let me first say thank you for putting on this topic i was just on my way to post it when i saw yours i am an anti-equine-slaughter-ist. i have been trying to protest it around here but nobody cares. um i strongly protest horse slaughter (obviously) the topic right now is very unstable. thanx!

I think slaughter is a necessary evil.   I agree that if every person who was against slaughter took in two horses we wouldn't have the slaughter problem!  The reality is 80% of those against it live in major cities and do not have facilities to care for these animals.   They see shows like Houston Animal Cops on Animal Planet and think..awww...we have to save them all! 

For some slaughter is where they should be.  They are either so crippled they can not live a productive life, or they are so dangerous it would be a shame to keep them alive because of the liability involved.

I do believe in stronger regulations on horse slaughter and transporting.  But it has to start with educating those who get a horse first and foremost.  90% of those ending up at auction are because of owner ignorance.  The horses usually start out with a good life are sold to someone who is new to horses, they do not know how to feed, care, and maintain a horse properly.  They think it is cute to hand feed that foal or even an adult horse, eventually that horse starts getting nippy because it is expecting that treat, next thing you know old Dobbin is getting mighty cantankerous and they do not know how to curb this bad behavior!

The other scenario is those folks who have a foal because they want the "experience" of having a foal.  Yet they don't take the time to work with the foal, realize these cute little critters can be mighty lethal with those sharp small round hooves!   I have had a leg broken because of a weanling.  I would much rather have a 2000 pound clydes stand on my toes than have that happen ever again.

Before we ban something, we need to come up with a viable solution.  Something that is going to work permenantly.  You don't slap a bandaid on a gaping wound with bone sticking out!   In other words, banning slaughter isn't going to solve horse overpopulation and ignorance involved. 

Education is tantemount here.   Accountability on the part of the horseowner is where it starts.  If you raise foals for selling, be sure your buyer is educated on horse ownership, the joys and the pitfalls, the unexpected expenses involved.

I don't think banning slaughter is the answer. We need a solution that will work on caring for these excess horses.  Accountability...first and foremost.

I forgot to mention that I wrote and personally spoke with my congress reps and senators.  I told them if they support anti slaughter I expect each and every one of them to go and give a home to an unwanted horse.  Want to know the reply I got back?  I don't have the time or place for keeping a horse.  Yet they want to ban slaughter.  How can you support a bill without yourself helping in the solution of the problem.  Slaughter isn't the problem, over population of horses is the problem, accountability of horse owners is the problem, not enough animal control officers, not enough rescue resources is the problem.  Slaughter is just an ends to a means.   It costs over $200 to humanely euthenize a horse and dispose of its body.  80% of all townships in the USA do not allow burial of large animals on your property.  Alot of folks do not realize this.  It has to do with underground water contamination.  You can thank the Farmers in the 70's with the dairy cow disease scare.  They planted all those dead cows in the ground and contaminated underground streams.  So now virtually in every state there are laws against it.  To have a horse removed and to be rendered is around $100-400 depending on your location.  So you see why folks send their horses to slaughter.  Instead of paying 2-700 for putting their horse down, they get paid $100-500.  That is the situation they are facing. We have 6 horses here.  We keep several thousand in the bank for emergencies in case the horses get sick, or injured.  We also have insurance for liability, surgery, if they should die.   If you can not keep a couple thousand in the bank, I personally don't think you should have  a horse.  If a horse gets hurt you are responsible by law for their care.  If you don't have the money for vet bills you don't need a horse!!!  Horses are like kids...very very expensive and a long term committment.  They are not cheap to maintain. 

I have seen more than one horse that NEEDS to be on a plate in France. Due to us overbreeding there is a real problem with to many horses right now, what do you suppose we should do about it. And would everybody quit turning worthless horses into Broodmares and Studs.

As HW asked...what kind of solution will you have in place if slaughter is banned?  Slaughter isn't the problem..over population is.  I disagree that 90% are sound young horses going to slaughter.  Young horsemeat is not as tender as the older horsemeat.  Look up the USDA information on it.  Those antislaughter and HSUS sites only show you want they want you to see, they want bleeding hearts.  They don't show the Whole Picture!   Again, for those against slaughter round up your buddies and buy those horses from the slaughter pens if you want to save them.  Or...find a solution and have Bob Barker do a spay or geld your horse today and help reduce the equine population.  Even if a horse has impeccible bloodlines, it may not have impeccible conformation.  More folks need to sell their horses with restricted registration papers.  You can do this!  You can sell them as a registered horse with no pedigree, which means they get a registered horse, but they will not be able to register the progeny of this horse.   If more folks did this with their horses we wouldn't have the over population.  It is a culmination of factors.  Slaughter is just an ends to a means.  The real problem is over breeding.  The next time someone is ooohing and ahhhing over a newborn foal tell them congratulations on aiding in the overpopulation of equines!

 There are some occasions where animals have to be euthanized, but slaughter is not necessary! I would no more slaughter a horse than a human! Let those frenchmen eat cake or dirt!!! or raise and kill their own animals,or better yet each other.

This crazy gov't slips more bills through undetected than we ever want to know about...it makes me rabid.

Calamity... Do you have a better solution for the overpopulation?  Horse rescues are already inundated with more than they can handle, who is going to take care of the additional excess horses?  Are you prepared to pay for the euthenasia of all of them or should it fall on the taxpayers hands? 

