Okay...I just found out about horse slaughter..and Ew. But besides the point i am 100% against it..Like who would eat a horse?...SICK! So i just was wondering what every one's opinion is.. but sick how the heck could you eat a freaking horse!

P.S.

Its so weird that someone could eat horse! and i whatch a video on horse slaughter and the horses really have a ruff life.

 

Eat.Sleep.Ride.

HORSES!

How exactly is it that you are looking for everyone's opinion, but make a personal judgment call in the same statment?

Your OPINION is based upon YOUR emotion, societal preferences and lack of understanding about what role slaughter played in the horse industry. The videos you are watching are propeganda and are made with the sole purpose of using  emotions to persuade someone to make a decision they understand little about. They do not represent slaughter as it truely is, just how someone wants you to see it. Believe what you want, but be objective about what you watch.

Ok, I'm gonna have to give you a slight wake-up call.  I agree with you, I wouldn't choose to eat a horse.  I personnally don't prefer that idea.  But... to some people, eating a horse is like eating a cow is to us.  Really, if you think about it.  What is the difference?

Also, since you are so against slaughter. What are your solutions for all the unwanted horses? Really it isn't right to complain and then sit back and wait for someone else to do something about it. At least with most of the slaughter houses in the States the horses were garunteed a humane death.  Now they are shipped off to Mexico (often in less than humane ways) and there is no way of guarenteeing that they will be treating humanly.

Like I said, I wouldn't want to eat a horse.  But we can't ban it unless there is a firm plan in place to care for all the horses.

I'm really glad this subject came up because like you said, Fastarab, what are we going to do with all the unwanted horses? Well, to begin with, horse owners should stop breeding every mare that has a vagina. Just because 2 horses can reproduce, doesn't mean they should. It used to be that horses were bred to refine or strengthen the breed. There is a misconception that you will make money by breeding a horse. Guess what... you won't. It is a finely TRAINED horse that is valuable. The best bred untrained horse is worth very little. There are thousands of those. It isn't until that horse has proven itself that it becomes truly valuable. And even then, it is only valuable until it can no longer perform. Just look at the racing industry. I have a Standardbred that earned someone almost a million dollars on the track, but when an injury ended his career, he ended up at a feed lot. A lot of thanks he got for working his ass off for 8 years. The bottom line is this; a horse is a long term, very expensive commitment. As horse owners, we have to be willing to support that horse, win or loose, sound or lame. If we can't, then we need to find someone who can or don't get involved in the first place. When we take on a horse and then put him into a career that could possibly end his useful life, we need to take the responsibility for his future. We have put the horse in that position. If it means the horse needs to be put down, then we need to spend the money and do it. But to send it off to be treated like cattle is heartless. Our horses give us the best in them and they deserve a peaceful ending. Next time you are thinking about breeding your mare to get the perfect foal, take a look in the classifieds and see if you can't find something that suits your needs. And just think... you won't have to wait 3 years to ride!!

well.... here is my 2 cents, I apologize in advance to those who feel differently:)

Horses are animals. We here all obviously love and respect our horses, however...

As animals horses require management, and we are responsible for every aspect of their lives. Having experienced a horrible accident with our pony just before christmas I can honestly say I understand why people would be so passionate about this issue. There are many things to consider when making blanket statments about an issue as complex as horse slaughter. Even if the vet comes out to euthanize your horse you then have a MAJOR problem to deal with aka the remains of your dear friend. It was very expensive to have Charming taken out to my fil's feild and buried below the til level, imagine if he had been 1000 pounds instead of only 350 ! Some horses, just like dogs and cats, have temperments that are not suitable for living with people, what exactly do you plan to do with their remains if or when they have to be put down? The reality, at least around here is that most people call the renderer. Many people board their horses out and I highly doubt that everyone who has ever put a horse down has an 80 acre field to bury them in. Infact in most places, as far as I know , it is illegal to dispose of a sick animal through burial, they have to be burned to prevent infectious disease. And if your horsse is euthanized through lethal injection any animal that digs up the carcass and eats it will most likely get sick and /or die. I am not saying I like horse slaughter. I also don't like that shelters in North America euthanize hundreds if not thousands of animals every day. I am saying that part of animal management is reality, it stinks and I hate it , but I can only rescue a certain # of animals from the shelter at a time, and I can't save every horse. I am not even qualified to rescue horses. I am a beginner rider with limited experience. But I am also a realist, something has to happen to the byproduct of all life, and if we start over personifing or pets it prevents us from doing want has to be done. Like I said I am not pro slaughter. I don't really know WHAT I am ...lol

I was wondering if this subject was ever going to come up! (and wondering how people would respond...)

