# Don't Allow Horses To Be Sold for Food



## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

Haha! Yeah, cause... Thats gonna stop people from buying horses and selling their meat on the black market. 
How about we make it LEGAL to sell horse meat? Then people wont need the black market.
I hate legislation.
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## depnewshound (Aug 14, 2010)

I'm not a fan of legislation either, but until such time, I want to take whatever action is available to at least attempt to protect horses. Hey, it might be a band-aid on gaping wound, but at least someone is trying to do something.


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## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

Actually, the way I see it is: It will be cutting the wound deeper. With a rusty dagger.
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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Ok so let me get this straight. By shutting down slaughter houses in the US, we made the transportation of meat animals longer and more stressful. So by making the simple transportation illegal, wont the black market explode? 

What do you suggest we do with all the excess horses in the country? Is there a game plan for the influx of starving/ill/broken/lame horses? Where will they go? Euthanasia is expensive. Disposing of a horses body is expensive. Are their provisions set up to prevent the suffering of those horses? 

I think the slaughter houses should be reopened in the US. It cuts down the transportation time for these animals. It would open up jobs and financial stability for the horse world. It would help stabilize the fair market value for horses. 

I also think that instead of auctions, we should moved to a 'one horse, one price' system. If you are taking your horse to slaughter, so be it. You get $100 for that horse and the horse is quarantined for 30 days. 30 days gives owners of lost/stolen horses plenty of time to find those horses in a slaughter house. 30 days gives the bleeding heart types plenty of time to 'save' these horses from a certain death. 

I think the system is corrupt. While I understand that you are trying to do good in the name of horses, my fear is that good intentions don't always lead to a great outcome. When you take a step back from the picture, you realize that the horses suffer more now than they ever did. 

*steps down from soap box*


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## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

This has been lectured into so many people on this forum, LOL.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

Within Europe we need to stop the transport of horses for slaughter as they are in horrific conditions, however as a girl who HAS regularly eaten horse meat (I'm half belgian I grew up with it being normal) I do believe that slaughtering horses for meat is fine! I just believe that they should be transported on the hook not the hoof, we have the technology to make sure the meat doesnt go off (refrigerated lorries) so why not use it!


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Yup, nothing wrong with horsemeat as food. I agree slaughter and the process leading up to it should be humane for all animals. 

Where I am there is a huge shortage of abbatoirs; the slaughter and disposal of large animals has become very difficult for people.


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## Katesrider011 (Oct 29, 2010)

I think that opening up slaughter houses in the U.S. would bring down the amount of horse cruelty, and lessen/get rid of the amount of problems that Florida has been having with peoples loved horses being slaughtered by black market sellers. I think slaughter is a good way to go for horses who have nowhere else to go. Or I mean they can be left out to starve. You choose.


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

One of my biggest problems with horse slaughter(aside from the horrid transport conditions and the inhumane method of slaughter) is the common misconception that only sick, lame, old and un-trainable horses are slaughtered. I have 2 perfectly healthy/sound and well trained horses that were destined to go to slaughter. Another issue is that american horses should not be eaten with the amount of drugs and vaccinations they receive throughout their life, especially ex-race horses, most of those drugs remain in their system after years, and the drugs are not killed in the rendering process, i am by no means an expert, but it cannot be healthy to eat, if people want to eat horse i'm fine with that, but they should be raised for meat as cattle is to avoid ingesting meet that has been heavily drugged for whatever reason


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Rachel1786 said:


> One of my biggest problems with horse slaughter(aside from the horrid transport conditions and the inhumane method of slaughter) is the common misconception that only sick, lame, old and un-trainable horses are slaughtered. I have 2 perfectly healthy/sound and well trained horses that were destined to go to slaughter. Another issue is that american horses should not be eaten with the amount of drugs and vaccinations they receive throughout their life, especially ex-race horses, most of those drugs remain in their system after years, and the drugs are not killed in the rendering process, i am by no means an expert, but it cannot be healthy to eat, if people want to eat horse i'm fine with that, but they should be raised for meat as cattle is to avoid ingesting meet that has been heavily drugged for whatever reason



Healthy horses make for better steaks. Now please don't interpret that as me not being glad you rescued your horses, but If you think about horse slaughter as the business it is, it makes perfect sense. Horse meat is very lean and healthy and when slaughter is legalized there are regulations about drugs and things like that, however that is all the more reason why I would not be opposed to there being horses raised specifically for meat -- To make a better quality. 

Horses are still being butchered and eaten in the US, make no mistake about it. And if you think the slaughter houses were inhumane, the backyard butchers are a million times worse. Horses are being taken from their pastures and hacked apart alive and sold on the black market. 

