That was a very well written article....thanks for sharing. I have witnessed some of the phenomenon mentioned first hand at the Billings, Montana, horse auction, one the largest on the North American continent. I also follow the monthly sales report via a newsletter and online. Finished pleasure horses......many times grade, bring a minimum of $5,000. Many go for 7K and much higher. Many baby boomers, such as myself, perfer a finished horse, as the article pointed out. In last month's newsletter, the owner of the Billings sale put out a nationwide plea to contact members of state legislatures nationwide to bring back slaughter. He poignantly pointed out that is much better to have the horses going to U.S. slaughter plants, with controls in place, vs. a terrible trip and slaughter in Mexico. Unbrokes at the sale, with respectable papers are going for $50 - $100. Some are being bought and left behind at the sale barn. I suppose the dealers buy, then take the best, and leave the rest. At those prices, it can be done.  I was talking with an acquaintance last weekend who told me (I do not have any verification) that horse slaughter is now occurring off shore, in international waters. Can you imagine the last trip for some of these horses, if in fact, this is true? The old adage "the cheapest price you pay for a horse is the purchase price" is so true. "Free" horses are not free. While seasoned horse folks understand this, newbies, many times, do not. Too bad folks don't take the time to add up hay, grain, board, vet bills, emergency vet bills, equipment, etc., before taking the plunge. Many of these "free" horses will probably be passed on as "free" if they are lucky. It also sounds as if the tax structure needs changed to benefit trainers.  

Brenda     

Yep, well written I agree. 

Another thing I have noticed in my area is with how the economy has been, not many people have a whole lot of extra money to spend either.  As a trainer, the past 2 yrs I have had an increase in people asking for trades in exchange for training. Quite a few of them too have alot of young unbroke horses.  Alot of them also ask about payments or want to have their horse here for a very short time.  I have gotten requests to get a horse started under saddle in 2 wks.

As far as buying horses, many people in my area don't want to pay much  and they don't care if they have a brand name.  From what I have seen the avg horse owner in my area doesn't want to spend on their horses.  Alot of them try to get by cheap.  Sometimes they are so cheap that they are endangering themselves, horses with bad quality horses, tack, equip. 

I have been debating about breeding my mare who is a daughter of a leading top 5 sire app.  I had gotten it thrown in when I bought her that I could get a breeding off a stallion that the seller has.  He is a nice stud but not necessarily a brand name.  The question I guess one has to ask themselves is are you breeding to sell or are you breeding to keep.  If you breeding to keep, make sure it is something that you will want.  Actually, for resale value, what one should do is breed her to the top leading sire.    

The way the horse market is going is part of the reason I went back to school for nursing.  This way I can train horses but I still have the nursing job as a back up. 

I guess the dressage market is more insulated...

Lower level horse prices are very steady and the upper level horses are still rising in cost...

Also, imports are still occurring at a fairly brisk clip...

Training fees are still fairly secure...highly variable based on skill level...currently anywhere from $35/hr to $150/hr

I'm not taking sides with slaughter. I can understand the reasoning behind both sides but now that it's banned, why do we allow them to be hauled out of the country? In my opinion there are strings dangling which are associated with the ban that apparently weren't addressed.

Long read but a good one.

I do believe bringing back slaughter would help balance the market again.  But I also believe there needs to be cut backs on breeding.  It is ironic, I hear stallion owners blaming mare owners, yet when those mare owners call up and say I have cash in hand, the stallion owners don't turn them down.  It takes two to reproduce.  Yet nobody wants to slow the flow. 

I suggest we bring back slaughter, work on better humane euthenasia and enforcement.  As it is we are all hurting by this now.

I can understand lesser people wanting to buy trailers.  I have been looking at getting a different one.  Because the price of metal the trailer I have been looking at has been increasing aleast 4% in price every yr.  They are getting quite pricey when you try to figure out how you are going to make payments on one.  I was going sell my present one but it appears too that no one wants to pay much for it.  So then you figure that it is easier to just keep what you have.

Horse hauling?  What a joke.  Are they also gonna to illegalize hauling other livestock and animals then?  I haven't read the article but it sounds like the people who are pushing it are for animal rights.

This one's for you GeneBob...

http://www.aqha.com/email/ActionAlertSB311.html

AQHA ACTION ALERT - SENATE BILL 311

Dear AQHA Member:

TRANSPORTING ANY HORSE FOR ANY ACTIVITY MAY BE AT RISK!

Senator Mary Landrieu (D)-Louisiana, has succeeded in scheduling Senate Bill 311 for a floor vote. You may recall this bill reads “To amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes.

