Guest Editorial by Vicki Tobin, Vice President of The Equine Welfare Alliance
EWA Exec Speaks out on Anti-Horse Activists
The slaughter proponent’s arguments bring to mind the old Abbott and Costello routine because you never really know what they are saying. They talk back and forth to each other with neither, understanding the other or making sense.
Each new year brings new arguments and scare tactics from our opponents. When each talking point is disproved, they move on to the next. Every once in a while, they throw a curve ball and resurrect an old argument thinking it just might stick this time around.
We, on the other hand, have been consistent in our message. Humanely euthanize your horse. End your horse’s life by humane euthanasia as we do with all non-food animals in the United States. It is the preferred method by all major veterinarian associations. Any competent veterinarian will tell you that. Veterinarians don’t carry captive bolts in their medical bags or advise their clients to send their horses to slaughter. Veterinarians for Equine Welfare has an excellent updated white paper on this subject.
Dr. Lester Friedlander, DVM & former Chief USDA Inspector stated, “The captive bolt is not a proper instrument for the slaughter of equids, these animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected.”
When the slaughter debate started heating up in the late 2000s, the argument of choice was; what are we going to do with old, lame, sick horses? Jeez, any responsible horse owner knows the answer to that. Pick up the phone and call the vet.
Next was the argument that horses are livestock. While many categorize horses as livestock, that’s not the issue. The issue is that of a food animal vs. a non-food animal. US horses are not raised as food animals but for other purposes. Mounted police are not riding food animals. Therapy horses are not food animals. Race horses are not food animals. The country does not use food animals in military and presidential funerals. Have you ever seen a riderless cow? Dressage, cutting and reining horses are not food animals. Livestock (food animals) do not perform any of the functions that horses perform in our society.
US horses must have maintenance medications that are prohibited in food animals to keep them at peak performance and healthy. There is no tracking of horses as there is with livestock. Unlike horses, you can trace livestock back to the original farm. It is obvious by the opposition to NAIS last year that owners don’t want horses tracked.
This brings me to the “abandoned” horses. If you can’t find the owners to charge them for the crime they have committed, how are you going to certify the horses are free of prohibited substances? A horse that has received a prohibited substance can never enter the food chain. There is no withdrawal period. Those are the EU rules and the FDA rules.
We have been warning of the drug issue for years. We were made the brunt of many a joke and constantly laughed at. We were so ridiculously funny, the EU took notice. It is important to note that all current anti-horse propaganda never addresses the drug issue.
There have been many scare tactics such as the AQHA release in 2008 warning owners that if the federal legislation passes they won’t be able to transport their horse across the street. Senator Landrieu promptly responded with a release stating the intent of the law and we never again saw that argument.
One of the most often used arguments is property rights. Nobody can tell slaughter proponents what they can or cannot do with their property. This is one of the more laughable arguments since there are many laws on the books telling property owners exactly how to dispose of property such as appliances, batteries, toxic substances, cars, etc. There are even laws in certain areas on horse disposal. Owning property does not give the owner the right to abuse the property, especially when the “property” is a living, sentient being.
Now we are hearing how inhumane slaughter is in Mexico and Canada. Slaughter proponents conveniently forget that they never uttered a peep when thousands of horses were sent over the borders when the US plants were open. Why was it okay then but not now? They never mention the inhumane slaughter that took place in the US and dismiss government FOIAs. The truth is that no matter where horses are slaughtered it will never be humane.
They complain of the long distances in travel now but didn’t have any concerns when horses were being trucked across the US to slaughter plants and also to plants in Mexico, Canada and Japan. All documented humane violations in shipping have taken place within US borders and yet, they oppose the slightest change to improve conditions such as a ban on double deckers. It is quite obvious; they have no concern for horse welfare, only lining their pockets. There were years and years of investigations and FOIAs of the domestic plants and never was an attempt made to correct anything.
The latest comments we are seeing is that they will start raising horses for slaughter. I’m not sure what type of business model will survive paying thousands on feed for pasture ornaments to bring in revenue of $300-$600 per horse from a kill buyer.
This is yet another shining example of their refusal to address the issue of excess horses. Instead of addressing the mess they have created, they’re going to start a new population of horses. Slaughter at all costs! One only needs to follow the rules of engagement to be a diehard anti-horse person.
Rule #1: Never admit responsibility for producing the excess horses going to slaughter.
Rule #2: Call horses “unwanted” so you can blame the horse. Call slaughter harvesting or processing so that it is more palatable.
Rule #3: Never take responsibility for horses you choose to buy or breed and transfer all blame to the “radical vegan tree huggers” that oppose slaughter.
Rule #4: Blame the rescues.
Rule #5: Blame the legislators.
Rule #6: Exploit Native Americans for the few that have chosen to go against their teachings and spiritual beliefs that revere and respect the horse.
Rule #7: Blame anyone that dares to speak up publicly for the horses, make sure you publish a list of these terrible people and call for a boycott. Even include celebrities that have raised millions of dollars for farmers. All people that want horses treated humanely must be exposed. Wait a minute. Doesn’t that sound like the organization that they so vehemently oppose? They blast them but when they do the same, it’s okay.
Rule #8: Be sure to present all propaganda to legislators with nothing to back the statements but emphasize it as fact.
Rule #9: Create bogus polls and surveys that slant questions and circulate only to those sharing your view. Then, present the results to Congress as the view of horse owners across the country.
Rule #10: State that all rescues are full and become combative when asked for the data to back the claims.
Rule #11: Ignore that slaughter is still very much available and blame all horse woes on the closure of the plants. To fully utilize this rule, under no circumstance, mention or blame the economy. The impact of the economy does not play a role in the horse industry. That is the only industry in America that would not have been impacted by the economy if the slaughter plants had remained opened.
Rule #12: Ignore the horrific investigations and FOIAs and always state that slaughter is a good thing. After all, it allows irresponsible breeders to breed and dump so they can breed more. It allows owners that are abusing and neglecting their horses to hide their crimes by having the horse slaughtered. Then, chuckle and whisper under your breath, America’s Dirty Little Secret.