Are you prepared to take in every left over horse?  I have only read the rhetoric of ending the slaughter, but have not read one single solution to the problem.  What is going to happen to the excess horses?  Who is going to care for them?  Who is going to be held responsible?  Our government is shorthanded on local authorities and their budgets are stretched thin as it is due to tax cuts and budget cuts. 

As for the French being the majority importing the horsemeat...guess again.  It is the Japanese, the Koreans are a close second, then China, France is way low on the list of importing it in. 

I suppose you have never eaten a hamburger or hotdog, nor wore leather shoes, heaven forbid if you ride in a SADDLE!  Did you know that some saddles are actually made out of horsehide...gasp!  I bet you could not tell the difference!   There are ALOT of items you use everyday that have something horse in them.   Horse slaughter isn't just for meat my dear.  Cleaners, clothing items, purses, shoes, and other things utilize horse parts. 

So before you say No to horseslaughter think about the BIG picture.  Ending slaughter isn't the solution to an end of suffering for horses.  Holding horseowners responsible is, but who is willing to pay for higher taxes to enforce the laws?  Are you willing to geld your stallion, spay your mare, or even sell your mares foal with a limited registration so that its offspring can't be registered?   You can show a horse with limited registration, you just can not register any of its progeny. 

Show me the solution to the problem.  Tell me what the plan is for the excess horses if slaughter is permenantly done away with.  Until someone can show me a feasible plan, I will continue to support slaughter.  I would rather see a horse go that way then die of neglect.

have you guys even SEEN how they slaughter those animals??? its absolutly FRIGHTENING! here go here and you can see all the horror (contains graphic material) www.horsekillers.com its terrible. after you watch them THEN you tell me that you want your best friend tortured like that then finally want him/her in the chute with the bolt in the head STILL alive and beating then dead on a plate.

Ride or bust,

Are you sure that is recent footage and not something from like ten years ago?  Have you authenticated it?  There is so much folks can do digitally now to make things look horrific.  Unless you have actually been to a facility in operation recently I wouldn't go by what you see in those propaganda sites.  I have been to a slaughter plant.  All animals will twitch, run around, etc after being plugged.  Humans do the same thing when they die.  You don't just slump over when you die, I am an EMT.  Trust me I have seen folks and animals die in front of me.  Your body convulses, muscles contract then stiffen.  I have seen animals die much more horrificly from starvation and neglect. As an EMT I have gone into some homes of some very affluent people and their animals are starving, their "show horses" can barely stand up they are so undernourished.  They starve their studs to keep them manageable then fatten them up right before a show.  Is that humane?  So tell me what the solution is if you want to ban slaughter. I am still waiting on the solution to the excess horse issue.

Yes but difference.. we eat chickens, cows, pigs.. etc. EVERYDAY in the united states.

It's not different. 

There are places where it is taboo to eat certain animals and some that will eat anything that moves.  Horses, pigs, chicken, goats, cats, dogs, rats... they are all on the menu somewhere.  That doesn't mean it wrong just because its different. 

thank you. I DO put my $ where my mouth is and I'm blessed to have some to put there... I DO have a plot to bury mine and a backhoe to dig it with...

I think the solution is simple... stop the backyard breeders/dreamers that crank out the crap(so-called horses) and dilute the quality of the horse population! of course, THEY are also the ones diluting the quality of the human population and taking this country to hell in a hand-basket...because they are so simple... go on... eat Trigger... sorry I ranted, just had to put a favorite dog down and feeling a little too sensitive.

Calamity,

Not everyone has property that is zoned where you can "bury" your horse.  In Michigan if you get caught it is not just a local offense, but it can also be a Federal offense as they are now finding buried animals contaminate water sources.  So I would make some calls before you plant your beloved horse!  If a neighbor see's you do it and you didn't check on the zoning ordnances etc, you could be in a world of hurt financially.

It doesn't matter how many acres you have, it is all about the underground water sources.  The EPA is really cracking down on farmers, ranchers, kennels, etc.  So I would double check with your local gov't first. 

As for it being "backyard" breeders supplying the crap horses, that is baloney.  They may be 2% of the whole picture.  It is the big name breeders.  The big winning studs who will breed to any mare that has the $$$$$$$.  I know it is done because I know of a gal in Ohio who has a big name Paint Stallion.  She was breeding him to Walkers, Morgans, Arabs, Draft mares, grade mares.  If you had the $$$$ you got your mare covered.   

It is about everyone who places a bet at the race trackis.  Supply and demand.  It is about draft mares being bred to TB or Hanovarian studs so that you can get a "show jumper or dressage prospect".  It is about the standardbred breeders who throw a stud out with a band of mares so they have race prospects.

It is about those folks who think it would be cute to have a foal grow up with their kid.

It is about the unethical horseowners who sell a horse to people who are new to horses and don't know squat.  Instead of asking "key" questions and verifying they will have someone working with them, they just let them buy the horse.

It is about Rodeo Stock contractors breeding bucking stock, then when the horse doesn't buck anymore they end up at the auction. 

So you see...it is not about small time breeders, but a culmination of issues.  Are you feeling like you are Don Quixote...running at a windmill with a broomstick?  You can't sweep up and clean up all this mess by ending slaughter.  You will see more horses suffer from neglect or be on long hauls to Canada or Mexico. 

There will always be supply and demand when it comes to showing, racing, rodeos, etc.  So it doesn't do any good to point a finger at one small minute group and say they are responsible...that is just plain ignorant.

Do your research before blaming one small group.  I don't mind a debate, but at least do some studying before bringing your arguement to the table.