Hi Anne, that's great that you found a good one at auction. Yup, auctions you have to have a clue and a bit of luck doesn't hurt either. ;)

Deranger, perhaps when I have more time, I'll try that. :)

Why not do the same for cats and dog?

I don't know what planet your on, but the pound/humane society does euthanate cats and dogs.  There may be a blackmarket for dogs overseas, but since dogs have more than one pup at a time, I don't see why anyone would have to import them for food. 

And even if breed associations limit the registeration of babies to owners with a liscence, it would not stop people from breeding.  Lots of people don't care about papers as long as the horse has the abiltiy to do the job.

How do you figure the meat is more tender?  If they are being bred for the table, they aren't running loose for years.  Yes, in this country they are not slaughtered for food.    But not all cats and dog end up in a pound.  Lots are neglected/abandonded and starve or get shot as strays.  Is that better for them than being slaughtered?  I don't think so. 

And how do you propose to keep the "breeding stock" in the hands of liscenced breeders?    Are you going to take all the mares in the country away from their owners and give them to breeders?  Are we only going to be allowed to own geldings?  The only thing the registeries can do is refuse to register the babies and maybe fine/kick out the horse owners and cancel reg papers.  But what about all the studs that AREN'T registered?  How are you going to keep track of the unregistered mares that foal?  Or the registered ones that aren't reported? 

I'm not for breeding everything that moves, my stud was gelded, my dogs have been fixed, heck I'VE been fixed.  But what you propose still won't stop the over breeding.  The big breeders will get liscences and keep on breeding as they have.  How many foals does it take a racing operation to get a winner?   It won't make anyone breed less, it won't stop people with unregistered animals from breeding.  It won't stop strays from breeding.

I don't like the idea of slaughter, but until horses are on the endangered list I think it has its place. 

I just do not like the animal to be beaten be for slaughtering that is my biggest problem

They don't beat the animals before they slaughter them.  Why does someone have to say stop?  Because someone famous doesn't like horse meat?  Well I don't like rabbit or deer or lamb.  So should people be forced to stop hunting rabbit and deer?   Or stop raising sheep?   Some countries use cattle as work animals, should we stop eating them because it may upset them?

I understand what your saying, your horses are your pets.  Mine are.  When I was in 4-H my steers, lambs, rabbits, hogs and turkeys were my pets.  Well maybe not the turkey, but I'm not going to have fits about others wanting to eat them.    As long as there is a market for horse meat in the world there will be suppliers.  I would rather them eat the unwanted/injured animals than create a black market for stolen animals or "puppy mills" (horsey mills?)    Even if what you propose came to be somehow, that would simply shift the supply point.  The horses would be taken to Mexico to be slaughtered.  It still wouldn't stop it.

You are right in everything you wright, but the aution place that I have been to (P.A.) the horses that are sold to slaughter buyers are beaten in the pen and as the get on the truck.

Why are they beaten?  Because they wont get in the trailer?  If you think its excessive, report it to the sheriff.   Not all auctions are like this and people shouldn't assume all auctions beat the animals.  That would be like saying all boys have short hair and all girls wear makeup.

Superhuman, unearthly strength, inherent gentleness. Humans abuse their power while horses use theirs only for good.  

I love the way they are trying to "humanize" the horse. 

The passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 1915) would put in place a permanent and immediate ban on both the slaughter of horses in the U.S. and the exportation of live horses for slaughter abroad.

That may shut down the slaughter plants, but it will create far more problems than it solves.

These horses, from the special stock of one of the founders of the APHA, were to be auctioned after the owner died last year.

While he did take 11 horses (registered healthy animals), they are obviously not "representative" of what usually ends up at an auction.  Of course it will cause people to feel sorry that healthy horses are being sent to auction, why don't they adopt and advertize the average horse that goes through the ring.  The ones that bite, kicks, bucks, or has a bad joint and is unsafe to ride/handle.

I changed the picture in my profile to show my old mare.  That is what she looked like when I brought her home 4 years ago.  The sheriffs dpt caught someone leaving her on the side of the road.  They were just going to abandon her.  They said they didn't want to pay the vet to put her down and thought only cattle could be sold at the auction barn.   If this bill passes I expect a lot more will end up like her. 

Oh, she needed some teeth pulled, teeth floated her feet trimmed and a very strict de worming schedule.  She is now healthy and being ridden by my 5yr old. 

Highlight: Unintended Consequences of a US Ban on the Human Slaughter of Horses

Horse Slaughter Ban: Get the Facts.

The House of Representatives recently passed HR 503 to ban the slaughter of horses in the United States. The bill is now moving to the Senate for a vote. The link to the Senate bill is:

Senate Bill

My grandmother lived on a farm which killed the chickens, pigs, cow, lambs, sheep for food and clothes.  She told me it was part of life.  She also taught me about keeping animals.  We have only one horse, we will be breeding her next year.  We only want one baby - what we can afford and love.  I do not like to any animal to be put to sleep or abused.  I have gone to auctions but not to a slaughter house.  Weither the answer is the slaughter house, the auction place, a retirement home.  There has to be a place for them.  I want my horse to live a happy life but I do not know the future.  I would not want my horse to starve to death either.  In the furture I am hoping for a middle of the road solution - but I do not see one so far.