Rule #13: Never discuss present society and culture. Always refer to 70 or more years ago when some people were forced to eat horse meat but make it sound like present day and thus, you may be able to create a false market in the US.
Rule #14: Always state, with emotion, that slaughter opponents are trying to change other country’s cultures. With even more emotion, state that the horse meat is feeding the hungry in foreign countries even though the hungry cannot afford the gourmet priced horse meat.
Rule#15: Never mention the largest case of neglect in the US occurred in 2005 when all three plants were operating.
Rule #16: Ignore all studies and data on abuse and neglect.
Rule #17: Be sure to always interject the slippery slope. It is your greatest weapon to scare farmers and ranchers into believing that ending the slaughter of a non-food animal will bring down livestock slaughter.
Rule #18: Never mention that slaughter is a predatory, demand driven business and especially don’t mention that US plants imported horses to fill the demand when demand increased. In years when the demand was down and fewer horses were slaughtered, just state that there were fewer “unwanted” horses in those years. Don’t ever admit that slaughter houses only slaughter the number of horses needed to fill the demand. Let everyone think they are performing a service to rid the US of “unwanted” horses.
Rule #19: Lobby against any legislation for animal welfare, even if it’s something you feel you should support. At all costs, even good legislation from any animal “rights” organization for the humane treatment of any animal must be prevented.
and the two most important rules…
Rule #20: Never directly answer a question, especially when facts are requested. Doubletalk and then change the subject. It is imperative this rule be invoked when asked to discuss the drug issue and how unsafe US horses are for human consumption.
Rule #21: Learn the art of spinning. Always accuse the pro-horse advocates of being emotional, attack their credibility and spin the facts. This is especially important when indisputable facts are provided. When footage or photos are provided, be sure to state with authority they are fake or have been altered. Always state that because they are against slaughter that they are responsible for the horses suffering.
Slaughter proponents don’t stop at domestic horses. They must target all horses, including our wild horses. Perhaps they haven’t read the EU regulations that state that the only wild equidae meat that will be accepted is zebra meat – or did they?
Rule #1: Ignore mitochondrial DNA studies and start calling all wild horses and burros feral so they can be shipped to slaughter.
Rule #2: Be sure to send and publish propaganda on how the wild horses and burros are overpopulated and ruining the ranges.
Rule #3: Never, never mention the millions of privately owned livestock that have turned our public lands into a giant feedlot.
Rule #4: Never mention the hundreds of millions of dollars the taxpayers shell out for the private livestock grazing on public lands.
Rule #5: Dismiss and never mention the GAO studies that prove the livestock, not the horses, are ruining the ranges.
Rule #6: Never mention the pictures of the horses that died of thirst laying alongside the fences that cattle ranchers erected to block the wild horses from using the water sources.
Rule #7: Ignore all footage and photos of the healthy, thriving horses being removed from public lands. At all times, state the horses are starving and removing them is for their own good.
Rule #8: Provide your own wild horse and burro population counts. Make up a staggering number and state with authority and conviction the data source is Google Earth and begin circulating and publishing the number as fact in all communications.
The best argument, by far, is that because of the “ban” on horse slaughter, horses are being starved, neglected and abandoned. This is quite amusing since there is nothing stopping anyone from sending their horse to slaughter. 2008 saw the second highest slaughter count since 1995. Shouldn’t they wait until slaughter isn’t available to make such a statement? In one swooping statement, they disprove their own argument and prove our point that slaughter does not prevent suffering.
Why are owners allowing their horses to suffer instead of sending them to the killers? Did it ever occur to the slaughter proponents that owners are holding on to their horses because they fear the horse may end up on a slaughter truck if they sell or donate the horse?
The bottom line is that slaughter proponents don’t have a platform. They have no facts or data to back their statements and as a consequence, they continually have to invent new arguments and scare tactics.
It is time to call the ball game. Call your legislators to stop this insanity and ask that they pass the legislation to protect our horses. Pick up the phone and do it now.
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, The Force of the Horse
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Thank you for this! Horses should NEVER be for food! Hang on to your horse.
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It is amazing isn’t it? That long drawn out whine of pro-slaughter. It is pathetic. Thanks Vicki, you know their BS so well and keep teaching us all their sneaky ways. If you want to oppose horse slaughter in any of the states attempting to bring it back or start it up, you have the right to protest it. If a legislator says ‘you are not from my state, back off’ just tell that rascal he/she is looking to accept horses from OUT of their state for slaughter so It Is your place to say all you want to stop the transport of horses across State lines for slaughter anywhere in the USA. Peace… mar
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That’s exactly what I wrote to the Missouri clowns just yesterday, Mar! I said my horse could be stolen and end up at their slaughter house just like what happened to several of my friends back in Texas. Idiots.
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I think I got the idea from other comments recently reflecting the reps response to out of state comments that sound as if this is only an in state problem when it is far from it. I know what it is like to have my horse stolen, too. I will never know if my arab mare survived the auction she was hustled off to when I was out of state and I thought she was safe at a stable where I had taken her to live until I could bring her to NM. She was 6 and she was so smart and wonderful to ride. It was 1984 and there was no market for horses, there were too many, it was a recession and the owner of the stable went bankrupt and just took all the horses to auction and never called me. I came home for Christmas and found an empty barn and was told my beautiful mare had gone to auction. I never found Mr. Morgan again. He was from the St. Louis area. Damn horse thief! mar
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Mar, this is so terrible to hear. It’s like Patricia’s mustangs. All you can do is pray they made it to a good home. Damn horse thief is right!
Stolen horses. The very thing the woman from Dallas said was happening in Texas when that plant was still in operation.
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Excellent article. Horrific trade.
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Standing Ovation!!! If I might add a rule,
#22: tell the public that the plant will be good jobs and good for the state economy. LIE. These are the worst of the worst jobs. Often illegal aliens are the only ones willing to do them.
