Editorial by R.T. Fitch – author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart“
Since first introduced, many years ago, to equine neglect and abuse I have wrestled with the question of ‘Why would humankind visit so many grievous atrocities upon one of the kindest creatures that walks upon this planet?’ I know that I am not alone in my struggle to comprehend.
This was not the case in ancient times as a horse was a sign and symbol of wealth. A country, ruler or single man who owned a horse could conquer entire kingdoms, hold together an empire, communicate with the world and simply plow a field.
The recent founding of our country was done upon the back of a horse, from the ride of Paul Revere to the Rough Riders of Teddy Roosevelt’s day the possession of a horse often meant the difference of life over death.
Today the horse no longer holds the position of being the most integral and important component in a fulfilled American life. Where once a horse meant the means to travel and gave one the power to work the land, the modern equine has become a tool, or pawn, for everything from big government to greedy individuals looking for a way to exploit anything in hopes of making a fast buck.
Our native wild horses, once numbering in the millions living free on our expansive western plains, have been and are currently being hunted down by a federal government agency only to be interned in degrading holding pens so that you, the tax payer, can fund their needs for the rest of their painful lives. Why?
Two-bit, unpolished, state representatives are sneaking language into bills to allow illegal horse slaughter plants to be built so that their tainted meat can either be used for unsuspecting school meals or shipped off to distant lands as a ticking time bomb for elite foreign diners. Why?
American horse breeders are pumping out babies at an alarming rate without using good business sense or checking their moral compass only to ship the “imperfect” babies across our boarders to be cruelly butchered in Canada and Mexico. Why?
So how did this easily domesticated and submissive creature get to the point, in American culture, where it is simply a disposable commodity to be used, abused and then brutally betrayed and tossed away?
The answer is simpler than it may seem: money. Pure and simple, it’s all about the money and this case, unfortunately for the horse, the money represents all that is evil and wrong with the heart and soul of society.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) works within the Department of Interior, one of the most corrupt and unlawful agencies in the U.S. Federal government. Dealing with land at a government level has been a sleazy practice since the days of the Pony Express, shot gun justice and pissing in buckets. Men with power and the control of land do not mix and it will take a complete purging of that agency to ever get it to stand up to the light of day. But in the meantime the evil stepchild, the BLM, courts collusion, makes up its own rules and ignores directions from federal judges and politicians. It’s all about the money and the horses are clearly in the way, they have to go, so they do. It’s easy, the horses don’t bear witness for themselves and the U.S. public is too uninformed to figure out what is going on. Hell, they tried to kill over 30,000 of their equine prisoners only a couple of years ago and almost pulled it off. They must act fast to get the horses off from public lands before the word gets out in a big way and it is all about the cattle, the minerals, the gas and the oil i.e. money.
The voices in the individual state senate’s who cry out for the building of illegal horse slaughter plants are all of little substance. Not one is of any noted consequence or in possession of a substantial and respected record yet they continue to embarrass their constituents, their districts and their states by screaming for the blood of the innocents not because such barbarism is part of our culture or good for the horses but because they are doomed for a continued life of failure and want a perceived way out in the form of, yes you got it, money.
The citizen breeders who would rather kill a horse than allow it out into the mainstream because it’s conformation is not up to expectations or it does not run fast enough is obviously all about the money but their business model is skewed. In an effort to keep prices up they continue to roll the breeding dice and are guilty of adding to the number of what are called “excess” horses. Would it not make more sense to look at the basic business principle called supply and demand? Less product, higher price…it doesn’t take an advanced degree in economics to figure that one out. But then again, when this group issues statements like “I would rather put a bullet in a horse’s head than allow in inferior product out in the market” you know that you will have trouble making a dent in that mind-set. Wouldn’t it make more sense to geld the horse and sell it than to kill it or send it off to slaughter? I don’t know, just thinking about return on investment but then again, it’s all about the money.
Why is the horse, our largest companion animal, in this position? You don’t hear these issues centered around dogs and cats, why is the horse saddled with this burden? Why does the horse, after centuries of service and dedication to man, stand by and let this Armageddon rain down upon its species in these modern times?
I’ll tell you why and I will explain by using a question: Have you ever looked into the eye of horse?
I don’t mean, “Gee mommy look at what big eyes the horsy has”; no, I mean look deeply and freely into the eye of the horse and to take the time to observe what is reflected back towards you.
Those of you who have know, those of you who have not need to know as it explains many things.
To look into the eye of a dog or cat will send back to you that animal’s feelings be they good or bad, but to look into the eye of the horse you see YOUR feelings and who you are and not those of the animal.
The eye is often referred to as the window to the soul and in the case of the horse; it is the window of our soul and the mirror of what we are, like it or not.
The horse is the most honest animal alive; it is what it is, hands down. The horse does not sneak, cover up or try to persuade; it is honesty in its purest form. When you walk up to a horse you can tell, immediately, what frame mind that creature is in as it is all out there for you to see.
So when we look into the equine eye, as a society, we see what we really are and it is shameful, disgusting and does not even warrant being called civilized. That is the mission of the horse.
All that is wrong with us, as a people, is displayed through the horse and our treatment of its nation. The greed, the cruelty, the stupidity is all right out there in the newspapers for you to read and all brought to you by the most innocent and unwilling participant in the degrading moral backslide, the horse.
Through the atrocities that are beset upon the horse people are beginning to open their eyes and hearts to what is occurring, ever- day folks, the regular American. You no longer hear the word Activist being used but instead the term Advocate is common amongst those who care about the safety and well being of our equine friends. People from all walks of life are coming together and speaking out on behalf of the American horse be they wild or domestic. There is a grass roots, ground swell occurring with the horse being the nucleus of the movement and force that drives individuals to open up their eyes and observe what is wrong with us, as Americans, this day.
The Force of the Horse is driving us to reassess our government, our drivers and our moral compasses while bringing us together as comrades and partners in building a better community for not only ourselves but for the other creatures that share our world with us. The horse pushes us to a new level of honesty and openness while suffering without so much as a defensive whimper; the innocents take the sword so that we can see the big picture.
All be it painful, the plan is working, people are paying attention and pulling together but let’s hope that we can turn things around before it’s too late, before the last of the wild ones disappear and slaughter is allowed back into the U.S., again.
Let’s raise our voices and prove not only to the horses but to ourselves that, at least amongst us, it is NOT all about the money.
Update!
