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Monday, July 6, 2009
The Case Against Horse Slaughter in Canada
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The Case Against Horse Slaughter in Canada
The Text:
The horse has a status in our society comparable to the dog, cat or other household pet.
Our relationship with them is intimate, we give them names.
The progress of human history has been carried on their backs
They assist us in many different activities and as a working animal.
THEY ARE NOT A FOOD ITEM!!
THEY ARE OUR FRIENDS, COMPANIONS AND WORKING PARTNERS
HORSES ARE COMMEMORATED ON OUR STAMPS
THAT ARE SEEN AROUND THE WORLD
HORSES HAVE BEEN COMMEMORATED IN MONUMENTS, ART AND SCULPTURE FOR CENTURIES
AND HAVE GRACED THE COVER OF MANY POPULAR PUBLICATIONS
WHY THEN DO SO MANY END UP ON THE PATH TO SLAUGHTER??
THE PATH TO SLAUGHTER
The path begins when a horse is no longer wanted
Compassionate owners will seek the best solution for their horse’s future
Some people are unaware of the dangers of sending their horse to a rural auction while others only want to make a quick buck
These people send their horse to auction knowing fully that there is the strong possibility of their horses going to slaughter where there are few kind voices or caring touches
The pipeline that supplies the slaughterhouses is very clandestine. Typically, when owners give up a horse, they assume he will end up in good hands. But when that horse enters "the market" he goes into a different world, a world of auctions, price per pound, horse traders, kill buyers and slaughter houses. Everything is shrouded in secrecy. They know how horrible the truth about slaughter really is and don’t want it to be public knowledge.
ð Many horses end up sold for slaughter because they are unwanted or avoid humans (generally because of poor handling or abuse by previous owners)
ð Their suffering is solely caused at the hands of humans - neglect, cruelty and abuse
ð Some are young and have not had a chance at a happy life
ð Many are mistreated to the point of avoiding contact with any humans because of an abusive past
ð Others are older and have had too many hard years of being used as breeders or faithful workers, only to be tossed aside once they are "too old" to be financially viable
ð Many are starved of positive contact, proper food, veterinary attention, and basic every day needs such as worming, hoof care by experienced farriers and veterinarians
Many people don't realize that when they sell their horse at auction there is a VERY big risk that he will be purchased by a meat buyer. The majority of horses sold at rural auctions do go for meat.
At rural livestock auctions, anywhere from 50 – 90% of the horses are bought by the meat buyers - weanlings, yearlings, pregnant mares, mares with foals, broke horses, wild horses, healthy horses, sick horses…
THE KILL BUYERS DON’T CARE
AUCTIONS
For the novice horse person auction may be looked at as a viable alternative
Investigations have proven that this generally is a poor choice
Your best friend, your horse, can be subjected to horrible abuse and terror
at auction and if bought by kill buyers will often never see food and water again
in his life which will end sometime after the auction.
Horses going directly to the slaughterhouse can go more than 36 hours without food and water. It keeps them quieter for transport and handling but lack of sustenance can cause injury due to weakness and dehydration.
Auctions facilitate the slaughter industry and are dumping grounds for irresponsible owners and also where the discarded foals and used up mares from the PMU industry are dumped
Foals are also a “by-product” of the nurse mare industry
Virtually every horse auction has in attendance KILL BUYERS whose only goal is to buy horses for the slaughter industry
They will buy any horse including mares in foal, mares with foal at side AND foals alone.
As long as slaughter is legal, auctions will never be a place a responsible horse owner would sell a horse.
ReplyDeleteHowever, legal slaughter also promotes an even more insidious practice: horse theft. When I got my first horse it was in Texas in 1977. In the 15 years I owned horses there, stealing horses was a cottage industry. I doubt there was any horse owner who hadn't either had a horse stolen or knew someone who had. Horses were disappearing out of people's back yards!
Just a few weeks before we moved, the barn where I'd boarded for the last 15 years - where we all thought we were safe - was hit for the first time in it's 30+ year history. The horses were taken right out of their stalls, led down the driveway to a truck somewhere out of earshot. THREE horses were taken from the barn where my horse lived - including one next to him and one across the isle. My own horse was probably saved by his prominent freeze brand.
Dallas Crown was still open then, so all thieves had to do was whisk the horses across the state line, sell them at auction and the killer buyers who purchased them could bring them right back to Dallas Crown.
It's an unbelievably horrific for the horse owners and their friends as well. I only wish all the pro-slaughter people could have such an experience.
Agreed. Well said, Suzanne!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you and your friends had to experience this and more people need to speak up about the stolen horse element of horse slaughter!
Yes, Barb, they do need to give more publicity to the fact that stealing horses was always one of the staples of the slaughter trade.
ReplyDeleteEveryone talks about auctions, but never mentions horse theft. Too bad they didn't live in Texas when Dallas Crown AND Beltex were still open.
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