[Blistering Winds]

Charmed, actually, if my horse died today, I could not afford to have him removed and done away with. Many of the small time people I know can't either....

[Blistering Winds]

there were no outbreaks of horse neglect.

There isn't? Do you not watch Animal Planet? Do you not talk with local animal shelters?

Talk to Dusty. She is in the process of shutting a RESCUE down for neglect!! I've seen several in my lifetime that need to be shut down.

Course many of the people who own horses don't realize there is slaughter available if they can't sell their horse or even GIVE THEM AWAY!! Which I have left notes on houses with starving horses to take them to auction and sell them there if they cannot afford their upkeep.

If it wasn't for kill buyers, my friends horses would have starved to death as they had no funds, they couldn't even GIVE the horses away. And they waited till the last second to take them to auction.

There WILL be problems for several years after slaughter closes. And yes, HORSES WILL SUFFER! You may not want to recognise this, but Vets, Ag authorities, and many "educated" people see this coming. Unfortunately, the horses are the ones who will continue to suffer, even more of them, as their owners will be limited even more.

Again, there needs to be OTHER things in place before a bill to end slaughter is passed. We need to set up thigns and be READY and not shut them down and SCRAMBLE which we will be DOING if this bill is passed.

[odierose]

[quote=Lou3]odierose - sites like the one you posted ar ridiculouspropaganda nothing more. The bill has PETA behind it which can only spell trouble, they are terrorists, pure and simple, prepared to do anything to get their own way, and them getting their own way would lead to unimaginable suffering for millions of animals. The "other purposes" clause is what worries people. This can and WILL be interpreted as anything PETA wants as soon as they get this bill passed. Which WILL mean no more trailering to shows, trail rides etc.
The world isnt perfect, slaughter is a less than perfect answer to the problems faced by the horses in the US, UK and other countries, however right now it is the ONLY feasible answer. It will take many many years, probably many, many generations before people can be stopped over-producing and slaughter will cease to be a necessary evil. Its sad but its also fact. Time for some people to wake up and smell the coffee.
Wasting time lobbying for the abolition of slaughter accomplishes NOTHING for animal welfare. Instead why not direct all your energies into improving conditions for animals, raising money for charities etc. (well any charity that is animal welfare NOT animal rights, if you are unsure as to how to tell te difference PM me and i will give you some pointers) its a far better use of time to improve situations than to get rid of practical solutions and make the whole mess a whole lot worse.
Lou


Hello Lou! Thank you for your responce on my post,I respect your oppinion on this touchy issue!
I have not been able to get back being I stay very busy training horses and keeping up with farm work which can be never ending.

I have trained horses professionally over 30 years,I am all for a slaughter ban,it is not a nessisary evil. Granted there are bad rescues yes! But there are many that make up for the bad eggs like we see in every walk of life.

I agree yes,the world is not perfect and never will be. American horses are not raised here for foreign companies to come in and slaughter them. Many times it is not a quick sudden death that many people tout.Many times they are hit a few times,many vets agree a head restraint should be used but is not,horses have longer necks and their instints are fight or flight,thus they are hit many times before being stunned,and I would almost bet that many are still consious when their jug is cut. Mass production,with the quickness!Ive heard the USDA inspectors are not near the knock box!

Many go from auction to aucton ,the dealer trying to make more money than the plant will give him. Through all this the horse gets stressed and disease can set in and pass from auction house to auction house,I have been to a few of these nasty auctions. Or many go to nasty dirty feedlots,mud,insects,hot sun,overcrowding etc...


This is not a PETA movement,you may be surprised that many professional groups and people support this.

See www.horse-protection.org

Many horses end up at slaughter by owners that did not know that this well hidden secret exsists,whether sold by auction or a want ad they unsuspectingly think they will be going to a good home but instead end up in the foreigners slaughter plant. By bringing this out in the open as long as the slaughter plants are still opperating at least many will know about the other nasty side of the horse business.

I surely hope you will respect my opinions as I did yours on this issue!!

Regards, Rose

[ridingon]

Humanely euthanizing a horse is NOT slaughter. The slaughter facilities are required to 'bleed a horse to death' in order to use it for human consumption. The horse is suppose to be knocked 'unconsious' by the blot gun, the throat is slit and the horse is hung upside down while the heart is still beating to pump the blood out while it is skinned and dismembered. If the horse is not bled to death, it cannot be used for human consumption.

[Blistering Winds]

But you see, slaughter isn't just for human consumption. Some of that horse remains here, for Zoo-ological purposes, Glue composition, and various othe ruses that the body goes for (blood meal, etc)

Definition of Slaughter from Definitions.com

1. The killing of animals especially for food.
2. The killing of a large number of people; a massacre:

Slaughter is just another word for KILLING when you get right down to it.


