Every day in the United States horses die. NOT due to neglect or to abuse, but due to slaughter. I'll define slaughter for you: Intentional killing of these horses, for human consumption overseas in countries such as France, Belgium, Japan, and Italy. Horse meat is also eaten in Mexico.
It is illegal to eat horse meat in the United States, and also against the law to sell it. However, every day 312 horses enter the two slaughter plants in Texas... and come out in meat containers stamped with 'A Taste Of Texas'. They're shipped to various countries (mostly the ones stated above). The buyers of horse meat pay up to $20 a pound for it. That means the average horse, weighing anywhere around 1000 to 1500 pounds, could bring about $2,100.00 per horse.
The sad thing is, people in the United States had NO idea this was happening to their horses... Until Ferdinand, a famous racehorse who won the 1986 Kentucky Derby, and the 1987 Breeder's Cup, and was ALSO named 1987 Horse Of The Year, was sold to Japan in 1994 because he just wasn't a successful stud. After six years at Arrow Stud in Japan, Ferdinand still hadn't proven himself a successful sire. Therefore, he was slaughtered in a Japanese slaughter house in September of 2002.
As a racehorse, Ferdinand won eight of a total of twenty-nine starts (starts means how many races he ran) and earned $3,777,978. He retired as what was, as of then, the fifth leading money winner of all time. His victory in the Kentucky Derby gave his trainer Charlie Whittingham his first success in that classic, and it was the final career Derby win for jockey Bill Shoemaker. He was an outstanding racehorse, but couldn't prove himself an outstanding sire. So his life ended in a blood-covered kill box in 2002.
Americans were simply outraged at the Japanese for slaughtering Ferdinand... Yet soon, as more research was done on horse slaughter, we realized we shouldn't be so quick to judge.
Note: The following was taken from https://ssl.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=133600&letter_id=336521956
Facts About Horse Slaughter:
*Last year three foreign-owned slaughter plants cruelly slaughtered more than 65,000 horses for human consumption in Europe and Asia. Tens of thousands more of America's horses were exported and slaughtered in other countries.
* Slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia. Horses suffer horribly on the way to and during slaughter.
* Passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) will reduce animal suffering - hence its wide support throughout the equestrian and veterinary world, as well as the humane community.
* Americans overwhelmingly support an end to horse slaughter for human consumption (recent polls from Kentucky, Texas and Utah respectively show that 82, 72 and 69 percent of those questioned oppose the practice). In California, a 1998 ballot initiative (Prop. 6) banning horse slaughter
for human consumption passed with 60 percent of the vote.
Question: Is it true that slaughter is only a last resort for infirm, dangerous or no longer serviceable horses?
Answer: 92.3 percent of horses arriving at slaughter plants in this country are in good condition, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Guidelines for Handling and Transporting Equines to Slaughter.
Question: Will horse abuse and neglect cases rise significantly following a ban on slaughter?
Answer: There has been no documented rise in abuse and neglect cases in California since the state banned horse slaughter for human consumption in 1998. There is no documented rise in Illinois following closure of the state's only horse slaughter plant in 2002.
Question: If there is a ban on horse slaughter, will horse rescue and retirement groups have the resources to take care of unwanted horses? Should the government have to pay for the care of horses voluntarily given up by their owners?
Answer: ÂNot every horse currently going to slaughter will need to be absorbed into the rescue community - many will be sold to a new owner, others will be kept longer and a licensed veterinarian will humanely euthanize some. Opponents of this legislation admit passage of the
bill will not necessarily lead to an increase in the number of horses sent to rescue facilities, precisely because humane euthanasia is so widely used. It is not the government's responsibility to provide for the care of horses voluntarily given up by their owners, as these animals are private property. Hundreds of horse rescue organizations operate around the country, and additional facilities are being established (a list is available).
Question: If slaughter is not an option, what will we do with sick, old and 'unwanted horses?'
Answer: Approximately 690,000 horses die annually in this country (10 percent of an estimated population of 6.9 million) and the vast majority are not slaughtered, but euthanized and rendered or buried without any negative environmental impact instead. Humane euthanasia and carcass disposal is highly affordable and widely available. The average cost of having a horse humanely euthanized and safely disposing of the animal's carcass is approximately $225, while the average monthly cost of keeping a horse is approximately $200.
Question: If there is a ban on horse slaughter in the United States, will there be an increase in the export of horses for foreign slaughter? Will horses suffer from longer transport for slaughter in countries where there may be weaker welfare laws?
