VOTE on ABCs poll to stop HORSE SLAUGHTER!

[nothingmore]

jesspetey said:

I can’t help but comment on this topic:

I love my horse, and all horses. My filly and the couple other horses I have been fortunate to own are loved, cared for, and treated as one of the family. That said, I am not against the HUMANE slaughter of horses. Here’s why:

The reality is that there are THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of horses in the U.S. that are unwanted, neglected, and abused. This “excess” is not driven just by the racehorse industry, it is also due to irresponsible backyard breeders who breed their mares because they can. Eliminating horse slaughter will NOT change the breeding practices of anyone. Thousands upon thousands of horses will still be bred each year. The horses that would have gone to slaughter will accumulate. In addition, the people who neglect their horses are NOT going to suddenly change their ways and start feeding and caring for their animals if slaughter is stopped. Many of these horses would be left in pastures, hungry, sick, and face even more horrible deaths.

The killer market also sets a base price for the value of a horse. Even if you don’t like to think of it that way, without the killer market, the base price of any horse is $0. Eliminating horse slaughter would decrease the monetary value of all horses and make it even more difficult for responsible breeders of quality animals to make a living.

I don’t like to think about any horse going to slaughter. However, ending slaughter is not going to eliminate the problem of horse abuse or remedy the fact that there are so many unwanted horses. As much as we’d all like to give them homes, there are not enough people, facilities, or resources available to care for the 100,000 horses that are slaughtered each year. Think about it – even if we could take in 100,000 horses this year, where are the next 100,000 going to go next year, and the next?

**Instead of lobbying to eliminate slaughter, we need to work for responsible ownership and breeding practices. Until we can control the population in this manner, we should be fighting for HUMANE practices of horse slaughter.**

Please consider this angle on this difficult issue.

I completely agree with you. As much as I love them, there are just too many unwanted horses. It isn't feasible to give them all loving homes. So where else are they going to go? With only three horse slaughter houses left in the U.S. one would think they would be able to be more humane about the slaughter. It's not like they have 5,000 slaughterhouses to keep up with.

Honestly, if I was starving and had a plate of horse meat thrust in front of me. I'd eat it. I've heard it's not that bad.

[AZLynn]

I so agree with you jesspetey. IF the slaughter houses are shut down, then there will be a massive surplus of horses without good homes. That means more neglected and starving horses left to suffer until death. What is the solution? Responsible breeding. Maybe there should be limits as to how many foals can be produced by any one breeder in one year and the foal needs to have a home secured in advance of foaling. Maybe more regulations for breeders, etc. With 100,000 horses going to slaughter something drastic needs to be done.

It's simple really:

Overpopulation of horses + too few homes for these horses= slaughter.

If slaughter house are shut down:

Overpupulation of horses + too few homes for horses = possible starvation and neglect.

The logical answer:

Fewer horses being produced = more homes for more horses.