal -so to get mad dose no good it is how they feel -

I'm not sure why you are seeing more starvation & abuse cases? Slaughter has been an option all along, horses could still be sent if the owners chose.

I can tell you exactly why there is many times more neglect and abuse, but anti slaughter people will not believe me.

Back in 2006 and 2007, well before any downturn in the US economy, slaughter was halted in this country by the law stopping Federal inspection of horse-meat. At that time, prices plummeted for lower end saddle horses right along with slaughter prices. We saw prices fall overnight at our local sale here in Sulphur, OK.

I talked to several Veterinarians back then (right after the big price drop) and every one of the 'Country Vets' that had mixed livestock practices (not the big expensive equine centers that have show horse practices) ALL said that their horse related calls and income dropped overnight. A
Vet north of me in Stratford said his horse related income dropped 80-90%. The Vets west of me said their horse related calls and income dropped about 75%. The Vets (2 of them) that we know in Ardmore, south of me, said their horse calls and income dropped 60% and 80% respectively. I ASKED THEM!

The Vet at Stratford castrated a colt for me a while back and I asked him if his horse business picked up any and he said it was even lower. He said he had people take horses to the sale because they could replace one that needed crypt orchid surgery or surgery to remove a tiny bone chip or treatment for a gutteral pouch problem cheaper than to doctor them. He said he now dispenses Banamine for a horse with colic because the owners will not pay for him to go out and treat a colic. Owners tell him that the horse will have to either live or die because they can be replaced cheaper than he can make one or two calls for a colic. Most of these horses go to the sale and ARE replaced if they live through the colic. People know that horses are more prone to colic again so they just dump them at the sale and buy another.

Before the big price drop, I had standing orders for 'project horses' from several people with day jobs that played with a young horse to train on the side. As soon as they got this cheap, they did not want to take a chance on taking on any other horses. [I have not purchased a project horse for anyone in more than 5 years.] They knew that with the big market value drop, a horse that did not work out or one that they had to sell would not bring anything and they could not afford to take the chance. Before 2007, registered young horses in fair shape with little or no handling were bringing $1000.00 or more if they had decent conformation and decent breeding (no Impressive or halter breeding). After 2007 they dropped to $200.00 and are now down to $20.00 to $50.00 with papers or breeders' Certificates. [Many people now, do not even register them and sell them with a Registration Application.]

This terrible string of events is totally due to the LOSS OF VALUE. It happened before the crash of the economy in late 2008. That only exacerbated it.

If you don't believe me (and I know a lot of people won't), just ask 2 or 3 country Vets with mixed practices, especially in rural areas and ranch areas away from cities, boarding stables and 1 horse owners. You will be shocked by the drop in care given to most horses in areas like this. Farm and ranch areas are filled with livestock owners, not horse owners that look at their one horse as a pet. We make decisions every day based on the value of the horse and cost of care. It is how we survive whether it is concerning cattle, hogs, sheep or horses.

Back when a fat slaughter horse had a value of $900.00 to $1000.00, almost everyone that owned a lot of them took better care of them, fed them better and tried to keep them fat. Then, when an older mare or older cow did not conceive, she went to the sale fat -- because she was worth a lot more that way. Now, it makes little difference. A lot of people try to hang on to them because they really do not want to sell them and just hope they can hang on on until their is green grass or a better job or ???? When it does not work out or you have a huge drought like last year, they have a really skinny bunch of horses in their back pasture. There are hundreds of them around here. There are thousands of them that have gone through the local sale since 2006.

So, do your homework before you blame the economy. It only made a bad problem worse.

Cherie, thank you for your in depth analysis & explanation. I believe you.
It hasn't changed my mind about the cruelty/terror involved but I now have a better understanding of why some people resort to sending a horse off. Personally, I still couldn't do it though.

Nor could I, but I think the point it that some people need to be able to for the benefit of horses which is why I am Pro.

It has been years since I 'dumped' a horse at a sale and I didn't care where he went. He was not a good horse and was one I never would have sold privately. I wanted him gone and off the feed bill.

Our own horses that we have had and loved never get dumped at a sale, but are shot on the back end of our place and feed the coyotes and ???? They are 'put down' here at home. There have been a few that 'tough old Indian husband' could not shoot, so a neighbor came over and did it. [Husband has gone to his house and done the same for him.]

I am very attached to most of my horses. I have cried my eyes out for some of them.

But, I STILL OWN THEM. IF I WANTED TO SELL THEM, I WANT THAT RIGHT AND I WANT A PLACE TO SELL THEM AT!!!

Is there something about ownership of personal property that some of you do not understand?

Can you go to McDonald's and go get a horse burger? No, because it is not acceptable in our society today to eat horse meat.. This comment is irrelevant.

I'm still wandering about answers to these questions.......

I have a 6 year old gelding that was given to me. He's big, he's gorgeous, he's registered....and he's dangerous. He's not aggressive or anything, but he is a bucker, a bad bucker and neither I nor my Dad (who has trained more raunchy horses than most normal folks will ever even see) can get him over it. He's not in pain, been checked out, he just went through a bad training experience before he came to me and it broke his mind. Now he's good for nothing except eating hay that costs me $300+ a ton. Who wants him? Seriously, I'll give him to you for free.

I can't afford to keep, feed, and care for him for the next 20-30 years, especially if I can't safely use him. I've got a pasture full of older retired horses that earned their place, they earned their right to be kept fat and happy through all their ending "worthless" years, and they earned their right to be quietly euthed in their own pasture and buried with the respect that they deserve not only as pets, but as productive members of the family.

Nobody wants to pay money for a proven bucker that can't be safely ridden, who's going to take him? I suppose if I wanted to be dishonest, I could likely drug him up and dupe some gullible buyer into taking him home, but what would that accomplish...other than to get some poor person hurt?

So I'll repeat the questions posed above. What happens to this horse?? Nobody will buy him, I can't give him away (unless someone who believes in butterflies and happy endings wants to take him on), I simply cannot afford to keep him.

Or, maybe someone would like to tell me which of my older good horses should be put down just to make room for him?

Sell 'im to a stock contractor!

LOL, I've actually thought of that. Brother has Robert Etbauer's phone number and that is likely the only place he'll be useful.

ETA: Oh, wait, rodeos are even more cruel than slaughter!!! What to do, what to do!