Nov 13 2008
Horse Slaughter Story Spurs Response
Forgive the bad pun there, I swear it’s unintentional. I wanted to write, though, about what has turned into one of the most controversial stories we’ve done in recent years. We’ve received dozens of calls and emails about the story - and, it hasn’t even aired yet. As soon as we started airing a promo called “Last Chance Auction”, the phones starting ringing and our email boxes were filling up. Everyone wanted to weigh in on this story - and, now that it’s airing, we want to hear what you think.
The story is fairly complicated and, like all good stories, there are many sides and many points of view. The basic gist is this: last year, the United States outlawed the slaughter of horses. But, every year, there are tens of thousands of unwanted horses. Some are crippled and unadoptable - others are neglected or abandoned because the cost to take care of them is just too high. Hay prices are skyrocketing - and, people have a hard enough time feeding themselves, let alone their horses. In fact, at a recent horse auction in Davenport, a perfectly good horse sold for $25. Those horses have to go somewhere. Many of them go to rescue groups, that take as many as they can. Others, though, are simply unadoptable. They will end up at a slaughter house. But, since the U.S has closed slaughter houses in this country, the horses are shipped to Canada and Mexico, where the regulations for slaughter can be very different. Some of the conditions are downright cruel and deplorable. So, what’s right? It depends on who you ask.
If you want to weigh in on this story - continue the conversation here. This is absolutely not the end of this story - especially because there’s pending legislation that would outlaw the export of horses for slaughter. Send me your comments - we’ll follow up.
(8 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)
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As a rescuer, with 2 CBER and 11 local rescues it’s so hard to see healthy young horses lives end in slaughter…
My horses range from 6 month to 21 years old, with 6 lifers who will end their live here happy and loved…But our young ones have no home offers…
Auction pay 10.00-200.00 per head and doesn’t pay to haul the to Davenport..Other are left to starve as owner can no longer afford to feed, us rescuers also can take…
Is there a answer..????
chatty
Please forward the website for the lady milbrecht who is rescuing horses, as I would like to contribute money to the cause. A society is judged by the way it treats the elderly, children and animals, and we have developed into a bloodthirsty, uncaring society, if we let this kind of behavior continue. It’s all about money, in nearly every cruel and inhumane act we tolerate. Let’s end it now…Regards Linda Comstock
Hi there. I was wondering if any of the horse rescues have a website or email? I found Debbie Richmond’s email and just sent her a message. I would love to help save some of these horses before they are sent to slaughter. My newest horse Foster we paid $150 for and hes an amazing horse but we believe he was abused sometime in his life time as he has some issues that point to abuse.
But anyway. Anyway you guys could help that would be grate!
Thanks so much!
Michelle
Blue Ribbon Farm
Spokane Wa
http://web.mac.com/camelotfarm/CBER ISS The website for Samantha Milbredt I adopted a horse from them and she is an excellent!! Thanks for this story
Understanding that current events need to be told, it is hard to imagine that during the family viewing hours on TV harming and or killing horses/”ponies”, which are every little girls dream would be shown in such blunt manner.
I just read and heard your story about the horses, and the lady that has them up for adoption. It would have been nice if you could have included some type of website or contact information for this gal as my wife and I own 70 acres and would love to have two recreational horses. Great story, thanks….
Gary Kimble
Web site for Columbia Basin Equine Rescue is: http://web.mac.com/camelotfarm/CBER/Welcome.html
We need to reinstate horse slaughter in the USA. It was a good business that offered people a way to economical way to get rid of horses no one could afford to keep. Someone didn’t do there homework when they stopped this. Every time governmenbt meddles everyone loses
I’m not a rescuer but I own horses and I would like to pitch in. Is there any rescues here is the Walla Walla, Tri citi area? I would love to work for them….volunteer, and see if the horses are rideable. I Run barrels on my 3 horses and I’m always looking for another with that fight in the eyes…..every horse can be healed…it just takes time…and I have all the time in the world.
This is an amazing task you guys are putting on…God Bless All of You……your guys are extraordinary people!! I just love you all for doing this…horses are my life…I would be know where without them.
Savana
Thanks Sally for the excellent story. Im hoping it will help us save more horses. Karan Columbia Basin Equine Rescue
I totally disagree on the slaughter Issues. The truth is this is a multi-million dollar business. The plants in Texas were shut down by the majority of responsible people people owning horses or not. These promoters of slaughter fail to tell the truth that the Southwestern Cattle Assocation got $3.00 per horse slaughtered. A similair cattle Assocation tried to sue Oprah for her free speach and lost. Seems everyone that supports slaughter are irresponsible people or have been lied to. First it was the old and sick horse story now its the unwanted horse but in reality its the unsold horses at high prices(Greed). This year in 08 we have seen more rain and now lower prices in fuel. Most of my connections have large amounts of hay at nice prices.Visit our site to find hay dealers. Dont be fooled these killers have no hearts nor care for the horses they do not care to help you out unless you can fill there pockets. Most have no education to help rescues instead they are greedy sellouts to our American Icons and Pets. Texas plants operated illegal for years until exposed there slaughter rates in 2004 were at 42,000 but they needed lobbyist and lawyers to pay to deffend there law breaking business that supported illegal aliens and ignored many city and state laws including breaking health and enviormental laws. They paid no Gross income taxes or exports taxes. We American secretly paid there Inspectors while they laugh to the banks in there foreign countries. Organizations like the AAEP and the AVMA knew horses were going to mexico long before US plants were closed. They even took an Oath in office to protect horses and have failed by lying to the public and setting on there butts doing nothing SHame on you…. The AQHA and APHA are to blame also they promote papers so these back yard breeders can continue to breed and to date neither organizations have NOT set back a single dime to Rescues or any such retirements. For more info visit http://www.SaveDaHorses.org we have created a program that rewards collected funds to 10 rescues every month called the Top Ten Rescues for Donations. Join us in helping fix the problems these greedy people created. We are exposing the sellouts and abolishing horse slaughter and helping Rescues that are the frontline of defence from abuse,neglect and slaughter…….
