[QUOTE=county;3170881]
I guess thats the part I don’t understand, I mean if people want to give money to " save the horses " thats fine its their money. But I just don’t get the save one species over another deal? Milk cows are sent to slaughter when they no longer milk yet people gobble up hamburgers by the millions. I don’t see the horse as being so special more then the cow?[/QUOTE]
Cows are raised in this country for human consumption - horses are not. That’s the difference.
Very true, Dick…but the majority don’t realize that DAIRY cattle are eventually sent to be processed alongside the known BEEF cattle.
Actually some buy and raise horses for human consumption also. Theres a number of feedlots here some buy young cattle to feed and two buy young horses to feed.
Cattle/Pigs/chickens/ect ect are all raised as livestock. Most in those categories are those raised for use for consumption, whether its meat or milk. Horses are not, horses have always been raised for us as our partners. A partner for use on the ranch. A partner on the hunt field, or cross country course or show jumping field. A partner racing barrels. Etc etc.
In the US? Wow feel sorry for them at the price they are getting for their horses.:no::no: Probably not even enough to feed them decently.
Horses are raised as partners? Some are and some aren’t not everyone sees things one way in life. And no the ones in feedlots are fed very well same as any other species of livestock your not going to stay in business long not feeding well for slaughter. The profit margin is the bottom line in any business not what something sells for. Cattle sell much higher then slaughter horses but feeder cattle cost much more then feeder horses do. All that matters is the bottom line to the feedlot operator.
BTW horses are also raised as livestock and considered as such I have about 30 head right now and I, the Gov. and the IRS all call them livestock thank goodness
Yes, horses are considered livestock and not partner/companion animals (like dogs and cats)…at least in terms of government and zoning.
BTW, the “majority” I was speaking of are the average joe blow who doesn’t know a tail from an ear, so to speak. The average suburbanite and city slicker. (not all, of course)
[QUOTE=RiddleMeThis;3171927]
In the US? Wow feel sorry for them at the price they are getting for their horses.:no::no: Probably not even enough to feed them decently.[/QUOTE]
LOL…very true.
So how much are they getting and what are their costs? My guess is you don’t even have a clue.
[QUOTE=Evalee Hunter;3170928]
Temple Grandin says she would prefer that there be no slaughter, but she doesn’t think that will ever happen as people evolved to include meat in their diet, so she puts her efforts into making slaughter humane & I really think that’s where our efforts should be. Don’t outlaw slaughter of horses; keep it in this country where we can regulate it; make it as humane as possible; use education to reduce breeding & use more education to urge horse owners to look for other answers rather than slaughter.[/QUOTE]
Sorry, I’m through with Temple Grandin. Wonderful work in promoting humane slaughter for every US feed species BUT not equines. In not one horse SH plant in the US have her recommendations for cattle etc. been pursued or employed. I just don’t think it is a high priority for her. Repeated statements about the “need” for horse slaughter (since we simply can’t afford to euthanize another 1/8 as many terribly unwanted horses as we already do every year) but nothing about the need for humane slaughter methods for horses…
And County - congratulations on turning this into a HS debate thread;) No more debate from me.
I didn’t turn it into anything, fact is I didn’t bring the subject up but see what you choose as always.
Are there any updated on this horse?
What about all the other horses in the kill pen?
