we love horses and they love us so stop horse slaughter

So how many of the unruly, dangerous, unhealthy ones are you going to take on?

I personally know of an Arab mare who hates anything under waist height and charges it teeth bared ears pinned ready to kill it whether it is a child or a dog, a draft pony stallion who is untouched at 16 months and chases his owner out of his pasture, and a mare who is so badly foundered all she does most of the day is lay in one place in her pasture.

well you can't just say "lets stop horse slaughter" you have to give us a link to a patition or to some site so we can stop it that way. you have to say something more then this......

I seriously hate messages that are ignorant as to this. In the US ALL horse slaughter has stopped. Which with plenty research and forethought I can say is a tragic thing. And before all of you horse crazy youngins get a boost of ego and try to attack me, atleast let me defend that statement. Everyone who petitions Against Horse Slaughter is mostly thinking of those videos on youtube, or through bulletins on myspace on how these horses are put to death. But really dont think of how they get there!? I understand that some horses dont deserve to be sent to slaughter. But like dogs or cats that are unwanted, would you rather see a cat wither away and be starved by an owner who is too selfish to care or doesnt have the money to care for that animal? Or have the owner realize that they cant care for this cat and send it somewhere where they wont have to make that animal suffer!? If you had parents who were so poor and so helpless that they could no longer care for you, give you water, or any food, wouldnt you want them to put you with someone who could care for you and make you healthy? I know i would.

Many people do not have the money to take care of these horses, and pay for proper shelter, food, and dont have the water to keep them hydrated, or maybe dont live in an area where water is that available. Also many people dont realize that horses are very much different from other animals and humans body wise. When an injury occurs with a horse it is mostly far more severe and harder to care for than that of a person or cat. And much more expensive. I have several horses myself. And just before the winter I had the vet come out and vaccinate my horses. Just for the vet to come out to my house cost nearly two hundred dollars in itself. Getting medical treatment for horses is not always an option. Sometimes you have to take things into your own hands. When a dog breaks its leg, what do you do? Carry it to your car, place it in the backseat and drive to your vet. What do you do when your horse breaks its leg? Could you bare to see your horse try to walk in severe pain that it is enduring for you to load him into a horse trailer where he will have to stand for a decent amount of time, while trying to keep balance on that leg as you turn the corner in your gooseneck?

Or how about this scenerio. You have a little girl all of your own, or even alittle boy. And all of a sudden this horse that you have had for YEARS has become extremely uneasy, rearing and pawing at you. And one day with out ANY warning you are holding your child and this horse kicks at you possibly hurting you and even worse your child. You can no longer trust this horse!! You post the horse for sale. And people come out, and the horse makes you look like a fool rearing and bucking at the sight of someone approaching. If you dont think this could ever happen youre wrong, ask any wise, older horse trainer. And as people come out, time passes by, and the horse becomes untouchable, and unsafe at your facility. Where do you take it? I dont know about the area that you live in, but there arent any adoption agencies any where close to me. And tell me one adoption agency would have a horse as that at their facility and let some one take it home knowing the horse was unsafe?!

Okay, so now horse slaughter has stopped here in the US. You dont think that horse breeding has? Every year nearly 75,000 horses were sent to slaughter. Where are all these horses going to stay? Where are all the suffering horses going to be able to go? Now that they will have to starve to death, and can you imagine the feeling. Wanting nothing more than affection, or a small hand running through their flowing mane. Only in these horses dreams and their heaven will they be able to feel that way once again. there arent enough Adoption agencies to care for all these unwanted horses. I get nearly ten requests a day from all sorts of Horse adoption agencies telling their story about how as the increase in horses taken in by the shelter has increased their cost of living at the shelter and are requiring more shelter. Are you going to give them the money to feed and care for these horses too. Funny sounds like the same problem that brought the horses to slaughter in the first place; No money to care for them. So think about all this when you see someone post silly statements like "Help Stop Horse Slaughter".

Well said Mandy. I agree. Many people that are against horse slaughter havent seen the reality of irresonsible horse owners. But now that they have stopped horse slaughter in the US, where it was at least regulated to some degree. They are now being shipped to Mexico and Candada, while I dont know about Canada, horse slaughter is not regulated nearly what it was in the US. That is bad news for the horses. Instead of dying under the regluated practices by an American facility they are dying in unregulated Mexican slaughterhouses. I am sure there are horror stories and some of them are probably true but there are always people who dont follow the rules no matter what they are doing. Recently there was a post about a dog being euthanized incorrectly and coming back to life. Just because someone did it wrong mean that all euthanizations should be banned on account of that one. Done humanley, the slaughter plants have/had a place in the equine industry and did many favors for horses suffering by the hands of their neglectful owners. Now instead of a captive bolt to the head, he will be forced to stand in a pasture out of site with a broken leg and later die a slow death due to infection because their owners are too irresponsible to have him eutheanized by a vet.