I would like to know how the average person can help. Whether it is to help get the legislation passed to outlaw sending these defenseless animals to such a horrible fate or helping the rescue groups. I am sure many people would do anything they could to help as many horses as possible have the life they deserve.
Dear Melissa
I am a horse owner and have loved lorses all my life. I have also been part of a personal horse rescue, placing four horses myself over the years in good secure homes. Most horsemen I know have been faced with similar situations.
No one likes the idea of horse slaughter. There are surplus and unadoptable horses. Simply telling people what happens to many of them isn’t going to illustrate the magnitude of the problem. People need to see the actual alternatives to rescue that are happening. Contact vets and law enforcement people to go and see those horses rescued from neglect, show the people the photos of those that have been relocated in the hopes that their lives can be saved….and also include the medical costs that a new home is faced with when trying to save the lives of these horses. (And also give credit to those veterinarians who donate as much time and care as they can to the rescued animals.) The care of a healthy horse is high, bringing one back from near death is even higher.
Horses are going to continue to starve to death because no one can afford to take care of them. Horses are on the whole fragile animals, as they weaken, they are subject to injury and illness. We are talking misery and pain as well as the horrible feeling of starvation.
There will always be more horses than there are homes for them. (I am an advocate for responsible horse breeding, people who let their mares be bred because foals are adorable without thought for the costs of training those babies into useful wanted adult animals must realize the potential for a bad ending for these horses.)
This country cannot send our problem horses into other unregulated hands. We created the problem, we need to take responsibility for taking care of it. There is no reason that supervised and regulated slaughter houses can not be managed in a way that is humane. Horses can be put down without the horror and terror that is abhorrent to us all. Ask any horseman who keeps and loves their animals. Sooner or later we all must face decision time. It used to be you could do it or have medical intervention at that time and then if you couldn’t bury the horse at home, you called the rendering truck to take the remains away.
Now, to do this, it takes an expensive vet farm call and then a payment to the haulers to remove the animals. If an owner can afford this, they can buy another ton of hay to keep going for a bit longer. Without money, people turn their horses loose in the hopes that either someone, or the sheriff, will find them, or somehow the horse will find its own food.
Many people do care, but if no one is willing to take their horses as a gift and money is so tight that the grocery store is a hardship exercise for them, what are they to do?
Just saying that slaughter houses are horrible and need to be closed feeds no starving horses. (Not to mention that loose horses out on the highways can cause people fatalities, too.)
A century ago, the automotive age sent many horses out to increase our wild horse herds, there was range land out there for them. Now we worry about enough graze for our protected wild herds.
When I first moved up here, the local slaughter feed lot was regularly checked for good usable horses that could be sold for more money than slaughter prices. Were all of them saved, probably not, but many were. There were second chances.
So, I’ve written a book. But like all horsemen, I hurts me to see staved abused animals. Me, well, I have one 37 year old that hasn’t been ridden in nearly ten years, but he still feels good. Most horsemen have at least one or more like him that they still support. Can I take in more rescue animals? Only if I am willing to let the good care of my animals suffer. Please God, don’t let another trailer come up the driveway. I just found homes for the last two needing homes last month.
Debbie Richmonds website is
http://www.equinenow.com/farm/mustang_hearts_equine_rescue_and_sanctuary.htm
My mom works for her and she is so passionate about the horses well being. They would love and greatly appreciate any help!
I would like to say that it is unfortunate that some horses go into the food chain. But I feel that the news story neglected several points regarding this controversy. I think it is a great loss, when a perfectly good horse that is wanted by an owner that is willing and capable of caring for the horse in processed for meat.
As Americans we have the right to consume and provide safe and humanely processed food. But the government has become near sighted with extremist and political views and has not addressed the true issue. If the government was truly acting in the best interest of the horses and the citizens it would regulate the processing of horses in the meat packing plants. This would provide safe transportation and humane processing at such plants. We would not have the travesties that we see in the Mexican processing plants if we were able to process those animals in the US and under US law. This would be no different than how beef, pork, poultry, rabbits, and fish are processed right here in the US. In addition, as with other species, the regulation of transportation and growing of the animals is overseen by our regulatory agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture.
I would also like to emphasis the point that when we as people fall on hard times and can no longer afford to provide the care the horse needs, there should be viable options to dispose of horses into a viable industry and ethical industry, especially right here in the US. As stated in the story hay is at an all time high and we as Americans are falling on hard economic times. In addition the cost of owning a horse increases at a high rate due increases in real estate, pharmaceuticals, fuel, and building costs. These pressures put additional stress into our lives and the lives of horses. In additions the cost and regulations to euthanize a horse on the farm is often $500 to $1000.
My wife and I have breed, owned, trained, and show horses for 20 plus years. And I would like to see most of the horses that I have had contact with in a great home that the horse would provide as much care, confidence, support, friendship, and hard work as the owner does to the horse but I am a realist; it will not and does not always happen.
For me, my involvement in the horse industry is part of the American Dream and I would like to pass those freedoms, dreams, and legacies onto my children. Yes,… that might mean I have to make tough choices regarding horses, but I need to have various options and be certain that the horse is being treated humanely in which ever option I chose. I just hope that people care enough to see the true issue regarding unwanted horses and the options that need to be addressed.
I’d like to clarify some points about the news story, but first an enormous thank you to KXLY for bringing the plight of horses and horse slaughter into the public eye.
“…last year, the United States outlawed the slaughter of horses.”
This is not an accurate statement. The three slaughter facilities which were open and in operation, two in Texas, and one in Illinois, were closed down for various environmental violations. Horse slaughter is NOT illegal in the U.S.
And as an important side note, Canadian slaughter facilities do not have a vet present for every kill. The majority of horses stunned with a captive bolt are only unconscious for about 30 seconds, and are awake during the butching process. Lots of proof, just e-mail me and I’ll be happy to share the videos.
“Others, though, are simply unadoptable. They will end up at a slaughter house.”
