# Racehorses slaughtered in Australia



## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/sent-t...king-racehorse-treatment-20191017-p531sl.html


https://www.smh.com.au/sport/interv...acehorses-end-up-as-meat-20191021-p532tz.html

The video is graphic, but you can just read the article instead.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Sad but entirely true - no matter what country you are in. Horse Slaughter and the racing industries part in it is well posted on this forum.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Its not just the racing industry. There are more horses than there are homes in all parts of the industry. We need a viable solution to unwanted/unsuitable animals, and until that happens, slaughter will always be there. Most people who own a home and have a modicum of common sense and a bit of disposable income can successfully care for a dog or cat. The same cannot be said of a horse.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Of course it isn't anything new, but if we really care about the welfare of horses, we have to ask why more is not done to limit breeding? Or should racing even be made illegal? 

Everyone says backyard breeders should not breed, so i may not breed my horses but i can't ignore the fact that there are thoroughbred breeding operations all over with each farm breeding 50-60 horses each year.


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

4horses said:


> Of course it isn't anything new, but if we really care about the welfare of horses, we have to ask why more is not done to limit breeding? Or should racing even be made illegal?
> 
> Everyone says backyard breeders should not breed, so i may not breed my horses but i can't ignore the fact that there are thoroughbred breeding operations all over with each farm breeding 50-60 horses each year.


There are movements to find these very suitable racehorses homes for after their time at the track is done - think of RRP, for transitioning the retired racehorses into sport horses. These horses have beautiful breeding and so much heart; I would rather choose an OTTB for my next horse than some backyard-bred horse that is created on a whim. Sure, there could be less being bred, but that can be said for any QH or Arabian breeder that also breeds many horses every year.

Also, horse slaughter isn't inherently bad. It could be done a lot more humanely, but that will only happen when people will talk about it in more of a sense than "stop horse slaughter!". It's a hard thing to admit not being inherently bad, but when you think about all of the permanently pasture pets or dangerous horses that are being cared for...a quiet end isn't that bad of a thing. And then the horses' bodies will go onto a use, rather than just being dumped in landfills or buried.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

's one reason I say NUP to the Cup!


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Not everyone considers OTTB's their cup of tea. As a trail rider, I would choose a decently bred backyard horse or Mustang over a TB. It's not that I don't like them or don't want them to find homes. I surely do! No horse deserves to go to a slaughter house. But the TB's I've known have been poor footed and/or fine boned. Not my idea of a good using horse. So I beg to differ on how "well bred" they are. Well bred for racing, sure. But well bred as a using horse? I don't know. Some are, but I wouldn't go looking for an OTTB as my next trail horse. I guess it just depends on what you want. I want short and sturdy myself.

BUT that doesn't mean I am a proponent of horse slaughter. I definitely am not. And I'm sure many of those OTTB's would make good pleasure and show horses, especially for english riders. But all things being equal......training, temperment, etc, give me a Mustang. Or an Arabian. Or a grade. Or better yet, a gaited horse. I guess I am not convinced a TB would stay sound for the riding I like to do. :shrug:


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

trailhorserider said:


> But the TB's I've known have been poor footed and/or fine boned. Not my idea of a good using horse. So I beg to differ on how "well bred" they are. Well bred for racing, sure.


*Well bred* racehorses are not fine boned. Agree many aren't that well bred though. I think people with more money than sense, no knowledge of horses, often end up 'backyard breeders' of racehorses because they think any TB is a chance at making them some money on the track. 

As for 'poorly hoofed', of course, genetics can play a part there, but it is generally about environmental factors - racehorse management, lifestyle & feed does not promote healthy hooves. But they're generally done racing & thrown away young enough that you can overcome most of that pretty readily.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

4horses said:


> Everyone says backyard breeders should not breed, so i may not breed my horses but i can't ignore the fact that there are thoroughbred breeding operations all over with each farm breeding 50-60 horses each year.


