The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Beware

8K views 45 replies 21 participants last post by  66Domino 
#1 ·
I know this sounds stupid but if there were a great number of horses missing it's probably because someone is trying to sell it to slaughter for money and it may sound sad but it's true Horse slaughter is legal again thanks to Obama :evil:
 
#3 ·
Yes... Sadly, if slaughter stops, there will be WAY too many horses in the world who don't have loving homes and won't get the care they need because of it. It's sad, but it's no different than shelters that have to put down dogs and cats because of overpopulation. It's a necessary thing. I don't think I'm for it when people are running slaughter operations (buying as many horses as possible and selling them to slaughter just to gain profit, when those horses could have had wonderful homes) but it really is necessary to avoid mass overpopulation. It's not as easy as 'breed less horses and it won't be an issue' - if it was as simple as that something would have changed by now, but I think this is just the way it is and will be for a long time to come.

Also, some people eat horses. So, there's that too. (Just like some people in other countries eat dogs. Or how we eat cattle, but in some countries Cattle are sacred and never used for consumption.)
 
#5 ·
There are laws and inspectors to make sure slaughter is humane in the US. Without slaughter in the US, they go to Mexico --- where there are no laws and there is cruel treatment like you describe. The best thing to keep horses from going to Mexico is to reinstate slaughter in the US with a chance for the horses to have to be transported shorter distances in approved conditions, and a chance of a humane final chapter.
 
#6 ·
Well how else do you propose they do it? The two methods I know of are 1.) using an electric probe to knock them out cold, then hoisting them up and cutting the throat to drain the blood. and 2.) using a bolt gun to the head to kill it right away, and then hoisting them up and cutting the throat to drain the blood.

It's awful. And it's sad. But there is no other way to do it that is as fast and effective that will keep it fit for consumption. It's not perfect, but it's about the best they can do.

Edit: Yes to everything said above me! Mexico horse slaughter is absolutely brutal. Better to do it here where it is regulated.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
slaughter will never be a beautiful thing.. Of any animal.. there is and will always be blood, gore and death.. Even in the best run slaughter houses you will not get a 100% kill rate, for which is usually dealt with immediatly.

I went with a friend once to have their beefer butchered, I was curious and decided to watch the procedure.. It is actually suprisingly quick.. they wasted no time in getting him in the chute, taking a shot (only rendered the guy unconcious btw), hoisting him up and cutting his throat (they cut down the jugular not across it- he gave a slight groan when they did this but was way to out of it to do anything else) , and he was bled out..all of ^this^ could not have taken more than three minutes.. from chute to death.. Was it a pretty thing to watch?? NO, But Knowing how quick it is once the animal is on the kill floor reassured me. Are there sick individuals out there that do sick things to animals in slaughter houses?? YES, and its sad.. but this type of thing is not the norm. A hoisted up concious prey animal IS A DANGEROUS THING.

Do yourself a favor and instead of watching all of the anti slaughter propoganda out there that PETA and the HSUS put out there, go educate yourself with real information. If you find after doing that, that you still don't agree with what happens- then that is fine...But judging by what you said, you are pretty darn un educated on the matter.

I am sick of anti slaughter people always assuming that people who work in slaughter houses are somehow screwed up in the head.. truth is is its a GOOD paying job..swift will start you off at $17 an hour+ benefits to gut..

Also That HSUS video of the chino california plant where the downer cows were bulldozed by the fork lift...THEY WAITED MONTHS to release the video at a time that would be convenient to further their agenda...How is that for animal love??

Or the video of the cattle blinking after being strung up?? Its a brain function that happens after death (they brain is often the last thing to actually die)..saw this with my own eyes..
 
#11 ·
As sad as horse slaughter is, it is a humane option. Think about it this way... If people were no longer able to send their horses to slaughter, what would happen to the hundreds of thousands of horses sent each year? Short answer, being shot, left to starve, beaten to death etc.... There doesn't seem to be any good answer here.

I find it so sad that so many beautiful horses are killed each year but even more upsetting is them being loaded into cattle cars and driven hundreds or thousands of miles to Mexico then standing them out on kill farms starving or with broken bones or other injuring waiting to be killed. As sad as it is, it is much more humane to end their suffering here, and doing it quickly. The way they do it here beats other methods used elsewhere.