Again, not an accurate statement. ALL horses are adoptable. Not all horses are rideable, but that does not mean they cannot be placed in a loving and safe home, or they do not deserve to be saved from slaughter. In fact, I rescue more “unadoptables,” i.e., blind, old, lame, or “impossible to train” horses, and I have rehomed many of these types. All of them are worthy of a life of love and kindness. Every single one.
There are humane alternatives to slaughter. Front Range Equine Rescue in Larkspur, CO, offers a 50% reimbursement for humane euthanasia and burial. Please e-mail me for their contact information if you are interested, or google http://www.frontrangeequinerescue.org and look for their Trails End Program.
The only thing that comes between a horse’s life and slaughter is human greed. Anyone is welcome to e-mail me at mustanghearts@coldreams.com for more information. I am not affiliated with any feedlots, brokers, auctions, or others in the slaughter industry. I’m just a voice for horses.
Having 3 horses myself, 2 of which came from an X-PMU farm and were slated for the auction yard, I’m on both sides of the fence. I’d love to be on the anti slaughter side, but, what do folks do when they can’t afford to feed their horse, they can’t sell it, and they can’t give it away, and the rescues around them are full and overflowing. Chances are, if they can’t afford to feed it, they can’t afford to have it euthanized and disposed of. If I had no alternative, yes, I would take my horses to auction, but that would be a last desperate attempt to find them a home, and I hope it never comes to that! If the folks who want to pass the anti slaughter bill through would get funding set in place for folks to apply for to have their horses euthanized and disposed of properly, then I’d have no problem getting behind them, but so far I haven’t seen anything like that in their plans. You can’t just stop slaughter and expect thousands of horses to get a new home, or to keep their home when the cost of feeding them has gone up so much. Face it, there are just too many horses and not enough homes. That is the end story, so please, anti slaughter folks, get some plan in place for the folks who’s only option right now is the auction. Push the breed associations to inspect stock for breeding purposes and only allow the best to qualify. Push for gelding and not breeding everything under the sun. Push for more regulations in the existing slaughter plants to make them safer for the horses already there. Push for a several year plan to slow and gradually stop the shipping of horses to ease the pressure on all the horse rescue’s in the USA.
Thanks
Zana
To the responders that say shipping to slaughter out of the US should be illegal - you are MISSING THE POINT. This horrendous problem of horses starving to death has been created due to the PETA types that have gotten the US’ slaughter plants closed. Horse slaughter is a sad necessity in this country. We have all these people breeding their backyard nags that have confirmation, disposition, etc faults simply because “they can” … then you create more worthless horses that no one wants. When the novelty wears off or Mr Big Backyard Breeder can no longer afford to feed these horses he’s let freely breed, there’s no where to unload them. So they end up getting dumped off somewhere or just starving to death!! We NEED the slaughter plants to open back up! At least we have regulations here in this country so it is not the horrendous cruelty that occurs in Mexico. I am a responsible, long time (over 40 years) horse owner. I do not own more than I can afford. I do not breed any of my mares any longer. Mine are all cared for properly.
So yes, help the rescue organizations as much as you can, but also contact your legislature to petition to get the slaughter houses reopened in the US to help end the suffering of many of these poor horses!
As a horse lover and breeder who has been in the business for 30 years, weathering both good times and bad, I too have mixed emotions on this subject. As a horse (and all animals) lover, I truely hate to think of any serviceable horse going to slaughter. On the same hand, we are now seeing more neglect and abuse of the horse population than ever before, due in my belief to the closure of the equine slaughterhourses in the U.S. This was happening even before the meltdown of the economy.
On the other side, as a breeder and a business person, if the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503 and S. 1915) is passed at the Federal level, it will deliver a fatal blow and doom the equine industry, resulting in the loss of not only billions of dollars, but also the livelihoods of many thousands of people directly involved in the horse business. In my experience as a breeder of more than 300 horses here in the NW, I have directly sent 2 horses to slaughter. One was an old, barren mare, not broke to ride, and of questionable disposition, the other, a gelding in the prime of his life but a definite danger to his rider. (This was decided after many months, and wrecks, this horse did not buck, he just ran backwards until he flopped over on his rider. Not every time he was ridden, just when you were in a tight spot, or when “his screw came loose”.) These 2 horses were sent to a WA ST plant, in existence at the time. A close ‘haul’ done by people I trusted, and after delivery, they were handled according to strict, humane guidelines set down by the state. I would never condone sending a horse to Mexico for slaughter. At this time, Canada is the best option for us, here in the NW, but the cost for some owners may not be feasible. After the option of humane slaughter of undesirable horses was basically eliminated for the average owner, the numbers of horses has grown to the point where it is unmanageble for not only the owner, but also for government. If a centralized location for disposal of the old, unfit, and undesirables, was still an available, we would go back to see a healthy equine population that is well cared for and loved. Think about it, after all, this is the state where we just passed an assisted suicide initiative!
Conservatively 100,000 excess horses each yr
Assume 10 years life span (very conservative)
That requires a rescue capacity of 1 million horses.
$100/month per horse.
1.2 billion dollars annual cost of a rescue system.
2 million horse owners annual tax to cover rescue
$600 per horse owner. Probably $1000 is more reasonable.
Humane regulated US slaughter did provide a market based solution.
Anyone is welcome to e-mail me for additional materials documenting inhumane horse slaughter practices, both in Canada and Mexico, by the HSUS and other reputable animal welfare organizations. I’ll be happy to provide links to slaughter video footage, a list of local rescues, and other important links from organizations such as Veterinarians For Equine Welfare, which strongly oppose horse slaughter. I also have a list of auctions in the state of Washington for those who wish to directly rescue a horse from the kill pens. Please e-mail me at mustanghearts@coldreams.com. Thank you.
The “unwanted horse” issue is very real, but it is habitually exaggerated by pro-slaughter advocates and others who profit from slaughter, to justify their position and to continue to line their pockets. For instance, at the Davenport auction last September, there were 188 horses consigned. In October there were 56. The average number of horses consigned to that auction averages from 80 to 100.