That is why I do not care for labels. Essentially a backyard breeder is one who has horses in their backyard (small farm) and will breed them. Whether they have one horse or a few. I mean, you can call yourself anything you want. Hobby breeder, backyard breeder or whatever. Back in the day, almost every horse came from a backyard breeder (farmer?). Most of the time farmers bred their own horses for their own use but also would trade horse flesh. This was a good thing to keep the genetic pool more open. Horses were bred for use first. Entertainment purposes were an afterthought.

Now, you have these huge outfits that breed for specialty. You know, the ones where they have 75 to a 150 broodmares producing maybe 100 or so foals a year for that maybe 1/2 a dozen top notch money winners. The rest are sold off of the feed bill as soon as possible.

Small breeders with whatever label you would like to put on them can't even come near those numbers.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

ClearDonkey said:


> There are movements to find these very suitable racehorses homes for after their time at the track is done - think of RRP, for transitioning the retired racehorses into sport horses. These horses have beautiful breeding and so much heart; I would rather choose an OTTB for my next horse than some backyard-bred horse that is created on a whim. Sure, there could be less being bred, but that can be said for any QH or Arabian breeder that also breeds many horses every year.
> 
> Also, horse slaughter isn't inherently bad. It could be done a lot more humanely, but that will only happen when people will talk about it in more of a sense than "stop horse slaughter!". It's a hard thing to admit not being inherently bad, but when you think about all of the permanently pasture pets or dangerous horses that are being cared for...a quiet end isn't that bad of a thing. And then the horses' bodies will go onto a use, rather than just being dumped in landfills or buried.


A quiet end and going to slaughter is an oxymoron. Why does one think that a dead horse still has to be put to use? They've been used up and still need to be put to use even after death. 

In my eyes, a quiet end means quickly and painless as possible. A bullet to the head that is buried in a bucket of grain at the time or lethal injection. What is done with the body afterwards is not a care to the horse anyway.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I am not against horses being sent to slaughter or even entering the human food chain, _providing all is humanely carried out. _

I have been to abattoirs when animals are being killed - including horses. 

There are very strict rules in the UK over how this is done and one of the rules with horses is that they cannot be put down in front of other horses. 

There are worse things than a quick death.


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

LoriF said:


> A quiet end and going to slaughter is an oxymoron. Why does one think that a dead horse still has to be put to use? They've been used up and still need to be put to use even after death.
> 
> In my eyes, a quiet end means quickly and painless as possible. A bullet to the head that is buried in a bucket of grain at the time or lethal injection. What is done with the body afterwards is not a care to the horse anyway.


Those who are in the horse industry will always be split on this - if it were well-regulated, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The main reason the horses undergo so much suffering with the slaughter industry in North America is because they have to endure a trailer ride to Mexico or Canada, in trailers that are not intended for horses. The horses could sit in feed lots in the US eating off of round bales until it was their time - not much different than horses that just sit in a big herd day-in and day-out. Captive-bolt pistols used in slaughtering of other animals can be used on horses, and are also painless. 

I would argue that there would be less neglected horses if people had a cheaper way to get rid of horses that have no further use, or are already suffering. It cost me an upwards of $600 to have my horse put to sleep, and then buried. If someone can't afford that, then what are they to do? Horse rescues are over-flowing. Why is there such a stigma about horses being consumed, whether it is by dogs, large exotic animals, or even humans?

I love horses, but horses are suffering around the world due to their overbreeding and neglect. If well-regulated slaughter operations were put into use, it may not have to be forever, or on a tremendous scale. But something has to be done, other than being disgusted at slaught - either fix the problem, or regulate the solution.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

There is over breeding but when someone sets out to breed a racehorse they don't usually do it with the intention of sending it to an abattoir for a fraction of what it cost to use the stallion. There could be tougher regulations on the quality of mares bred and the quality of stallions bred but even then the resulting progeny aren't guaranteed to be successful.
The truth is that if the unsuccessful race horse can't be found a home then owners find it more financially viable to cut their losses and let them go.

It would be better for those horses if they were euthanized at home but a lot of the owners/syndicates barely know the horse so don't have the emotional attachment, I wonder how many even know that their horse has gone from the training yard to a slaughter house.