Answer: Horse slaughter has declined dramatically in the United States over the past decade, but there has been no correlating increase in the number of American horses exported for slaughter abroad. Further, the AHSPA prohibits the export of horses for slaughter abroad, and contains clear enforcement and penalty provisions to prevent this from happening. Risk of federal prosecution and the high costs associated with illegally transporting horses long distances for slaughter abroad are strong deterrents.
Question: Is it true no standards exist for horse rescue facilities that take unwanted horses?
Answer: The Doris Day Animal League and the Animal Welfare Institute published 'Basic Guidelines for Operating an Equine Rescue or Retirement Facility' in 2004. Additionally, the Association of Sanctuaries and the American Sanctuaries Association provide accreditation programs, a code of ethics and guidelines for the operation of sanctuaries and rescue
organizations. Horse rescue groups must also provide for the welfare of horses in their custody in compliance with state and local animal welfare laws.
Question: If there is a ban on horse slaughter, will horse meat no longer be available for pet food?
Answer: There is no horse meat in pet food. This practice stopped decades ago and has some connection to the enactment of protections for America's wild horses in 1971. The US public and Congress were outraged to learn federal agencies were rounding up and allowing the exploitation
and slaughter of these national treasures for items such as pet food. Some by-products of the horse slaughter industry are used in various consumer items, but they are derived from the rendering (a different process than slaughter and not affected by the AHSPA)of dead horses and other animals.Horse slaughter is WRONG. End the slaughter, stop the PAIN.
I saved a horse from slaughter last year. His name is Redd Storm, a 15.2hh Quarter Horse gelding. He's now a big, fat, spoiled sweetie.
But he could've ended up in someone's stomach, instead of here with other horses and a warm bucket of bran every night.
please, stop horse slaughter... Save horses like Redd...
Oh, and if u r pro slaughter/Don't care that innocent horses r being slaughtered, then i do not want u 2 comment on this. I usually try to be open minded about this sort of thing, but i don't know how u cannot find this morally wrong and inhumane. If u comment on it pro slaughter or say u don't care, then ur comment WILL be deleted.
And im not being unfair about this either. I don't know how u couldnt care that horses, the thing that brought America through so many wars and that kings of the olden days considered nobilty, are being slaughtered bcuz some over-sea countries consider them a DELICACY. So just leave f ur pro slaughter, i don't want to hear it, u will NOT convince me that this is a good thing.
Every day in the United States 312 horses die in the two slaughter plants in Texas.
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i wanna help stop horse slaughter~!
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Storm
my name is Megan i am 14 and i have wanted a horse since i was 7 and my parents could not afford one. i made my mom take me to the local auction house and i gave them kisses and carrots cuz i knew they were going to slaughter. then last month i finally saved a horse from auction his name is Storm he is a quarterhorse/appaloosa cross and i love him he is very funny and will give me kisses but hes very territorial and if a stranger walks up to me he gets mad and tries to chase them away from me. -
I agre it DOES need to be stopped... I cried for HRS when i found out
* * sigh * * it sucks to be so young nobody will take you seriously..
thank u 4 commenting tho.. -
Oh my gosh this is so digusting!!! I feel like I'm going to barf... UGH!!! Honestly, this needs to be STOPPED!! I love horses, even though I've never even actually ridden on one(want to, though), and this is just so horrible!! I never even knew about this before you posted this article, though, so thanks for making us aware of this issue!
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Sadly, and unfortunately, you're right... Flash a little green and ppl will do practically anything....
Im a HUGE animal lover too.. I live on a farm, so ive grown up around them.. It REALLY hurts to see ppl abuse them like this, yknow?
Thanks,
too bad I cant do much of anything else to help...
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did u have to sell them or something??
Im so sry
Edited on Apr 26, 7:33 p.m. because ''. -
This is an excellent posting, I'm a huge animal lover--and this brought me to tears. but it doesn't really matter how much we talk and argue about these things--in the end money talks, and that's what it's all down to--money!---shows what kind of world we live in. I admire you for bringing this issue out into the lime light.