Slaughter buyers are still paying good money for “meat horses.” While at the Davenport auction in October, I paid $425 for an enormous and beautiful Quarter Horse mare by bidding against the Canadian meat buyer for her. The average “meat horse” sold from $170 to $475. Horses are not being sold for peanuts. The saddle broke horses averaged $200 to $600. I have an invoice for the 12 horses I rescued that day totalling $2,000. That averages $167 per horse. So there goes another myth.
Other than the fact that horses are not slaughtered humanely, here’s something to ponder, for all those who think the slaughter of horses for human consumption is a fine idea:
American horses are full of carcinogens….cancer causing chemicals. Worming paste states: “WARNING! Not intended for use in food animals!” Bute is a known and well documented carcinogen in humans, yet Europeans eat horse meat every day that is FULL of bute. Race horses are full of steroids, bute, worming paste, and heaven only knows what else when they leave the tracks. There is no known “cleansing period” for any of these and the hundreds of other equine medications that American horses are full of. Even fly spray….”WARNING! Not intended for use on food animals!”
Americans do not eat horse meat. American horses are not raised as food animals. However, over 100,000 American horses per year are eaten by Europeans, Asians, Belgians. The horse meat is not tested for any of these toxins. It is only randomly tested for parasites. In order to kill parasites they freeze the meat for at least 4 days but, that does nothing to rid the meat of all the chemicals. The chemicals cannot be “cooked away.”
Horses are not slaughtered humanely. When they were being slaughtered in the US they weren’t slaughtered humanely. Go to YouTube and there are many video’s that you can watch of horses being slaughtered in Canada and Mexico. Go watch a couple of them and then come back on here and say that you think the slaughter of horses is a good thing. I dare you to watch one from Mexico.
The problem is overbreeding. STOP breeding. Period! All the backyard breeders should be forced to watch a video of a horse being slaughtered in Mexico. Chances are, that’s where most of your backyard beauties end up!
I am really disappointed that Kxly didn’t do a better investigation into the “rescues” they portrayed.
First, you have Debbie Richmond of Mustang hearts….She was recently evicted from her last property for filthy unsafe conditions, to many horses on little land and because the locals were complaining about stench and horses running loose due to lack of proper fencing. She also has Animal Control reports against her which could not be obtained in time to give new light to this report.
She has been at this new place for 3 months, come back in a year and see what it looks like. Also horse owners can spot right off even with the new facilities the lack of fencing, shelter and land for 48 horses. I certainly hope that the portrayal of this story does not make non horse owners think that this is right. Please take a look at her past before you decide to support this rescue: http://bustedupcowgirlblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/and-another-dandy.html
Then you have Samantha Milbredt of CBER. Please Google her name or CBER. She and her rescue have been listed on many legitimate scam sites including being listed with Rip-off Report http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/227/ripoff0227815.htm The reports are astonishing.
There are true genuine rescues out there that do need your support. Please investigate before you send your hard earned money to a place where it isn’t being used for what it’s suppose to or to feed a mental horse hoarding illness.
As for the slaughter issue, I certainly don’t think turning horses loose, letting them starve in fields, packing them into “rescues” like the two above mentioned is any more humane than slaughter. Remember the main course on most Americans plate also went trough the slaughter process….just because horse meat has not been available to purchase in the USA since the 70’s does not make it wrong for other countries to enjoy.
The people against horse slaughter are the ones who pressured the USA plants into closure. Now they complain about the long rides the horses have to endure and about the lack of regulation in the foreign slaughter plants. They have caused more harm and abuse to the horses than there ever was. We need to get the USA plants back open where the process and transportation can be regulated.
Anyone wanting to donate or help a rescue over the internet should do their homework very thoroughly.
There are many dealers all over the country who pose as rescues, making money hand over fist. Recently there have been several news stories of ‘rescue’ who were actually hoarding situations in which the horses further suffered. Also just because a ‘rescue’ has their 501c3 status is not insurance that they are above board and just because the news has reported on these rescues does not imply that the news staff has researched for you and found them to be legitimate. Get information from locals, check them out via the IRS, and remember Google is your friend.
Questions I ask of rescue I am consider assisting:
- do they have an adoption contract and do I agree with each item in it
[for example some rescues allow breeding, which only adds more horses to the rolls of those needing rescue, others have no contracts or only have them for show never getting them signed and enforced which does nothing to protect the horses they say they are trying to help]
-how much money do they take in, and what does that money support
[for example are any of the BOD making a living off this rescue and if so do I agree with that]
-what other ways does this rescue support their efforts
[do they make fundraising efforts outside of outright donations, get discounts from their suppliers when offered, or pursue grants if they are a 501, and if not why not?]
-If it is at all possible go to the rescue and see their facility and meet the people running it and see the animals themselves. If you are not horse savvy, take someone with you who is. What looks good to a non-horse person, an experienced horse person might immediately identify as dangerous
[for example certain types of fencing or poorly maintained fencing, lack of quarantine, overcrowding of animals on too few acres]
There are so many resources out there for anyone considering a donation of their hard earned money. Make sure your donations are being utilized to their fullest and doing what you wish them to do. In my opinion the best way to do that is to donate locally, and if you ask at your local feed store, or ask your local animal enforcement they can tell you where your local horse rescue is.
Horse Slaughter is not something that people raise their horses to go to, but they are livestock and slaughter is a necessary evil. There will alwasy be irresponsible horse breeders and owners. They do not have the money to put their animals down, so the horse market is flooded with unwanted horses with no pedigree, horrible dispositions, and malnurished. Yes it is sad, when you can by a horse for cheaper than you can a bag of dog food. But, why should the American Government step in and tell horse owners what they can and can not do with their horses. To some, horses are a way of life and a means to make money, the Government has stepped in and stopped that. There are no government support for the people that were left behind. PETA did not stay to clean up the mess, the mearly came in, bought the media and congress, and then left for someone else to clean up their mess.
For anyone who wants to help, don’t donate money to PETA, none of that money will ever be seen by rescue groupd. PETA is strickly and organization that takes the donations and uses it for media purposes, none goes to the animals in need!