There is nothing wrong with having strong emotions over this subject as it shows you have a big heart. Save the horses you can. Encourage others to adopt vs. breed when possible etc... Beyond that, work to do the most humane thing one can do at the end. Educate all those that you can.
 
#12 ·
We've already seen the horrific outcome of what happens to horses when there is no outlet for those who are unwanted....people abuse, neglect, leave them to starve, turn them loose to fend for themselves...
I hate that we have come to the place where we have to dispose of so many unwanted horses. But it beats the alternative of having them die slow, agonizing deaths or meet with tragic accidents because their owner could not or would not take care of them.
A lot of people blame the small, back yard breeder, and to an extent they have a part in the horse overpopulation....but I put just as much if not more blame on the shoulders of the huge ranches with 20, 30, 50 or even hundreds of broodmares dropping foals each year. Most of those foals end up flooding auction rings across the country. Only a select few of those foals produced are deemed "high quality" and go on to represent the ranches and stallions who produced them. And what's worse is the major breed associations encourage and reward them with notoriety.
So with so many horses being mass produced, and not enough homes for them all...and with the economy the way it is now, making it difficult to impossible for the average person to properly house and care for a horse, there just is no other humane way to deal with this problem at the moment.
Slaughter is a necessary evil. Sad, yes. But necessary none the less.
 
#15 ·
Yes that's possible. But I attend New Holland auction quite often. I can recognize all of the kill buyers, they are buying for about $35-50 per horse.

So if someone is really desperate, and needs to earn money, they could steal your horse rather than someone going to an auction and just buying one.

I think the risk outweighs the benefits though.
 
#16 ·
Thus the reason the bless the food on your plate and thank god for it.

Something had to die for it to be there and it deserves our gratitude and respect.
 
#17 ·
With all the free horses on Craigslist, it isn't necessary to steal them.

People pose as good homes all the time when their intentions are less than stellar.

Free horses go to slaughter, free dogs go to testing facilities and dog fighting rings. Not always of course, but are you willing to take that chance?

Pets should never be given away free to strangers.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#25 ·
If you have a companion horse, why would you take it auction therefore subjecting it to slaughter ? If you r horse is too ill too old too lame you have 3 choices, let it die naturally (painfull), have it euthanized (painfull) have it slaughtered ( painfull) .
Horse meat.. not until the products used on horses state " safe for animals used for slaughter. Until then.. no way. Not my horses. But liek with the millions of cats and dogs that die every year , what happens to the unwanted horses, starved to death ? shipped to Mexico used for Charro rodeo tripping ? tortured before slaughtered.. There is one solution.. if you get a horse, keep it until it dies. Dont be breeding .
 
#27 ·
If you r horse is too ill too old too lame you have 3 choices, let it die naturally (painfull), have it euthanized (painfull) have it slaughtered ( painfull).
Why do you say humane euthanasia is painful?

I am curious how many people on this forum have actually received any training in regards to the slaughter process, or even euthanasia for that matter. There are indicators we look for to ensure that these animals pass in a painless, humane manner. Spasms are normal and do not indicate pain. Instead, look for a "righting response" when the animal is hung for bleeding. This means, if the animal is truly unconscious, it might thrash but the neck will remain limp because the animal is not trying to right itself.

It is normal for an animal to be rendered unconscious, not killed, prior to slaughter. This facilitates proper bleeding. I am not against slaughter, but it needs to be humane. Most slaughter facilities are not designed for horses. They are designed for cattle, which think differently than horses. Cattle should never see people in a good slaughter facility, and should be relatively quiet as this indicates they are not overly stressed.

Proper restraint ensures that whatever method of rendering insensible to pain is used, the animal will go down with one hit. A squeeze chute for cattle should close from both sides not one side. Do horses respond to squeeze chute? I don't know, I haven't seen any research on that subject and I have never put one of my horses in a squeeze chute. I have been to large slaughter plants when the pneumatic captive bolt gun was defective so they had to hit the animal a second time, with a backup, and it was very quick, I don't think it caused undue stress.

