Yes it is if you’re talking about the total number of foals born that will eventually go to slaughter at some point in their lives.
You cannot change the math or the narrative to fit your own agenda.
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When you look at breast cancer statistics fo you usually don’t look at the percentage of the female population that gets breast cancer annually, you usually look at the likelihood that each woman will develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime.
Enough. I get that it makes everyone very uncomfortable but I do not deserve to be mocked and bullied over saying that maybe we shouldn’t breed so many thoroughbreds.
You guys have once again derailed the whole conversation to mock and belittle someone with the toxic groupthink because you didn’t like what they were saying. Somebody else claimed only 1% of TBs go to slaughter and nobody cared about that wildly inaccurate statistic. Bewoulf compared horse breeds to human races and y’all didn’t make a peep about how problematic that is.
It’s tracked. You can find a lot of information on the risk by age if you look for it. The MEDIAN age for being diagnosed for breast cancer is 62.
The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2021 are:
- About 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women
- About 49,290 new cases of ductal carcinoma will be diagnosed
- About 43,600 women will die from breast cancer
About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
Table 2. Age-specific Ten-year Probability of Breast
Cancer Diagnosis or Death for US Women
Current age
Diagnosed with
invasive breast cancer
Dying from
breast cancer
20 0.1% (1 in 1,479) <0.1% (1 in 18,503)
30 0.5% (1 in 209) <0.1% (1 in 2,016)
40 1.5% (1 in 65) 0.2% (1 in 645)
50 2.4% (1 in 42) 0.3% (1 in 310)
60 3.5% (1 in 28) 0.5% (1 in 193)
70 4.1% (1 in 25) 0.8% (1 in 132)
80 3.0% (1 in 33) 1.0% (1 in 101)
Lifetime risk 12.8% (1 in 8) 2.6% (1 in 39)
Note: Probability is among those who have not been previously diagnosed
with cancer. Percentages and “1 in” numbers may not be numerically
equivalent due to rounding.
©2019, American Cancer Society, Inc., Surveillance Research
Table 1. Estimated New DCIS and Invasive Breast Cancer
Cases and Deaths among Women by Age, US, 2019
DCIS cases Invasive cases Deaths
Age Number % Number % Number %
<40 1,180 2% 11,870 4% 1,070 3%
40-49 8,130 17% 37,150 14% 3,250 8%
50-59 12,730 26% 61,560 23% 7,460 18%
60-69 14,460 30% 74,820 28% 9,920 24%
70-79 8,770 18% 52,810 20% 8,910 21%
80+ 2,830 6% 30,390 11% 11,150 27%
All ages 48,100 268,600 41,760
Estimates are rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages may not sum to 100
Sorry all, the table didn’t cooperate.
Disagreement is not bullying. It’s disagreement. I do note that you didn’t look for the most recent statistics on horses sent to slaughter. No, it’s not broken down by presumed or known breed, but it’s relatively recent.
The USDA estimates that 92.3% of horses that go to slaughter are “in good condition and able to live out productive lives.”
Source for that information: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/facts-about-horse-slaughter The last year mentioned on that page is 2012.
No, they never defined how they determined the condition of a horse that was sent to slaughter. They didn’t give a breakdown on age, they didn’t examine the horse to look for underlying problems. The majority of USDA inspectors are NOT veterinarians. The only job I could find that required a DVM only pays up to a GS11/12 and regularly traveling about to inspect the line was not part of the job description (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/596938300?PostingChannelID= )
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/careers/job-opportunities
Here is a job listing and qualifications in case the link doesn’t work:
-
Responsibilities
- Entry-level Food Inspector positions filled through this announcement generally work in slaughter plants. Our Food Inspectors:
- Examine food animals in privately-owned meat or poultry plants.
- Perform their duties before and after slaughter, guaranteeing that the product is not contaminated.
- Maintain sanitation procedures.
- Are a valued member of a dynamic team that ensures the product is fit to eat and compliant with Federal laws.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Supervisory status
No
Promotion Potential
7
-
Job family (Series)
- Requirements
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Successful completion of a pre-employment medical examination.
- Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance. If selected you may be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI).
- Selectee may be subject to satisfactory completion of a one year probationary or trial period.
- Must be at least 16 years of age.
- Be available for on-call work as needed.
- Be available for all shifts and able to report for duty within 1 hour after receiving a request (by phone).
- Provide coverage for in-plant positions within a specified geographic area or plant.
- The number of hours you may work is limited to 1,280 hours in a service year.
- This position is an Excepted Service appointment and doesn’t provide benefits.
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
Qualifications
The duties of a Food Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment. To experience what it’s like to work in a slaughter plant as a Food Inspector, please click here. For additional information about training, please click here. The below requirements are not an all-inclusive list. Failure to fully meet a functional requirement is not automatically disqualifying.
Applicants must:
- Be physically and medically able to efficiently perform the essential job functions, without being a direct threat to themselves and others.
- Have full range of motion to perform rapid repetitive twisting and working with arms above shoulder level.
- Be able to stand and walk on slippery and uneven floors and catwalks, and climbing stairs and ladders.
- Be able to lift, carry, push and pull up to 30 pounds, with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds.
- Have manual dexterity of the upper body, including arms, hands, and fingers with a normal sense of touch in both hands.
- Have good near and distance vision, be free of chronic eye disease and have correctable vision of at least 20/40 in one eye.
- Have the ability to distinguish shades of color. Any significant degree of color blindness (more than 25 percent error rate on approved color plate test) may be disqualifying.