Well, if they stop the "slaughter for human consumption" i just thought of why my vet smiled at me when he said the slaughter houses will not close.

I'll let ya'll figure that one out.

[space_cowboy]

How come all these new people are popping up at the same time and they are all pushing this bill on us?? I think something fishy is going on...........................

[Blistering Winds]

Not fishy, they travel in packs. LOL (sorry had to say that)

[space_cowboy]

LMAO! I guess so!

[wyldterv]

Originally Posted by charmedlife

The ranchers and farmers deal with natural cause deaths all the time. I would be willing to bet that most of them bury their livestock quietly and quickly.(legal or not) ...

Actually since I live in major dairy country and beef cattle country along with a large pleasure horse community I have to say that in my county, when large animals die they are seldome burried due to ground water rules and also river water issues. We have two different rendering companies that operate in this county, so when a large animal dies you call the rendering man and they come out for a fee and take that animal away to be processed into animal food. Downer animals can not be fed to humans but they are used in pet food daily, the majority of dog and cat food is from downer animals. SO I'll take you up on that bet cause I could use $5 today, LOL. Of course there are some ranches that are much to remote for use of rendering plants and in your huge operations like that they usually burn their carcasses. Takes up too much time and big back hoes to burry large animals.

[7HL]

from the horse.com and the horse magazine August2004


Just Say No to HR 857
by: Suzanne Wilcox, DVMAugust 2004 Article # 2479





Welcome to the ugly side of veterinary medicine--horse slaughter. Now there is a subject most horse enthusiasts don't want to deal with. But because we don't live in a perfect world, horse slaughter is a necessary evil.

Let me state right now that I am not pro-slaughter. I am pro-horse. I care about the health and well-being of horses; that is why I became a veterinarian. I wish no horse would have to go to slaughter and that all unwanted horses could be lovingly cared for to the end of their days--but that would be in a perfect world, and we are not yet in that world.

So, to be very frank with you, I would rather see an unwanted horse go off to slaughter than suffer a cruel death of slow starvation or abuse that lasts weeks before the animal finally dies.

The proposed HR 857, The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, now in front of Congress could severely limit the ability of horse owners to decide how to deal with horses they no longer want or can't care for. On the surface, stopping horse slaughter may sound like a good idea that is good for our beloved horses, but dig a little deeper into the details of HR 857 and you'll find that, if passed, this legislation could be very bad for the horse industry and, more importantly, very bad for the welfare of our horses.

What happens to old, sick, or unwanted horses when owners are unable or unwilling to provide proper care? If the horses can't be sent to slaughter, how many owners of these animals will try to find alternative shelter and care? Some are too proud or vain to ask for help, others just won't want to. How many will let these animals die a lingering, horrific, and lonely death? And what about the other unwanted horses--those who are broken down or who simply are not serving their owners' purposes any more? How many can be "adopted" and cared for? What happens to horses such as racehorses that aren't fast enough or are injured? Will they be turned out into a lush pasture for 20 years of rest and relaxation? Not in our imperfect world! How many will illegally be packed into transport vehicles and hauled for hours and days only to end up in slaughter plants in Canada or Mexico--plants that are not monitored by the USDA?

HR 857 grossly fails to make adequate provisions for the long-term care and well-being of unwanted horses. The government cannot take care of our pensioner humans, let alone pensioner equines. It is very difficult to place an older horse--or any horse with issues--especially if they require medications or special treatment. It is often financially impossible to lay that burden on another person as well.

We simply cannot "absorb" these horses into an already saturated system when horses can live 30-plus years and cost the average owner $5 a day to keep a single horse.

If HR 857 passes as written, thousands upon thousands of horses will be left in the hands of owners who no longer want them. What will become of these horses? It doesn't take much imagination to know that the answer is not pretty.

The passage of HR 857, as written, will also encourage illegal transport of horses to slaughter at unregulated processing plants in Mexico and Canada because the bill doesn't provide any specifics on how illegal transport would be stopped or who will do the enforcing. Do you really think people will stop hauling horses to slaughter simply because Congress passed a bill?

Here's another aspect to consider about HR 857 that should just scare you silly. HR 857 proposes to make illegal the transport of horseflesh and live horses for slaughter "and for other purposes." Who defines "other purposes?"

I have been told that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is lurking in the background of this bill. This can only spell trouble with a capital "T." It would not take long for PETA to define "other purposes" as transporting a horse to a show, a rodeo, or a trail ride. The bottom line: When considering HR 857, decide who will benefit and who will not. Base your decision on fact, not fiction or emotion. On the surface, HR 857 sounds like it will benefit the horse, but as it is written, HR 857 has far more potential for causing our horses great suffering. And horse owners could lose the right to use their horses as they please.Just say n 857o to HR.