After reading this article, aclaimed artist Laura Leigh sent me the photo (below) of the eyes of the captured Calico Wild Horses who she, personaly, watched their terror as they were stampeded by a helicopter across lava rock, snow and ice last winter. Many died, many more are continuing to die while in captivity.
Look into their eyes, what do you see?
Artist Laura Leigh with the captured Calico Horses - Photo by Elyse Gardner
Categories: The Force of the Horse
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
WOW!
A powerful read for sure.
Will make sure all of my groups read this!
Thanks R.T. again.
Marge
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Thanks RT! I believe the humble burro stands with the horse in this journey as well.
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You are correct, Kate. Insert the noun “Equids”!
Sent from R.T.’s iPhone
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Wonderful as usual, right to the guts of the matter! Will share this one far and wide. Thanks RT!!!!
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Greed has long been the cause of irreparable destruction – resulted in ignorant blindness and an even deeper desire to exploit to the point of complete chaos, which are nothing but covert operations spoonfed to the American Public as “management policies”… The silent drama taking place in the West, the horrific suffering and disregard inflicted to the wild horses – is an atrocity and demonstrates that the people who are causing this against all logic and the wish of the American People are some sort of nightmare species, evolved only in their endless capacity to harm.
What is most disturbing is how the majority buys into the lies. We are blessed to know compassion and empathy – and we must use these qualities in recognition of the horrors taking place in the West to EDUCATE others – to expose the greed and corruption, for the sake of the horses, without whom this country would not be where it is now. We must remind all people we owe the horses and the greed must be stopped – by exposing it and speaking up.
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So well said, I can only echo what Monika Courtney wrote. If we could have this story, and in particular, this comment by Monika Courtney as well, read to each and every American, the tide could be turned, let us hope it is not too late. We must expose the end-user of this ill-gotten gain, who is, after all, the ‘demand’ for such meat, therefore is largely responsible for its continued sale. The supply AND the demand must end.
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Amen brother, amen!
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R.T., You’ve eloquently expressed the feelings that have been churning inside me for so long. I don’t print out many posts, but this will be the first page in each of my many notebooks as an inspiration to carry on the fight. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
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Absolutely one of your best, R.T, and that’s saying a LOT! I have always thought the horse was the most abused and exploited of all the creatures on the planet. Since I’ve always felt a bond with them that borders on the mystical, I simply cannot fathom how a person could deliberately hurt a horse – or any other animal – but the horse – I always want to tell the fools, “You know that horse could easily kill you any time he/she wanted to. That you’re still alive proves how much better that horse is than YOU are.”
Anyway, gotta go spread this post around. See ya later.
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Yep, every horse makes the choice on how to respond to humans based on it’s encounters WITH humans. And it’s up to us to assure that choice is beneficial to both parties. In my experience, the horse is seldom if ever at fault when there’s a problem. It’s the person’s lack of understanding of and proper communication with the horse.
Whenever I’ve pulled some bone-headed move with a horse, I’ve invariably been granted another chance. I’m constantly amazed that, despite the abuse and neglect to which so many horses have been subjected, they still have a willingness to forgive.
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Outstanding essay and wonderful wisdom. I wonder why since we have the words and observations of Upton Sinclair in The Jungle and now have evidence to support his viewpoint that violence in slaughterhouses is inspiring workers in these unholy places to indulge in the most violent crimes in our communities…..I can’t remember the name of the report, but it substantiates that the slaughterhouse environment is producing rapists, murderers, and other violent offenses and that communities that have slaughterhouses as sources of employment have suffered drastic increases in crime and transgression in their communities.
We have to demand that slaughterhouses be shutdown if we want to own compassionate and non-violent communities.
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BTW…thought I just read that the text book nazi’s in Texas have been quoted as saying that the likes of Sinclair, W. E. B. DuBois, and others (can’t recall all now, but they were pivotal folks in our history) were anti-American. OMG!!!
I’ll go look for the quote. It sent chills down my spine when I heard this. I already knew what they did with a textbook that mentioned Bishop Romero of Central America.
Where do this people come from????? Are they literate???
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Yeh – didn’t I and others say a while back “whats next, book burning? Didn’t another group of people already attempt this once upon a time?”!!!!!!!
Off topic, but bloggers posting on a new article about Texas push for another civil war – I said, in the heat of the moment “What war? Let them out, push them out – just move that wall between them and Mexico to between them and the rest of us”. Ok, please forgive me, I mean no disrespect to all good Texans, Don’t mean I want you gone really – but I was in the midst of my new found proof of current day horse slaughter horror which sent my anger to new places, right after comming off of Food, Inc and The Corporation and right on the verge of the attempted cou of a bill being slipped into the Missouri law and that elected officials do not read, or claim they did not know, what they vote on in Wyoming – evidence of political corruption at its finest – and wondering what all is slipped in every time there is a vote or how otherwise gullable or bold faced liars many of our officials are. And toss in oil riggs crashing, volcanoes shutting down economies, riots, wall street, Greece, etc. OVERWHELMED!
I would be interested in that quote and seeing and reading the works of all (I have never before been this interested in history or political agendas to the extint I am now, and have some chatching up to do on my education – I have sadly relyed on the news – but at least stayed tuned in Public Radio and TV, then found Link TV and so many documentaries – WOW) – thanks.
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Sharon, powerful information on connection to violent crime. May I ask you for links to some of your evidence – I would love to start splashing that around YouTube.
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To read about the connection to increased crime in communities with slaugherhouses, please visit website: thestar.com and read the article entitled “Probing the link between slaughterhouses and violent crime.
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Here’s a direct like to the article:
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/809521–probing-the-link-between-slaughterhouses-and-violent-crime
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Oh, should have read further – just posted a request for this – thanks!
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RT, You have indeed spoken what many other equine/horse lovers feel in their hearts & souls !! Sometimes, even though you are right about the money thing, (&, yes, it is the root of all evil!), a person like Sue Wallis makes you think that maybe she had a bad or traumatic experience in her life, & now has a vendetta against horses, & those that love them & care about them? I know, unfortunately, she’s not alone in her apparent hatred for these gentle, beautiful animals, maybe, it’s because they are all that she is not, & represent what she & those others can never have? I have loved horses with all my heart, for as long as I’ve known what they were. I have never been fortunate enough to ever own my own horse, so instead, they are the main subject of my drawings, books I read, movies I watch, petitions & letters I sign, poems I write, vacations we take, &, my daughter & I collect Breyer model horses, since I can’t have my own. I think I would give almost anything to have a real horse, I can not & will not, ever understand how anyone could hate them! Thanks again, RT, you are an inspiration!