I always ask everyone who says that to me, how many do you want to take care of? I was an avid horseback rider, until almost 2yrs ago when someone decided not to stop at a stopsign and slam into me. I am hoping when I my back heals i will be able to get back into it. But anyway, I have worked with alot of rescued horses, and seen the one put down because they could not be rehilbilitated ( I know I really messed that one up lol). I have no problems with slaughter, just wish we could find a way to transport and slaughter much more humanly.

As others have said, horse slaughter has been stopped in the USA for good or for bad. I heard with hay being scarce this year, and this being the first year with out the ability of some going to slaughter, that some people are simply 'turning horses loose'. To what? Starve to death in the winter? That's not great.

I mean, I wish that there were more rescue and rehabilitation programs for horses. I think way too many good horses were going to slaughter, but I also think some horses do need to go.

Too bad they couldn't set up a criteria, like.... the horse is untrained, of bad temperament, or has a permanent injury or fatal health problem. I don't have a problem with any of those horses to be put down in a human manner for food and processing.

Slaughter was sad and disgusting though, when it was really good horses, PMU foals, horses off the track, and other young horses that simply never had a chance, but their 'value' as a regular horse was less than the value that they could be sold for meat.

Then there is also the issue of how they are transported (abuse during transport) and how the actual slaughter is carried out. I like horses every bit as much as dogs or cats and I hate to think of their last ride and their last moments filled with fear and pain.

It's not a simple black and white issue, most serious matters aren't. It's too bad there wasn't an agency to oversee horse slaughter and have it be for the good of all horses in general, instead of money alone.

I have to ask where you find all of these sadistic people who would rather harm their cargo than get paid. A trucker's load is his paycheck and it is in his best interest to get it there in one piece. Sometimes accidents happen no matter what the species you are hauling but you sure don't want to see it.

They don't slaughter foals, they take them to feedlots and grow them up. There aren't but a very few PMU barns still operating any more in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota. The last time I heard here in Canada draft crosses were selling at 30 to 40 cents a pound, light horses 50 cents. I wouldn't call that a profitable alternative to selling a broke horse. I called one of the local meat buyers last fall because I was dealing on a mare who had no training or particular pedigree at 9 and I needed to know what a fair base price would be.

TJ, thats also kind of my point. There will be occasional accidents and people try to make that the norm when its really not as common as they think. I am sure there a few bad horse slaughter haulers out there that simply dont care about their freight and toss them around like a load of corn flakes and yes they need fired and dealt with accordingly. There are going to be "bad" people in every industry but that doesnt mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water. A few people probably seen a few saddistic people and made it sound like all horse haulers and slaughter plants were that way. I am sure there are just as many if not more accidents with cattle and pigs but it doesnt make the headlines like horses do and most people dont have personal attachments to cattle or swine. What I hope people realize from the slaughter mess and it will take time but its starting to dawn on some people already, breeding needs left to people who know what they are doing, just like with pets. Many, not all, but alot of the slaughter horses at least from my area are usually the result of inexperienced people breeding their mare to the neighbors stallion just because they want a cute fuzzy foal not realizing they grow up into large hay burners usually with poor manners and ill tempered. Also "horse farms" breeding a band of mares to a stallion with no purpose in mind for a breeding program other than to produce a certain color or other purpose not related to performance capabilities or even mental soundness. Very similar as with dogs, breeding for a goal of some sort and using certain standards and evaluation of both sire and dam to come out with an exceptional masterpiece designed to do something better than anybody else. While not everyone wants or can afford a show horse, even breeding for just good solid trainability and substance is acceptable. Most of the foals I produce which arent many are from carefully planned crossings of sire and dam. My goal, the ultimate reining/ranch horse. The bloodlines I choose are specific and versatile. Lets just say lets produce 75,000 less horses a year and then we wont need a place to dispose of them. Since fewer horses are going to slaughter, the prices are down for low quality horses many of the careless breeders are selling out and not breeding anymore because its not worth it. Did that make sense to anybody?

I've been to several horse auctions in my life and I assure you that foals DO go to slaughter, and are in the kill pen just like any other horse. They are not going to put milk replacer and feed in to a foal for months to grow it. That's not what horse slaughterers do. They buy them by weight and take them to slaughter.