Can we evolve already? Why do these people insist we keep going backwards? Build a damn solar plant or windfarm instead. Let’s move forward and leave them behind in their dark ages.
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And #23: Never mention the environmental disasters caused by slaughter plants – contaminated groundwater, improper disposal of waste, etc.
This article is stunning – perfectly composed, every duck & duckling standing right there is their appropriate rows. I am awestruck.
Brilliant.
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I agree. I thought RT wrote it, because it sounds like his voice. I cannot believe these people spend their precious time on earth fighting for horse slaughter. Neanderthals, the lot of ’em.
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“Can we evolve already? Why do these people insist we keep going backwards?”
Exactly. These are people who can’t stand change, can’t cope with it. They are regressives, not progressives. America’s knuckle draggers.
The change began with the availability of the internet. How many of us horse owners had no clue, no idea, about horse slaughter before we all got on the internet? When this dirty little secret was ousted and horse owners found out the truth about what had been going on for decades in the shadows, we were outraged and the fight began.
The vast majority of horse owners are recreational riders, see the statistics on the American Horse Council’s website. Why is it that the smallest minority of horse owners – the bottom of the barrel, and those in the meat industry who do not even own horses and have no stake in this, have so far been getting their way in this fight? Are our legislators that spineless or that inept that they can’t see through the lies? That they can’t see the facts for themselves that we present to them day in and day out year after year after year? Are they so owned by the meat industry that they can’t do the right thing at the request of the nation’s actual horse owners?
And why do those in the meat industry get on the side of horse slaughterers knowing full well that unlike the food animals they raise and slaughter, horse slaughterers have not had to comply with any those regulations? In the U.S. horses are not “food animals” so no regulations apply. Horse slaughter supplies a totally unregulated meat for the human consumption market.
Is this double standard only due to the fact that horse meat is not consumed in the U.S.? So we don’t care what contamination we export as long as those bottom of the barrel horse owners and dealers can make a few bucks? Yet our laws state that we must be in compliance with the laws of the countries we export to, and clearly U.S. horse meat has never been in compliance with the laws of the E.U.
And how easy would it be for a U.S. slaughterhouse to hide it’s adulterated meat by only submitting the livers of young foals or mustangs for drug residue testing? Since horses are not raised for meat and no records of medications follow them to the slaughterhouse, the only way to determine if U.S. horse meat is safe for human consumption is to test each and every slaughtered horse for banned drug residues.
4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in this country each year. Why aren’t the pro-slaughter people also advocating for dog and cat slaughter for meat export to Asia? Just because people in other countries eat things that we don’t doesn’t mean we should supply them with even one single pound of that meat.
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Vickie thanks for this article!! Geez you cant win for losing!!
I am sharing this on a few of the articles on this blog so that I am sure everyone sees it if they havent already, please forgive me if this is old news but it has got me so hot under the collar, this is what our politicians think of all of our faxes, e-mails and phone calls!!!!
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/04/missouri-lawmakers-horse-slaughterhouse-mr-ed.html
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Is this all it takes to decide to pass a bill or not? quote from the article:
“There was also the issue of weeding through the email, a process that took some reps hours, and made them feel vengeful toward the activists.”
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Thanks everyone! I’m going to add your suggested rules to the piece and post it on the anti-horse propaganda page on my website in a few days. Keep ’em coming. There are so many, we could write a book…
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Dont forget to add about the “dirty trickster” lobbiest that were buying up decrepid horses and turning them loose in cities all over the nation and then calling the press to report them abandoned.
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Applause from me once again. I am not giving up on winning this battle. Oklahoma politicians are not in our corner, but that doesn’t stop me from battling on.
Head held high,
Aero
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These Rules are brilliant!
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Excellent article RT. I think you have covered all the bases here! Amazes me how the pro-slaughters always ignore or dispute the facts. Did they really think we were let them get away with it? I have always said, eventually the truth will out,…as it is happening now. Thanks to dedicated and persistant warriors like you. Thanks for caring!
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OOOPs I see the article is by Vicki. (Sorry Vic) Still excellent. And also a dedicated and persistnat warrior. Thank you also (You too RT)
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Thanks, CJ. Actually, it just means that we are all on the same page. The wild horse and pro-horse groups have united. We are one voice or we have all been hanging around Holland for too long – LOL!
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This is perhaps the most well written piece on the subject, ever.
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…and coming from you, Mr. Long, that is a very high compliment. Vicki has truly out done herself with this article.
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Hear, hear! This article is RIGHT ON, every single point! This needs to be in the hands of every single politician and bureaucrat involved with any aspect of horses, domestic and wild. Bravo, Vicki, very well done.
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Wonderful Vicki 🙂 Thank you. How about Senators are paid off, to hold the bills up, or fix them to suit themselves and friends. Goodlatte, Ried, Burns, Craig. I know that’s a little touchy but it is the truth about self interest people in high places. That’s about the only thing I can think of, otherwise you hit it all and it’s perfect. I am sure they will be speechless. Lin
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Thanks Vicki, for putting together this magnificent piece! Very well written! All the points you make are right on – based on facts and data, not emotion and speculation. The horses are truly blessed to have an angel like you as their voice and advocate!
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Brilliant! Facts, eloquence & moral high ground. Thank you, Vicki.
Locates the “emotional argument” squarely on the anti-horse camp: By saying they need to keep slaughtering horses to protect them from being abandoned(!)with zero facts to back anything up, the anti-horse lobby is left with the weak, emotional argument – with the sound of the cash register ringing in the background!
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We’re up to 27 rules now – a few more that I recalled as well as the three suggested in the comments above. I posted a PDF on my site and EWA site and will continue to add rules.