Shaz
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I had 5 horsies I`m afraid that someday they may become glue *sick*
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Scratch that "your sissy" part, I thought this was lynne's page
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OMG I like really really love horses and I cant believe that a human being could do somethink as cruel and demeaning as that!!! If you need anyone to sign youe petition thingy, I would be more that happy to sign!!! @};-
Your sissy
Britt -
omg yeah in my horse mag i just got, it had an article on horse slaughter and the usda allowing it, and something about Congress..? Personaly I think it's cruelty to animals, to slaughter such magical creatures to feed the RICH! It wouldn't be SO terrible (it still would b, to me, bcuz i place horses over many ppl) if at least the meat was being used to stop world hunger, but nnnooo... and i completely agree with you, animals are much smarter than humans, just because we have.. THUMBS or something doesn't mean we should be able to control when they die and how! and how someone could go thru life knowing that they ATE someone's beloved (or used 2 b beloved) pet pony..! Sickening. I don't know if it's just cuz i've grown up around horses that I care so much, or if it's just my MORALS kicking in!
I'm not a super creative person, so I can't come up with anything like your Remember Ferdinand campaign... I might speak to my school in chapel if the teachers let me, and i've passed around a few petitions (thru email, and plan to start a written one to start n the mail) and next time i go to the humane society or petsmart im gonna post a flier but that DEFINITELY isn't enough. Maybe pony rides on my horse to raise money...? I don't know, we wouldn't get a lotta ppl for pony rides... If you have any ideas, do you think you oculd IM them to me or somethin and I could start them up here in Lexington...? -
Yes, this inhumane act must be stopped......but there is another slaughter plant in the U.S. It is in DeKalb, Illinois(a half hour from where I live...and I have to work in that town...it sickens me)....well, they kill over 400 horses per day. They shoot the horses in the head, slit their throats, and hang them upside down on meathooks to bleed to death...pregnant mares have their foals cut from the womb and killed while the mares are still alive. I have been trying to stop such cruelty...that is done to HEALTHY and mostly YOUNG horses that have greedy owners that money based on horse weight...I have written to senators and talked to their secretaries over the phone...written and talked to state representatives...etc(and this helped get an amendment passed to stop slaughter in the united states). Well, a problem has arisen. The amendmend was passed...but soon after, the USDA passed a sneaky amendment with a clause allowing the slaughter houses to legally slaughter such horses in the USA as long as the USDA does inspections. I don't know how people can live hearing the shrill screams of the horses..knowing it is their fault for causing such deaths. If you have heard Montana's story(horse that my mom's friend, my mom, and I helped save from slaughter and send back home...long story), then it would bring tears to your eyes. It brought tears to my eyes being the second person that the poor horse was brave enough to come to...in fact, I was the first that she would let pet her again. Seeing 400 horses brutally lose their lives with her own eyes traumatized her...she is scared of men now, and runs away from them...yet, somehow, she came to me, nuzzled me, and wouldn't let me stop petting her. I saw other people near her...causing her to tremble...and that day was the last time I saw her...and I got to give her her first bath...and I am surprised that she could deal with that...as well as so much change in her life.(You see, my mom's friend kept the horse in isolation for a week on her horse rescue...to make sure she didn't get any diseases from the ride on the double decker truck...which harms a lot of horses through the sharp turns that break their bones...and make them fall...their necks aren't designed for those trucks either...some are forced to lie down or crouch...uncomfortably). Everything to do with horse slaughter...change that to animal slaughter, disgusts me. I wish for it to stop...for they have feelings too...and are smarter than us...I am sorry if you disagree, like the many people in my class...but horses are more intelligent than human beings.
Ferdinand...well, you have to get the facts straight on him too. Well, the owner went on vacation and left someone with trust...to care for Ferdinand. Well, that person sold Ferdinand to someone...unknowing that the new owner would send the horse to slaughter. Then, Ferdinand was killed, the Japanese not informed that they killed a famous horse. Ferdinand was a wonderful horse, but such unfortunate events had to occur. The owner came back from vacation asking where his horse was...and then his answer came...there is nothing that can be done to save Ferdinand...but if we "Remember Ferdinand"...then maybe slaughter can be abolished. I have a pin with "Remember Ferdinand" and a picture of him, written on it. I sold them for $5...and as soon as I got enough money, as well as my mom and some friends, we posted an ad against horse slaughter in the New York Times...those ad's cost a lot...we also got help from a guy who owned property with oil...and who drills for it...and he helped a lot!
You are correct in saying that horse meat is no longer used in dog food. Did you know that the dogs are cruelly tested by the dog food industries though? That should be looked into too.
Well, I know many horse rescues...and have worked at quite a few, that take in unwanted horses. People are just too impatient to look for them...and want the dirty money.