I remember growing up in school and writing debates in class about how horrible slaughter was and I couldn't believe why in the world anyone would be for it. Now that I'm in the horse industry I can't see why anyone would be against it! In fact, it's something I feel very passionate about. I highly suggest every horse person to research the topic! I heard something like 900,000 horses a YEAR were being sent to slaughter. Like people have said, what are you going to do with unwanted horses? With cats and dogs we have the "easy" option of euthanasia. You simply can't put down every unwanted horse (it's literally hundreds of dollars for each horse). Rescues? Can't afford to keep all the horses out there! It's different then fostering a dog/cat, it takes a very skilled person to care for/train a horse to be adoptable, it's extremely expensive, and takes a lot of land. It's tragic that the horses have to suffer because of the stupidity and irresponsibility of people, but an option that MUST be there.

Something to keep in mind is that most of the videos out there are not legit. Lots of them are of the plants in Mexico (where they have almost no regulations) where unfortunately horses are being sent now that they've closed down most of the plants in the US. (horses being shipped to mexico have tripled!) Better for the horses wellbeing? I think not! In fact, the AVMA (and most horse assoc) will tell you that the captive bolt (the way they kill the horses) is more humane then using barbituates (putting them to sleep). Honestly, is there anything different from the beef industry? If you eat any cow byproduct, use leather, etc, you are supporting the cow slaughter industry. Same thing, only we have an emotional attachment to horses.

 Also, not all of the horses are for human consumption. They render a lot of the body parts for several useful things. Gelatin, violin strings, dog food, etc but they even use part of their hearts for heart transplants, zoos buy a large portion of the meat for their animals (it's much more similar to what predators would eat in the wild then beef)

 And like someone said, thinking eating horses is gross is just an opinion. One I agree with! But people in the world are horrified that we eat cows, or pigs. Banning horse slaughter has done nothing but hurt horses and the industry. Rescues are flooded, horses are starving because people can't afford to feed them and they have no place for them to go, etc. We've got to do something about the overbreeding, but banning slaughter? Not a good plan!

I have to agree with parts of everyone's opinions here. I am AGAINST horse slaughter because i believe horses deserve a better ending after having been our companions, workers etc. but NO, we send them off to be slaughtered instead of being responsible owners. I do not believe slaughter is humane in any way. there are many things contributing to this problem. backyard owners who breed their mare cause "wont the baby be cute?" the "throw away" society of the racing communities and big time show people who tosses the loosers and the winners when they dont make $$$$. Owners who pump the horses full of meds so they can win until the horse's body cant continue then they're sent down hill changing owners again and again until they get to the KB. The horses slaughtered have not been raised as food animals and have been given all kinds of meds which say "not for use on animals intended for human comsuption,(check your wormer) How many farmers breed, raise, and "farm" horses for human consuption??? not many. these poor animals are a result of our throw-away mentality. I do agree tho that their fate is even worse in mexico and perhaps not quite as bad in canada. but horses are being shipped in double decker trailers all over the US. many zoos are going from horse to beef. because of NO health/safety regulations. all the meat is shipped to europe where forign companies make a lot of $$$ and put all that $$$ into those european counties. The slaughter numbers have been going down for the past several years, it's more like 100,000 shipped in 2006/2007. Rescues are way too full and besides the slaughter plants closing it's people's budgets being squeezed and the horse is now too expensive. We need to change our society into one of more responsible ownership. we dont make glue, jello etc out of horses anymore, all that is synthetic. If an owner cant afford $200 to put "Trigger" down when it's time then how was that owner affording the horse in the first place??? I volunteer at a rescue and have adopted a rescue horse, too many horses are there cause they were "used up" and now are not sound enough to be of value, so the owners are getting rid of them. How many times have we all seen the ads: "free companion horse in his/her 20's" and it turns out the people had the horse for many years but now it's unsound/unsuitable for (fill in the blank). Well botton line is I think there needs to be a combination of solutions to make horses lives better.