Rule #22: Lie with conviction and tell the public that plants will provide jobs and will be good for the state economy. Ignore the $42M loss by Natural Valley Meats in Canada. Never mention that between the three plants, 85% of the workers were not legal citizens. Under no circumstance ever mention the amount of jobs and income provided by a live horse such as veterinarians, farriers, blacksmiths, supply and feed stores, trainers and pharmaceutical companies. And let’s not forget the loss of business to rendering providers. (topic suggested by savethewildhorses)
Rule #23: Never mention the environmental disasters such as the foaming tank at Cavel, improper disposal of waste and contaminated groundwater caused by horse slaughter plants. Completely ignore the $180k in fines still owed to the city of Kaufman TX for violations. (topic suggested by Lisa L)
Rule#24: State with conviction that you have support to defeat the federal legislation when in reality, “donations or promises” were made to legislators to stall, block and stop the bill from going to the floor for a vote. (topic suggested by Lin)
Rule #25: Keep referring to and posting false stories of abandoned horses even after they have been proven false by the local authorities.
Rule #26: Introduce state legislation based on disinformation and never mention food safety in horses. Be sure to discredit any speakers that present facts. Simply make something up like they lived next to the slaughter plant and wanted the land and that’s why they wanted the plant shut down.
Rule #27: Offer raffle prizes to “help the horses”, when in fact, your money will go to humans to be used to lobby for their demise under the guise of a 501(c)(3) that is “educating”.
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I am struck by the brilliance and accurate information in this piece, Vicki.
Thank god you are on our side. What we need is for the president to read this…really read it. I know the White House has received numerous emails, as have our legislators. My own here in NY replied that he is very concerned about animal welfare but feared “where will all of the unwanteds go [AND] they will be targets of neglect” due to the economy ad nauseum. The proponents are vile liars who need to be stopped in their tracks NOW! With a couple of lucky breaks, this WILL be accomplished. thanks for speaking for all of us who respect life.
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Vicki, you ROCK! Now, how about sending this editorial to the governor of every state that is considering a horse slaughter house or already has legislation moving through their state houses to that effect. And the undercover videos of Richlieu and Bouvry slaughter houses in Canada should be required viewing for all the state legislators as well as those in US Congress & Senate.
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No animals should be slaughtered for food-horses, pigs, cows, dogs, cats, chickens. It’s all the same thing, the lines between “food animals” and companion animals is arbitrary and immoral.
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We appreciate your comments but morality is probably more subjective than food animals vs. non food animals. Terrorists will kill thousands and believe they are moral. Who defines what is moral? Ending slaughter has nothing to do with morality but with the slaughter of a non-food animal. There is very distinct line between food and non-food animals. Right or wrong, food animals are bred and raised for food. They are tracked and have vet records from birth to ensure food safety. Not that there aren’t issues but livestock slaughter is tightly regulated.
Our horses are not bred or raised as food animals but for other purposes. Horses slaughter was never held to the same regulation as livestock and the meager regs were never enforced. There is no concern over food safety or horse welfare but thankfully, that is all changing. Hopefully soon, horse slaughter will be just an ugly chapter in American history.
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Vicki, Can I ask a question? Why this sudden and almost synchronized horse slaughter issue popping up simultaneously in several states, MO, WY, KY, IL (out for now) and now TN? What the heck is going on and who is behind this? It must be a concerted campaign by someone with big pockets. And frankly, it terrifies me. I am afraid of a domino effect if one passes.
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Excellent, Vicki!
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One already passed in WY! That law is unconstitutional and will never hold up in court. The constitution guarantees fair and equal access to the courts and their required bond takes that away. The Belgians pulled out and they own the market. What businessman with an ounce of intelligence is going to invest millions of dollars in a business that has a declining market, federal legislation that would shut them down and horses that don’t meet EU food safety requirements? When Natural Valley Meats was shut down by the government in Canada (owners were Velda – same owners of Cavel and the folks that stopped talks in WY), they had a $42M loss. They were originally a livestock plant. One of the directors of the plant that we spoke to said he knew it was over the day they started slaughtering horses. In addition, US horses don’t meet EU requirements. Most of the states have passed nonbinding resolutions that are merely sending a message. Several states have also introduced legislation that is in support of ending slaughter. My state, IL, is one of them. Also, there is no way that the US is going to allow meat to be shipped to international markets without being federally inspected. It doesn’t matter what their legislation says. Federal law trumps state law.
No doubt it is a concerted effort that started last year. My guess is the farm bureau (and maybe a certain breed association that has been awfully quiet) is behind it. If you look at the supporters, most are cattle orgs, not horse orgs. Isn’t it interesting that whether they’re wild or domestic horses, all roads lead to cattle ranchers? The beef lobby is huge, with deep pockets and they have bought into the invented slippery slope.
We have to keep getting the facts to legislators and the public so they can make informed decisions – especially how these plants impact the communities. Canada still hasn’t cleaned-up the environmental mess from Natural Valley. In state issues, unless they are planning on only slaughtering horses from their state, by accepting horses across state lines from other states, it becomes a national issue and every horse owner across the country has a right to be heard.
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Right on Vicki : ) and the list grows…
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First time reader, over from fugly, excellent article! As a Canadian horse owner, I am disgusted at the fact that we take in horses from the US to slaughter. Canada shouldn’t be slaughtering horses, let alone taking in the US’s dirty laundry!
Here’s a point for you to squeeze in there: if so many “regular joes” are pro-slaughter, why do kill buyers have to scoop up free horses from the internet, and lie to people about what they are doing? I read a news article about a KB who would bring his “wife” with him, and buy cheap horses. His story was that he had a grand daughter he wanted a pony for. He bought horses and ran them straight to slaughter. If it’s such an acceptable practice… he wouldn’t have to lie and cheat, and no one would be stealing horses for the same reason.
GREAT ARTICLE!!
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Great article.
However the more I read about this and other animal welfare issues, the more I see a problem with the argument that horses are not “food” animals. How anyone can draw such a clear in their mind, between animals they consider morally wrong to kill for food and other animals they see as only “food” animals – and NOT see anything wrong with the logic, is somewhat puzzling and alarming.
I’m sorry, I know many (most) of you will disagree, but I think it is completely hypocritical of us to be outraged by horse slaughter and opposed to the abuse AND at the same time be totally okay with “other” animals (aka “food” animals??!!) suffering the same and worse….because those animals taste good?
