Horse Slaughter

Yes and its ashame because there are alot of great people on here even if you don't agree on one thing.

LOL no I like it here im not leaving XP

I don't mind a friendly discustion at all but I find that the OP is pretty set on her ways and it just because a match of im right your wrong get over it. In which IMO is not a discution. Maybe im just a hippy

What about the millions of cats and dogs gassed to death every year because no one wanted them? I think the reason why this struck a nerve in you because it is horses. I doubt you would say the same thing about cattle who go through the same thing except at times even in more horrible conditions the the horses. I was very much against horse sluaghter in the beginning, but the more I read on the forum the more I realized just how necessary this is. Its a evil that we have to do to. Starving to death is 10 times more painful then a bolt to the head. People never show the good of any situation. They always show the worst of it. I suggest you read some of the other threads on this subject because it might open your eyes to many other thing you have missed about this whole situation.

I am curious as to what you base this statement on.

I agree with you "Goneriding"

I am on the fence too. I hate that there is a need for slaughter houses. However I agree that we need to reopen American slaughter houses so the transport distance is shorter and so we can regulate it and take the business from Mexico... I hate Mexican slaughter houses they sever the spinal cord in the neck and skin and dismember the living horse.. Ever hear a horse screaming it sucks not just one horse but dozens at one time. Canada uses the same Captive bolt gun used on cattle the bolt is not accurate enough to target the right part of brain when held in hand on horses because the kill chute does not immobilize the head. Anti slaughter advocates need to design better kill chutes or some type of mask shroud that fits on forehead to properly locate the bolt to keep the horse down a large percentage of the horses have to be hit with bolt gun 2 or more times because they regain conciousness before bleeding them.

Then there is the medication aspect The EU has put a ban on all American horsemeat until the USDA will make guarantees that the meat is not chemically tainted. So until further notice Mexican and Canadian Borders are closed to American Horses. So having the American Slaughter facilities open again the USDA can have horses humanely kept in storage lots to allow medications to leave systems. And run sick or injured horses thru pet food and carnivore slaughter processes. Plus we need to choose a sacrificial Horse breed to be raised only as a food horse and direct Backyard breeder foals into these feedlots as well so food sourced Horses are as drug free as possible.

So I consider Horse slaughter a necessary evil that I wish was not necessary.

Do not even bring up our wild horses being slaughtered to make room for the large welfare ranchers to graze their cattle at taxpayer expense on the land that belongs to the wild horses That I am against 100%. The ranchers leasing the open range supply less than 10% of the beef that hits our dinner tables. Make the big ranchers buy their grazing land the way the real cattle ranchers do.

Well, golly, you did bring up that old tidbit of misinformation.

Horses and cattle are two herbivores that differ in many ways. They affect range in different ways. The regulations governing the time cattle can be on range, the parts of the range that can be grazed, and what responsibilities the rancher has to the lease holder and the leased ground are quite strict. The six to ten weeks a year that cattle can be on leased ground, whether it be national grassland, forest service, BLM, state, whatever, does not negatively impact the numbers of feral horses.

If all cattle were to disappear from the U.S. Tomorrow, there would not be enough grasses and water to sustain uncontrolled growth of feral horses.

One of the things I find disturbing is the folks that think no horse should be slaughtered under any circumstance. Sadly I see so many rescues that are full of horses that nobody in their right mind would adopt. That is the 'save all horses' attitude that has added in a big way to our horse problem.

I have a friend that runs a licensed rescue. I went to her first when I decided I wanted to purchase another horse. She is slam full of horses that are permanently lame, completely debilitated in some way or completely untrained or that acted like it, anyway. If she would send her whole heard to slaughter, then she could actually help some good horses that just need a second chance. She is full, but can't move horses because nobody wants those kind of horses and of course, she can't take in any that are adoptable. I wonder how many decent horses she will have to turn down and have go to slaughter for her unadoptable herd. And she is funded by donations. Personally, I think that is unacceptable of a publicly funded rescue.

That, of course, isn't all of the problem, but it is a point I think worth mentioning.

It is both an old and a current tidbit of fact. However with all fact there is usually some misinformation mixed into it too.

Good theory aside from the fact that Wild horses even domestic horses are Nomadic and are usually on the move grazing so they do not detrimentally impact the grasses, most wild horse bands will travel up to 50 miles in a day grazing. Where cattle usually tend to stay in one area as long as the grass lasts except to go to water.

I do agree That the amount of time the cattle are on the lease does not affect the numbers of wild horses. The BLM and various Agriculture departments are what affect the band numbers. By rounding them up and storing them or selling them to Tom Davis and others like him.
Believe it or not most Animal species are self sustaining and self regulating on herd and band sizes without human intervention. Horses have roamed this country for centuries without overcrowding or over grazing. If a band becomes to large for conditions it will split up going different directions establishing a new band in a new location. And by Carnivore predation.
I would not mind the graze permits if done lottery style so the smaller ranchers could participate in and benefit from it also, but it is a game only the rich hobby ranchers can afford. Instead the majority of actual beef production ranches have to run their cattle on the land they own. And BLM would run the horse bands into another section of land while the graze is going on.

Let me guess you also believe that wolves prey on cattle so we need to continue eradicating the wolf population?
The only cattle they will eat are young, injured or sick, therefore needing to be removed from the herd anyway

I agree with you Sandy. Also most rescues also house very old pasture companions. That usually require medications to keep going that most people will not adopt.

Pro horse slaughter propaganda - follow the money:

Horse Slaughter: Revealing The Truth, Part Five - The Money Trail | Habitat For Horses | Horse Rescue | Adopt a Horse


Facts:

Veterinarians For Equine Welfare website:

Welcome : Veterinarians for Equine Welfare

Thank you for posting these links.