OK I agree with most of what everyone is saying. First off those videos are prapaganda mostly made by PETA (I hate them so much!) and that is NOT how it is done in the slaughter houses in the US. only very well trained people are allowed to handle the actual killing and if a load of horses comes in and ONE is hurt or sick the WHOLE truckload goes back and gets checked. Also, there are very very strick guidelines for any slaughter house in the US. it used to not be this strict, but it has become almost impossibly strict. Second, I know horses are our pets, but there is a HUGE over population problem that has yet to be dealt with. and then people want to complain because the markets down...hmm ever wonder why? Thridly, the stupidest thing the US ever did was to ban horse slaughter! now all of our horses are being shipped into Mexico to be slaughtered where believe it or not they dont really care if the horses are ok or not! The US has so many guidelines and rules where other countries dont. for example instead of being killed by a single shot to the head (which kills them instantly) in other countries they slit the horses throat and let them bleed to death. Which would you prefer your horse to endure? Horses can be pets, but as of right now they are still catagorized as LIVESTOCK and some countries and people do eat them. You eat cows don't you? how about chickens? Fish? just because you see it as a pet doesnt mean its not still food! I bet if you were starving and someone gave you horse meat, you'd eat it. thats just my opinion though...leave it to a ranch hand to be tough! :O)

I want to clarify something. I am not against the slaughter of any animal for food, as long as it is RAISED as such. Cattle and chickens are not handled their whole lives, fawned over and treated kindly by humans. The slaughter is not so much the problem. It is the journey to get the horse dead that is tragic. Once a beloved companion, it is rounded up, poked and prodded, shocked, beat and kicked, it then spends 3 to 4 days in a truck full of other terrified horses without food or water. It ends up in some cramped paddock to be fattened up until slaughter. It is then again rounded up, poked, prodded beat and kicked so it can be killed. All the while wondering what happened to the people he had grown to love and trust. If you could do that to your horse.... then you are A LOT tougher than me. We, as horse owners, would have no problem spending $100 on a set of shoes for the horse so we could ride it, or $500 on a saddle. We spend $1000's of dollars over the course of it's USEFUL life to support it. Why does the money run out when it time to give it a peaceful ending. Getting rid of horse remains is NOT a MAJOR issue. It just costs money. I have had to do it. I didn't like it but that is part of owning a horse.

I beg to differ, thatwindow.  There are many people out there who do raise cattle, who do handle them, show them etc.  Many kids have 4H calves that are very special to them.  My dad grew up on a dairy farm and they did a lot of showing.  The amount of prep that it took was just as much as for a horse show.  Also, they focused very much on breeding.  That said, there is also cattle that are just bred and then are slaughtered.  How is that different from all the horses out there that are just bred and then end up in slaughter houses. 

The way you describe horses being brought to slaughter does not sound totally objective.  In many places in the States, slaughter is just as humane as euthanizing horses.  In fact, that is what slaughter is, its euthanizing a horse.  the only difference is that the horse is used after its death.  In some ways that continues its useful, life does it not?  Now, I want to make it very clear that I do not stand for cruel treatment of horses.  But in many cases the slaughter of horses is not cruel. 

I ask you one final question: Is it more cruel to have a horse stand in a pasture with lack of food, water, attention, and training, or to have a horse humanly euthanized in a slaughter house. (this does not include the slaughter houses in Mexico, I am refering to the ones in the States) 

OK, I'm going to join Blondiee_08.  I've lived in Hawaii, where people raise and eat dogs and cats (so much for Paradise!).  I am of the opinion that horses, dogs, cats, are different from cattle and chickens in that they serve a purpose other than being eaten.  They have been domesticated over millenia to be useful and to be companions.  During that evolution, they have achieved a higher state of "domesticity", I call it a higher intelligence and emotional quality.  I do have philosophical problems with eating meat, but I do it, and if necessary would hunt for food.  Where I part company with the arguments of many of the previous posters is that horses are NOT bred for slaughter in this country or in most countries for that matter.  It a by-product of the way population is managed.  I am not as educated as I should be on the goal, but it does bother me that our horses are shipped to other countries as food... if France (don't get me started on the French) and the Japanese (ditto), etc, have such an appetite for horsemeat, I suggest they raise their own for the table or do without.  I also think that we, as humans tend to be incredibly arrogant (I include myself) in our assumptions of superiority.  If we are so smart, so superior, so all-over wonderful, this wouldn't be a discussion.  Why can't we get laws passed that regulate breeding?  Why can't we get laws passed that require the owner to make that lifelong commitment to the horse, dog, goat, whatever. Greed, gluttony, indifference, the almighty $$$, that's why.  Why was the effort made to save Ruffian and Barbaro?  Hmmm! I'm thinking the topic is "breeding for $millions" Alex.  Why do we as a people get all upset about one horse, Ferdinand, being slaughtered, but accept it as right for all the others?

