Horse Rescues - Out of the Slaughter Pens

[donrae]

The equine sport industry also pours horses into the slaughter market......

Very true. I guess I don't think of that as it's not as present in my area as backyard breeders are.

 

[Bunnylady]

There's an organization in my area that bills itself as a "rescue" that I will never support. They advertise their mares as potential broodmares. Seriously, a horse you're literally giving away, by definition she is worthless but they think someone should take her home and breed her? Just more food for the kill buyers.....

Ah, yes, the "walking uterus" syndrome. That was a major reason for why I bought Syd. She's a brat (I call her "Syd, the Man-eating Mini"), but one I'd known pretty much since birth, and I hated the thought of someone putting her out in a pasture with a stud to risk her life producing pretty but unregisterable (and therefore really cheap) babies. It's a shame that it is so expensive to spay mares. The surgery would make the behavior of a lot of them much more stable, and it would help prevent the "well, we can't do anything else with her, let's breed her" nonsense. While it might mean the otherwise unusable mares might wind up going to auction at a relatively young age, it might prevent the birth of a lot of conformational disasters,too - more grist for the slaughter mill.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Shows how different areas have different cultures.

Yes, I suppose my area is not typical. I've met several people in my area who think chickens are dangerous disease-spreading monsters, so you can imagine what they think of horses.

there are simply too many folks breeding horses. They think a foal is a good, easy way to make a quick buck. Breeding for color is way too common, thus the auction pens are full of gold and spotted horses that are literally worthless except to the kill buyers.

This is what it comes down to. The slaughterhouses couldn't operate if there weren't so many horses.

There's an organization in my area that bills itself as a "rescue" that I will never support. They advertise their mares as potential broodmares. Seriously, a horse you're literally giving away, by definition she is worthless but they think someone should take her home and breed her? Just more food for the kill buyers.....

A lot of animal rescues are scams... actually, a lot of "charitable organizations"/non-profits are. It's important to thoroughly research any organization before donating to it.

 

[enola]

Slaughterhouses butcher different species of animals. They are in business to make a living, they really don't care what species goes through the building.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

But don't different slaughterhouses slaughter different species? I was under the impression they did, maybe not.

 

[enola]

Generally the companies that slaughter chickens are owned by the chicken company, so yes, they only butcher chickens. But, large animal slaughter houses butcher cattle, sheep, goats, hogs. And in Mexico and Canada they add horses to that list.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I see.

What I don't understand about these slaughterhouses (and factory farms and laboratories and all these other places) is how they are legal. If someone treated an animal half as badly in their own yard, it's abuse and they go to jail, but if a slaughterhouse does it to millions of animals and makes a profit, its perfectly legal. Doesn't make any sense.

 

[enola]

I have worked in a chicken processing plant. The chickens are not treated as badly as everyone seems to think.

 

[cassie]

I see.

What I don't understand about these slaughterhouses (and factory farms and laboratories and all these other places) is how they are legal. If someone treated an animal half as badly in their own yard, it's abuse and they go to jail, but if a slaughterhouse does it to millions of animals and makes a profit, its perfectly legal. Doesn't make any sense.

You are assuming that what you have been lead to believe about the conditions on farms and slaughterhouses is accurate. It isn't. You have to remember that these animal rights organizations feed on sensationalism. That is how they raise money for their group. The more sensational they can make things, the more contributions they receive. There are some abuses, but these groups exaggerate things, and a lot of times what they show you is staged.

 

[enola]

You are assuming that what you have been lead to believe about the conditions on farms and slaughterhouses is accurate.  It isn't.  You have to remember that these animal rights organizations feed on sensationalism.  That is how they raise money for their group.  The more sensational they can make things, the more contributions they receive.  There are some abuses, but these groups exaggerate things, and a lot of times what they show you is staged. 

Very well said. I have seen documentaries that I know to be sooooooo very wrong. The chicken industry gets hit the worst.