The tax incentive isn't to specifically breed horses, however for her acreage she needs to do something considered agricultural to qualify for agriculture property taxes rather than residential/single resident property taxes. The agricultural taxes being lower.

This woman chose the simplest way for her by breeding horses. I have a friend that rather than breeding horses, leases her back 5 acres to the farmer next to her for planting crops. Thus she can claim agricultural taxes and save money.

No ranting from me, only suggesting that those that really, really want to slaughter horses find a state that would like to accommodate the practice. I've been fairly neutral, though I can say I've never condoned the slaughter of horses. I certainly have been appalled as a caring human being as to how horses are treated on the way to that horrible fate.

Maybe double deckers for horses are supposed to be illegal for horse transport, but that doesn't stop them from being used. There was the controversial roll over of a double decker with horses three years ago in Kentucky that killed 20 some horses.

It seem there was another one in Missouri in December 2006. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=8295&nID=14

As far as I can see only certain states have passed their own laws prohibiting the use of double decker cattle trailers for horses and only a handful at that.

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/transport/transportindex.htm

And no worries horses are still being shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. They really are.

I don't think raising the registeration fees would do much.  I think it would lead to more horses that don't have their papers sent in or fewer people buying registered horses.  I know that the guy that bought my gelding when I moved has not and said he will not transfer the papers because he doesn't want to pay for a $50 membership fee on top of the transfer fee.

Is it just me or is the time wrong on all the posts?  Its NOT 4am, its 3pm.

Thank you Yvette, you explained it much better than I.  She does receive ag status for having a foal born every other year.  Again I am sure many other states have such incentives.   One of those crazy goverment things, like paying farmers not to grow things!

Raising the fees would not do any good.  It costs $200 to register a TB and yet look how many are foaled each year, and look how many get used up each year.  CANTER can not keep up with them.  Also Michigan's Great Lakes Downs is set to close this year and that will send literally thousands more to auctions as with fuel prices being so high, many of the trainers won't go to Beulah, or Mountaineer, or down south to race.  We are already seeing people setting horses loose in state parks and rural areas.  There was a big thing about it down in Indiana.   You can't give horses away right now.   The market is over saturated.  Thanks to the wonderful pushing of the anti slaughter bill horses are being inhumanely treated in Mexico.  Go visit the slaughter plant down there.  

I think slaughter is a necessary evil, I am not on this planet to judge others who choose to eat horses, just as I would hope others don't judge me for eating beef, poultry or pork.   Shoot...dairy cattle are more inhumanely treated than slaughtered horses.  They have their tails docked so they can't swish at flies (thought is they contaminate the milk when swishing their tails as they are being milked).  Turkeys have their beaks cut off so they don't  peck eachother.  Yet I see everyone sliding up to the table on Thanksgiving to eat their fill.  Yet you folks aren't clamoring over that.

That poor nag down the road, the one the Amish worked so hard and stoved up isn't going to get a quick death now, but will be starved because they won't feed a useless animal.  How humane is that?  Oh by the way...they don't prosecute the Amish because of their religious beliefs. 

The Amish do breed indescriminately yet there is nothing we can do about it.  You also have those breeding their well bred stallion and well bred mare, and you can NOT guarantee good conformation even though the two have great conformation.  There is no guarantee in breeding except for homozygous color traits.  

I have seen myself a 250k stallion bred to a 100k mare, the foal came out roman nosed and has mutton withers, short necked and long coupled. 

Yet I have seen a horse that had conformational issues  bred to a nice stallion and have a drop dead gorgeous foal that went on to win big time. 

What needs to be done is the stallion owners need to be more responsible.  Slaughter does need to be kept, but have the laws enforced and more stringent requirements for slaughter.  The horse has to be examined by a vet and a professional certified trainer, and certified unfit for rehabilitation whether soundness or mentally. 

Before going through the auction ring each horse should be evaluated.  If found unfit for a prosperous life then send it through a separate ring.  If found to have potential put it through and restrict the slaughter folks from bidding on them.