Ive been to slaughter houses and used the same people to dispatch horses on site and never saw anything abusive, so it seems to me that where it is happening there's a total lack of outside inspectors 'policing' them.

Quite apart from anything else though, these people are breaking the law. Livestock intended for human consumption has to have a birth to table record of medications administered. There are currently no withdrawal residue tests done on horses (including tests for any pesticides used on their food) so the guidelines given are based on other livestock results and the person selling them on being honest. Bute is banned in all livestock intended for human consumption yet traces were found in cooked, processed freezer meals that were sold as beef in the UK


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I agree with Jaydee. The horsemeat instead of beef fiasco occurred a few years back. It has happened more than once. 

I went to my butchers to get my meat and he offered me some meat for the dogs, for free. It was in 25lb bags sealed. I took one look at it and knew it was horse and not cow, the grain and colour is different. He had been sent it from a wholesaler and had recognised it for what it was. 

All to many people haven't a clue as to where a particular joint of meat comes from and unless it says on the packet what beast it is from they wouldn't have a clue.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

ClearDonkey said:


> Those who are in the horse industry will always be split on this - if it were well-regulated, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The main reason the horses undergo so much suffering with the slaughter industry in North America is because they have to endure a trailer ride to Mexico or Canada, in trailers that are not intended for horses. The horses could sit in feed lots in the US eating off of round bales until it was their time - not much different than horses that just sit in a big herd day-in and day-out. Captive-bolt pistols used in slaughtering of other animals can be used on horses, and are also painless.
> 
> I would argue that there would be less neglected horses if people had a cheaper way to get rid of horses that have no further use, or are already suffering. It cost me an upwards of $600 to have my horse put to sleep, and then buried. If someone can't afford that, then what are they to do? Horse rescues are over-flowing. Why is there such a stigma about horses being consumed, whether it is by dogs, large exotic animals, or even humans?
> 
> I love horses, but horses are suffering around the world due to their overbreeding and neglect. If well-regulated slaughter operations were put into use, it may not have to be forever, or on a tremendous scale. But something has to be done, other than being disgusted at slaught - either fix the problem, or regulate the solution.


I honestly don't care one iota what kind of meat people like to eat. I don't care that in some countries people eat dogs, that's there prerogative. Doesn't mean that I'm going to eat mine. That is not the point though.

There are slaughter houses far and few between that actually make an attempt to slaughter humanely so it can be done. Do you think that is where wally world or any other large chain store gets their meat from? I highly doubt it. Taking the truck ride to Mexico or Canada out of the picture is not going to save any animal from an inhumane death although that does add to the trauma. People rethinking what they are doing and not thinking that every penny saved is a good thing might make things better for these animals.

Most slaughter houses are disgusting with their practices of how the animals are treated as are a lot of places where some are raised for that purpose. Not only that, I have a personal friend that raises beef cattle for market. He told me that he wouldn't touch a burger from a particular internationally known burger joint if his life depended on it after seeing the diseased and half dead cattle that they choose to buy for their own purpose. Those animals are not even supposed to enter the food chain and it IS supposed to be regulated. So who's regulating? Looks like no one if this kind of practice is happening.

So what makes me think that if horses were allowed to be slaughtered in the United States that they would be protected from inhumane practices. Nothing makes me think that because right now most other animals raised for food are not. 

I had to put a horse down too. It was done humanely and her body was disposed of properly. She gave large cats in a sanctuary another meal so her body sustained life and it didn't cost me 600. dollars. It cost me around 250. If a person can't come up with at least that, then they don't really have any business having a horse anyway. I mean seriously. If it cost 600. then you have it done and don't board another horse for a couple of months, or feed another horse for three or four months to recoup your money. Or, if you live on a farm then you shoot it and get your tractor out to dig a big hole. and it cost the price of a bullet and fuel for the tractor. It can be done humanely, a lot of people just can't be bothered with it.