The diseased horses, I repeat, are not used for meat in most cases...unless the disease is unfound. After all, do we want people getting food poisoning and dying from eating horse meat? Well, I don't think the USDA inspectors would be too happy with that...and that is why they test the horses AFTER KILLING THEM! Isn't that terrible?
Many Americans are unaware of horse slaughter, or are just too queasy from hearing about it..to listen to the facts. Thanks for informing the people of all of this...if you need more information on horse slaughter...I can help out. Thanks for informing many and keep up the great work!
P.S. The Cavell Horse Slaughter Plant in Dekalb, Illinois might not have been heard of by you because it burnt down a few years ago. It was rebuilt a year or two ago...and the slaughter has increased...they used to slaughter 100 horses per day...but have gone up to 400+ horses per day. It is disgusting..and they blame PETA for burning their facilities down...but that is a lie. Though I don't like how extreme the people in PETA can go, they always admit to their actions...none of them knew of such an arson until it appeared on the news. It is said that the workers burnt down the plant because the government wouldn't allow funds for increased horse slaughter...they allowed it after the plant burned down though. Tis a pity, how naive we can be to the facts, and how the government was played into their tricky deck of cards. Deceit is not to be praised...but here, it seems to have been.
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I know
*sob*
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Aww, poor little horses.
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that is SOOOO awesome that you posted this! i HATE horse slaughter & the thought of it makes me want to cry! just this year, actually, i emailed lindsay graham while an act against horse slaughter was in process, supporting the act and supporting the end to horse slaughter. i got a response email thanking me for my opinions on the matter. it was then issued a few days later that the act had been passed & horse slaughter in the US is now illegal. i was so ecstatic!
once again, thank you for posting this! ppl need to realize how serious of a problem this is & how brutal & cruel such a practice is! -
so sad !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!
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yeah, it IS really sad i think it's petitiononline.com or something of the sort.
But a/w, ill b sure 2 send that letter 2 g.w.b., hopefull he'll read it
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Cool! that just isn't fair! i'll look for it right now! i'll use dogpile.com, because that has askjeeves, yahoo, and google and a buncha other stuff on it. it's so sad! i need to find that site!
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yea i know it's totally wrong!! I've already written the letter, but i haven't mailed it yet. WE'LL GET AN ARMY TOGETHER! if u want me 2, i could give u the website to some petitoins against it.. there isnt much that will do, but it's all we have right now. If u search "petitions against horse slaughter" on google or somethin, they'll come up.. ull probably c my name on there 2. I don't know what city they're in, but i kow they're in Texas... They're the only 2 left. if we can get rid of those, we can get rid of horse slaughter all together! That's all it takes... shut down 2 slaughter plants...
ok,i think we might need a bigger, more influencial army. -
fantasic idea, but sad
i live in texas! this can not be happening to those poor horsies! I COULD PROTEST! i live here, and i can just go up there and free them! i wish. i am going to write a letter to the president. i will so get george *dubbya* bush! how can he allow this? this is cruel and wrong and mean! i should call someone! i wish the president's phone number was in the phone book! oh, boy i am so writing a letter. they are going to hear from me! mark my words! writing this column was a great idea, i had no idea this was happening. they deserve better treatment than this. i need to find out who's in charge of this! lynne
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Yeah I know!!!!! I'm trying to find a petition against it; I changed the first part and put more information in it, if you'd like to take another look at it...
Lol, if u mean the debate team at skool, we don't have one.. Something about not wanting to provoke arguments? haha..
Lol I'm sure he'll appreciate that! He's a big ol mooch, but everybody who meets him loves him to pieces... I can't imagine anybody wanting to kill my baby boy... -
Yeah... I put the website i found it on n2 the column and revised the first half... Now Im trying to find a petition on the net against it... People can find OTHER things to eat, instead of my beloved horses
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this is really sad, that stuff like this goes on. I didn't even know it existed, like grossmutti. but it is wrong and I hope that it gets resolved. This was a good thing to get out there.
-Ap mom -
Exceptionally Well Done
My goodness, Buckskin, I didn't even know that this practice even existed!!! If I remember correctly, they tried legalizing horsemeat in the U.S. as alternative to higher priced meats (this was maybe in the 1970's) don't think it ever became legal. So few people wanted to eat horses, no one wanted it. LOL. Sorry for rambling, this is an excellent write, well thought out, thoroughly presented, and the spelling, grammer and punctuation are all excellent. This is a fantastic piece of work and shows your talent in other ways besides being a great Poetess, also. You just might want to join the debate team, you're a natural!!! BTW, give Redd Storm a lump of sugar for me
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