Senator Landrieu has offered the following amendment to this bill:

Section 3 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1822) is amended to add the following:

`(1) horses and other equines play a vital role in the collective experience of the United States and deserve protection and compassion;
`(2) horses and other equines are domestic animals that are used primarily for recreation, pleasure, and sport;
`(3) unlike cows, pigs, and many other animals, horses and other equines are not raised for the purpose of being slaughtered for human consumption;
`(4) individuals selling horses or other equines at auctions are seldom aware that the animals may be bought for the purpose of being slaughtered for human consumption;
`(5) the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture has found that horses and other equines cannot be safely and humanely transported in double deck trailers;'; and
(3) by striking paragraph (8) (as redesignated by paragraph (1)) and inserting the following:
`(8) the movement, showing, exhibition, or sale of sore horses in intrastate commerce, and the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation in intrastate commerce of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, adversely affect and burden interstate and foreign commerce;'.

(c) Prohibition- Section 5 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1824) is amended--

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (8) through (11) as paragraphs (9) through (12), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph 7 the following:
`(8) The shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or other equine to be slaughtered for human consumption.'.

(d) Authority To Detain- Section 6(e) of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1825(e)) is amended--

(1) by striking the first sentence of paragraph (1);
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) and as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and
(3) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as redesignated by paragraph (2)) the following:

`(1) The Secretary may detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence--

`(A) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction that is sore or that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and
`(B) any horse or other equine that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of section 5(8).'.

 (e) Authorization of Appropriations- Section 12 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1831) is amended by striking `$500,000' and inserting `$5,000,000'.

This bill may have far-reaching effects on our members and their ability to buy and sell horses. Members may sell horses unaware of the buyer's intent with the animal and to where it may be transported, possibly resulting in legal ramifications for the seller. This legislation is vague and ambiguous and its passage could have far-reaching consequences. We urge you to contact the senators of your state and voice your opposition to this legislation and the funding to enact it. To contact your senator, telephone (202) 224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your senators' offices. When speaking with your Senators' office, please tell them you are opposed to Senate Bill 311 as written.

Congress resumes business on Monday, December 3^rd. Please do your part and call on Monday!

AQHA PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE

Just copy the lines you want...open a post/reply on this site and paste...

rk

Many vets will NOT euthenize a healthy horse, even if the horse is considered a danger.

Also, there are far less rendering companies now than ever, you have to pay at least $200-300 for them to pick up a horse because they have to come so far now and with high fuel costs.

So is it better for them to be turned loose and fend for themselves, thus endangering wildlife and humans when they cross a road?  These horses are domesticated, they don't have the wherewithal that the mustangs have.  Many don't have the immunity built up as the mustangs do.

We are seeing more and more neglect cases BECAUSE the horses are not going to slaughter in the USA.  Thanks to bleeding hearts like yourself, they are in for WORSE torture in Mexico. 

By the way how many hundred have you taken in?????  I have gotten emails, letters, even phone calls from animal rescues pleading for money because they can't take care of the unending surge of horses coming in.

Trust me, there are folks out there taking pictures of the horses getting turned loose, of the rise in neglect cases all...thanks to folks like you.

I don't believe folks are breeding for meat.  There may be a minor few who do, but the bulk do not.  What happens isn't the big breeders, it is the backyard breeders who breed unregistered stud to swayback mare because of "convenience" and because they want a cutesy foal.  Then the foal grows up, has no manners, hurts someone and wham..ends up at auction.

Sometimes there are horses that are born downright mean, and nobody can change them for the better.

We don't live in a perfect world.  There is always going to be things that go on we don't care for. 

I would much rather see a horse go the way of captive bolt vs a slow agonizing death.   The rescues out there are so overburdened.  They are turning horses away.  Where are all the bleeding hearts?  You got your vote, now where is YOUR action in this situation to provide for these animals you want rescued????

I don't see you buying them at auction, I don't see you at the kill pens bringing them home.  I went to the sale two weeks ago and prices are the lowest I have ever seen in my entire life.

You want to do right by the horses, get the senators to amend the bill and get slaughter back.  At least it is a heck of alot better than seeing horses wasting away in a field. 

Many well read well reasoned opinions here.  Agree with the poster above, as well.

Just a side note, the bolt gun has put down 1000's of animals at the commercial meat (not horse) company I am acquainted with.  These animals go down instantly... their skulls are quite a bit thicker than a horse's.  Not saying this is perfect, but 99% of the time is very very effective, there is not a perfect system, but certainly animals dying of infestation, colic, wounds and starvation is much less humane.  And, if you read that bill thoroughly, I would like to know the legal provision in there for hauling a sore or lame horse to ... the vet?  One would then also be breaking the law...  I too, will be in contact with my representatives, telling them that common sense must prevail, and that bill be defeated in that it represents an emotional response, and not a reasoned one.

RK

How many horses have you taken in?  How many crippled ponies have you taken in?  How many miles have you driven to pick up a crippled pony?  Or unwanted colt?  How many horses do you have buried in your land?

It appears that you are regurgitating something from an animal rights site and that the info is out of date.  There is only one slaughter plant for horses in the US and it is in IL.  That is the problem;  there should be a slaughter facility in every state. That way it would be unnecessary to haul slaughter bound horses any distance.