Slaughter if done humanly shouldn’t be a problem. I would rather see a slaughter house in every state, that would decrease on the time spend in trailers. Not to mention there would be increased jobs for Americans and in the end would actually strenght our bad economy! Right now the horse market has no floor and there are a lot of horses that go through the sale barns that never get a bid on them. $5 for a weanling $10 for three yearlings, it takes more in registrations fees, feed, and vaccinations to care for these. Not to mention riding horses, mares, etc.
Thanks to all of you for your responses so far. We appreciate hearing from all sides of this issue. You’re all very passionate about these animals - and, really illustrate the issue very well. People want to save these animals, but wonder: is it practical given the cost of upkeep, etc.
Debbie, thanks for weighing in and passing on your contact information. I will disagree with one comment you made. You said all horses are adoptable - and, I have to disagree. This is my opinion, not the opinion of kxly. I compare it to dogs @ a shelter. I LOVE dogs - and, in an ideal world, every dog would be given a chance at life. But, it’s just not possible with some dogs (they might be biters, etc.). Yes, we’d LOVE to save them all - but, sometimes putting them down in a humane way is the only solution.
I will say, Debbie, that what you are doing is very admirable. You have dedicated your life to these animals - and, you are realistic about how much you can do and how many you can help. It must be so heartbreaking when you have to walk away from the others.
Hi, there are many rescues and us who rescue…I myself belong to CBER, Rescure Only, SOS….+ we in our local area who rescue….
As I have said horses in our private rescue (non-supported) have a very small turn over…We have no web site or non profit statist, so all money is out of our pockets…We do this for the horses….But the numbers are larger than most of us can care for, so we have learned to say no…”no room in the inn”
Yes, we pay to rescue, feed, vet cost and need for these horses hoping they will find homes….And yes we love everyone of them….
Our’s come in injured, sick, in foal or babies…Mustang, appy’s, QH’s and mix breeds…2 are from the feedlot in Yakima, 2 from Davenport auction ( a mare who was in foal for 10.00…she had a filly) and the rest locally…
contact me at: Tworkequine@aol.com………….I can forward wsite to you….thank you….
chatty
I copied and pasted this because I think it’s very true.
# Shayla Whitakeron 14 Nov 2008 at 7:06 am
“Horse Slaughter is not something that people raise their horses to go to, but they are livestock and slaughter is a necessary evil. There will alwasy be irresponsible horse breeders and owners. They do not have the money to put their animals down, so the horse market is flooded with unwanted horses with no pedigree, horrible dispositions, and malnurished. Yes it is sad, when you can by a horse for cheaper than you can a bag of dog food. But, why should the American Government step in and tell horse owners what they can and can not do with their horses. To some, horses are a way of life and a means to make money, the Government has stepped in and stopped that. There are no government support for the people that were left behind. PETA did not stay to clean up the mess, the mearly came in, bought the media and congress, and then left for someone else to clean up their mess.
For anyone who wants to help, don’t donate money to PETA, none of that money will ever be seen by rescue groupd. PETA is strickly and organization that takes the donations and uses it for media purposes, none goes to the animals in need!
Slaughter if done humanly shouldn’t be a problem. I would rather see a slaughter house in every state, that would decrease on the time spend in trailers. Not to mention there would be increased jobs for Americans and in the end would actually strenght our bad economy! Right now the horse market has no floor and there are a lot of horses that go through the sale barns that never get a bid on them. $5 for a weanling $10 for three yearlings, it takes more in registrations fees, feed, and vaccinations to care for these. Not to mention riding horses, mares, etc.”
******* End Quote*****
The above is an accurate assessment of the situation. Along with the already poor economy, doubling feed prices and loss of jobs. There has to be a way to dispose of unwanted/overproduced animals when people can’t support themselves let alone something that costs from $150 (if one owns their own property) to $350 per month (if one boards) to care for.
Horses aren’t the only animal being uncared for, abandoned and overbred. People are just stupid that way. How many years has the campaign for spaying and neutering been in place?? Yet people continue to let them run amuck breeding at will. I have a special place in my heart for people who artificially insemenate and do C Sections on breeds of dogs that are so inbred and deformed they can’t reproduce by themselves anymore. How sick is that?? YIKES!!
BUC and Angfreda have made some very important points. Thank you!
As someone who donated hundreds and hundreds of dollars to CBER, I am fairly certain very little of that money actually went to help horses. There is a reason why they have a revolving door for volunteers…
Larry and Don have no idea what they are talking about and must be cattle ranchers who think the anti-slaughter movement will be coming after the cattle industry next.
Jenn: If you want to participate in the anti-horse slaughter movement, please go to: Alexbrownracing.com and check out the forum. There is a lot of good information there and you can even join a call group for your state. I belong to one and at least I can say I’m playing a small role in the anti-slaughter movement.
Melissa, I appreciate your opening this blog for discussion. The issue has many supporters and many detractors as well. I am so grateful to Sally Showman and KXLY News for bringing this story forward to the public. It has already generated such a positive response for us, and no doubt helped many, many others.
I have been involved with horse rescue for many years now. I’ve seen, heard, and read too much. The auction, feedlot, holding pens are dangerous and desperate places. Slaughter is not a humane process. . .it is filled with terror, inhumane treatment by handlers, the stench of death, and panic. It is the ultimate betrayal for our horse friends who have companioned with us humans to do what we asked of them, who took good care of our kids, who nickered at us at feeding time and when we came out the back door, who give us each foot for shoeing, rode in our trailers, and who gave us their trust and companionship.
Horses bought at auctions are loaded into trucks for transport to the feedlots. . .altogether. . .stallions, mares in foal, tiny foals, ponies. . .all sizes. At the feedlots, most are put together. . .wild and agressive ones put in with childrens’ mounts, mares with foals, older horses, horses with injuries. Some die as a result. During winter with the mud issues, some breathe their last mired in a mud puddle from which they cannot arise.
