# Stop horse slaughter!



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Are you a vegan?


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## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

If horse slaughter needs to be stopped, why doesn't cow, pig, goat etc etc need to be stopped too? I am totally fine with horse slaughter as long as it is done humanely. I just think that everyone always says "Oh no, stop those horrible people slaughtering the poor, poor horses"... Yet they happily eat pork and beef.


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

So are you able to afford the thousands of horses that would be homeless or starving daily. I'd rather see horses used in slaughter houses then out starving in someone's field dying slowly. Sure it's sad and a harsh reality but slaughter is a necessary evil. 

I agree they should be stricter however not shut down.


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## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

^Good question. Really I have no problem with slaughter of any animal. My problem is with the way that it is sometimes undertaken and inhumane. You can't save them all, sad but true. My best advice is that if you don't want to contribute to it either go vegetarian, vegan, or find a local farmer who you trust to slaughter humanely and get meat from him. I went vegetarian for years, I stopped and haven't gone back due to some financial issues but I only eat meat maybe once a week anyhow. 

All animals are slaughtered and not everybody can go 100% vegetarian or vegan for health reasons. I think the kicker here is: "We should find methods to improve slaughter humanely" rather than "We should cease all slaughter". Because you have to improve all areas of slaughter, not just the horse industry side.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I would rather see unwanted horses go to a properly run slaughter yard and be dispatched quickly and professionally than having to read an article at least once a week with accompanying photographs about more starving, neglected, abandoned and abused horses which is what's happening right now.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

smorzie said:


> Hello everyone. I am very disturbed right now. I was reading some articles on horse slaughter. It is just completely wrong how they treat horses. Absolutely no horse should ever know that pain. The worst part is we eat it and don't even realize it. Who knows what all is in the meat we are fed. Not every single ingredient is always listed unless it is for allergy reasons. I think there needs to be a strict law against horse slaughter all around the world. Thankfully there aren't as many slaughter houses in america, but there still are some wether they are known of or not. I see at least three stock trailers going to the slaughter house near or in crawford county ohio when Im leaving school and I see more later in the day when Im out running around. I understand that not only horses are slaughtered but no animal should be slaughtered. I have been wanting to find this slaughter house and start a petition or strike against it and try to rescue the animals there and close it forever. If any of you agree/disagree with me please comment your opinion and some advice. NO animal should know that pain.


What is your address?

I need to know so that all the horses who shouldn't be put through slaughter can be sent to your house so you can pay to take care of them. 

Maybe you could stand on the side of the road and direct those 3 stock trailers per day to just drop them off at your door? Then you can take care of them and they won't have to be slaughtered. 

Hope you have room on your land to take care of a few thousand horses. 

Good luck.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

smorzie said:


> ...I see at least three stock trailers going to the slaughter house near or in crawford county ohio when Im leaving school and I see more later in the day when Im out running around. I understand that not only horses are slaughtered but no animal should be slaughtered...NO animal should know that pain.


Since I'm an omnivore, I can't complain much about animals being killed. It is hard to eat them when they are alive. There are no horses being slaughtered in Ohio. They may be transported to Canada for slaughter, and those in Arizona can be transported to Mexico for slaughter. I'd prefer they be slaughtered in Arizona under US law and inspectors.

Frankly, I doubt an animal dying in a slaughterhouse knows any more pain than my Mom had when she died of a heart attack at 85. I was told she had some hard convulsions just before death. My Dad was killed in a helicopter crash when the rotor came off. His death was undoubtedly quick, but the final fall couldn't have left much doubt in his mind about what was going to happen. There are not a lot of people who die painlessly, and even fewer wild animals do.








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## Shoebox (Apr 18, 2012)

If you look up this topic, you will find that most of the forum is pro-slaughter. Or at least not anti-slaughter. Most of us realize that it's a sad necessity of the horse world. 