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Valerie, I collect just the wild horse Breyer series since first seeing the Cloud show. I did have a wild horse and a retired circus pony as a child, but since then my only relationship has been on 1 hour horse rentals or seeing them in parades, as I am now city folk. Never felt good about rodeos, but my family was into that. I think for most people, perhaps Sue Wallis or perhaps not, we are driven by dogma. I had a unique experience as my parents were of different political position and very different religious backgrounds. My mother was the stronger impact on me so I tried to follow that. But over the years had several, I call them “awakenings” as to the true nature of people and how manipulated and unable to think critically we are based on our backgrounds and our need to fit in, please our families, be respected by our peers, to follow a crowd, etc. I call them “awakenings” because these epiphanies are often similar to waking from a nightmare, where I realize I am not the good guy. Then of course there is great pain, great shame, and then a new direction, with a healthy dose of skepticism and greater patience for others of different mindsets and persuasions. I will admit that as I grow older I seem to digress in the patience arena , not because I differ in opinion, but because others have so obviously based their opinions and actions on ego, even more than greed (even sociopathic tendencies) and not on fact, reality, compassion, civility, or economics – that troubles me deeply – that they never even wonder “Could I be wrong? Could I compromise? Could ‘they’ be right on some level?”
I have written before that I hope and understand the eventual pain and shame many BLM, DOI and now pro slaughter folks, will eventually, hopefully, pass through when they have their own awakenings. I have added horse breeders and the horse related industries to this list, as I have for a long time been against the dog breeding business. I can’t separate the two – and now that this blog site has shown me the horrors of horse slaughter I can’t let that go – this is an area where facts and realities so over shadow compromise that no compromise can exist for me.
My hope for you is that you will experience horses. You must be very empathetic to have such a love for a being that you have never actually had as a family member.
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Thank you Roxy !! I do think I’ve drawn & dreamed of horses forever. I even remember a dream from years ago, because it was like it was real, that I was riding a horse at full gallop across the long grasses of the plains with my hair blowing in the wind. Then, about 3 years ago, I was in the hospital facing a very scary open-heart surgery, & as I prayed for strength & calmness, I dreamed of a beautiful herd of wild horses thundering through snow covered canyons & mountains, & everything was in soft shades of purple, it was beautiful, & I instantly relaxed! My first horse drawings had manes & tails that went on forever! Somehow I feel connected to these animals, & that it’s my duty & calling to help protect them as best as I can.Thankfully, our daughter loves horses too, & has helped raise money for the Wild Horse Sanctuary in CA., &, always wants riding lessons for her birthday. I hope someday she can have horses in her life too.
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Valerie, you are welcome!
You have reminded me of something. When we left the farm and moved to town 2 things – 1) I endured regular whippings for wondering off down the street and around the bend to see the horses behind my elementary school 2) Then later, when I was’nt dreaming, drawing or reading about horses I actually became a horse – too funny and my poor family! I mean I made tails and made my own halters and ran around the neighborhood neighing and prancing. Oh my.
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OMG Roxy, ME TOO! I drove my family crazy, neighing and running around ,the neighborhood, and yard, this is too funny.
Also, I grew up in CHicago, and I spent YEARS trying to convince my dad that no one would notice a horse(real) in our backyard!
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ohhhhhhhhh, one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. about one of the most beautiful things we have all ever seen — the horse. thanks RT for this beauty.
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Thanks for this article.
We so need the millions of people!! who do love the horses like we do, to be informed of this well-hidden horror. Those horse-lovers would never stand for this well hidden-bullcrap, if they just knew about it.
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A point to reflect on..is that the wild horses according to the BLM, have only a 20% live foal rate..that means mother nature is weeding out defective offspring and is much harsher about it than mankind..domestic horses have about a 99% conception rate and a 90% live foal rate..Domestic breeders do ..more..than mother nature to save foals and keep horses alive, that would otherwise die..just as modern medicine saves human lives..Yes there are people whose bottom line is the dollar..but many more are in it for the love of the animals…it usually comes down to the individual horse owner who doesn’t have the time, knowledge or financing to give that animal adequate care, nor the facilities to bury their horse…Maybe you need to do a credit check and get a degree to own a horse????
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The average time a horse breeder is IN and OUT of the horse business? 7years..most people go broke in a hurry. Ask any accountant if they recommend horse breeding as a business..the answer across the board is NO…this idea that people are doing this for a profit ..is hilarious..1 % of ALL breeders are sucessful financially..you need deep pockets and a love for the animals unless you are that 1%.
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Sandra, please know that I respect you and all that you write – but I must ask – this for everyone – if it’s all so based on love, why so much neglect and supposedly “unwanted” horses going to slaughter?
Perhaps it is mostly the fringe business, the actual slaughter faction and the demand of Europe and Japan and others? I can agree to that. But there is an undeniable responsibility to those that breed and support the various factions of the horse industry for whatever reason. Notice I do not place fault, blame or judgment – only responsibility. I know, I have failed this myself on this site to anti wild horse or pro slaughter individuals who have worn down my patience and pissed me off.
Or is it “ego” for some, not love, just to be in the horse business? And I must speculate, and welcome responses, that many are in the business for “ego” – this is not a primary business, they only need to break even, or even business at a loss just to have that horse ranch? Just a status symbol? I need some ammunition other than “love” on You Tube.
The gambling or trophy aspect? And I really do not think I can be convinced, for myself personally, that horse racing or quarter horse/rodeo/polo/circus, etc. events serve anything good on this count. But I only take on the breeders here, I think, for myself sadly, these are here to stay.
Or, one other speculation, because I am driven by facts and comparisons – I have only seen this touched upon: How many horses are bred for the racing industry, polo, show, rodeo competition, and other sport or entertainment industries? How many are bred for other purposes and what would those be? Such as families for trial rides, etc? Or to sell a couple a year for a little extra money? Or so the kids can “experience” birth – sorry, UGH on that one! And of each of those approximately how many of the 120,000 a year go to slaughter? I’m sure there has been a paper or some research done on this – anyone have some links for me of this information?
Question for those family breeders, same question I ask of backyard dog breeders – why breed when so many need homes?
I often get asked on You Tube blogs “in comparison to dogs and cats going to the pound, there are very few horses going to slaughter, or compared to human suffering issues, why should I care about slaughter or wild horses, etc” . I talk about the cost of gathering and holding, I talk about the corruption surrounding this industry (and make no mistake gathering and holding is an industry), but when I talk about the iconic view, the history, the native status, the natural beauty that seems less effective unless someone is already turned into that. Talking about the survival of the planet, the “green”ness of wild horses gets many to add wild horses to already existing causes for environment and other wild life, but pushes others away that are against all environmental reasoning, so I am torn about using that – as these folks only see economics.
