The Word Nobody Likes

I’ve been thinking about the horse slaughter topic a lot lately, and would like to share some of my thoughts on the issue, but I find that I can hardly discuss it without stepping on toes, and probably square on the toes of some of my friends.  When you start talking about killing horses, there isn’t any middle ground where you can please everybody—people are either adamantly against it or staunchly for it, and are prepared to fight for the chance to prove that the opposing side is filled with lunatics and monsters.  I would like to point out that it shouldn’t be that way, because I do find myself somewhere in the middle on the question of horse slaughter.

Let’s go back a hundred years or so, and consider where we have come from.  Back then, a horse was a valuable asset in many ways.  They were still being used for transportation and farm work; and their career in entertainment, such as rodeo and racing, was growing rapidly.  People still depended on horses and needed them in their daily lives, and they were treasured as much or more then as they are now.  Horse thieves were more common then, because horses could be easily sold and traded and it was relatively easy money as opposed to homesteading, farming, and working hard for a living.  Being called a horse thief was about the lowest insult you could inflict on someone, because it carried the stigma of having absolutely no morals at all; which, in that time period, was also a rarity.

And this, I believe, is where the problem really stems from—it is a question of morals.  When I think of my grandmother, who was born in 1908, and her viewpoint on life and how she treated everyone, it is pretty clear how stark the contrast is with today’s society.  Grandma worked hard.  She treated people with respect.  She raised her children to work, to love, to appreciate beauty, and to care for animals.  But she was no emotional sissy, either.  If a job needed to be done, she did it, and possessed the common sense necessary to get it done right.  Grandma grew up poor and treasured what she had, and she knew how to stretch a dollar and make good use of something so you could spend wisely elsewhere.

Fast forward to today, where our society is overtaken with greed and the inability to recognize truth.  We have the kill buyer, who is only thinking of the profit he’ll make as he slams the trailer door against the emaciated hindquarters of the last horse, cursing and beating with his cattle prod to get the door shut on the five dollar carcasses he’s just purchased.  We have the horse rescue facility owner who is drumming up donations for the five horses she has out in the back pasture that she hasn’t looked at in two weeks because she is just now getting back from Las Vegas, and they sure had a good time with those contributions.  We have the dreamy-eyed teenagers and the fifty year olds just like them, who every time they hear the word “horse” they envision the Black Stallion cantering along a sunset beach, and have never taken into consideration that a lot of horses aren’t like that, so they’ve jumped on the bandwagon along with the freaks who think horses shouldn’t be trained or ridden at all.  And then there’s the breed registries and indiscriminate breeders who have made fortunes off of horses and the people who love them, but have also contributed to the flooded market and poor conditions for their creations.  All of these people have a problem.

As for the kill buyer problem, and the inhumane handling at processing plants, it is a moral one.  The employees ought to be required to treat the animals in a gentle manner, preserving their sense of well-being as much as possible, and acting responsibly when handling them.  If you don’t cringe or feel bad when you see an animal beaten or slammed by a gate, you have no business working with livestock.  Even with difficult animals, if you use common sense and a little patience, you can accomplish your task with minimal fear or pain inflicted on the animal.  It starts with who you are as a person, and what your conscience dictates to you.  There are a lot of people who handle horses carelessly, and though you can’t always regulate it or just throw them in jail, you should do your best to influence anyone you can on how to treat animals.  If every parent would teach their child that animals are to be cared for and loved, then we wouldn’t need to regulate slaughter or how animals are transported or treated.  They would be governed by their own conscience, and everyone would be better off because of it.

There is also a problem with the people who lie about rescuing horses.  I want to state first that you can find facilities who have done an absolutely amazing job with retraining horses and finding homes for them and making the transitions so perfectly organized that the horses and new owners benefit greatly, and I applaud their efforts.  There are good rescues.  But then there are the liars, and we have seen them recently in the news, where everything is underhanded, they are paid by the people placing the horses, they’re taking donations from the public to fund their rescue, and then they’re selling them out the back door to Canada slaughter plants.  That kind of lying and cheating needs punished to the fullest extent of the law.  Horse owners need to be certain of the character of the people they are dealing with, before they trust their horses to them.

The emotionally-fed “dreamers” are as big of a problem as anyone, because they don’t understand the truth.  When you fail to understand that God created man with a dominion over the animals and the earth, you can easily be confused into joining the wrong side.  There are people who believe that animals are better than humans, and that you should never eat meat or use animal products of any kind.  Because our emotions get involved, we sometimes lose sight of the harsher realities of life such as death, or when an animal is injured or not useful anymore.   Or that it does require raising and processing animals to feed the people of the earth, and it’s not wrong to do so.  One can possess a true love for horses and still have a realistic view of the big picture, understanding that sometimes it’s best for the animal itself to be put down or killed.  It is easy to bandwagon with those organizations who protest horse slaughter, because our feelings for the animals do side with them.  But when you uncover their other true agendas, you might be surprised at how extreme they are.  Many of them believe it is wrong to own or train a horse, expect it to perform, or labor in any way at all.  Their agenda pushes to elevate a horse’s rights above a human’s rights and create strict rules for animal ownership, and it is a slippery slope to be on. 