Out of curiosity, why JUST horses? Why not cows? Pigs? Sheep? ANY OTHER animal? JUST horses? Guessing it's because they're like pets to you, but realistically that's pretty hypocritical. 

If they don't go to slaughter they'll sit in a field and rot and be neglected and starved and forgotten because nobody wants/can take care of them. that's something like 30,000 horses per YEAR that won't be cared for. What on earth do you suggest we do with them?

EDIT: In regards to eating it and 'not knowing it.' I'd rather the slaughtered horses be eaten honestly (though, labeled as horse meat so people don't have to eat it if they object). Waste of good meat. I'm sure a starving homeless man won't complain that he's got a good meal just because it's horse meat. What about zoos? I doubt they would complain about a meat donation. There's a lot of things I wish we would do with it other than just waste it. It's stupid that it's illegal to sell horsemeat in the US (unless something has changed) because a bunch of bleeding hearts work to make it so instead of using it we're forced to waste it.


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

tinyliny said:


> Are you a vegan?


Or wear leather clothes, use a belt, ride in a Saddle, sit on leather furniture/car seats or use anyone of the 1,000 of medicines made from animals?

.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Smorzie, I get your concern, it's just that the alternatives are truly often worse for horses. I am more concerned with the other end these days - people breeding horses because they want a "cute" foal, or their dog because it would be "nice" to have puppies, etc, leading to an oversupply of horses and dogs that too often end in neglect or euthanasia. A horse lives for 25-30+ years, how many people breeding casually think that far? Another bee in my bonnet is horse racing industries having 2-and 3-year old age classics and racing before horses are mature enough to stand heavy work without permanent damage - the average race horse is too injured to run competitively before age 10, which is considered "old" in such circles. Hence I joke that the "Pedigree Pal" dog food is thus called because of all the expensive pedigree racehorses it's made from.

I agree that horses need to be able to be slaughtered locally rather than transported long distances to countries that may or may not have humane slaughter practices. I also agree that we can't make double standards for different kinds of animals, but need to be concerned with the welfare of all of them while alive, including the need for humane killing. Death is an unfortunate part of life, and if you watch animal documentaries, you'll find that carnivores in nature are not generally quicker or more humane killing their prey than a trained person with a firearm.

We had to shoot a horse recently - my favourite horse ever. The state of her health necessitated it. After 31 years it was not an easy decision, but the method of killing her was quick and almost certainly painless. We are planting a tree on her, but not everyone can do that, and there is a good argument for letting the food chain continue.


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## smorzie (Apr 7, 2014)

how would you feel if you were sent to slaughter like all the jews during the holocaust and all the animals being tortured to tenderize your meat then slaughtered and still need tenderized and then fed to your own species and other species

personaly i wouldn't like that, but everyone has their own opinion


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Lol you can not compare this to the holocaust sorry nice try


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

smorzie, I missed the coherent thought in your post. Can you restate it? I'm not sure how eating a hamburger equates to massacring Jews, or who is feeding horse meat to horses.


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

smorzie said:


> how would you feel if you were sent to slaughter like all the jews during the holocaust and all the animals being tortured to tenderize your meat then slaughtered and still need tenderized and then fed to your own species and other species
> 
> personaly i wouldn't like that, but everyone has their own opinion


The Holocaust? Seriously?

You never answered some previous questions, do you eat any kind of Meat?

Do you ride your Horse in a Leather Saddle?

Do you use Leather Products of any kind?

Do you take any Medicine? 

Do you eat Jello?


.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

OP, I don't think you're going to find much support for your cause here. Just re-read what has already been posted and add me to the list.

And really - the holocaust? THAT hits very close to home for me and does not belong on a thread about animal slaughter. I doubt I will post again on this thread as I will likely just lose my temper trying to educate you. My patience doesn't go that far.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Smorzie, how old are you? Have you done ecology in Science class yet, and do you know about food chains/food webs? Do you know that nature could not operate as we know it without organisms dying and being born? Would you shoot lions for being "murderers" and then let zebras starve to death due to overpopulation?