And I asked once before – What is wrong with a licensing/tracking system? I keep reading that is a bad thing but I need a few folks to tell me why. Seems to me a viable, non taxpayer driven way to fund quality end of life, as an alternative to slaughter, and to fund rescue. It would seem to be able employ the same number of people that are in slaughter, or more.
I am trying to get good responses to blogs I see on You Tube. Right now, just taking rational debate into consideration, leaving out love of horses, that they are sentient, etc, as this will not touch most of the public, and if there were really a humane slaughter approach, I have nothing to argue against horse slaughter as an alternative, especially since I don’t really understand the “rendering” way as a comparison.
So I need to know more about horse rendering facilities. I tried searching the web, but found little to tell me how end of life at those facilities differ, other that you pay to have your horse euthanized, rather than getting paid. I have gotten a few responses to this question in the past, but I only deal on You Tube with things I can point people to research.
One last question, I promise – I am old school, from frontier people (there weren’t vets to put down animals), and it is engrained in me (that dogma again – but I am asking you all for your input), that shooting a horse, or dog, or any animal, is not bad as an alternative to suffering. I know from personal experience that chemical anything can go VERY, VERY WRONG too, so I personally can’t use “chemical euthanasia by a vet” as come back. I know many here will disagree – but that video of European slaughter, I just can’t find anything that awful about that – they are not starved into compliance, prodded through chutes, they can’t see the slaughter floor, the kill box is super clean, the guy is showing the horse respect, eye to eye and he is calm, it is apparent that if there is a miss they don’t just send the horse on in an aware state. I don’t think those horses knows what is going to happen to them, most horses get carted around to new places and handled by strangers, have many experiences with being touched between their eyes, and suffer some anxiety at several times in their lives. I think, and will accept correction, that horses may be much like dogs in this; they are in the moment only other than survival reactions they learn from experience. So I don’t see that much trauma going on at this EU facility. I don’t think the EU way, at least in this video, can be lumped with our North American assembly line, time is money, ways of horse slaughter, which is horrendous.
Why is YouTube blogging important to me? I have swayed at least two persons positions completely around that I know of. I have gotten some others at least to converse, who were at first very combative. Who knows what one or two people can spread or accomplish or become to a movement? And, it is the only thing I can do, due to health and my own economics. So I learn from you all – then and spread the word to get new advocates.
Another “booklet” by Roxy, sorry, and I am too chatty today, I’m off to run errands soon though. I am really searching to be a more effective advocate. As long as North American horse slaughter occurs under any circumstance our wild horses are at risk.
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I gave you some facts-you can do what ever you want with them. Give me the names and professions of those people who send horses to slaughter-if you want to identify who actually is responsable for making that decision..how many times has that animal changed hands..lets get to the bottom of this.. Publish their names in the paper..Everyone wants someone to blame..lets just concentrate on stopping the slaughter..Humane nature is at the root of this…there are many children as well as animals that are abused, killed and only horses are slaughtered. Change human nature to be more considerate and thoughtful, educate the public-good luck on that one…Don’t allow horses in the united states-or cats or dogs or children-because there are some people who are irresponsable. Are we going to ban wild horses because they reproduce on their own? By advocating for one are you demonizing the other? We have to show the responsable thinking that the other side does not show..ask the tuff questions and try to find answers that will solve the problem…bring people together to solve the problem.
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Sandra, agree. And I appreciate your perspective on the breeding “business” and will use those numbers when ever I can, but I will only be able to say “I heard this, and cannot provide links to evidence” at this time. Perhaps someone can provide a link to data so that I can answer that question if it comes up?
I don’t know the anwsers to these, just thinking out loud: How are we going to stop slaughter? How was it done before? I don’t really understand the nuts and bolts of that previouse movement and how it succeded. Obtaining those names of people who send their horses to slaughter – I think you are saying that is a waste to track this? Perhaps I’m not getting your point on this. My point was not to punish them or list them in a newpaper, but to be able to find the root of so many “extra” horses – so to correclty address charges as the recent post against race horse industry. Right now I can’t argue for or against based on any facts, because no facts exist as to how many of the 120,000 were bred to be race horses. Same if an article should appear against the quarter horse group. This may not be necessary information, but someone thought so or would not have provided the article (which I never did find the 66% thing) and then the racing guy thought it was important enough to provide a rebuttle. So people will respond to that – maybe I should just not get into that? I don’t know how to do that now that I’m on board against horse slaughter – so I will keep probing for info.
One answer is to stop demand. I will have to leave that to others within thier own country and would support any such organization in that country to stop the eating of horse meat – but otherwise, I’m not about pushing my societal (word?) beliefs on other countries. You have seen my rants against Wallis? Only rivaled by my rants against Cattoor.
I did forget that the chemical issues with horses is major to the reading public so far. But I still don’t know enough about it and have posted very little about it. I do have links though to the recent article and scientific reports to pass on. It is major, but Europe and Japan are where that needs to be spread and sounds like some headway is occuring there.
And I forgot that the pollution from horse slaughter angle – that is huge too and will sway even horse haters to not want a horse slaughter plant in their community. Not sure I undersand why Canada puts up with it, but that is not a total answer, as they can as easily be sent south as north. And I read one post that Japan actually has the horse shipped to them live and starved, both so they make better sushi – UGH – AGAST – YUCK!!!!. Don”t have any proof that this is true though – this needs an expose if it is.
There are hundreds if not thousands of pro slaughter, pro BLM and anti wild horse bloggers on You Tube and they get a fair share of thumbs up and I see them swaying others to their side. Problem is you only get 300 words so have to be as effective as possible to as many readers as possible. I post there not necessarily change the pro slaughter anti wild horse minds, you are correct on that, though that would be good, but mostly to catch other readers who may be on the fence. Sometimes I just go to thumb up or down on a post. However, one of the readers who completely changed their minds and came on board both for anti slaughter and pro wild horses had been adamently the other way. No doubt I was not the only one to change thier mind, but since they are in the horse business how many others can they affect? Maybe a lot?