Horses loaded onto the semis that haul them to slaughter are mixed in with other horses from other feedlots. Some are still transported in the outlawed double-deckers not made to accommodate the horse’s stature. In those, they have to stand with their heads at body level because the roof is too low to straighten up. Some arrive with neck injuries and unable to raise their heads again. Others go down in the trailer and are killed or injured. They are transported for long hours without food or water and they cannot move as they are packed too tightly.
Foals are ripped from their mothers as mothers are shipped off to slaughter. The foals are frantic and the mothers are frantic. . .the air is pierced with desperate calls.
One mare fell off the loading ramp, got caught between the boards, and could not get up on her own. The workers freed her and sent her up the ramp into the truck with a broken leg.
Pregnant mares who foal on the slaughter floor are sent on through the kill process and their foals are sent to another pen with the other foals to die. . .no food or water.
Stallions are supposed to be gelded at the feedlot. . .and, then they are sent off with their stitches still in and before the hormones are out of their systems.
It seems to me that the racing industry and the bucking stock industry are the biggest contributors to slaughter. Thoroughbreds are often sent right from the track to the slaughter pens. These animals go from a hands-on, everything-done-for-them to a totally unknown and very dangerous life at the feedlot. They don’t even know how to act. Bucking stock rejects are thrown away because they won’t buck. I’ve seen many of those rehabbed and turned out to be the best mounts their riders ever had. I sadly remember one chestnut gelding that rested his head in your arms for whom I had donated rescue money. . .but, he was sent off to slaughter before the total amount was raised. His only crime???. . .he didn’t want to buck, he wanted to companion with a human.
Then there was a mare with a foal that was pulled by SOS Rescue. She took over the care of a 2nd motherless foal at the feedlot and let that one nurse her also. A few months later, a rescue member’s mare died from complications of child birth leaving a week old foal behind. The two foals were old enough to wean, so the motherless foal was introduced to this mare. . .and, she took it on as well! Now she is believed to be foal herself (coming that way from the feedlot). So, the rescue of this mare saved 3 lives and now a 4th that is living inside her. A nursemare of this magnitude is worth even more than gold. She lives with more understanding and compassion than her human handlers did. . .and, aren’t those qualities we humans should have?
Most horses finding themselves in the slaughter pipeline are not old, not injured, and not unadoptable. They are children’s pets, working ranch horses, pregnant mares, pleasure horses, and show horses who have companioned with humans and have put their trust in us as their care takers.
For the past 2 summers SOS Equine Rescue has rescued horses that had taken good care of their young riders at summer camps. It is not unusual for bomb-proof horses to show up. Registered horses are common. Rescued horses have gone on to become blue ribbon winners in dressage, horse shows, jumping, and even national winners in halter classes. . .not to mention all those who have put smiles on the faces of their young riders and those of us oldies needing safe and sane well-broke horses. And, they did it within a few months of being rescued.
Horses are highly sensitive, intelligent animals and most have chosen to companion with man. Slaughter is inhumane and a total horror. Doesn’t a horse that has given itself to you deserve a dignified and humane end-of-life euthanasia by a qualified vet? There is a beginning and an end to every life. Part of the responsiblity of animal ownership is providing the care needed during its lifetime. . .which, in my opinion, includes a humane end. It’s part of the cost of taking an animal into your family.
We rescuers can’t save them all. . .but, we do the best we can. Our hearts are heavy and tears are shed for those that we couldn’t save in time. Their lives were just as precious as those we did save. But, these are hard times and there is only so much we can do. Prayers for a quick end are often all that we have left. For those that were lucky enough to get their 2nd chances, the adoption success rate is very high. They were not unwanted horses.
I only have one question for anyone who is dead set against the US slaughter plants reopening: can we start bringing all of the unwanted horses to your places now? There has to be someplace to put the unwanted, starved, dangerous, etc horses & since you proclaim all your love for them & that they can all be rescued, we need addresses where to bring them. I HATE for the thought of horses being slaughtered - just as I hated for my first steer I ever raised having the same fate. But until the irresponsible breeders get their heads out of their behinds, and the wanna be’s quit trying to take on something they have NO clue about, then we have to do something. Reopening our slaughter plants is much more humane than leaving horses abandomed or just letting them slowly starve to death behind the barn….. And oh - to the ones who figure it’s so cheap to keep a horse & that all the hay & grain, etc is so cheap - when can you bring us a semi load of this cheap hay???
Columbia Basin Equine Rescue’s site is
http://web.mac.com/camelotfarm/CBER/Welcome.html
and our bulletin board (which has regular updates on current feedlot horses, horses previously adopted and much more):
http://cbequinerescue.proboards53.com/index.cgi
Hello,
sooo, you want to reopen slaugher houses and continue …business as usual?
In the 50 -60 yrs slaughter has gone on, what did it do? Alleviate the overabundance
of horses? Didn’t it serve to stop the ’starving and abandonment and the’ I cannot
afford to take care of my horse(s) issue?’ It perpetuated it. Slaughter is not acceptable
and now we are at the day of reckoning…stop overbreeding - regulate this, not try
to regulate slaughter. We do not eat horsemeat and why has this not been advocated
for American menus? Our dogs and cats are not shipped to Korea either and many
people are starving, but do we string them up and slit their throats and bleed them
out to feed the hungry or anyone? NO, horse slaughter is UNACCEPTABLE. 50 years
kept slaughter alive and well as it is today…stop your overbreeding and when horses
are raised above a slab of meat, we can then be called a America the Beautiful. Advocate horsekeeping communities, more land to grow hay close by, and seek
low-cost euthanasia and burial. Get more trails and encourage horse facilities. We
actually need a moratorium on breeding and fines if you do. 40,000 newborn crop
of racing stock and Premarin foals and horses needs to be completely stopped. Once we
reach the end of overbreeding, we can breed within the limits …yes, those days need
to go…careless, indescriminate breeding, and then ship them off to slaughter for a buck
or two…if crippled, old, etc, decency calls for euthanansia..by the way, the killer buyers
‘fatten up the horses for the kill…more bang for the buck’ so they too have to get hay
at those high costs..they don;t want skinny horses…THINK! they gotta be fattened up
for the ‘kill’ and 92% are healthy…AND if less than 1% go to slaughter, then we can stop
that amount of overbreeding.