Going into dangerous territory.  Humans are animals, too.  We're so intelligent and we're civilized, you say.  Bah!  We don't even know the meaning.  Why do we allow millions of people to subsist in poverty, disease, and starvation?  Sure doesn't give me much faith in "the superior brain" (many thanks to Khan in Star Trek Wrath of Khan!).  And the true arrogance comes from being at the top of the food chain, with the intelligence and the knowledge of right and wrong, and continuing to do wrong.  We make assumptions of the intelligence and emotional state of other animals to suit our definitions and beliefs, not from any surety.  It is pure sophistry to say that because other people eat horses, that I have no right to condemn the act.  The only way we have made the pitifully small steps we have toward true civilization is from people who questioned an act or way of living.  We are in the process of overpopulating the earth.  Nature's sure going to take care of that problem for us if we don't get it under control, just as She does for all other animals.  We can't even get a handle on that. 

 We greatly overrate our meaning and value in the cosmos.  And to complete Mark Twainss comparison..."the fact that we can do wrong makes us morally inferior to all animals who can't.

WOW!  Pushed my buttons!  YeeHaw!! I love a good argument!

Well, I do hate horse slaughter and I do think it is a horrible way to treat an animal that has given us so much.  Euthaniasia, yes, slaughter and the associated horrors of transport, NO!  We need to make euthanasia and body disposal much more affordable and doable, rather than forcing people to send their horse to the auction lot so the killer buyer can truck them to Mexico.  

And lots of people are blaming the halt in US slaughter for the overloaded horse market...........but the truth is, the market is the result of "breeders" who think their mare with cute eyes and a sweet disposition is a PERFECT breeding candidate.  What I really wish would happen was that fillies were spayed unless they passed a certain conformational standard!!!!!!!!  

And povertybyhorse, don't even tempt me into my thoughts on overpopulation, LOL -- I doubt anyone will vote for my mandated sterilization program!!! 

Solaris, I will! Here here to you. I couldn't have said it better myself!

How come every often someone just has to bring this up? Every time it’s the same old argument with everyone taking sides. I’m not against healthy debate but this crazy. We’re not going to convince each other of who is right or wrong. That said I’m not against slaughter. I don’t like it, but it’s a hard reality that has to be faced. 

            If people want to stop slaughter, we have to stop the backyard breeding because babies are cute stuff. We have to guarantee everyone being able to care for their horses all the time. We have to guarantee that if they can’t, shelters can handle these horses. WE have to guarantee everything! Sound crazy? It is. We can do a lot educating, rescuing ect. But keep in mind the price for horses is not buying them, it’s keeping them. Let’s take the price of board times a year of it then time that by a horse’s expected lifespan. For purposes of illustration, let’s say board is 300 a month x 12 = 3600, now let’s take say 20 years has the lifespan of the horse and add it in 3600 x 20 = 72000. That doesn’t count vet and farrier care or take or time spent training them. Those figures are just an illustration. Prices and life spans vary but if you add them up its scary how much we spend on this addiction called horses. Unless a rescue can get a horse adopted it’s stuck with it! That means keeping it for all its life which can be 20 years or more depending on the horse age when they get it. The number of places that can take horse actually declines because of this.

Secondly, slaughter instead of euthanizing is cheaper and likely will be continue to be. Even if you euthanize you still have to deal with the remains. It’s not cheap or simple. People have to be responsible about owning horses.  It’s not going to happen over night. The closure of US slaughter plants has actually made matter worse! Horses are simply being abandoned because people can’t pay to take care of them. Which is worse killing them or killing them by leaving them to fend for themselves in short starve? But if you’re for slaughter you’re the one being cruel of course. I don’t want horses treated inhumanely but abandonment and abuse are just are bad as slaughter if not worse. Yes people still breed to much and that’s a major part of the issue but when you complain about mexico’s inhumane treatment keep in mind that it was activists in the US who forced the US plants where there was regulation out.

Instead of arguing the merits let’s take of our horses, rescue what we can, and teach others about responsible horse ownership. This battle to convince each  of who is right or wrong isn’t worth it.

 

To answer a few of the questions about why this topic keeps coming up...

 As the OP said she did not know there was such a thing as horse slaughter and was seeking information and answers.

It is a highly emotional topic that needs to be periodically revisited to keep it in our thoughts.

Saying that discussion doesn't change anyone's mind may be a little too simple.  First, I don't know that what we say here doesn't change someone's mind.  I do know that I listen to other viewpoints and add them to the information I have and I may alter my ideas one way or the other, even if only slightly.  One thing these discussions have done (on many different topics) is to remind me that there are no easy solutions to most problems caused by humans.

These discussions remind me to add my voice to the political process in the faint hope that someone might be listening.

Over the years my life's view has been shaped by listening and discussing a broad range of subjects... religion, politics, science, philosophy, racism, our responsibilities as the only species here on earth with the real ability to bring about change other than that that which occurs naturally.

We have freedom of speech in this country and should excercise that right often and with vigor.

The way forward toward the kind of people we want to be is encouraged by communication.