Not sure I get your perspective on camparison to dogs, cats, children – I was looking for ways to sway people who think they don’t want to care about horses because they are stuck in “those others are worse mode”. Maybe your saying let them be? I can do that on horse slaughter – horse slaughter folks are harder to commicate with for sure, they are more economicaly and business driven, not as emotionally or caring. But I have had some success on wild horses just talking about taxpayer cost. – everyone cares about that.
Anyway, keeping on trucking along, asking all those tough questions as you say. And hoping for any and all sparks of inspiriation.
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My point is this, there are many people who own horses who do not send them to slaughter houses. There are many individuals whose business it is to get their hands on cheap horses to sell for slaughter. Innocent unsuspecting people are selling or giving their horses-to people-such as the “Sues” of this world-who are portraying themselves in a manner-that leads those owners to unwittingly selling their horses to those whose sole intention is to send them to slaughter…but saying things like , my little girl would like a horse but we just cannot afford to pay a lot of money…they bring a little kid along with them to give credibility to their story..or the horses are going to a rescue assoc, or theraputic riding program. The horse community in my area uses craigs list to warn people of suspicious characters responding to their ads… Horse breeders don’t come to these blogs and participate or become informed because of the attacks…The idea should be..to get them involved in the process, have good solid arguments and solutions..treat them as a friend not an enemy..who wants to work alongside someone who is smearing you? Data needs to be collected at the slaughter houses..are they thourbreds with tatoos? How do you know if they are quarter horses..do they send the registration papers with them..probably not..what is the percentage of horses sent by individual owners..what is the percentage that arrive with kill buyers? Start publishing kill buyers names..I mean if old Sue showed up at your place to buy a horse..you would know where it was going..There are some real posoitive steps that we could be taking to inform people. You can’t legislate morality, taxing or permiting doesn’t do it. The people who break laws and commit crimes and inhumane acts..will do it inspite of laws taxes and permits..The people who have a moral compass will pay for the permit license ect..Those who have no moral compass will continue to send horses to slaughter all the fines or permits won’t stop that element..If you have no concience you donot consider consequences. shutting down the slaughter houses not allowing transport across the borders-then educating people…The last thing I want is some fricking government agency run by a bureocrat telling me i can’t or can own a horse…I give as an example..the BLM
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Well, Sandra, we’re not talking about small breeders – it’s the Jockey Club and the AQHA that are the ones that send hundreds of horses to slaughter because they are not the “perfect” horse they were breeding for. I know people who formerly belonged to and supported the AQHA who know the score and have resigned from that organization. I’m not as familiar with the Jockey Club, but a track vet has stated that as many as one half of a year’s foal crop end up at slaughter. She ought to know.
Records ARE kept, and I’ve always understood that Quarter Horses are the most slaughtered, with TBs next. It seems that just recently, the TB people are starting to try to combat this – tracks are ruling NO TOLERANCE for selling horses to slaughter and will bar the owner from even coming to that track.
I’ve heard nothing of the sort from the AQHA though. I owed a QH once and no many people who own them now. The AQHA as an association, is BIG MONEY all the way, all the time. Even though there are probably more Quarter Horses in the USA than other breeds in the whole world, they still pay incentives for their members to breed more! There are several genetic problems that Quarter Horses are subject to, but they breed these horses anyway. They just sell the ones that actually express the trait to slaughter and sell the carriers.
Remember the Impressive affair? Breeders had known for years that there was a problem in the Impressive line, but he was the greatest halter horse ever born, so they kept breeding, selling his get to unsuspecting owners. They would still be doing it I guess if they hadn’t been “outed” by EQUUS Magazine and some courageous vets.
Now they’ve found an even worse defect in the Poco Bueno line, and they’re staying as low profile as possible on that. My vet has a Poco Lena mare and he said he wouldn’t DARE breed her, but others are not as responsible – I’ll bet they’re still breeding just as many as before. Since the foals die early, they can just sweep them “under the carpet.” I lost ALL respect for the AQHA many, many years ago, and it didn’t have anything to do with slaughter at the time.
Again, I’m not talking about the smaller breeders who breed only a few, and geld the males that aren’t stallion quality, then find homes for them all. The breeder of my Morgan even asked to have him back if something happened that I couldn’t keep him any more.
Just follow the BIG money.
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Sandra, thank you. Very good message and lots I had not understood. I will save this. Great discussion all the way around that has helped me tremendously.
One thing I had not grasped entirely, even in dog world, is the money involved in registering an animal – that is an industry all in itself. For me I could care less – give me a mutt from the pound any day. One of mine is pure bred though, by chance – no papers – she was dumped in the desert (or maybe ran away).
So, for the licensing and tracking – I only ask that question here so I can understand, have never and will not take to You Tube. I’ll leave that debate to you all – I just needed to understand the debate and sorry I still don’t. I don’t know why licensing would exclude one from owning a horse – it does not exclude anyone from owning a dog. Court cases based on proof and evidence and a sometimes jury decision, a system that already exists, excludes animal ownership. Just my word of caution in this debate – I think it will lose some public support if taxpayers even slightly suspect they are to pick up any of the price tag (a tactic being used somewhat successfully by Wallis et al) and some evidence needs to be provided, one way or another, that this does not or will not occur if slaughter and transport for slaughter is banned. Maybe an adequate selling point is that rescues will pick up those 120,000 a year (that means the actual act of doing a rescue, all processing, then all life support until adopted out or quality end of life) – this is a more difficult sell in this economy – but a bigger expose of how the kill buyers industry and slaughter industry force out rescues in the sale barn is needed. And who will employ the kill buyer and slaughter industry employees – we need to answer that. May not like choosing to use economics over love of an animal as topic, but public support, or no public support, is what it is. Perspective is, right or wrong, that horse industries, racing, QH, polo, competative events, result in the largest number of horses born in the USA, so to argue that they are not the greatest suppliers of horse slaughter is not usable because there is no data.
And sure, many dogs in the pound came from strays or unscrupulous backyard breeders and puppy mills who do not participate in their share of licensing, but that is something the rest of responsible dog breeders and owners share the cost of and thus share the right to pressure irresponsible people out of business and bring criminal charges as the law allows. My opinion of lst 25 – 20 years has been that breeding animals of any sort should not be anyone’s primary business as the consequences end up being delt on innocent animals. One should not put themselves in positions of dependency on that for livelihood or profits, because, guess what, say everything there is to say about love of an animal, but when it comes time to feed and shelter yourself and your family one can rationalize anything and for some when it comes time to just keep their own image ans status they can rationalize anything – but it is a free country and this is just one of many perspectives I use in dog world to TRY to sort out (“jar”) the horrendous and inhumane side of that industry. It is hard for me to ask the public to chose between saving 120,000 horses a year from a horrendous death, when a portion of that same number of unwanted dogs suffer the same discarded fate every day. And yes, peolpe busy working, raising families, jsut surviving do have to chose their battles. I do not adhere to “if you are not part of a solution you are part of the problem” as there are too many problems, one could not handle even a fraction of them if they had 10 lifetimes.