- Individuals with some hearing loss and/or requiring hearing amplification will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Horses are still being sent to slaughter, across our borders into Canada and Mexico, and the number of American horses sent to slaughter has not decreased since domestic plants closed in 2007.
Clearly, that is wrong (see my post upthread with information from 2015 - 2018, plus some portion of 2019).
Okay - this is ONE report from ONE sale yard and the number of horses going to slaughter has dropped significantly in the current YTD relative to 2020 YTD:
https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/al_ls635.txt
Current Previous Current Previous
Week Week Y-T-D Y-T-D
Species 3/27/2021 3/20/2021
Horses
Slaughter 336 403 3,715 10,356
Breeding Males 23 25 298 365
Breeding Females 52 38 523 609
Geldings 22 13 147 180
Burro/Mule/Pony 29 0 34 31
Total Horses 462 479 4,717 11,541
3,715 by 3/31/21 vs 10,356 by 3/31/20 going to slaughter. Not a perfect source of information or the most feel-good information around, but still significantly fewer.
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I think there is another survey planned for this year (they’re every 5 years).
The Horse Industry by the Numbers
16 Jan 2017
BREEDS:
- American Quarter Horse: 3.10M
- Thoroughbred: 1.29M
- Other: 4.64M
So now you have to ask how many Thoroughbreds went to slaughter in 2016 out of a total population of about 1.29 million.
According to the Equine Welfare Alliance, 114,091 U.S. horses were slaughtered in 2016 . 19% of that is roughly 21,000 ( Thoroughbreds only, not including Quarterhorses and Standardbreds)
So 21,000/1,290,000 = 0.016279
multiply by 100 = 1.6279% of the total population of Thoroughbreds known or presumed to be alive at the time. Roughly.
Please check my math. Between my dyslexia, being tired and clearly using imperfect data, that is the best I can do at the moment.
Still sad.
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It’s not something that makes us uncomfortable. Stop painting all COTHers as heartless bullies who get our kicks from mocking you and killing horses.
You are getting met with meanness because civil discourse hasn’t worked.
Why do you think horses go to slaughter? It’s not simply because there are “too many” as you keep asserting. That is one piece of a complicated puzzle, especially when it comes to the issue with TBs.
Asking a breed who has cut their population by nearly 50% in the 21st century to instantaneous breed less horses isn’t a viable solution. Would you like me to detail the reasons why again?
You are not helping at all by repeating how we need to breed less TBs like a broken record. Also, you need not worry about breeding less TBs. Economic forces will continue driving down the number of thoroughbreds as racing becomes too expensive to sustain itself.
So for what feels like the 10 millionth time, I’m telling you to go gain first hand experience to better understand where to direct your passion and efforts. There are better ways you could be helping horses than arguing with a bunch of anonymous posters on the internet.
Everyone in this conversation is doing what they can to help the issue. Why aren’t you?
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I didn’t assert this, the humane society did. If you think it’s untrue you can go fund and perform your own study.
Good.
I literally already said nobody here is entitled to details about my life because for one, it doesn’t change the issue we’re talking about and two, I legitimately don’t feel safe sharing details about my life on this board. There’s a user on here who has a history of cyber stalking and cyber bullying and she consistently tries to get me to share photos of where my barn is. I’m legitimately do not feel safe. That’s obviously not on you, or most of the people here but please respect boundaries. I know coth loves to poke fun, but it’s not funny to me.
The Humane Society is using old information. The new information doesn’t support their narrative.
Or yours.
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As @MorganSercu said, their data is outdated and not an accurate reflection of the issue with thoroughbreds.
While current slaughter numbers would be helpful for arguing on the internet, I prefer to donate to organizations addressing the actual issues TBs are facing that may put them at risk. For example, the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation works to keep our horses healthier, sounder, more durable, and more productive so they can keep themselves employed and wanted.
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Oh so now those numbers are also irrelevant because you say so, again? Got it.
It’s just a lot easier and more comforting to believe that most of the horses going to slaughter are either old, lame, or insane. Thats just not accurate.
…and you wonder why people are rude to you.
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I’ve looked back on my posts to see if I had “bullied” or "mocked " anyone, and I see that I did not. However, the above quotes were your responses to me. I feel that your responses were unnecessarily rude and defensive and you the only one to resort to an Ad Hominem insult.
This is a discussion BB. We discuss, sometimes we disagree but most of us don’t take a difference of opinion as a personal insult.
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Actually helping animals in deed rather than paying lawyers. Refreshing.
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Well that’s awfully revisionist of you. It’s kind of the theme here though. People only see what they want to see. 
Here is a lovely example of the TB industry recognizing the need and doing something about it. 
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/247254/international-forum-on-aftercare-to-begin-april-6
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Pot, meet Kettle.
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A big thank you to Bill Carstanjen for his generosity.
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I revised nothing. Those were your words.
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Because I said that you were being intentionally obtuse for saying that I “don’t care about quarter horses going to slaughter?” When all I said was that I don’t care for the breed personally? What you said about my character was way worse IMO.
It’s like 7 people here all attacking one. I haven’t called anyone a 12 year old nor have I made racially insensitive comments.
This is a toxic groupthink dumpster fire all around.
I’m truly sorry that you feel that way, but this is not about you. I said nothing about your “character”. No one is “attacking” you. Some are disagreeing with you and trying to help you understand the issue.
I speak for myself, there is no “groupthink” involved.
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