Just because we do not consider horse meat as food because we do not eat it – obviously since there is a market, others do consider it food. This makes it a weak argument: I don’t eat horse meat so it is WRONG for anyone to eat horse meat. But I love a good steak, have always thought of cow, chicken, pig, lamb flesh (etc..) as FOOD so it is okay to do horrendous unspeakable things and butcher them.
I am SO opposed to horse slaughter. I cannot even bring myself to watch the horrors of slaughterhouses on video – just the thought of it is enough. But I cannot help but cringe every time I read that argument. It is not worth anything if you support other kinds of slaughter of animals you *do* eat.
I also wanted to mention that the plight of the wild horses is in great part due to cattle and horses competing for land to forage. Mustangs are not “worth” anything, nor is there money behind the fight to keep the mustangs where they are. But cattle however, is worth to the ranchers/industry that have a lot of money used to lobby for their cattle to have that land.
But how do you think they have all this cattle? Or all of the money to lobby to evict the wild horses, with nowhere to place them? Those who choose to buy their products choose also to support them. That is what it boils down to, and until our (eating, buying, consuming) choices match our words and our convinctions… none of it means much.
Put your money where your mouth is and then we can see real change. Keep your heads in the sand or your blinders on, and we keep going in circles or just digging ourselves into the ground. There is NO difference between the animal that is now meat on your plate and all of those beautiful horses.
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Ok, had to comment here…
In Canada and the US, we do not consume horse meat. Not only are they not raised for human consumption, but they are medicated and dewormed with products that are illegal in the human consumption market (ie cows, etc.). That is just ONE point.
The second point is that cows and pigs are not pets (normally). While some people may keep a few pigs or cows as pets, they rarely end up eating those particular animals. Because they are PETS.
When have you ever seen a mounted police officer on a cow? When have you seen a cow pulling a cart with two star-crossed lovers in the back? When have you seen a cow sailing over fences and across bridges, carrying their riders along merrily in competition? Never. The reason for this? Cows are raised for human consumption. Horses are not. Horses have jobs. They’ve fought in wars. They’ve carried people across the country to settle it. Horses are either pets or working animals. We don’t drink their milk. We don’t use their skin for shoes.
Are you seeing my point? THAT is the DIFFERENCE.
Yes, I agree it’s a BIT hypocritical to eat meat, but draw the line at dogs, cats and horses…
BUT, what if, all those cute puppies and kittens that end up at the humane society as “unwanted” pets, were skinned, quartered, and sent east for human consumption? I think a lot of people would be up in arms about that, non? Because even if they’re UNWANTED, they’re PETS.
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oui!
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Annabelle,
Animals for food are a reality and a huge labryrinth to navigate. Some of us, maybe to mitigate our own guilt for being unable to embrace a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle have instead chosen to patronize those growers who provide an existence – a life, if you will – for the animals they raise. Free-range poultry, un-warehoused cattle, ’boutique’ butcher shops who know where their meat comes from & how it’s been raised, small dairies, animals raised without artifice – those are choices I made years ago.
I haven’t had veal or lamb in 30 years and never will again.
Not only are these healthier choices in my mind but it takes money away from the mass-producers. It ain’t much but it’s what I got. I’d rather support a small, family-owned business that stands on it’s own feet than purchase grocery ‘mystery’ meat from a conglomerate I can’t BUY information on.
I don’t eat horse meat; my family doesn’t, my friends don’t, their children don’t, my neighbors don’t, in fact, I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone within two thousand mile radius of my home who would either consume or endorse for consumption, an animal that has been left off the American dinner plate or can of pet food for more than 40 years.
Horse slaughter prevents little – not abuse, neglect nor overpopulation – but will contribute to crime, begetting a new generation of horse thieves and satellite criminal enterprises as a result.
American livestock is bred and raised primarily for food. American horses are not. There is a vast difference between the two.
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Hear hear!!!
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Here is my take on the rationality of the “special status” we give american horses. The USDA keeps a list of officially approved food-chain animals. The horse, nor dogs or cats are on that list and we simply want to keep it that way. By NOT being on the approved food-chain animal list, those animals not on the list enjoy a special protected status…..there is the ONLY difference between food animals and the rest. For those who would like to add the horse to the USDAs “approved” food chain animals list,….I ask you, “Must we eat everything that moves?”
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Actually, the case can be made that food animals are not “suffering the same and worse” in the slaughter process. It is MUCH worse for horses. From acquisition (for horses, often by stealth or fraudulent representation, very often in traumatic circumstances) through transport (28 hours w/o food or water in US, an additional 30+ hours possible in Canada added on) to the slaughter itself, all is worse. For cattle, sheep, hogs there is economy of scale, so that feedlots are often close to abattoirs (short transport) and the equipment can be designed specifically for each species and manufactured cost-effectively.
Add in the betrayal aspect and the difficulty of slaughtering a flight animal, and the cruelty of slaughtering horses is much greater.
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I was about to post the same thing, Judith. Also, remember that horses are being transferred in trucks that are designed for cattle. They are being slaughtered in plants that are designed for cattle and using techniques and equipment designed for cattle.
It is not even POSSIBLE to humanely slaughter a horse with cattle equipment. The two species are VERY different.
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Perfectly said thank you.
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Actually, there is a difference. The food on your plate was raised for you to consume. The food on your plate wasn’t raised and medicated to race, carry law enforcement, perform, pull carriages, work your farm or ended up on your plate because the breeder bred more than he could sell. The food on your plate wasn’t bought under false pretences by kill buyers. It was specifically bred and raised for you to eat.
The cattle on public lands only represent 2-3% of the beef supply for our country. It is not only the cattle forcing out the mustangs, it is also energy development and mining interests.
We aren’t going in circles. We have a clear path and one mission – to end horse slaughter. Ending horse slaughter has nothing to do with changing American’s diets. That is the invented slippery slope and plays no part in our efforts.
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Excellent!