The videos you see on youtube and the bad slaughterhouses are really the exception. Stress and bad conditions make for bad meat which makes for loss in sales. It is not a good business practice to have and most places will try and keep that down if not for the horses sake but for business's sake. 

If we legalize it, we can regulate it and we can keep our horses here instead of making them go on the long ride to the border. Trying to save the ponies by closing slaughter houses causes more starvation, neglect, and abuse than I ever saw before. 

I would rather have someone sell their horse to the KB because she can't feed him then let him sit in the pasture and starve to death and that is the reality of the situation.


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## Katesrider011 (Oct 29, 2010)

I always feel kinda biased though cause I won't eat horse meat, but I am for slaughter as I said before. Cause slaughter for horses is no different than it is for any other animal that is slaughtered.


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## nate1 (Jul 4, 2009)

Hi all I know this is a very sensitive topic that alot of people that feel very strongly about this issue so if what I say offends you I'm sorry. My intentions here are not to be mean or disrespectful towards anyone. 

So here's my opinion on this matter.. they should keep horse slaughters legal if a person takes a glance at how the U.S. government's laws against horse slaughter has effected different parts of the AG coomunity within the U.S. they will see how there is now an abundance of horses in the U.S and this is because the horse slaughter was a form of population control within the U.S. now that there is not a horse slaughter there is now a limited means of ways to dispose of a horse.. I suppose a person can go rent a backhoe and shoot the horse now that the horse slaughter is gone but how will that go to benefit other people or animals? The horse slaughter can benefit both people and animals as a form of food. Now lets take a look at the economic impact that the crimilization of horse slaughter has caused in the U.S. The first thing that I would like to point towards is the monetary value of horses. Now that horse slaughters are illegal I can now go and potentially buy 12 horses for $600.00. People want to point at the inhumane treatment of horses at horse slaughters but there are alot of irresponsible people out there that treat and make horses endure far worse than what a horse endures at a horse slaughter at least its a short lived experiance. Now lets look at the jobs that poeple are out of now that horse slaughters are illegal.. The horse traders (allthough alot were crooked) made a living off of horses now have to do an alternate means of making a living and I'm sure alot of people couldn't even find another job just look at our economy..

now that I am past the economic impact of the illegilization of the horse slaughter lets look at the cruelty of a horse slaughter. people say that the horse slaughter is cruel.. does anybody know what they do at chicken plants when they slaughter chickens? First they pack chickens in chicken houses and if the chickens get to sick or something goes wrong they wring their necks but if the chickens make it past the chicken houses they then pack the chickens in crates on the back of an 18 wheeler. Has anybody been behind a chicken truck? theres a trail of feathers blowing off the chickens. When the chickens make it to the factory they then hang the chicken up by the legs and chop the head off with a saw the chicken is still alive by the way.. whats so humane about that.. will they outlaw chicken processing? people wants to complain how the BLM rounds up and holds mustangs and says its inhuman but its a form of population control the same as the horse slaughter.. population control is a very important aspect of living in this world if a person takes a look there are forms of population control all around us I would explain some of them but this post is getting a bit long..


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## Katesrider011 (Oct 29, 2010)

I agree nate1


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## nate1 (Jul 4, 2009)

Rachel1786 said:


> One of my biggest problems with horse slaughter(aside from the horrid transport conditions and the inhumane method of slaughter) is the common misconception that only sick, lame, old and un-trainable horses are slaughtered. I have 2 perfectly healthy/sound and well trained horses that were destined to go to slaughter. Another issue is that american horses should not be eaten with the amount of drugs and vaccinations they receive throughout their life, especially ex-race horses, most of those drugs remain in their system after years, and the drugs are not killed in the rendering process, i am by no means an expert, but it cannot be healthy to eat, if people want to eat horse i'm fine with that, but they should be raised for meat as cattle is to avoid ingesting meet that has been heavily drugged for whatever reason


Did you know that certain countries won't take our beef because of all the vaccinations and other drugs we give our cattle? but we eat it.... Again I am not posting this with the intention of being rude, mean, or dissrespectful


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## nate1 (Jul 4, 2009)

I'm really sorry about the multiple posts but it wouldn't let me edit my post but Rachel1786 made reference to the inhuman transportation of horses, take a look at how they transport cattle I've seen cattle trucks so full of cattle there were legs hanging out of the side of the trailer. I've also seen the transportation of goats to the market where goats were stacked on top of goats and they were alive. Certain groups want us to think that animals have rights animals do not have rights they should be protected and should be able to live good lives but animals do not have rights..


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

rachel - those horses that are not sick, or old but still go for slaughter, would you rather they were abandoned to starve to death somewhere? would you prefer them to face abuse and neglect because no one cares for them? Horses like that are better off dead, at least then they are not in pain. Rescues are already at bursting point.

Also for human consumption horses who have had drugs are no good, however they can be used for pet food.


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