Just to tag onto Suzanne’s response also – Most people are not doing something bad or wrong because they KNOW or want to do something bad or wrong. Most, not all, people in organizations are there with the best intentions and so are their business practices (or they at least start out that way) – but what are those intentions based on? Usually just dogma – i.e. “that’s the way this business is – everyone else I do business with does it that way – it’s not illegal – it’s not immoral within my peer circle – why shouldn’t I get ahead – thats what they taught me in school, or church, or camp – etc etc”. Bad or wrong are often only based on opinions of subcultures. I believe it takes some kind of jarring to wake people up – and it is a fine line between fighting against them and smearing them to “jarring ” them nicely to think outside their own box to the bigger consequences of their actions – it is a pendulum of sorts. So both Sandra and Suzanne – good points both and I will find them helpful when talking to people.
So this is where I am today, with the assistance from you all and I have learned a lot – 1) Demand/breeding practices – meaning, reducing breeding will NOT NECESSARILY reduce the 120,000 going one way or another to supply the demand because the slaughter and kill buyer industry are dependent on this demand for their livelihoods, however peer pressure, education and/or persuasion to reduce breeding that results in throw aways should be disuaded and 2) Industry issues – peer pressure, education and/or persuasion to cooperate in supporting law to ban slaughter of USA horses will not become a burden on society either directly or indirectly (via loss of employment).
GREAT DISCUSSION – I really appreciate it!
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Suzzane, you are missing the point..It is an individuals choice to send a horse to slaughter-not an association..everyone has to take responsability for their own choices..I wouldn’t sell a horse to someone thinking they were going to take it to slaughter. It is an individuals responsability to make sure-that buyer is who they say they are…once it gets down the line..I have no control..I have yet to run into any breeders discussing this issue on the blogs, and thats what needs to happen..Its only people who have owned “a horse” or know someone who has..and quite frankly..I usually just ignore it-I go about my own business -saving the wild horses and working to stop slaughter…you are not going to stop breeders from breeding-the economy will do that..so I consider that discussion a waste of time that could be put to productive use.
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Sandra & Suzanne, please, what is the history of the ban on USA slaughter? Why invent a new wheel? Sometimes you have to, but I don’t know the root of this first success story and perhaps that would fill some holes I am still trying to fill in my own mind.
I’ll give that a google, I have before, but I was only slightly interested at that time and perhaps did not put in enough time or find the right articles. It is easy to find wild horse history due to Wild Horse Annie and current day books, videos and You Tubes, but latest horse specific slaughter successful ban is not that finely covered – or I am mssing it. Early 20th century slaughter history seems even more accessable – muck rakers!
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You’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head, RT–sadly, in our culture, it’s all about the MONEY–a very sad commentary on the state of our collective soul.
The key to our effectively battling these horrors are in organization–something sorely lacking among us wild horse advocates. Some of us are working hard to correct that lack, and hope that we can find some new avenues, because it’s obvious the old ones haven’t worked in the 76 years they’ve been tried. If anyone is interested in helping in this effort go to http://grassrootshorse.com and get in touch. 🙂
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Thank you, AGAIN, RT! As I watch the capture videos again, I am again amazed by these horses, in their first encounter with humans, they are trying desperately to do what is asked of them, in many cases, way better than a first time experience for a “domestic” horse. Even though most times the humans are asking incorrectly or too quickly, those amazing horses figure it out and then do it.
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Roxy ~ there isn’t a ban on slaughter really, at least not on a national level. I’ll try to make this as concise as possible. In 2005 with overwhelming support in both houses, Congress passed a provision, Section 794, in the FY 2006 Agricultural Appropriations Act that would have stopped the USDA from paying for the inspections of horses sold for slaughter. Section 794, an amendment to the FY Agricultural Appropriations Act provides:
Effective 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, none of the funds made available in this Act may be used to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to inspect horses under section 3 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 603) There was a lot of maneuvering, but the bottom line is that the courts upheld this provision. Then Illinois passed a law banning horse slaughter because they wanted rid of Cavel International for.good and all.
It was a federal appellate court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, that shut down the two horse slaughterhouses located in Texas in 2007. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined a petition to hear an appeal.
The Fifth Circuit ruled a 1949 Texas law, Texas Agriculture Code §§ 149.001-.007, is enforceable and can be used to shut down two horse slaughterhouses operating in that state. Those slaughter houses, were Dallas Crown in Kaufman – that’s the one that I “visited,” and Beltex in Ft. Worth.
So, the thing preventing the other states from opening slaughter houses is the ruling that no Federal Meat inspectors can inspect horse meat, and without that it can’t be sold for human consumption. But, without a national ban, this might be circumvented. It almost was anyway when the USDA stated that they would allow Cavel to pay its own inspectors. The court struck that down, but who knows what another court might do.
It’s NOT illegal to sell horses here for slaughter in Mexico and Canada, so that’s what’s going on now. You may have seen how the horses are hauled in double decker cattle trucks that are not tall enough for the horses to raise their heads enough to keep their balance. They are crammed in like sardines and trample all over each other in their efforts to stand up. Ghastly. Many are DOA. I guess you miight say those are the lucky ones.
You can go to the Animal Law Coalition for more details. These articles are on this page under the Horse Slaughter – Articles: http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter?page=7 If you go the the site and click Horse Slaughter from the left hand column, you will get tons of stuff, most recent first.
R.T. has a bunch of links right here where you can find all the info you could possibly need.
Tell the people on YouTube that what they do in the EU is irrelevant to the US, since we are NOT telling the rest of the world what to eat. BUT, they can eat their OWN horses if they so desire, but we don’t want OUR horses slaughtered. We don’t consider horses food animals, even though they are “classified” as livestock, the fact is that most individually owned horses these days are actually companion animals, pets. We don’t eat cats and dogs, so why should we condone THEIR eating of another of our pets, horses? We could sell our “excess” cats and dogs to China where they eat them, but we are not (I HOPE!) going to start doing that.
