Killing Horses for Humans to Eat!

[Chicken Frenzie]

Quote:
x2 And it's just like me with my birds: other people slaughter and/or eat them, but if I had one, I never would. (And that goes as equally for a cow as it does for a horse.

I'm an animal person.)

Yeah, me too'

 

[bufforp89]

Quote:
As opposed to what? Horses standing in backyards, farms and ranches starving slowly to death because there is no place for them? If they are not being slaughtered something still has to be done with them.

Euthanasia costs $150-$200 on average not to mention removal of a body. Not much of an option for people who need to get rid of their horses for financial reasons. It cost me $300 to have a horse moved and buried after a bout of colic this spring. That's not even counting a euthanasia/vet bill.

Giving away a horse in pretty much impossible these days, even more so if you have an old, unstable or just plain old unusable one.

This past year I became the owner of 2 registered Appy mares and a registered Paint colt, all for free. I was the last choice for all these guys before auction where they surly would have gone to slaughter and at least brought in a few hundred bucks for their struggling owners. Luckily the previous owners/breeders cared enough not to send them to auction.

Maybe the real fight is with all the backyard breeding going on...I have a horse...it has a uterus...must get foal...but what happens when that foal is no longer small and cute and needs some serious training that the average backyard horseowner can not provide? Off to auction....

Or even 'professional' type breeders...My paint colt came from a woman who made quite a name for herself in the horse world. She retired as she got older and was no longer able to compete due to old back injuries. She purchased a half dozen OTTB mares with great bloodlines and conformation for her sport and a big, rockin' Paint stud. Started breeding babies...Then low and behold! There was no market for her animals. Despite their pedigrees and training (and color!) they were just not selling...So she started giving them away.

Or how about the racing industry itself? Thousands of animals going for slaughter yearly

So my point is I think its the overbreeding that's going on that's the real issue here...Not slaughter itself... After all if slaughter was not an option all of those horses have to be reabsorbed into the economy/community...Which leads to horses starving/being neglected...Much worse IMO.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

When my step father was living in Arizona - not sure if this was his pre-Vietnam, or just after- one of the Government offices / food bank places gave out horse meat once a week, in fairly large quantities.
(This is all according to MANY stories he has told me, but I can't claim to KNOW it is true, or specifics. I usually hear "blah, blah, blah" after a while when he starts in on the SAME stories AGAIN.)

But he speaks very fondly of the chilli they made, and credits that meat with his survival during VERY lean times.
I can say that, today, I would NOT eat horse meat, but if my children & I were starving and that was all we could afford, I can't say I would turn my nose up at it.

 

[SimplySplendidSilkies]

Quote:
As opposed to what? Horses standing in backyards, farms and ranches starving slowly to death because there is no place for them? If they are not being slaughtered something still has to be done with them.

Euthanasia costs $150-$200 on average not to mention removal of a body. Not much of an option for people who need to get rid of their horses for financial reasons. It cost me $300 to have a horse moved and buried after a bout of colic this spring. That's not even counting a euthanasia/vet bill.

Giving away a horse in pretty much impossible these days, even more so if you have an old, unstable or just plain old unusable one.

This past year I became the owner of 2 registered Appy mares and a registered Paint colt, all for free. I was the last choice for all these guys before auction where they surly would have gone to slaughter and at least brought in a few hundred bucks for their struggling owners. Luckily the previous owners/breeders cared enough not to send them to auction.

Maybe the real fight is with all the backyard breeding going on...I have a horse...it has a uterus...must get foal...but what happens when that foal is no longer small and cute and needs some serious training that the average backyard horseowner can not provide? Off to auction....

Or even 'professional' type breeders...My paint colt came from a woman who made quite a name for herself in the horse world. She retired as she got older and was no longer able to compete due to old back injuries. She purchased a half dozen OTTB mares with great bloodlines and conformation for her sport and a big, rockin' Paint stud. Started breeding babies...Then low and behold! There was no market for her animals. Despite their pedigrees and training (and color!) they were just not selling...So she started giving them away.

Or how about the racing industry itself? Thousands of animals going for slaughter yearly

So my point is I think its the overbreeding that's going on that's the real issue here...Not slaughter itself... After all if slaughter was not an option all of those horses have to be reabsorbed into the economy/community...Which leads to horses starving/being neglected...Much worse IMO.

I have to agree 110% with this statement! On a side note
After living overseas for many years I realized, all kinds of meat is accepted that we as Americans may not be accustomed to, and we consume at least one that they even if starving would not consider. Pork! One's own religious/personal belief will ultimately determine what one person chooses to consider a food source.

 

[hemet dennis]

m.kitchengirl :

When my step father was living in Arizona - not sure if this was his pre-Vietnam, or just after- one of the Government offices / food bank places gave out horse meat once a week, in fairly large quantities.
(This is all according to MANY stories he has told me, but I can't claim to KNOW it is true, or specifics. I usually hear "blah, blah, blah" after a while when he starts in on the SAME stories AGAIN.)