The last time I went a few years ago, there was a Percheron mare in the kill pen with a baby that was simply too young to survive with out her, or a lot of special care. She was in a corner trying to shield her baby from the other 30 horse stuffed in the kill pen.

The whole process was NOT always humane in any way. The horse haulers don't and can't always like horses. Horses ARE constantly injured during transport because they pack all sorts of strange, scared, sick, aggressive horses in together. I'm sure your soul has to be pretty black for that job.

I am all for HUMANELY slaughtering horses with MORE REGULATIONS than they had in the past, for those horses needing it.

But if it's just for slaughtering the excess horses to bring back up the $$ market for them, so that big breeders continue to breed? That doesn't interest me. Horses have NEVER been a money maker for 90% of those who TRY to make it their profession. Today there is no 'need' for horses, they are just an expensive hobby.

I dont think I said I ever made money with my horses. I have lost many thousands of dollars but that wasnt the point in creating them. Do you know how much it cost to get my last one on the ground and the costs to ship semen on a decent stallion? If I were in it for money I would have quit many years ago. I also didnt say that the purpose of slaughter was to bring up the price of the horses. I was pointing out the cause and affect reaction due to its existance or lack there of and granted it does have an affect on the value of low quality horses, does it not? Would that not be important to someone who is indeed in it for the money and not the love of the species/breed? The price of horses doesnt mean a hill of beans to me as I really am not in it for money. I am not what you would call a "big" breeder. One foal every 2 to 3 years is hardly what I call "big". Just like you I think regulation would have been a better answer to the slaughter issue than banning it all together but population control starting with mare owners is also a good start. When I meant population control I should have said birth control.

"The whole process was NOT always humane in any way. The horse haulers don't and can't always like horses. Horses ARE constantly injured during transport because they pack all sorts of strange, scared, sick, aggressive horses in together. I'm sure your soul has to be pretty black for that job."

I've waited a whole week to respond so I could cool down sufficiently to be civil. I am going to tell you just exactly how nasty and evil these horrible livestock haulers are. Just simply the scum of the earth.

14 months ago a friend of mine was hauling a trailer full of cattle from pasture back to the farm behind another hauler with another load from the same herd. The tailgate on the first trailer opened (it was the first time they had used this brand new trailer and the door malfunctioned) and a calf was dumped on the highway. An oncoming driver swerved to miss the calf and ran head on into my friend. His truck exploded into a ball of fire. That horrible, black hearted, soulless driver was found letting the cattle out of the trailer as he burned to death!

i hate horse slaughter! I HATE THE PEOPLE WHO SLAGTER AND ABUSE HORSES! they are beautiful, innecont animals and they deserve a chance to live

tjruff-- No offense, but that is one person of many. I DID NOT SAY EVERY PERSON involved in slaughter was evil in fact if you read what you quoted I just said NOT ALL.

You CAN'T say ALL ARE GOOD, just like I can't say ALL ARE BAD. We are talking about hundreds if not thousands of people here.

Have you ever been to a BAD HORSE AUCTION and looked in the kill pen? I haven't even went since the slaughter ban, so maybe it's different-- but I can tell you that 2 springs ago it was a living hell for horses that I SAW WITH MY OWN TWO EYES and no one can tell me different.

Thank you.

YOU GO GIRL!! I am so with you Mandy I am horse person just like you I have 7 horses and I run NBHA, IBRA, and rodeos..I love my horses but now the horse market is awful and the price of horses is so down due to the fact that the meat buyers are not there. We have to have something to do the the old, sick, crippled..etc..etc..I do not agree with being cruel to the horse before they are slaughtered but that does not happen everywhere..personally I think that they should OPEN the slaughter houses back up. Now people cannot send the horses that they cannot afford to feed to the slaughter house so now they stand in the field and STARVE. So what is better a quick death in the slaughter house or a slow death in the field starving?

It may have already been said and I missed it some how but I would also like to add that horse slaughter HAS NOT stopped, US auctioned horses are now simply being sent into Mexico and Canada. From my understanding the practice of horse slaughtering at least in Mexico is very inhumane with many animals still alive as they are hung and skun. All that they did was make it truely inhumane by sending the market out of the country. US horse slaughter is more humane than the alternatives..

well everyone horse slaughter is a horrible thing. But you have to be realistic about it i mean i hate the fact that they kill and torcher innocent horse but you cant not slaughter horses if we didnt the world would be over populated with them i think what we need to stop is the inhumane slaughtering. In japan they are known for taking axes to there head, slighting throats exc i think that should stop but i think we need to downsize the amount of horses that are slaughtered. we coild do this by useing horses that have died of natural causes.Cause there is no reason for slaughtering innocent horses that did nothing to deserve that. And we definetly Have to shut down the huge breding plants that breed horses keep the foals for a year then ship them of to japan. That is very cruel. You shoudnt bring life into the world to be killed.