And, then there is the VERY important issue that – given horses are NOT food animals, they are routinely exposed to chemicals that are banned in the human food chain. We have no way to track this – and I personally will fight any attempt to start – so there is no way to know, much less prove, that a horse has not been exposed to any of these during his/her entire life. The EU will, finally, start enforcing new rules on July 31, and Canada has said that by 2013 any horse presented for slaughter must have a “passport” similar to the system they have in the EU.
It’s entirely possible that the EU will ban American horses altogether. If they really care about food safety, that’s exactly what they’ll do – especially since the passport system won’t be in place before 2013.
Sandra ~ there ARE lists of killer buyers. http://www.kaufmanzoning.net/ A TON of info here too, scroll down to the list of killer buyers. I saw one somewhere else, but I can’t remember where.
These is another site called The Flying Filly, and it has so much info I haven’t explored it all myself
http://www.flyingfilly.com/horse_slaughter.htm
Enough! (for now)
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Thanks so much. I should have thought of IDA. And I usually start with Wikepedia and some way by- passed that. I found that ensighful, but lots of errors they are still working out. You all should visit there and work on that article. They are struggling with bias, that I see clearly defined in other controversial Wiki articles – so wondering why the difficulty here.
I found it interesting that the reason horses are maintained under USDA as livestock is to maintain some kind of tax credit. Otherwise they could be reclassified as companion – that would seem to fix much of the problem. Or a sport animal tax credit?
It is complicated, but I think I have enough now to send people to back up any statements I make.
Still, trying to figure out the fight against licensing breeders and a tracking system. Lets not debate here though – maybe there is an organization or other link I could visit to more clearly understand that why licensing and tracking would be so bad. Or R.T. or another contributor could spell out that debate so we can consolidate that discussion to one thread. And how would that differ from registration I wonder. Of course registration having an economic value and licensing and tracking perhaps percieved as government instrusion rather than a protection?
Oh, shoot, so much research to do and I’m such a bother! And stil learning about wild horses and that ecology. Well, I’d rather be at the beach! You’d rather I were there too!
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R.T. One of your very best! Really got my wheels turning. I am inspired even more so to win this war against both our wild horses and slaughter!
TALLY HO! (though I do not favor fox hunting!)
I also feel a tipping point coming on, as you say so many from so many walks of life coming into these issues, freely sharing all points of view and still working togehter toward the goal? Helping each other when our passion gets the best of us? Helping each other with facts and figures and correcting errors? Supporting each other when we inevitably falter? Is it a new dawning?
And not just the horse issue. IS DIVISON FINALLY BECOMING BORING (I know it is to me) and appreciating each other and coming together, striving to appreciate everyone’s issues and sympathies and goals on the horizon?
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Roxy, I do believe that many AMericans are just sick to death of partisan politics in this country, and hopefully we are willing to put our dissatisfaction into actions in elections, as we send a clear message to those who want to represent us, LISTEN to us , work together for what we want, or we will find and elect those who will,
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Roxy, I saw that video too put out by Animal Aid. I think it was a UK slaughterhouse. Compared to North America, it was very humane. Other than the fact that it was just so sad to see these horses killed, and that we don’t know how they got there, there was just nothing that I saw that was cruel. There would have been only one way to make it less traumatic for the horse and that would have been to have it done at their homes. I don’t think a gun shot, if done correctly and with the right calibre of rifle is wrong. I just can’t imagine there would be much money in it for the slaughterhouses or horse owners however. There doesn’t seem to be the speed and volume necessary to make large sums of money.
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I meant to add of course, it would be better for all animals if they could die peacefully at home (heck, that would be great for all humans too!). And no matter how well or how humanley some other country can do slaughter, even if they come up with chemicals that are ok in the food chain, I contend that in the Americas, that will not be adopted here, as, for today, our society god is called Profits and his only commandment is “at any cost to human or animal or planet”.
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A link that is good as a starting point is the following:
http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/the-revision-thing/
It is no very easy to navigate thru, but if you take your time and read carefully, the background and issues are presented.
Still looking for the board testimony about Sinclair (The Jungle…the food industry novel that shook the food system) and others being aggitators….
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Sorry for “..It is no…” should be “not”.
The following link is a blog, but appears to have the source of the controversy re: Sinclair, DuBois and other “muckrakers”. The reason I bring this up is that muckrakers exposed abuses, etc. The TxSBOE also wants to prominently feature the “cattle boom” in required knowledge. Gee, I wonder why?
The link is (it also has a .pdf from the conservative stating what he wants):
http://www.texastribune.org/blogs/post/2010/may/14/tribblog/
As a side note, I really hope this oil situation starts to get REAL, real ugly for DOI (and not just the Minerals/Mining idiots). With a bit of luck, the equine advocates can join with other environmental groups (yeah…I know, some hate the equines) and highlight the total incompetence of the DOI. It needs to be completely revamped, overhauled, divested of some activities all together and most importantly, A NEW SECRETARY THAT IS ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY, NOT RESOURCE SUCKING COZY WITH THE rapists of our land, oceans, and natural flora/fauna.
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Thanks – looking forward to digesting this information.
If that oil slick starts moving up the east coast and onto CEO ocean front property there may be a bigger change – or, if history holds and we can’t figure some way to stop the insanity, they will just charge us taxpayers to clean it up. Heard one news panel member Sunday AM argruing that the ocean is full of more oil than this from natural leakage – like SO WHAT! Dude, its a big ocean and its not all “naturally” leaking in one place due to human iincompetence and greed! Point is they will defend their mishaps to the end, and pass the cost to us, and blame the victims!
So muckrakers were the whistle blowers of sorts in early 1900s. Love the Merriam-Webster Etymology for muck rake = rake for dung. I think we should re-brand this to something for our wildhorses and slaughter debates. I know there is some dung I’d like to rake.
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I wonder if we should start 2 campaigns, like:
(1) Welfare and environmental advocates sign a joint statement for the ouster of Salazar and overhaul of the DOI. and;
(2) Citizens to contact their Federal reps asking for the removal of Salazar and revamping of the DOI.
Any ideas?
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Add to that a petition to the Attorney General, and white house, calling for an investigation into the DOI and BLM for mismanagement and corruption. Ask for a special prosecutor to be appointed. They are obviously not paying attention or giving thought to the moritorium petition..so we need to kick it up a notch…ask for resignations and an investigation.
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Denise, there was a petition to fire Salazar. I singed it. Was it on charge.org? Don’t remember – but could be done again – count my signature in.
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Well the oil slick is on its way up the Atlantic coast and is already in Florida.
I do not think Obama can be silent much longer!