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

LoriF said:


> I honestly don't care one iota what kind of meat people like to eat. I don't care that in some countries people eat dogs, that's there prerogative. Doesn't mean that I'm going to eat mine. That is not the point though.
> 
> There are slaughter houses far and few between that actually make an attempt to slaughter humanely so it can be done. Do you think that is where wally world or any other large chain store gets their meat from? I highly doubt it. Taking the truck ride to Mexico or Canada out of the picture is not going to save any animal from an inhumane death although that does add to the trauma. People rethinking what they are doing and not thinking that every penny saved is a good thing might make things better for these animals.
> 
> ...


Remember, I said I support horse slaughter _if_ it is regulated and done correctly. I am not starting an argument here. What do you think should be done instead? Sink millions of US (or government money) dollars into create a BLM-type set-up for all unwanted horses? Dig a mass-grave and shoot them into a hole for the cost of bullets and fuel?


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

ClearDonkey said:


> Remember, I said I support horse slaughter _if_ it is regulated and done correctly. I am not starting an argument here. What do you think should be done instead? Sink millions of US (or government money) dollars into create a BLM-type set-up for all unwanted horses? Dig a mass-grave and shoot them into a hole for the cost of bullets and fuel?


I am not arguing either, I am stating how I feel about this based on what I've seen and what I know. What I do think should be done is regulate how many foals are produced from large breeding farms that breed hundreds in hopes of getting that next futurity horse. Another lucky few go to auction and get sold to buyers that are looking for a nice riding horse and the rest end up at slaughter. Some go there right away and some end up living a few miserable years before they get there.

In the instance of race horses, a few of the ones unwanted for racing end up becoming someones riding horse but it seems that quite a few don't even get offered that chance. So how about not producing so many in the first place. I see people jumping down the throats of others that breed that one horse that they have. This happens all of the time, always stating that there are enough unwanted horses in this world already. I don't see anyone jumping down the throats of these businesses that create hundreds of foals every year. And this is where the majority of unwanted horses come from.

I really feel like the solution lies somewhere around the beginning of where this problem starts from in the first place.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I think what everyone wants to say and what no one does say is that the sport horse industry (whether racing, reining, WP etc) is breeding in mass quantities looking for the "one" that excels in whatever discipline they are bred for. The result is a culling of each foal crop pretty early in life or even after a short career in the chosen sport and the subsequent glut of those culled animals. The "backyard" breeders do not normally breed in large quantities and there effects on the foal crop for each year is a fraction of what those in the "business" produce. Yet, no one is going to point a finger at the large breeders because they are the ones that keep those registries viable and those avenues profitable for that chosen sport.

I am with @LoriF - I don't care what meat you eat- but I want it raised and processed in as a humane way as possible. Disposal fees of aged horses etc is pricey but horses are pricey and every owner should know that at some time this is a cost they will have to absorb. There are scammers out there looking for older free horses but everyone is deluding themselves if they think that the meat buyer buys all of the old decrepit horses - meat buyers whether bovine, porcine or equine are looking for fat healthy animals to send for processing.

The equine industry is just not well regulated by the gov't or by its registries - the gov't does not want to take it over and the registries do not want to ostricize its money source - which is NOT the backyard or casual breeder.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I have trouble with the vitriol being spewed at the racing industry on this matter. The actual numbers? 3% of ottbs are ending up at the knackery. That's more than you'd like to see, sure, but that means 97% aren't. How about some more numbers? Nearly 70% go on to pleasure and performance homes and somewhere between 20 to 25% are used to breed more racehorses. Some are retired to places like Living Legends, and others end up clerk of the course (a racehorse makes a good clerk of course once you've gotten it through their head that they're not a racehorse anymore - they've seen it all before!), pony horses, and so on. The actual numbers are not as horrifying as the media would like you to believe.

The majority of horses at most knackeries in Australia are in fact brumbies and semi-feral stationbreds. The majority of killpen horses I see posted by American pages are stock breeds and part drafts, with some gaited breeds. Very occasionally I will see a thoroughbred.

