The Argument against Slaughtering Horses in the US

[MaryH]

Just to follow up on the previous post.

The people in the US do not eat horsemeat. There is a reason why we don't. We regard horses as domesticated animals that are also companion animals. We also don't eat dogs and cats.

But the Japanese and some European nations eat horse meat - so we have slaughter houses in this country that sell to Japan and Europe. And people are fighting to make them illegal.

Did you know that a horse that won the Kentucky Derby was slaughtered in Japan? That is what brought this whole thing to a boil. Horses that have spent their whole lives as companion animals are being sold for slaughter.

And that's wrong! I don't care what the cattlemen say.

[gennifer6]

1. OMG!!!!!

do you know where/how this is going on? which Derby winner was it, do you know?

[medeak]

4. Ferdinand voted horse of the year btw...

It's not uncommon....
Kentucky Derby Winner Slaughtered for Human Consumption

Has the death of one champion helped to expose the cruelty faced by the tens of thousands of horses each year in the US ? News about the horrific end faced by Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand in a Japanese slaughterhouse, have sent shock waves through the Thoroughbred industry and horse community. http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=17063

Dell Hancock, of the famed Kentucky Clairborn Farm, where Ferdinand was born, has come out urging support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

[RBHam]

2. Why are horses better than cows?

Is it the same reason we're more outaged when a white person is murdered than when a black man is?

[medeak]

3. have you spent time around cattle?

not saying they should be killed.. but there's an enormous difference.

Would rather public lands support horses anyday...along with antelope, deer, mountain goats, and big horn sheep which all are fought by ranchers where I live

edited to say.. there are some good ranchers.. one in my county won holistic award as moved cattle around on public lands so feed wouldn't be depleted for other critters.

[maxsolomon]

5. the degrees of domesticity we use to pick which animals to eat

are a house of cards.

this one has big mooney eyes, this one knows its name, but this one roots in slop all day. lets eat the pig. its a subjective distinction.

if you are willing to eat slaughtered meat, you're willing to eat slaughtered meat. horses are not exempt because we anthropomorphise them. we're all just a famine away from eating silver, fido, and kitty.

that said, leave the fucking wild horses alone.

[Nabia2004]

6. I grew up eating horse burger and stew...

the horse meat my mother purchased at the local butcher shop was too tough for anything else. In the `50s and `50s no one gave a second thought about it, at least not in my neighborhood. Of course it wasn't something you bragged about, its just that on some days and weeks you cannot afford beef. Providing a healthy rounded meal for the kids was all that mattered.

Considering how expensive beef is in Japan and Asia in general, I suspect that the individual consumer's economics play just as vital role in the horse meat market.

[newyawker99]

10. Hi Nabia2004!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[medeak]

7. 13,000 mustangs BLM wants slaughtered

as per my local paper tonight.

website listed http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov

[NickB79]

8. Correct me if I'm wrong

But I seem to recall reading quite a bit about how feral horses on federal land are causing extensive environmental damage, to the point it's impacting native flora and fauna.

Honestly, I love horses, just as I love many domesticated animals. But if they are non-native and damaging the environment, I have no problem culling them. For example, I had pet rabbits as a kid, but also feel every wild rabbit in Australia should be wiped out, because they destroy the landscape and endanger native species. The same goes for feral goats, cats, and pigs.

[bklyncowgirl]

9. There are alot of issues at work here, moral and practical.

I'm a horse person.

First the moral issues. Horses, generally speaking, are animals that are trained and socialized to work with humans. That, if a person is a good trainer, involves establishing a relationship with the horse in which the horse sees the human as leader much the same as it would follow the dominent horse in a herd. This involves establishing a trust relationship with the horse. "OK horse, you do what I want you to and I'll feed you and keep you safe and maybe even become your best friend." To me, slaughtering a horse for food betrays this trust.

Now the practical. Contrary to the public image, most horse people are not rich. Keeping a horse is expensive. I pay $380/month to keep my horse in a modest place New Jersey. That covers his food but there are additional expenses: routine vet care, farrier care, equipment and if you choose to ride in horse shows or if you have ambitions in racing, the sky's the limit. Horses live a long time--25 to 30 years on the average. Most horses will go through several owners in their lifetime. People want horses that can do the sort of activities that they enjoy. As their own skills increase, they often outgrow their original horses.

Euthanizing a horse is an expensive proposition. Last quote I heard was $300-400 including disposal of the remains at a rendering plant. A bullet through the head is cheap, and done properly, humane but you still have to get rid of the carcass and that costs money. A humane killer bolt, the type that's used in slaughter houses is also, done correctly, humane. The problem is whatever method you use, horses are hard animals to kill. I've heard of horses that died in agony when the vet misjudged the amount of drugs that it would take to put him down. If you sell Old Dobbin for meat, not only do you not have to pay anyone a dime--they'll even give you a couple hundred for the useless beast that's eating you out of house and home.

I'm against sending horses to the killers just as I am against euthanizing unwanted dogs and cats. I would not sell my own horse to the killers. Unfortunately, I also can't see any alternative in t he near future. I'd rather work on reducing population and regulating the industry to reduce suffering in the short term and hopefully see it die out in the long term.

As far as the Mustangs go, mustangs are what God intended horses to be. They're small, tough, and have excellent feet. The problem is most horsemen, who want to use an animal for sport or work, have different ideas about the perfect horse than the Almighty. If you want a roping horse you need a big solid animal that can pull a cow off its feet, a 900 pound mustang won't do. If you want a jumper, he's got to be tall enough and have a long enough stride to negotiate the course. Most jumpers are 16-17 hands. Most mustangs are 13-15 hands. Mustangs do well in endurance racing and can make good pleasure horses and general ranch horses. Problem is Americans are big people and don't like the idea of riding an itty bitty horse.

I think the wild horses have a place. Technically, the horse is a reintroduced species, not an alien species. Horses evolved in North America. Around the time the first humans arrived they began to die out. Some made it across the land bridge to Asia where they thrived. Some paleontologists believe that early humans had somehting to do with their extinction in North America (elephants died out here too). They ire intrinsically tied up with the heritage of our nation.

There has to be population control. Roundups in which a proportion of the young animals are sold are a good way of doing this--a good model is the annual roundip of wild ponies at Chincoteage Virginia. Chemical sterilization of mares and gelding of stallions is another (spaying horses is not practical) Predator introduction might help but since the only predators that would threaten horses are wolves and mountain lions, that is not politically viable. Ranchers hate wolves and mountain lions even more than they hate wild horses. Limiting the number of cattle that can graze per land unit is also an option.

This has been a long post and I haven't offered many solutions.

[Coventina]

13. Thank you for your thoughtful, informative post

I love animals, and it is clear that you do also.

We as humans, as an entire species, need to take more responsibility.

Unfortunately, those of us that feel this way are in the minority.

:-(

[DrWeird]

11. Then don't eat horses.

I don't eat horse, or dog, or cat. But I sure as hell think I should be able to if I want too.

[K-W]

12. Dont try and legislate your morality on others.

I appreciate your point of view, and you should express it freely and try and convince people to agree, but you should not try to take an end run around that process by legislating an issue where there is no moral consensus.

I dont want to send this thread reeling, but honestly, this is exactly what the right wing is doing that we hate, and it is one of the few legitimage beefs the right has with the left.

Please dont take this the wrong way, I am not saying the two issues are equivelent, but in a moral sense this is a choice issue. Where there is no moral consensus, where the rights of other people are not involved, choice is the responsible governmental policy, not legislating one groups opinion.