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I’m a member of the nonprofit organization that was instrumental in shutting down Natural Valley slaughterhouse in Saskatchewan for humane and environmental violations. We proved that 33% of the horses were being butchered while fully conscious. Hung on a meat hook, legs broken with crowbars, disemboweled, etc. in this full consciousness.
Canada inhumanely slaughtered 100,000 horses last year, many of them from the US. Please tell our politicians and media the eyes of the world are upon Canada. Write letters to our major and community papers.
Canadian border guards are, for the most part, NOT checking the condition of US horses crossing into our country for slaughter. In fact, there is no area at our borders where the guards could unload horses to check their condition. Horses are arriving in double decker cattle trucks with no head room after many hours and days of travel. They are hungry, thirsty and often gravely injured. Stallions, mares and geldings are crammed together and injure each other on the trucks. Sometimes there is a trail of blood on the highway.
Contrary to the law, we are slaughtering pregnant mares. There are fetuses strewn on the kill lots, from mares entering labor due to stress.
We are the organization spreading the latest videos of atrocities in Alberta and Quebec slaughterhouses. This has to stop. It is Canada’s shame. We were banned from distributing information during the Olympics. You can find out facts, veterinary opinions and which Canadian politicians to write on this website: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org.
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CHDC is amazing. We work closely with CHDC and admire what you have accomplished. We interviewed Henry from Natural Valley and he was very straight forward and told us he knew it was all over the day they started slaughtering horses. He also said that slaughter is the worst 4 minutes of a horse’s life.
Thank you for the exceptional work you are doing. You are making a difference.
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Thanks, Vicki. It’s good to have others to talk to. I became a horse anti-cruelty activist 40 years ago, at the age of 4. My mother and I witnessed a horrific multi-horse accident at a rodeo. We found one of the horses hours later, tied behind a barn with grave wounds and no vet care. He’d given his all in the event, and was sent straight to slaughter without treatment for his gouged out eye. I’ve never stopped speaking up for animals since. Thank you for your work, too.
I live in Vancouver. It was surreal to watch figure skating, knowing BC’s primary provider of horse meat is on a few yards away: Hastings Race Track. We “dispose” of most TBs, many sound, as Warmbloods are the rage. Vancouver made it illegal to flyer about any issues during the Olympics. The kill trucks rolled through the crowds, undisturbed by us horse protectors.
The seal hunt is not the only obscenity in this country.
I am so grateful people are watching and distributing these disturbing videos now.
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IMO it is Sue Wallis group behind this. She is trying to start a nation-wide “Horse rescue-slaughter- horsemeat” non-profit. and mentioned getting laws in place.
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Many states are also introducing legislation to counter their ridiculous legislation. IL being one of them. Wallis is defintely trying but I wouldn’t give her credit. I’m sure they’ll start another non-profit so they can solicit more funds.
We (EWA) are purely grassroots and don’t take a dime. Little by little, their lies are being exposed. Most of the laws are nonbinding resolutions that are meant to send a message. The states that have passed laws for slaughter cannot operate legally. Consumer meat cannot ship internationally or across state lines without federal inspection. The demand is declining and an intelligent businessman isn’t going to invest millions in a plant that could be shut down by federal legislation, can’t ship meat and more importantly, would have very few horses to slaughter that would meet food safety requirements.
Just keep getting the facts out!
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Just found a new pro-slaughter reason for slaughter:
“As a result of our work, horses in Canada do not experience inhumane end of life treatment by suffering from abandonment resultant disease and/or predators”.
That comment is from a Canadian pro-slaughter group.
http://www.horsewelfare.ca/news/164-horse-welfare-in-canada
I read that and thought WTH? What happened to starvation, neglect, blah, blah, blah. Then I found the reason in a web-site by one of their own partners.(click on their Partners / Links tab, under resource partners)
“SPCA is concerned with the number of horse-related complaints. In less
than 11 months, we have already received 130 complaints concerning 1,576 horses
that were potentially in distress.The situation is expected to continue to worsen as the rising cost of feed and the sharp drop in the price of horses make it increasingly difficult for owners to care for their animals. Stories like this are becoming all too common: In November 2009,…”
Click on link to read the whole article. http://sspca.ca
U.S. based SPCA?? NOPE! Canadian! What, slaughter isn’t preventing neglect, starvation, abuse and keeping the price of horses up??? Guess not.
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Good point! Horse abuse is rampant in Canada, despite the easy availability of slaughter. Chris, if you read further down the list of the pro-slaughter partners, you’ll find they include the slaughter plants themselves. Whoda thunk?
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Yea, I noticed the slaughter houses. The PMU industry is a ‘resource partner’ too.
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Chris, I’m guessing you’re American. I’m from the Canadian Prairies. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have always been the centre of the PMU industry. I feel the international SPCA should step in and amend the Saskatchewan’s wishy-washy, fairly pro-slaughter statement. Here’s why the Sask SPCA’s statement reads that way:
The Prairie provinces of Manitoba, Sask and Alberta have extremely strong lobbyists in favour of PMU, and therefore, slaughter. The lobbyists take spots on the Boards of the SPCA and other anti-cruelty societies. Such as the inaptly named “Horse Welfare Alliance”, which is strongly pro-slaughter and in opposition to the CHDC. This is who I mean when I say their ‘resource partners’ are the slaughter corporations and, as you said, the PMU farmers.
There are Prairie farmers who raise horses STRICTLY for purposes of slaughter. I’ve met them. This is kept very quiet. And protected by the provincial equestrian federations and horse councils. Because these associations protect the horse INDUSTRY. Not the welfare of individual horses. It’s important to make that distinction. A timely analogy: US medical insurers lobby for the INDUSTRY, not the health of individual patients!
HWA’s Chair, Bill DesBarres, is even suggesting the slaughter vids have been “doctored” by the CHDC. He is with the Alberta Equestrian Federation and on the Board of the Canadian Appaloosa Club. He is an Appaloosa breeder. Though I’ve been unable to find out his horse’s bloodlines or what they’ve done in the show ring. Interesting in itself.
