U.S. House Passes Ban on Horse Slaughter
Wednesday May 2, 2007
The U.S. House approved a bill that would end horse slaughter and prevent horses being sent to plants in Mexico and Canada. The bill is now destined for the Senate. But the three U.S. slaughter plants have already closed. What does this mean for the horse industry? Click 'comments' below to leave your opinion.
Comments
I realize some people have unwanted horses that they cannot afford to put down or care for. There are so many of us who love and respect the horse, we should be able to provide some kind of relief or these people.
I’m very glad — as a horse owner — that the House passed the ban on horse slaughter.
I feel they need to keep the slaughter houses open. I own 8 horses and they are a part of my family. However, horse negelect is going to rise because people have no where to take elderly horses. We need to let the life cylce complete itself (or help it.) I know humans in other countrys eat horse but we also use the meat in Zoo’s and other places to feed wild life. I think it is a neccessary evil to keep slaughter houses open, I would prefer them to place restraints on the horses they slaughter (over a certain age, or crippled.)
I htink this is a great decision!!
Horse owners should be completely against this bill because there are thousands of neglected horses every year. I personally feel that it is better for a horse to have an instance painless death, rather than possible months before the horse dies a painful death of starvation. I think that all horse owners would rather see a horse have a happy life than a painful, and difficult life. The humane association has stated that the humane deaths at slaughter houses are instant and painless. I don’t think that this bill should pass, instead I think that the horse transportation should be better, since horses would be transported crammed on two floor trailers.
im so glade that the horse slauter houses are being banned. i am a horse lover i really don’t have a horse but if i was able to i would provide a sancuary for harses where they would have a long, heathy, happy life.
I think long term this will be a bad decision for horses in general. I don’t think horse that is old and or cripled will receive as good of vet care, hoof care, quality feed, and general maintence as show or riding horses. Ron
Reading the comments that say they are glad this bill has been passed in the house troubles me. I grieve for the horse industry when horses that are injured or crippled will be euthanized (giving them no useful purpose) or worse yet, put out to pasture. During the past few years, feeding healthy, productive horses has been difficult due to droughts in areas of the United States. Where are we going to find pasture for all these unwanted horses? Then, once we find pasture, how are we to afford to care for their hoof care, vaccinations, deworming, health care, just to name a few. I have 9 horses of my own, and am fortunate enough to be able to care for them adequately. My oldest is 30 years old, and I will keep him in my pasture until his last day. I love all of my horses, and none are for sale. They are a part of my family. But, unfortunately, slaughter houses are a necessary part of life.
I am a horse lover/ owner. I have gone to sales and bought horses that would have ended up in slaughter for many reasons. I have to limit myself to one a year because the upkeep of these animals is great! It takes allot of extra care, time, and money to bring these animals around to being useful again, and not all of them can. If I had all the money needed to care for these unwanted, end of the road horses, I would love to provide them with the care and love they deserve, but it is not reality. Reality is that there are more unwanted horses than there are homes for them. the horse market is very soft now because of these bands and allot of people who could not afford to buy a horse, now can. But once they get them, the horses are negleted, because the new owners can not provide a proper care for them. I have seen so many more cases of neglect and abuse since the bills have passed. I have even heard of owners, who are unable to find a home for there horse that they can no longer care for take them somewhere (like a forest) and turn them loose! I would rather put strick laws on the care and treatment of horses at slaughter than leave them unwanted, uncarefor in someone’s back yard or back field to slowly die and suffer. When i see these animals, i think, “What are we dong to you!?!” Horses lovers and animals rights people must see what “good” can come of having a slaughter house for horses. It hurts me to think of it as an end for such a nobal animal, but being starved to death is not nobal in any sence. We don’t tie up our dogs or leave them in a pen when they are to old to care for any more or pass them on at an aution to let them be someone elses problem, we have them put down or we keep them comfortable until thier last days. Until some one comes up with a better plan that slaughter for these Horses, then we should not pass the bill to ban slaughter.
Personally I am completely against horse slaughter. I’m happy to see it getting banned. For those of you that consider it a necessary evil, I see what you mean. How the price of horse will go down, the industry will be hurt, and there might be a rise in neglected horses because these slaughter houses take the old, unwanted, or crippled horses. But I do have something to say to it all. You’re quite wrong on some of it. The price will go down it will hurt the economic side of the industry, but that’s more because we are breeding too many mediocre horses. The industry wants safe mounts, and adults, not babies anymore. As for the rise of neglected horses, I don’t see that happening too much, maybe to a small extent. But really I have been to a sale barn with a kill buyer and after I looked at the “kill pen” I didn’t see any skinny horses there, few were crippled (and hardly any beyond repair) and there were not “old” horses there. What I saw was a lot more potential than lost-causes. Kill buyers are not doing the industry some great service by taking the horses that are no longer good, or even ones that have been neglected badly. They take what has meat on it, not the old, skinny, unwanted horses that they lead you to believe. And there is a better plan, stop breeding so many horses and when your horse is “past it’s prime” and you can’t find a good home for it –having done your research, then put it down instead of sending it to auction.