There IS an alternative if you can no longer care for your horses, or any other animals, and have exhausted your efforts in finding them a safe home. It’s called Humane Euthanasia - and the slaughter houses offer anything BUT that.
While I hate to see any sound, healthy animal put down, euthanasia is far more kind and loving then sending your animals to the likes of Chuck Walker or other Kill Buyers, or taking your chances at an auction and walking away blindly hoping your animal will get a home. Even the best and brightest prospects ship to their deaths daily. As young as 6 months old. Doesn’t matter what happens in the trailer - as long as they can walk into it they’re fair game. Stallions aren’t separated from mares and babies. The old aren’t given any concessions. Foals are born in the trucks and the kill yards and trampeled to death.
I’ve seen far too many horses go through this chain. They smell the blood and are terrorized before they even GET to the chute.
Put your horse down. Give it a bucket of grain while you’re doing it, tell it thank you for all of the years it served you in your ranch duties, earned your kids ribbons and trophies in rodeo and dressage, or thank it for keeping the weeds down in your pasture as a companion animal. Your former pet/partner/FRIEND deserves nothing less.
NorCal Equine Rescue is sponsoring a euthanasia day for owners who’ve exhausted efforts in finding new homes for their horses. It is a last chance for owners to show their love for their friends & DO THE RIGHT THING. And yes - the event is being publicized and they will try to place the horses before this happens. Believe me - if the horses could talk, they’d thank you for offering this instead of starvation or slaughter.
But don’t send our American horses to slaughter.
Hey Kirsten can you give us an update on Lavender and Meadow please? You remember the two older Arabian mares? I uld love to know how they are getting along.
‘It seems to me that the racing industry and the bucking stock industry are the biggest contributors to slaughter. Thoroughbreds are often sent right from the track to the slaughter pens.’ AgilityGal
Actual slaughter plant statistics show that the #1 horse at slaughter is in fact a QH or QH type.
We have adopted two rescues from CBER and two from SOS. Yes, something needs to be done about the inhumane way the horses are treated. I understand other people/cultures eating horse meat- it’s been going on for centuries. Personnally I can’t eat it. What I have a problem with is HOW it’s done. Education needs to happen with any animal owner. You take on an animal which means you need to take responsibilty for that animal. Either find it an appropriate home or put it to sleep or find a rescue to help you. Stop unnessary breeding- get the animal planet channel if you want your children to watch an animal give birth. We have programs in every state to put cats and dogs down humanely-why not extend this to other animals. I’d rather see a horse put to sleep then shipped.
Here is another rescue if people are interested in helping or adopting. SOS rescue in the Tri-Cities.
http://www.soshorses.org/Index.asp
Good luck getting that update, Smee. I do believe that Lavendar and Meadow were euthanized by gunshot, but you won’t be able to get anyone from CBER to admit it.
While we’re at it, Kristen from CBER, can we also get an update on the two pregnant mare’s that CBER “rescued” from Chuck’s feedlot last December? Naomi, and Britney…remember them? Just curious, since the FOBs on ABR who paid their bail have asked multiple times, and been ignored.
To everyone that had the idea that we should stop breeding these animals to begin with - I commend your common sense. We breed these animals to “service” use… to ride, to race… to become zoo and circus attractions… to pull carriages in metropolitan area… We breed them to create better lineage - to test drugs on… to improve genetics with… We should stop all of this…. and let the animal go. They have “served” us well beyond our “need”.
Rescue, adoption and even humane euthanasia when absolutely neccessary… But shipping them across boarders needs to be discontinued as it only perputates and encourages people to continue the irresponsible breeding for GREED. No horses should leave this country to have done to them things that are illegal here. It just doesn’t make (ethical) sense.
Yes, anyone know what happened to Lavendar and Meadow? I’ve been wondering about them too.
Stacie, I aplaud your organization for offering the opportunity for people to bring their horses to be euthanized - & if it were me, unable to afford any of mine, I would most definitely euthanize them & bury on our place. But that is because I would find the finances to hire a vet to come & do it and I also have the acreage to bury my horses. Way too many people do not have the finances to be able to afford the vet’s services AND the disposal of their horse(s). There are many areas in this country where you cannot bury your horse on your own property. Then what? In a perfect world, all horses brought into this life would never suffer, live a long useful life & die happy & be buried on the owner’s place. But we will never see a perfect world, and there are way too many horses out there suffering and not enough people and money to help them all. So the next best solution is reopening our slaughter plants instead of these poor horses being shipped to Mexico for a MUCH worse horror of death!
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals website below has a good equine program offering education and an opportunity for donation to those wanting to help horses any way they can. I would encourage people to check out what they have to say.
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_equinecruelty
As with any situation of this size, it is difficult to feel like what is being done is having a huge impact. If you start small and focus on your breed of interest and what is being done to help those unwanted horses, you can see results. The site below is for a rescue group over on the east coast that has been very successful in bringing awareness to the Saddlebred world about where our former show horses and companions would have been headed. This rescue organization has done an excellent job educating the public and coming up with fund raising opportunities that folks can feel good about.
http://www.saddlebredrescue.com
I have adopted 6 horses from CBER. I put training on the young ones and have rehomed all but 1. In the future, I will help another.