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PS Here’s a link to an article posted on the HWA’s website: http://www.horsewelfare.ca/news/96-horsemarket
It talks about the “collapse of the horse market” resulting in Dakota farmers only getting $50-100 per foal. Interestingly, there is no suggestion by either the article or the HWA to STOP BREEDING. If you’re in a hole, stop digging. HWA is pro-slaughter, because they are pro-irresponsible breeding. That’s the bottom line. Literally.
I teach music. In the current economic climate, I’m not purchasing new sound equipment, upgrading my piano, or buying a brand new car so I can look spiffier arriving at gigs. I also take other temp jobs to get by. When I’m in a hole, I stop digging.
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Actually I’m Canadian… from Ontario. I’ve heard about the horses bred strictly for slaughter. There was even a show on tv that showed one of the farms. They didn’t mention that they were for slaughter, just that they were for the Japanese market.
We had horses growing up and recently I decided to have them in my life again. There are two schooling barns near where I live. I choose the one that did NOT make it mandatory that I join the Ontario Equestrian Federation only because of the OEF’s pro-slaughter stance.
I’ve also been reading in the paper recently about the problems in the beef and pork industry in Canada. I quote one of the sentences from the article on pork “One of the biggest problems facing pork producers in recent years is oversupply. There are just too many hogs being produced for the market and that has resulted in lower prices.”
A quote from the article on beef “and a competing pork sector with a glut of cheap meat on the market”. The Cattlemen’s Assoc tried to put a postitive spin on it but a letter to the editor summed it up “Cut all corners and/or get out of beef temporarily until the market returns. To cattlemen: don’t lose most of your equity, like the pork farmers have.”
Horse breeders may want to think about that for awhile. Even having slaughter available does not mean you’ll continue to have a market.
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Right you are, Chris. We worked on a release with CHDC and as of November, exports were down 20% (Mexico was 19%). None of the plants are running at capacity and could easily take on more horses. But try to explain that to the die-hard slaughter folks. No matter how you explain it they don’t understand supply and demand. The market has decreased and with the increased awareness that our horses are not safe for human consumption, I would suspect the market will continue to decrease. They can’t sweep it under the carpet any longer so they do only what they know how to do, whine for more slaughter. They’ll never address the cause of excess horses. Never. It’s everyone else’s fault.
But they just keep producing excess horses and want to open slaughter plants to cull their mistakes.
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It’s because they refuse to acknowlege that slaughter exists to supply horsemeat. They think, or at least in public, that slaughter exists for the horses welfare. Like it’s some kind of euthanasia program set up just for them and the money they get is their reward for doing the ‘right’ thing for their horse. You know, to prevent end of life abandonment diseases and/or predators.
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Chris…very good points. However, I would go another point further (and this ties into wild US equines as in the final death rattle of US equine slaughter, etc) because it is never about “providing a service” (as you stated) it’s about money. Here’s the reality: (1) Industrialized nations are cutting back on meat consumption because (a) the smart ones realize it tears (inefficient use )up the land, and (b) we are freaking fat humans with too much access to unhealthy food, (2) the type of food consumption that is meat based is unsustainable and a privelage of the rich nations or humans. Let me be clear, I’m not against eating meat; I’m against this why, especially if it includes equines.
Sorry profiteers…just ain’t that hungry or in need of a dividend eating another living being that got my great-great-great grand-parents from point “crapolla to better life” in the here and now. I’ll eat clover and other weeds, grasses before I eat a horse. Oh, that’s right…you don’t eat ’em; you send them to hell to be eaten. Nicely, Wallis..et al silent Congressional reps? You are a sad and troubling people. I won’t and don’t threaten…but you ignore this issue. That is wrong, immoral and just flat out sick.
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This huge spotlight on equine slaughter and the states such as Tennessee and Montana, paving the bloody path, just in case, along with Canada’s bid for 10K……makes me very skeptical & extremely nervous in light of the extreme removals and stockpiling of our wild horses. Do you see a pattern trying to form? Don’t forget what BLM had in mind a little over a year ago. Advocates squashed the BLM’s idea of mass euthanasia or slaughter. I do remember them stating, they were waiting for cooler heads. Hello BLM, nothing cooling down in these heads!!! We are gaining troops with strong ammo, brilliant minds and humane hearts!
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This may have been put up before, but wouldn’t horse slaughter cut into ranchers’ profits on beef? I’ve never seen anything on their websites that mentions what could well be an “unintended consequence” of their “humane” efforts.
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not sure of the exact dating of events to overseas beef sales.
Madcow caused the overseas beef sales to suffer for some years, thats when horsemeat took off a lot. Madcow also changed the beef feed to start excluding using rendered cows,chickens in beef feeds..it is not allowed now across the world. However horse is allowed to be fed to cattle via feed and horse is a major part of protein for livestock feeds at this time.
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Wow – did not know that! Why are the chickens disallowed? Wouldn’t the toxins in horsemeat make it dangerous in the food chain for cattle, similar to the way mercury passing up the food chain in fish has made them increasingly dangerous for human consumption?
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I think chickens and chicken litter is not allowed in cowfeed because chickens are fed rendered cows. I know cattle digest feed much differently than other animals. You’d have to google ‘madcow’ disease and see how that changed the beef industry and the worldwide cattle feed industry.
It’s the part about the use of horse in cattle feed that got my attention. and the way the madcow damaged beef industry started pushing horsemeat.
It gets worse though, I think some foal replacement milk and horse feed uses horse aswell.
A crazy world we live in and everyone is after a piece of our horses for different horrible $ reasons.
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This came to my inbox today. About how chicken feces is fed to cows. Although I am not yet a vegetarian, I really see nothing positive about eating animals.
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/206497-You-Want-Chicken-Poop-With-That-Steak-Why-FDA-Should-Ban-Feces-From-Feed
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Oh no…if you believe in the process of transmutation (you are what you eat) then that would mean that a lot of people are full of Chicken S#*t. Goodness, that thought has never crossed my mind…”Slaughterhouse” Sue, “Red” Ed…?!?!?!? Oh my!
