Killing Horses for Humans to Eat!

[redhen]

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I raise goats and sheep for milk and meat. and I have horses. if I look in my medicine cabinet, I see many more drugs that I've used on horses than on my sheep and goats... I don't know the meat withdrawl time on the horse-only drugs because I've never had to think about it, but I do know there are classes of stuff in there that I don't use on my food production animals. part of my medication decisions on the food animals is always effect on me or my dogs should we have to cull, as well as milk or slaughter withdrawl times. if I were raising horses for meat, I'd probably be making some different decisions about medication... don't know for sure, but my vet-medicine cabinet suggests it's true.

I've got one problem child horse... he's probably got a digestive stone, based on several rounds of severe colic and some other factors. he's allergic to all sorts of things he might eat, breaks out in hives with most fly sprays, has chronic lameness because of stifle issues, and seems to be the disaster prone one in my herd. he's beautifu, sweet, and young, but one of these days long before old age I'm probably going to have to put him down because I can't save him, or can't keep him comfortable. knowing that, I have started to ask about meat useability when I treat him for anything. when that time comes, I won't be eating him, but I'd like to be able to feed his remains to my dogs. he's 1600 lbs and even after processing that's a LOT of dog food. aside from that, the waste of burrying him instead of letting him serve one more purpose bothers me. it seems to me the spirit of the animal is more honored by being of service than by being wasted. it's the same reason I'm an organ doner.

maybe I should be asking that same question about medications on me as well...

I respect you very much..

 

[zzGypsy]

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I need a bigger one of these:

maybe this will do:

 

[SourRoses]

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The time being spoken has most of the change being due to the economy, not lack of horse slaughter.

If Camelot prices are any indication... an average horse being run through there is worth $300 for its meat.

I don't see 300 bucks really changing the horse market.

Horses who have been bred well to fit a breed standard or a purpose, still sell for more than you were speaking of. I just paid alot more than that for mine.
If people kept themselves to breeding horses that are desired by the market, horses that fit the breed standard and can fill a purpose, there wouldn't be any horses to sell to slaughterhouses.

But even after the economy turned, people were breeding backyard horses because they were out of money, thinking they could turn a dime.

When I look through the local listings.. and see free horses... it usually reads as follows... "Paint/QH cross" "Appendix something or other" "Appy/QH cross" .... so I really wish these people would have gotten their heads out of their rears 5 years ago and not bred anything that needed to be referred to later as a "cross".

The idea of slaughterhouses opening back up makes me pretty sick... because I think of situations like this... where a family is in danger of loosing their home, as so many are... and finally give up their beloved horse because they *have* to... and want to find it a good home, so let it go for free.
The fellow who takes that horse makes all sorts of promises to them, then takes the horse back to his place where a whole bunch more are waiting, and next day loads them up to take for slaughter, at $300 each.
It already happens.... now that snake is going to make a bit more cash for it.

I see what some are saying about the trip to Mexico being horrible... I see.... BUT alot of people choose not to do it for that reason. Do you know what horse slaughter in the US looked like before it was unfunded these last 5 years? Apart from the shorter trip, those places on our own soil could not have been any less humane. A lot of horses were still dead or injured before they made it off the truck.

The horse slaughter issue is one of Greed. A bullet does not cost that much, if you have decided you horse is better off put down. I'm sure you could find some local rancher willing to come do the shooting easy enough. It would be sooo much better for the horse than any sort of slaughter option.
Instead... people want to make that last 300 bucks off the horse and put the horse through hell to get it.

 

[zzGypsy]

where I was in CA the horse market turned long before the economy, so I do think the slaughter issue was part of it.

as to having a local farmer shoot them, there it isn't legal for you to shoot your horse, although your vet *might* be able to do it. a cop can do it if they're wounded/suffering and in a public place. and the cost to have the horse hauled after he's dead is $300-800 dollars. or a backhoe for $200-300, except that it's not legal to bury a dead horse.

some folks there are sending them to auction because they can't afford to have them put down... not even for the pricce of a bullet. because it's not just the $150-300 euthenasia fee they have to pay.

here in MO, maybe it's just the cost of the backhoe, but even that's out of some folks reach.

when you're giving them away or sending them to auction for less than $50, I don't think it's about extracting the last few dollars from them, its because you've got no dollars left. or can't bring yourself to think about what will happen to them next.

I guess I fall (barely) on the side of allowing slaughter, but working hard for humane conditions. rather than trying to repeal the slaughter law.

 

[Mattemma]

Meat is meat. Was watching Man,Woman,Wild and the animals they got meat from in all countries...well it just looked like meat. I am surprised we don't eat dogs,cats,rats,guinea pigs,or whatever.Lol,even bugs!

I was sad to see it about horses,but really are they ANY different than cows or pigs? Big animals with a lot of meat on them for humans.

 

[Avalon1984]

Quote:
I raise goats and sheep for milk and meat. and I have horses. if I look in my medicine cabinet, I see many more drugs that I've used on horses than on my sheep and goats... I don't know the meat withdrawl time on the horse-only drugs because I've never had to think about it, but I do know there are classes of stuff in there that I don't use on my food production animals. part of my medication decisions on the food animals is always effect on me or my dogs should we have to cull, as well as milk or slaughter withdrawl times. if I were raising horses for meat, I'd probably be making some different decisions about medication... don't know for sure, but my vet-medicine cabinet suggests it's true.

I've got one problem child horse... he's probably got a digestive stone, based on several rounds of severe colic and some other factors. he's allergic to all sorts of things he might eat, breaks out in hives with most fly sprays, has chronic lameness because of stifle issues, and seems to be the disaster prone one in my herd. he's beautifu, sweet, and young, but one of these days long before old age I'm probably going to have to put him down because I can't save him, or can't keep him comfortable. knowing that, I have started to ask about meat useability when I treat him for anything. when that time comes, I won't be eating him, but I'd like to be able to feed his remains to my dogs. he's 1600 lbs and even after processing that's a LOT of dog food. aside from that, the waste of burrying him instead of letting him serve one more purpose bothers me. it seems to me the spirit of the animal is more honored by being of service than by being wasted. it's the same reason I'm an organ doner.

maybe I should be asking that same question about medications on me as well...

I think Banamine is not to be used for horses intended for food. If your horse has coliced before I don't know if he would be safe for processing. It doesn't say anythign about withdrawal on my tube. (I have had plenty of tim to read the instructions while watching my own horse die last weekend- that one I wouldn't have been able to process, but I have had some aggressive ones I could have.) Thank you for being an organ donor.

 

[chickened]

What would you call horse? trigger?

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[chickened]

Eating beef in India would be a crime, and eating pork in Isreal is not kosher so it would seem eating horse in countries where it is the norm would be OK. It is just a culture shock here in the US to some. Animals for meat is just that animals for meat, you have to suck it up and do what makes sense boo hoo a little if you have to but think of the welfare of the creature, starving or in abuse is not the answer, riding in a semi to Mexico is not the answer, the horse is gonna die it is only when. Way too many people in America have too many horses at the expense of thier own good and family. Read my post in the horse meat thread.

 

[frostbite]

I thought this WAS the horse meat thread....

 

[chickened]

The other one, sorry I guess it got closed.

post# 98

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