I worry that only horses who have some degree of fame or whose former owners or trainers were famous are getting publicity. Like who cares how famous a horse was if he must go thru the terror of going to slaughter and ending up on someone’s dinner plate? Pictures of all the horses who go to the kill pen should be spread all over the internet, and some TV reporters and stations also will help out. Everyone needs to know how many die. Like the animal control facilities in my area where no dog and cat counts are given, they should televise every kill, or at least put it on the internet, so people can see their dogs and cats and horses die. Might make one or two quit breeding or throwing their animals away. I rescued an “unknown” OTTB mare 7 yrs ago and while she had not done well on the track, she was 3-4-5 of 26 races, she was royally bred and had perfect conformation once she got some weight on her, and believe me, I bought her cause she had huge intelligent eyes, not for any other reason. And I’ll be looking for a couple of more just like her after I sell a building so I won’t have to board any more. Hats off to the people who go to New Holland and other kill pens and do rescues. It is heartbreaking to know that many horses, not famous, are going thru there and ending up being strung up and bled out at slaughterhouses. :eek:
Eating Meat
well, the debate continues, but…in Korea they eat dogs. cats are pretty safe everywhere since they have a lot of muscle, except for my ex-barn cat now house cat Tobey who got portly when I rescued him from a barn. So culturally, we are different from Koreans and from the French and Belgians and Japanese who eat horses. So as e.b.white said, when we eat meat, we have to ignore our consciences. I have occasionally gone vegetarian for a year or two at a time, motified by eating sea food, and it was good. Exposure to meat can make us eat it when everyone else is eating it. Despite being in BBQ country, I gave up pork years ago. I try to limit the amt. of steak I eat. And I gave up McDonald’s and all many years ago when I learned that dairy cattle don’t get retired when they cannot get pregnant and produce milk. Most of the “hamburgers” sold in stores and fast food and groceries are dead dairy cows, and the recent pix of the california company shoveling live downer holsteins to slaughter is just the tip of the iceberg. I cannot do vegan, but I can do a limited amt. of beef cattle, some chickens (altho I do close my eyes when I see the Claxton chicken trucks with the squeezed together chickens on the road–closing eyes on hwy is not good) and I eat sea food and freshwater fish, hoping I’m not killing porpoises from sea food. So culturally, we don’t kill horses or dogs or cats for food here. Like in India, no cows are eaten. It’s not that we need to eat beef, it is a learned habit. We can give it up. And cutting out fast food restaurants is a first step. So my view is no, we don’t need to slaughter horses. They should be put down by a vet and buried. period. Like I do mine when I have to. I wouldn’t see a dead horse to a rendering plant for any reason. :eek: But then my horses have always been my pets since childhood, just like all my dogs and cats. Don’t dump bodies in the trash, so never did it to the 3 horses I’ve buried all thru my life.
Where is Jonathan Swift when we need him?
While the bigger name horses, or those with big name connections, are the ones who get the press, I can promise you that those of us who work in rescue mourn the loss of each and every horse and do our best to ID as many as we can so that, whether we can save them or not, they do not remain nameless. I don’t think that one horse is more deserving of rescue than another. When we rescued Little Cliff, we had no idea who he was. For several days we called him the “clipped bay gelding” because the photo of his tattoo was too dark to read. I was stunned when I pulled his raced record.
Its excruciating when we ID a horse, make calls to former connections on it’s behalf in an effort to save it (all in the short period of time we have while the auction is going on) only to be turned down and end up knowing that horse will load on the kill buyer’s truck to Canada or Mexico. I lose sleep over it. But I know their names. There is actually a website that is going to start keeping track of the horses saved as well as the horses lost to slaughter. These horses deserve to be identified. They deserve a dignified and humane retirement - a safety net that the industry hasn’t provided for them, but until that happens, at least we can try to let people know who they are. There are horses I am still looking for that I might never know what ultimately happened to.
A couple of weeks ago we ID’d 4 horses. Three of the four shipped to slaughter. One sold privately. We were able to contact two of the four breeders or owners. One person (a prominent breeder in the MidAtlantic area) said he was not in a position to help. The other person thought that her horse was with her uncle at Charlestown. Her uncle had sold the horse to the kill buyer who told the guy he had a “nice girl” looking for a horse - at least that’s what the uncle said. We couldn’t get anything done in time for these horses. Some weeks we have better luck (or the funds to rescue on our own.)
Have to go feed my field full of rescue horses.
[QUOTE=Lora;3176359]
Are there any updated on this horse?[/QUOTE]
Little Cliff is doing pretty well. He had strangles from his time in the broker’s lot but is recovering. Once he has fully recovered and is out of quarantine he will ship to KY to Kim and Nick Zito’s place. He’s a nice horse… Thanks for asking.
[QUOTE=county;3173901]
I didn’t turn it into anything, fact is I didn’t bring the subject up but see what you choose as always.[/QUOTE]
Amazing how you can turn a thread about a horse rescue into a heated debate. Why don’t you spread your sunshine somewhere else? You’re entitled to your opinion, but you’re a real downer, ya know??
ditto this.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