I encourage everyone to do thorough research on slaughter and euthanasia. It doesn't have to be a terrible thing. We as humans have the power to "play God" by ending suffering, and euthanasia is truly the final act of love, not something to be feared. I wouldn't personally eat a horse that hasn't been raised for meat, but who am I to judge people that do. As long as the animal is humanely killed, I see nothing wrong with not letting the flesh go to waste.
 
#26 ·
I don't know about any other places, but the horse industry here is kind of taking a brutal landslide. With the price of hay a lot of people can no longer afford to keep their horses anymore and no one wants to buy, so what are they supposed to do with these horses that they can't sell? To be quite honest I would rather send my horses to slaughter than let them sit in their paddock and starve to death. It's a sad reality, but without slaughter there would be twenty times more cruelty cases.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stevenson
#28 ·
How can you say it is not Painful ? Are the nerve conductors attached to show that the nerves have not responded ? Euthanasia basically stops the heart.. have you watched the face of a horse that is being euthed ? and i have seen a horse that while still breathing spasmed . Being shot hurts .
I did forget a fourth option.. you can send the horse to a zoo , large cat facility, and they can put a bullett in its head and use it to feed the lions etc.
 
#29 ·
Yes, I have. And if that is your experience, then your vet is not doing it right. A sedative should be delivered before the shot that kills the horse.

And if you are not doing chemical euthanasia, then one well-placed bullet would drop the horse without it even knowing what is going on.

In my personal experience, the most pain comes from the reason you chose to euthanize.... hence the need for the euthanasia.
 
#30 ·
I watched the Vet Sedate the horse,I was holding the lead rope and it was enough . I am not against Euthanization, slaughter or a bullet to the head. I just do not consider them to be pain free.. LEss pain than abuse less pain than starvation.
I am against using horse meat , That has been treated with Medications that state DO NOT use for animals intended for slaughter, for human consumption.
I am against Charro rodeos, cow tripping, tiping and same for the horse tripping. I am against BUll fighting as done in Spain. I am against Dog and Chicken fighting. That is all painfull to the animal . I am against breeding just because you have a mare or stallion. Same for dogs,, cause you are just gonna get rich doing so.
 
#31 ·
As a veterinarian, I have euthanized horses as well as other animals to relieve their suffering and pain.

It is incorrect to claim that it is painful. The barbiturate in the drug anesthetizes the animal. The potassium stops the heart.

Have you ever been anesthetized? Same difference, except they don't wake up. It is like turning out a light.
 
#33 ·
I stated I believed it was painful. I have had over the years, due to horses age , guts failing, old dying horses euthed. THe horse I saw in PAIN had been tranked, had the full kill dose. THis horse when it hit the ground, tried to rise, curled her legs up bought her head and neck and it was awful. The horses nostrils were flared , it Moaned , Now it was not like 5 or 10 minutes went by, it was probably within one or two minutes, but that horse was in pain . It still Haunts me. Maybe the VEt had done something wrong, but with the full dose that horse felt it. One VEt did not admin enuf on a huge draft, and that horse had to have a second full dose, and it did not show as much pain as the mare , but the facial expression on the Draft was awful also.
 
#35 ·
Yes, I agree. And personally, if this was the same vet who did both of these euthanasias I would not ask them to care for my animals again.

I interned at a rehab center this last summer. Sadly, a lot of animals have to be euthed because we just can't do anything for them. Every single one I witnessed was painless and humane. The animal - whether it be a fox or a tiny sparrow - was sedated and put under, and then delivered an injection into their heart. The last thing any of them remembered was peacefully falling asleep, and that is how it should be every single time any animal is ever put to sleep.
 
#36 ·
Hon, i appreciate your concern for the welfare of the horses. Some posters are incorrect in stating the majority of posters on this forum are pro slaughter. I do not recall filling out a survey question when i registered asking my stand on equine slaughter. I am not pro slaughter but am in favor of humane euthanisia of stupid owners.

If you would like to make a difference, volunteer at a local rescue and read, read, read about the issues. We all make a difference in this world. We just need to decide if it will be good or bad.
Be well
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top