I agree 100%

Unfortunatly the slaughter is a nessacery evil... What happens if you have a horse that is mean and tries to hurt people, or has an injury that is not able to be fixed? The humane society sadly puts down lots of dogs and cats every day. Sometimes people who have animals fall into hard times and the owners have no way to take care of them. You can barely give away horses right now, and yes people are letting them loose to roam free. I think the way to stop all the unwanted horses is to stop the backyard breeders that think just because its colored it should be a stud,.or the ones that breed it just because it can make a baby. I own a stallion myself, but Im very responsible and only have a couple foals a year, this year I didn't even breed some of my mares and they are top of the line show quality horses. I wish people would just stop breeding for the fun of it.

I know this is an old topic. . . . . .


I am to the point now that I am against horse slaughter. Wasn't for a long time and thought it was a necessary evil. Just kinda switched sides in the last couple months.

The reasons were the same tired excuses back yard breeders use.

* The market sucks right now. Er. . . duh. The market for everything sucks right now. Slaughter has most definitely not stopped so I am at a loss as to why that keeps blaming low horse prices on slaughter.


*They are expensive. Another duh. But if you can't afford them then don't get them.Our 19 yr old costs us what it costs to keep the dogs a month. Even if it gets to the point she is a pasture pet we'll keep her around.

*End of life issues- I think people get inflated prices on what it costs to put a horse down and dispose of the body. A bullet is a couple cents and a lot kinder than the last trip to a unkind death. Some places do not allow burial but there are many places that do. There are also plants who will use the body once the horse is dead. I know barns that have holes dug before the freeze every winter just in case.


* Is the hundred you might get for meat worth it? Really? I could see if you were in the business of breeding horses for meat(which I think some byb farms are used to getting cash for mess ups)but for most horse owners this is not a livestock issue. How do you ride a horse for years and then send it to slaughter? Because thats how things are? They don't have to be that way. It is cheap enough to dispose of the horse yourself.

*The problem that causes the need for slaughter is the horrible over breeding. Same reason we have so many cats and dogs put down here. Yet there are not people out there teaching back yard horse breeders about the problem-and why would they listen? Their horses don't sell,they get paid anyway and always have a place to send them. Why reward bad irresponsible breeders?

* starving horses are not starving because slaughter is banned. They are starving because they have horrible collector owners or people who just don't care. And we all know they could still go to slaughter right now so how is that an excuse?

There are things we can do to help the unwanted horse problems.

* Breeders need to be held accountable for the horses they produce. There are breeds now who are trying to make it so breeders can step up and be responsible. With thoroughbreds breeders/trainers who send horses to slaughter are held responsible. AQHA has a program for breeders to sign up to say they will take their horses and their offspring back.

* Get it out that slaughter is not the only option at the end of a horses life. Someone used the example of a good horse turned psycho. Ok. Shoot it. I have no problem with a dangerous horse being put down. Why do you have to send it to slaughter? That seems like it leaves a lot more opportunity for people to be hurt.

* Discourage all the crazy breeding. No walkapintaloosabreds. Give to horse rescues that do gelding clinics. Many people keep horses as studs because they like conning other unknowing people to pay a stud fee and get equally bad looking foals on the ground bringing around a new crop of slaughter bound meat horses. Many do not know any better. Think something colorful will bring in money. Their pretty colored babies would never go to slaughter.




I understand there are farms that horses are just livestock, working horses. But those are the type of horses that when retired could be great trail horses or just deserve to be put down where they worked. I know some farms counted on that slaughter money which I don't agree with,but as of now they can still send over the border. I know slaughter will likely be around a long time-but there should be a record kept of who bred these horses who are going,who takes them. Tax the hell out of it.

I am having issues with my quarter horse right now. He was a mess when I got him,has gotten better but not perfect. I would never let him go and not worry someone else wouldn't be as patient as me. He was auctioned twice,once to the slaughter people. He was lucky. Our old paint mare was a skinny mess and had owners who knew nothing about floating their horses teeth. She was almost sent to auction and in her state no one in their right mind
(but us!) would have gotten her. I have a friend who rescues from sugar creek. Its heartbreaking. And they can't all be saved but with some effort more could be placed.

And does anyone realize unhealthy horses are not supposed to be shipped? So the suffering horse stuff should not apply to slaughter. But as of now they get sent anyway. If you ship a horse with a broken leg you need put down and prosecuted. Some auction places have started regulating this and going after people who bring in abused horses but only because they got fined first.