But he speaks very fondly of the chilli they made, and credits that meat with his survival during VERY lean times.
I can say that, today, I would NOT eat horse meat, but if my children & I were starving and that was all we could afford, I can't say I would turn my nose up at it.

It's not an afford thing as horse meat cost more then beef they even fly it to Europe they get more there and Japan​

 

[southerndesert]

Just because one finds something gross or inhumane in their opinion does not make it inedible for others....

Should never been something needing voted on in the first place in my opinion.

Many keep chickens as "pets" and still eat chicken right?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I watched that animal cops show on animal planet yesterday, and that is some pretty heartbreaking stuff. Its a tuff economy these days, and lots of people can't afford to feed their horses anymore. IMO- they suffer less at a slaughter house than they do starving in someones field because they can't afford to feed their animal and nobody wants to buy it. Horse meat is nothing new in this country. Yes, horse slaughter houses were made illegal, but that doesn't stop the average everyday joe from butchering their horse in their backyard if they so choose. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I eat all kinds of meats: rabbit, squirrel, I've had horse (and IMO, its delicious), deer.......I don't expect everyone else is going to want to eat all the things I like. Some may even think its "gross", but you don't have to eat it if you don't like it......cheers!

 

[EweSheep]

No problem for those who ate horse meat and liked it. For me, as much as I love horses, I would not mind trying one as long it is not mine! Unless that animal has a purpose that you do not want to reproduce the bad faults down the line but valueable as meat (not for you? OK, then for your dogs and cats!).

I would vote YES for humane slaughter houses for horses. Do it the quickest way and be done. Same for cows, sheep, hogs, etc. AND yes you can butcher your own horses if you are inclined to do so.

Like chickens, you would get maybe one or two GOOD exhibition quality out of a 100. So if the foal or horse does not fufill its obligations to the breeder or owner or trainer, AND they did exhaust all effort to get it sold, adopted or given away and still no takers, well, slaughter houses would be the way to go in order to make more room for their goals in producing better horses or whatever the customer wants.

 

[magicsaddlebred]

someone posted this on facebook the other day and i thought i would share it with you.
So many people are quick to blame Obama for the passing of a bill to allow horse slaughterhouses in the US again. However, aren't those who breed irresponsibly, buy spontaneously, and do not adequately provide for their horses the real 'enablers' of the bill? If there was less of a supply and horses were properly taken care of during their old age, horse prices wouldn't be so low as to make slaughtering profitable. I'm pretty certain if we want to end horse slaughter, the industry as a whole must accept responsibility, find a reasonable solution, and not blame the president.
However, as the fact that a great number of horse owners are complete idiots, this is not going to change overnight. So, imagine yourself as an unwanted/old/abandoned horse that has, perhaps through no fault of his own, fallen through the cracks. Rescue agencies can only save a very limited number, so it's reasonable to assume that won't be an option for you. You're destined therefore to starve, become ill, or any number of other miserable fates. Or you could be thrown on an overcrowded cattle trailer and shipped to Mexico or Canada to be slaughtered. (Note this fact those who believe this is a bill to 'enable' horse slaughter of US horses.... THAT is nothing new, it's already going on every day) Either way, it's going to suck. You can die a long, slow, miserable death clinging to the hope that someday, someone might rescue you (but probably won't), or a terrifying journey with a sudden end. Personally? Throw me on the cattle car and get it over with.
Or now, perhaps your owner can arrange to have you shipped to be slaughtered. Still sucks, but that's the fault of the industry- you don't get much say in this regardless, after all you're just a 'useless old nag.' Maybe the trailer ride won't be so crowded and scary. Maybe now, you won't be starving and sick before you get shipped because you're owner was more willing to be somewhat more merciful when there is money involved for them. And maybe, if US slaughterhouses really do get properly inspected and regulated (as the bill requires), it will be as humane of a way to go as euthanasia. After all, once you're gone to go play in pastures in the sky, you really don't care what happens to your body.
If I were a horse in a bad situation with no hope to escape, I would prefer slaughter to misery every single time. Hopefully, it will be more humane than it was in the past. And hopefully, our industry will realize WE created this problem- not Obama- and there will be no easy fix. One day, it would be awesome if even the most 'worthless' horse was valued at a price too high to make slaughter profitable- which is what it would take to eradicate slaughter.
By refusing to have slaughterhouses in America, you are simply condemning more horses to a fate of suffering or foreign slaughter.
Do not think I am not completely in favor of rescue and adoption agencies, or for proper retirement of a beloved pet- I am. But I am realistic enough to realize there are simply not enough of these resources available to save all of the horses in need. As a horse lover, I realize the necessity of a cheap, easy way for people to get rid of their unwanted horses in a humane way- even if it is a way I would prefer that did not exist. However, it's better than the alternatives.


I feel that it is necessary, and I own horses and have rescued horses from slaughter. Its better for it to be legal and humane here than having these horses shipped to Mexico or somewhere else where it may not be so humane.

 

[Cheapchicksfarm]

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well said I agree 100%