No matter how you word it, slaughter is not humane euthanasia. Also it is not Peta type who are advocating the end of slaughter, but regular, everyday people. I have also owned and ridden horses, even was involved in sending 2 dangerous horses to slaughter. After looking into it, it is NOT humane the way we are doing it in the US or Canada. It is too industrialized and no one has the will to make it humane, because the horse is going to die anyway and humane costs money. Ever hear of horse tripping? Allegedly these horses are rented out by the day by kill buyers to a certain type of rodeo, then are returned to the kill buyer to continue on their journey to slaughter. How would you feel if you found out it was YOUR horse that was put through this. These poor horses are subjected to one horror after another. There is only one way to guarantee the humane treatment of your own horse at the slaughter house and that is for the owner to personally bring it there and supervise the slaughter. The auction, kill buyer, transport driver and slaughter house don’t care. If you look at the investigation of the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition into Natural Valley Farms, apparently the CFIA doesn’t care either. And why would anyone want to put their horse through that for a couple hundred dollars! The horse race industry must be made accountable for sending thousands of horses to slaughter and they are making headway. Don’t forget the PMU industry as well… cruelty to horses from day one… foals born for slaughter. Ladies we ALL need to have this industry abolished from the face of the earth… there are alternatives… look into it… ask your doctors. Below is a link that describes in detail two methods of HUMANE euthansia… lethal injection and bullet. If you can’t shoot your horse yourself (I couldn’t!), get a trusted friend who hunts and knows how to shoot to do it for you. If he/she’s a hunter, have him/her butcher it and donate the meat to a zoo if you want. The meat from the slaughter house is not going to feed the poor, it’s going to the well off as a delicacy… you are not depriving any starving person of a meal. No one is being forced to keep their horses if they can’t afford them and not all horses can or should be saved. These times are particularly scary, but even when times were good people were treating these animals as disposable. Horses were being sent to Mexico and Canada for slaughter when the US plants were open, so this cruelty has been going on for a long time and no one seems to have used the opportunity to make it humane, and without a push back I don’t believe they ever would.
http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/senior/eqeuthan2466/
Want some cancer with your horse meat?
Wouldn’t you think that when the US was slaughtering horse meat for human consumption that they’d have some sort of regulations about the medications that they receive so that the meat isn’t carcinogenic to the consumer? I thought they would – and should – too, but they don’t. While the US was slaughtering horses within our borders and now with US horses being slaughtered in Canada and Mexico for those same destinations, there was and are no regulations to ensure a safe product. Do the consumers know this? I highly doubt it.
In the US, the USDA gave their stamp of approval to thousands of horses destined for the EU, knowing full well the regulations that Europe has for its food products, and totally ignoring own food laws (illegal to have known carcinogens in food animals). Why do they not care? Is it because horse meat is not being eaten by US citizens? No wonder why we also have such a lack of trust and rejection of our US beef in the world market.
On top of it all, American horse meat is often marketed in foreign countries as if it were organic – free-range and grass-fed. In reality, the customers are getting quite the opposite – meat from horses that are traumatized, often inhumanely killed, ex-pets, ex-work horses, ex-race horses, all states of pregnancy, regardless of care, regardless of feeding practices (or lack thereof), regardless of health, regardless of transport practices, regardless of medications …
Why is American horse meat unsafe for human consumption?
* Horses are not raised nor regulated as food animals in the US . They routinely receive medications that are banned from food animals such as Phenybutazone or “bute”, the aspirin of the horse world. In fact, over 70% of legal horse medications are either illegal in food animals or have never been tested for human consumption and are simply labeled, “Not intended for use in horses intended for food.” If you’ve read any of the articles about US horse racing lately, you know how many drugs are in their systems. Steroids, lasix, etc. … With the slaughter houses own slogan, “Seven days from stable to table” you can see that no withdrawal times are being observed (note: there is no acceptable withdrawal time for bute).
What are the side-effects of bute?
* Phenylbutazone has been determined to be a carcinogen to humans by the National Toxicology Program (NTP).
* Phenylbutazone is also known for its ulcerogenic, nephrotoxic, and hemotoxic effects in humans. It is known to induce blood dyscrasias, including aplastic anemia, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and deaths.
Are the illegal substances found in US slaughter horses?
* Absolutely. According to the USDA’s Red Book, of the 66,183 horses slaughtered in 2004, 6.6% (4,268.08) horses were in violation for “bute” and 13.3% (8,802.34) were in violation of Penicillin. Of the 94,037 horses slaughtered in 2005, 11.1% (10,344.07) horses were in violation for “bute” and 25% (23,509.25) were in violation of Penicillin. Only small samples of 15 horses and 8 horses, respectively, were even tested. You can bet the other horses that were not tested got the USDA stamp of approval and were sent overseas, even though it is clearly illegal according to our own food laws and the laws of the European Union. This does not account for the vast majority of drugs that horses receive, as they are not required to test for those medications. The Red Book does not reflect any residue data for slaughter horses in 2006, which is the year that the horse slaughter industry paid the USDA inspectors themselves …
Note: The Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of phenylbutazone in food-producing animals; therefore, there are no established withdrawal times on product labeling for food-producing species. Phenylbutazone is not permitted at any concentration (zero tolerance) in meat, milk, or eggs intended for human consumption.
http://www.usp.org/pdf/EN/veterinary/phenylbutazone.pdf
‘So the next best solution is reopening our slaughter plants instead of these poor horses being shipped to Mexico for a MUCH worse horror of death!’ Dee
Ok another pet peeve of mine.
The assumption that just because Mexico does have the knife/Mantilla form of slaughter that ALL horses slaughtered there are slaughtered in that manner.
If the horses are for European consumption, they can NOT be slaughtered via that method. The knife method is ONLY for a small portion of the animals slaughtered there for consumption there.
The majority have to be slaughtered following EU regulations that include the bolt, just like US plants used and Canadian plants use, because they are being exported for human consumption.
IMO the answer is for people to be responsible.
The time to realize you can not afford hay for the winter is not October, November or December. The time to realize you can not afford to put your horse down and dispose of the body is not when he is critically ill.
If you can not afford euthanasia and disposal, you should not have a horse- many injuries and illnesses horses get cost far more than euth and disposal to deal with. if you do not have that reserve or a relationship with your Vet that will allow you to make payments on a big bill, then you really should not have a horse because obviously you can not afford to properly care for it.
Kirsten, someone asked how Lavender and Meadow are doing.
Any information you can share?
Sorry, I had to add another link re the PMU industry. I detest this industry.
http://www.animalsvoice.com:80/edits/editorial/investigations/misc/hsus_premarin_foals.html
I have 3 horses. Hay costs keep rising.
These are hard times econiomically and my kids come first. Fortunately I can afford to feed the kids AND the horses, and would get another job to feed them if I had to.
MY HORSES are family!