I would also like to point out that there is an overbreeding problem in the horse industry.  If people would excercise more common sense when it comes to breeding and horse ownership, it would help stabilize the horse economy.  Just because you want your mare to have a baby doesn’t mean she should.   When you consider the origin of some of these animals, it is ridiculous.  When the same thoughtless woman brings her dozen weanlings to the horse sale every fall and they sell for $15 apiece, she needs to be educated about her actions.   She is directly responsible for the abuse that will probably happen to each horse in its lifetime.  If you’ve been to a horse auction, you know what I’m talking about.  These breeders are most likely trying for paints or appaloosas, and bring in their solids that are good for nothing and are lucky to find a home that will feed them.  And their colored foals only bring a small amount more, but they’ll keep breeding because they have a stallion and a bunch of mares and they “enjoy raising the babies”.  But there is no one to take care of those animals after she dumps them at the auction.  I’m sorry, but it is a crime to be that irresponsible.

The big breeders and breed registries are no better, because they further contribute to the problem.  If everyone were to stop breeding for five years (not because of legislation that demands it, but out of goodwill and a plan to save the horse industry), and work to improve all of the horses that already exist by training them, placing them in good homes, working to improve conditions for rescue facilities, and integrating older performance horses into free riding programs for needy children, wouldn’t the difference made be astounding?  It would put a dent in their bank accounts, of course, but if the AQHA membership fees alone were redirected into saving some of these useless horses, wouldn’t they end up the hero in the long run?  I do think that something along these lines could be done if the breeders and registries were in it for the horses, but because of the almighty dollar, it sadly never will.

Because of the aforementioned problems, I do believe there is a need for a legal, cleanly-operated, well-run meat processing facility in the United States that can humanely put down and put to use the bodies of otherwise useless horses.  There are far too many horses in existence for them to be properly cared for, and to have a good way to end a life of pain or neglect would be the best option.  For those screaming that you should never kill a horse, I would point out that there are just too many horses for them each to be rehabilitated and made useful or even able to live a pain-free life.  If you know the physical make-up of a horse, you understand that a thousand pound animal navigating on four intricately functioning hooves can often lead to lameness or perpetual injury.  If you understand the phsychological make-up of a horse, you also understand that some life experiences render a horse as wild as a deer and as dangerous as a mountain lion.  And some horses are malformed from birth, untamed and unused, and generally counterproductive to the care required to keep them alive.  While it’s not a pretty picture, it is true that horses, in some cases, should be killed. 

I do think that there should be restrictions on what type of horse a kill buyer is allowed to purchase, to prevent them taking young healthy horses.  I understand that regulations don’t come without employing someone to enforce them, but with careful planning, I believe it could be done and done right.  There is significant evidence that humane euthanasia by a veterinarian is no easier on a horse than a penetrating captive bolt or electrical charge that renders the horse insensitive.  A gunshot is often more humane than the euthanasia.  So I do think it is possible to kill them without needless trauma, and find a use for what otherwise could spend many more years in pain and neglect.

There is also a need today to not waste things.  We live in an excessive world, where we are encouraged to recycle, but we still see trash in the road ditches.  We think nothing of throwing away things we don’t want because our tastes require a new version of that item.  It’s so sad that the same aspect carries over into the horse world.  If you purchase a horse, you are taking responsibility for it and that should mean something to you.  If you can keep it and care for it properly until it lies down and peacefully breathes its last, that is the best way possible for the horse.  But if the horse you own is no longer healthy, cannot be cared for, or has no potential for a useful life, it should be your decision to sell it to be killed and used for meat or other byproducts.  I don’t see how that is any less honorable than choosing to have it put down by your veterinarian, and it is a cheaper and more useful option.

 I also think it is wasteful to believe that you can save every horse in the world and let it run wild on the prairie for the rest of its days.  A horse running wild on a prairie does not serve a useful life.  That would be like saying the infestation of rats in your house is how they were born to live and we need to preserve that heritage.  I am a big fan of mustangs, and agree that they are beautiful in their natural environment, and if some rich lady wants to buy land and let them roam free, that’s fine by me.  But it’s a waste to put tax dollars into the equation, and so much has already been wasted in the hands of the government. 

This isn’t an easy topic, and it may result in inflammatory comments or lost friendships, and if it does, I apologize.  I don’t have perfect answers to all of the problems with the horse industry, but I can see some clear-cut errors in the thinking of people who breed with no real plan for the resulting foal, and I hope this article might help educate the beginning horseman who doesn’t really know what to think.  If there are any thoughts or comments you would like to add that are well-thought out, good for discussion, and truly based on your desires to act in the best interest of horses, I’d like to hear your suggestions.  In the light of this subject, I am even more devoted to caring for my own horses the best that I possibly can.  I hope and pray that they have the best life I can make for them.

Tagged as: horse care, horse injuries, horse slaughter issue