I am very happy about this. I own 3 horses and couldn’t imagine them being killed. Why not sell or give it away to a good home. Or if the horse is ill, just have it put down. There is no reason to have horses crammed onto trailers, often without food and water for long periods of time. Then, killed. What have the horses done to us? Well, let’s see. They’ve taken us for countless trail rides, worked hard and won ribbons for us, and given us a shoulder to cry on. To thank them for their kindness…we kill them. Yeah, makes LOTS of sense.
I believe the bill referred to here is HR249, the wild horse protection bill. The federal bill to stop all horse slaughter is still in the committee for the House of Reps. American horses are still being slaughtered at Cavel in DeKalb, Illinois.
There are a lot of mis-truths out here. The pro-slaughter side has used the “poor neglected horses are turned loose” line for years. I’ve lived out in the country for over 10 years and have never even heard of, much less seen, a dumped horse. Horse slaughter is NOT humane. Killer Buyers load horses in double decker CATTLE trucks and the same type of stun bolt gun is used to disable a horse as is used on a cow. Horses have longer necks and move around so the bolt that is supposed to be driven into their brain do not always hit the desired target on the first try. When the Cavel slaughter plant in Illinois burned down some 4-5 years ago, horse neglect did not go up. When California made horse slaughter illegal, horse theft went DOWN. Yes, “humane” euthanasia is needed for injured or sick horses, but do not be fooled into thinking that the Foreign-owned slaughter plants in Texas and Illinois care about a humane end. The slaughter plants charge the Killer Buyers to dispose of the old, ill, and injured animals. And FYI, Dallas Crown still advertizes zoo meat for sale. It is the illegal killing of horses for human consumption that has been ended. These plants, owned by Belgian and French corporations, have been breaking our laws for YEARS, period. I for one am glad that they’ve finally been held accountable for it. And bottom line, don’t take on any animal if you can’t afford it. You can have a vet destroy an animal for less than the price of a saddle.
The slaughter houses serve a purpose. There are horses that are simply dangerous and must be removed to protect people. I have known far too many of these horses. Often they are the product of well intentioned people; they have good bloodlines, beautiful conformations, and wonderful potential but have been ruined by their owners with abuse or neglect. I have taken in horses that were beaten and/or starved by their owners, left to run free until 8 or 9 years old still wearing the foal halter that is now grown into their skull, abused through horrid ‘breaking’ techniques, etc… I spent 10 years rehabilitating unwanted and neglected horse and I am sad to say that not all could be rehabilitated to become useful and safe. I personally have taken some of these horses to auctions and made sure they were marked not to be sold to anyone but the kill buyers. I did not do this because I wanted to or because it was the easiest thing to do. I did it because I had exhausted all other options all of these horses had been worked with by me and when it was established I could not help them I paid at least 5 other trainers, per horse, to try to help them and some just couldn’t be saved. I don’t like the idea of slaughtering horses but I do know and understand that they serve a purpose. I hate to see where the dangerous horses will go now that it has been banned; hopefully not in some unsuspecting persons back yard.
The majority of slaughtered horses were for meat, not “helping the sick, elderly and crippled”. This means those horses were probably thick, meaty, muscular, maybe even ride-able. If you think we should kill old horses, what about that human grandma you barely talk to? She’s not bettering society in any way. Got a human slaughterhouse? You know, with the bolt guns for her Alzeimer-ridden brain and chains for her not-so-fit body. Yeah think about it…doesn’t make sense. If a horse is suffering, you have vets for a reason. They can put him/her down. Do it humanely. It’s not difficult. Taking lives to make a profit absolutely disgusts me. I’m glad these steps have been made.
I think that if the government is going to put a bill like this as a law they should have a better thought out solution. I love horses, but there will be an overabundance of horses if this bill goes through. They should have a plan for the horses that would usually be sent to slaughter. I think that for people to send their horses to foreign countries to be slaughtered is wrong by the inhumane way that they are treated. They should make it legal for American horse slaughter houses to be open and have regulations just like they would in any other kind of slaughter house. If equine slaughter houses were treated like other slaughter houses then if they felt the need they could package the meat and sell it like they do beef or pork.
i beleive in the slaughter houses i chaleng anyone that doest beleive in horse slaughter for meat to not use anything that has to do with slaughter. horses are animals so are cows and chickens. if you have a right to tell someone that they cant eat horse meat then practice what you preach give up your steak, chicken eggs and fish. also do away with your leather seats and the belt for your pants.until you give up all this then you have no right to tell somone else to do so.