That being said it's awful that ANY horses are being treated this way at the knackery. As horsepeople and as activists we need to focus on improving this treatment. We need to make sure that all animal slaughter is done humanely, regardless of where those animals came from.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

blue eyed pony said:


> I have trouble with the vitriol being spewed at the racing industry on this matter. The actual numbers? 3% of ottbs are ending up at the knackery. That's more than you'd like to see, sure, but that means 97% aren't. How about some more numbers? Nearly 70% go on to pleasure and performance homes and somewhere between 20 to 25% are used to breed more racehorses. Some are retired to places like Living Legends, and others end up clerk of the course (a racehorse makes a good clerk of course once you've gotten it through their head that they're not a racehorse anymore - they've seen it all before!), pony horses, and so on. The actual numbers are not as horrifying as the media would like you to believe.
> 
> The majority of horses at most knackeries in Australia are in fact brumbies and semi-feral stationbreds. The majority of killpen horses I see posted by American pages are stock breeds and part drafts, with some gaited breeds. Very occasionally I will see a thoroughbred.
> 
> That being said it's awful that ANY horses are being treated this way at the knackery. As horsepeople and as activists we need to focus on improving this treatment. We need to make sure that all animal slaughter is done humanely, regardless of where those animals came from.


You are right @blue eyed pony it isn't just thoroughbreds. But most of the horses that go to slaughter do come from places where too many are bred in the first place. Whether it be the racing industry, stock horses, etc.


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## Rainaisabelle (Jan 2, 2015)

I was really hoping to avoid this tbh, its all over my facebook page and tbh I am not interested as it becomes an absolute warzone. 
The horse world will always be split down the middle with this, always. I am neither for nor against racing however I don't ever believe it will be stopped due to the amount of money it brings in. ABC spews the most bias news reports ever to hit TV. Most of the horses in the videos are not racehorses straight from the track and most of them are brumbies.

Racing cannot regulate the abbatoirs and the abbatoirs that see fit to terrorize and abuse the poor animals going to their deaths need to be sacked and treated the way they treat those horses. Abbatoirs regardless of the breeding done by racing are a necessity it is what it is. However I believe their needs to be stricter regulations on breedings racehorses and harsher penalties on those that are backyard breeding. We need to focus our energy and time on improving the way things are done and managed.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Yeah, I'm by no means a supporter of the racing INDUSTRY and there are many issues, not just... deaths in custody. But it doesn't help the anti-racing mob's cause to either falsify(passing brums off as TB's) or not be careful enough about correct facts, or to exaggerate stories. The studies done on bleeding from lungs & sinuses is one that's rather more telling, for eg, but they want to make noises about deaths instead, because that will have the bigger impact on people... that don't look into the whole subject more carefully...


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Rainaisabelle- how do you know they are brumbies and not racehorses? Aren't the racehorses branded with a number?


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## Rainaisabelle (Jan 2, 2015)

4horses said:


> Rainaisabelle- how do you know they are brumbies and not racehorses? Aren't the racehorses branded with a number?


I am not sure I understand your point? Their were racehorses in that video I have no doubt about it but most looked like they had not just retired. You can tell as most of them were not racing fit condition nor were they in the condition a racehorse who just finished would be in. Their were more then racehorses in that video whether ABC likes to admit it or not.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

I did not watch the show/vid. Don't need to. But I would have thought there would be some untried horses who were never going to make the grade, and lots that may have been 'spelled' after injury or such, before being thrown away. So I wouldn't imagine that only race fit horses ended up at the knackers. So I wonder, were there obviously not TB horses in the vid too or...? 

At least ABC reported on it - thought that was good. Sure Murdoch &/or his cronies are into racing so none of the others would tarnish 'the game'...

While this show is focusing on racehorses, it's no secret that masses of brumbies are sent to the doggers too, but there are many cruelties, from the trappers to truckers to doggers, which are totally uncalled for. I wonder, if horses cop that, what do the cattle & sheep cop that we don't know about, while we get excited about live exports & cruelty when overseas...


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