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It is only a matter of time where one of these factory farms will give the world something much worse than swine flu or madcow disease.
Who knows too how many cases of cancer, bone marrow disease, staph infections like mersa came from those cesspools of filth factory farms.
And it’s a shame because a egg produced for 2 cents tastes like crap too.
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I know it sucks what they feed animals and cattle are amazing in what they can digest with more than one stomach.
I have a small flock of laying hens its not to hard to find a grain based feed, plus my hens graze on pasture grass and flowers this time of year. The difference is night and day between my hens eggs and grocery eggs, taste weight, quality everything. All my chicken manure, wood chips and cardboard box nests go into a compost pile. Then come spring I plant corn seeds all around the compost. Grows like crazy!! No need to feed animal waste and animals to livestock at all.
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I really hate to sound like a ol’ woman but My Gramma…
We had eggs purchased from a friend of Gramma’s. They were huge beautiful brown things, with gigantic golden yolks. The woman ‘candled’ her eggs to make sure there was nobody inside, and returned those eggs to her ‘girls’. Her ‘girls’ were free-range, well-fed & spoiled; they believed Gramma’s friend was one of them.
I miss those days – these women speaking with pride of the charges in their care, chickens, pigs, beef & dairy cows hand-raised, treated with kindness and respect. Even those chickens chosen for Sunday dinner met their ends with my Grandmother’s tears and a prayer (she was a devout Catholic).
But of all the various animals whose sacrifices kept my family fed, never, ever were Horses even considered.
Horse slaughter is just filthy, from every angle. As are those who support it.
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Great points. I hope my message didn’t wrong. I still eat meat although not really much because almost every time I take the first bite, I find I can’t get out of my mind the fact that deep down I’m realizing I feel it is wrong on more levels I even considered a year ago. My heart knows an animal is an animal, there is no difference in what I feel my moral responsibility is to respect, honour and value these animals, all of them, who’s purpose or reasons to be alive are not so they could be food on our plate – no matter if this is what we have come to believe. It’s actually pretty overwhelming to . But I just wanted to make it clear that I wasn’t trying to blame or point fingers for others’ choices or beliefs.. I’m feeling very guilty for not questionning myself about “food” animals, and a lot of the other terrible ways we treat other beings. Because we can. Because that’s just the way it’s always been. Because change is difficult. Because we think we’re more intelligent, that they don’t matter. How can we be so arrogant. We don’t matter any more than they do, that is not what it should be about.
So I am not a vegan or even fully vegetarian but I know that’s the only direction I can go given my beliefs, my informed and honest beliefs. But it is really tough to take in…kind of like once you really honestly decide to open that door and get informed, really informed, and you start to see what is out I feel guilty for having taken so long to ask myself these questions and decide how much (or little) I am prepared to indirectly continue to support these things simply by continuing to avoid admitting what we are really doing here. I am so disappointed and ashamed of the way we humans selfishly destroy other beings we share this planet with little respect for anything that gets in our way. How shameful that most of it can all be blamed on greed.
Anyway, I completely respect others’ choice to disagree with these things and it wasn’t my intention to blame anyone…just wanted to make that clear. And sorry for going a little off topic but to me it’s actually all related in the end. Because the main problem seems to be how we view animals, which affects the way we treat them, all of them. Ultimately, in my opinion, the only real solution to ending all animals cruelty, selfish use and abuse, can only be found once we change the way we see any other living creature. They are not here for us and we do not have a right to treat them as though they matter less and we matter more so it’s okay to use them for whatever reason for our own greedy and selfish ends. When we all finally realize this, that is when things will change.
Finally, I would like to suggest a really wonderful movie titled “Peaceable kingdom: Journey home” The website is http://
Thanks so much for reading. As I mentioned, I’m quite overwhelmed right now and typing my thoughts has just made me feel so much better. lol
Now, about horse slaughter specifically…
I have been visiting the CHDC for about a year or so and had been a little disappointed that nothing seemed to be going on over the past few months because I had no idea how I could get involved or what I could do to end horse slaughter in Canada. I am glad to see there is more activity again, and I will be writing/emailing those listed on the website but I am wondering what *else* can be done. I know those letters/emails make a difference… but isn’t there anything else that can be done that would have more impact, reach more people and making them aware of what is going on and how wrong it is?
Honestly, I cannot even bring myself to watch videos or photos. I would not be able to get the images of fear and horror out of my mind for weeks. Just knowing about it is enough to make me want to do something but for a lot of poeple it’s not, and it makes it easier to forget about it and go on without acting.
So what is the best way to contribute and to help all of the horses who still suffer while the letters are sent and until anything changes? What more can be done?
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oops just noticed I forgot to add the link to the movie… Here it is:
http://www.peaceablekingdomfilm.org/
I was able to watch it on google videos. It’s still there but you’ll have to ignore the spanish subtitles. lol
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RE: MISSOURI HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL. This is the page from Kinship Circle. I’m adding it to a lot of posts on slaughter, because I want it to reach the widest audience possible. My OUTRAGE isn’t just about the bill itself, but the underhanded and downright dangerous tactics by the opposition.
The page was apparently hacked and unavailable for a time, but has since been restored – who knows for how long. What happened to them should be illegal. I hope someone is recording those harassing phone calls & caller IDs.
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new2.asp?LetterID=1894&seriesfirst=true
Sorry about being such a pest, but this REALLY MAKES ME ANGRY!!!
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Here’s the link to the text of Missouri SB795. And it doesn’t only involve horses.
http://www.senate.mo.gov/10info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=3187739
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The Pro-Slaughters are calling slaughter “humane euthansia” which just goes to show how terribly ignorant they are; compare the two means of ending an animals life and tell me, which do you think the animal would prefer? What means would YOU prefer, IF, unlike the poor slaughter horses, you actually had a choice?
To Slaughter or Humanely Euthanize?
What Real Humane Euthansia Looks Like;
There really is no such thing as an un-wanted horse – just owners who dont want their horses and dont give a dam what happens to them.
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