Marge
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Sandra ~ I AM talking about the big time breeders who send their horses to slaughter without ever OFFERING them for sale. TBs too. The AQHA doesn’t even deny it. They says well, what else we gonna do with the culls? If a horse isn’t “perfect” they don’t even try to sell it because it would “damage their reputation.” Big time TB breeders do the same thing with “prospects” that are not good enough to bear the name of their farm.
Now, individuals who have purchased a horse, that’s a different thing. I DO agree that it’s an individual’s responsibility to find a good home – or try as best they can – but the BIG breeders – the ones with a herd of broodmares – don’t seem to care what happens to the horses, just get them sold and get paid for them. I don’t think small breeders – not talking about “backyard” breeder, I mean pro who operate on a small volume. I don’t think they would do that at all, at least not most of them. But when you deal in volume, the individual becomes much less important.
What I’m saying is that, until slaughter is totally OFF the table, the economy won’t stop the overbreedng. As long as they can dump all the horses that don’t meet their standards off to slaughter, why would they stop? Many are breeding for color, or speed, or a certain body type. So they breed far more horses than they can SELL, trying for whatever particular thing they’re wanting, and sell the rest to slaughter. Without slaughter they would HAVE to at least cut back – no one has pockets THAT deep.
As for the big time breeders discussing this on blogs – why would they do that? I doubt they even blog at all. But people within the industries have spoken out, but not on blogs. The AQHA for one doesn’t even try to keep it a secret particularly, and they are publicly VERY pro-slaughter, as is the Jockey Club.
I don’t think MOST individuals would knowingly sell their horses for slaughter, but when a person outright lies about what they intend to do with the horse, what are they supposed to do. I would be terrified to sell a horse at all as long as it’s possible they will end up at a slaughter house. And then there are the horses that are stolen. There are a LOT of those, take my word. That’s the only way the kill buyers can get hold of horses – buy or steal since we don’t raise horses for slaughter the way food animals are.
And, that leads into the reason our horses are not safe for human consumption. Bute, Banamine, all the modern wormers, even fly spray are banned from the human food chain. Funny, the Sues of the world NEVER bring this up.
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Not knowing where a beloved companion could end up is a terrible thing. My heart goes out to all those who must sell or give up their horses due to the bad economy. The horse-loving community and governments must act to provide practical solutions to help individuals keep their treasured animals, and also for humane end-of-life support when necessary.
More foundations should be set up and publicized for those who want to keep their horses and can prove a provable need. A portion of auction sales, entry fees, prize money, and purses should go to rescue, rehabilite, re-train, and re-home refugee horses. Also there should be fees required from professional breeders for foals-on-the-ground.
I believe many jockeys donate part of their purses to help other jockeys. Breeders and owners should be reminded that jock didn’t run the race alone. It’s way past time for stakeholders to be responsible and provide support for horses they profit from and continue to say they value, even though their actions often prove otherwise.
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It breaks my heart each and everytme I see, hear or even think of one beautiful creature being burtalized, torchered, abused or slaughtered. It’s a testiment to our whole world going to hell in a hand basket. I can totally relate to the words you have written R.T. and many others. Sometimes the pain gets so great I have to turn my back on it for a while in order to keep going without going crazy.
While some in the political arena soap box for the tragedies some humans face, they haven’t seen anything until they open this can of worms. The disregard, callousness, and attitude of that they aren’t important or deserve to live their lives in the wild and free will never cease to disgust me, and have huge distain for those that tote this kind of mentality.
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Sometimes, I have to step away too. I had to do that this morning. Every time I think about Dallas Crown, it bring up very painful memories. Right, R.T.?
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NVKate, chin up! When there is so much pain it is easy to overshadow progress. While asking questions about horse slaughter I was referred to the Muck Rakers of the early 1900’s and how much more horrid slaughter was then and how much progress has been made. It is always a pendulum, and things do step back here and there. There are always, and will always be those that work on the fringe of progress, are not civilized, or just downright break the laws. But as far as I can see advocates and activists have made huge headways over the years, and will continue to do so.
We are in overwhelimg times and events right now, but somehow we will pull out.
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Over say the past 10 years, how many wild horses have the BLM killed? 200,000? 500,000? and still they say NO when *anyone* asks them for one old wild horse or one starving foal. They say NO we rather kill that wild horse than give it to you.
or they just lie about using helicoptors to herd horses. Do the blm people run their own pregnant mares?? does the blm run their foals and horses to the point of road founder? of course not!
There-in is the proof, they just do this to kill horses.
not only are the BLM horse abusers they are human abusers aswell.
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Wild Horse numbers ?
Hi Laura, I have wondered the same. I was aghast to determine that Cattoor had been lying, and further agast at BLM putting out the same numbers, in my opinion, about that low percentage of deaths due to gathers – that is easy for her to do if she washes her hands of the deaths that occur after they enter the chutes, but in reality those deaths are on her hands and she can wash forever and that won’t change.
I have been pondering some numbers and have come up with this unscientific, unchecked approach based mostly on hearsay, rumor and pure conjecture. I pondered this, because in my mind to be purely accurate about the Calico deaths, for example, we must compare apples to apples. When we say 100 horses have died, we have to, in my opinion, deduct the number that would have died in the wild also. And when we count the number of foals that have died, we must deduct the number that would have died in the wild, same for miscarriages. However, don’t take this as condoning in any way a gather and holding – they should have died in the wild. Perhaps someone has a better more accurate break down, but I have not found it yet:
50 out of 1000 wild horses die in the wild each year, hearsay.
About ½ of a herd are mares = 500, pure conjecture.
Only 20% live foal rate, according to BLM.
So if ½, a guess, of the 500 mares conceive = 250 pregnancies, 20% of 250 survive birth = 50 live births, pure conjecture.
So a 1000 horse herd in 10 years will have 500 deaths and 500 successful births, pure conjecture.
Assuming then that any subsequent foal deaths are included in the 100 deaths what is the percentage of herd size increase?
Zero – WOW – the same number as would be the cost to just leave them in the wild and not do roundups at all. It would need to be figured into real numbers, not just my little guess work here, the new evidence that gathers actually increase breeding (thus assuring a gather industry survival forever at taxpayer expense, which I might add, do not even have to bid for the government contract – hum?).
I’m probably way off base, not figuing correctly somehow.
Any thoughts?
Of course you are correct that BLM people would not run their own horese like this – in fact, since I’m in a guessing mood, it would be illegal, animal abuse, to do so.
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