Holocaust indeed. Maybe pay close attention in history class when it's covered. Slaughterhouses in civilised countries cannot be compared to the Jewish concentration camps of Nazi Germany. You're going to put a lot of noses out of joint talking like that, and I don't believe you intend to offend, I think you're just looking at your issue with tunnel vision. Your compassion for animals is to be commended - but extending it to the bigger picture would be a good thing to aim for, also for the sake of animals. Plus brushing of on a bit of history so you don't inadvertently hurt people.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Everyone has their own view on it, but if you're going to say "Stop horse slaughter!" you might as well say "Stop breeding horses!" Horses are expensive to keep and not everyone can afford to own one, especially when they get old, injured, ill or are untouched. They have to go somewhere and if the slaughter houses close down, where are these animals going to go? Who's going to take them in? Sure, some people will open their homes but there will never be enough to save them all. Sad, but that's how it is alot of the time. Same goes for dogs and cats. Thousands are euthenized everyday, it only seems less cruel because they way they go is a bit gentler and they dont typically become food afterwards.
Horses are livestock, no different than cows or sheep or pigs.


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## elbandita (Sep 13, 2013)

I'd rather a horse be slaughtered for the greater good to help feed the hungry opposed to being mistreated by humankind. 
Did you know people are letting horses loose in some parts of the country in hopes they go back to being wild? The domesticated horses interbreeding with the wild mustang is starting to veritably kill off the mustang breed. 
Those are feral horses. they are not wild. The feral horses are starting to over run public places like city streets and parks in search of food which isn't there for them. Essentially they're starving off other creatures by over grazing their habitats. 

feral animals are a problem and slaughter is an answer for feral and unwanted or sickly animals.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

A little point about slaughter and meat tenderisation: Stress actually decreases meat quality, so good slaughterhouses go out of their way to avoid stressing their animals, for that reason, as well as concern for animal welfare. Home kills are often very good quality meat because of zero stress beforehand - no transport, minimal handling, familiar environment.


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## Rideordie112 (Dec 7, 2013)

Maybe it's just me, but last time I checked horse slaughter for the purpose of controlling population, creating food, and keeping thousands upon thousands of horses from dying slow painful deaths due to starvation and other lack of care, is not even close to the same level as the systematic killing of over 6 million jews.

I mean if we're gonna talk like that we might as well compare horse slaughter to the Armenian Genocide, 9/11 or the countless other terrible atrocities against man kind that have taken place throughout the span of history. 

You my friend, need to read a book.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

:idea: I just had a thought. I think we've all assumed the OP is high school age and therefore tried to reason as you would with a young adult, and we've debated her points to show her other sides to the issue.

But what if this is a very young person, say 12 or under? At that young age, many schoolkids are terrified of the mechanics of death, especially if they didn't grow up on a farm. I've seen many young girls emotionally traumatised by their first confrontation with animal death, whether it's the death of a pet or seeing a report on the actuality of slaughter. Over 90% of the Australian population, for instance, is urbanised and never exposed to animal births, deaths and the realities of food production, let alone what happens in natural ecosystems.

If we are dealing with a girl 12 or under, debating is unlikely to go anywhere with this issue; people need to live and get life experience to get perspective and deal maturely with things like this.

Our OP is showing compassion for animals, which IMO is in itself a good thing. Since we know that stopping animal slaughter is neither feasible nor necessarily desirable, why don't we start a list of suggestions for how that compassion can be harnessed to make a positive difference to the welfare of animals, whether wildlife, companion animals or food animals?

Such as:



Making your surroundings wildlife friendly: Many Australians, for example, are planting shelter belts on farms and native plants in their gardens to provide habitats for wildlife, such as songbirds, bandicoots, possums, gliders etc. Shelter belts also give shade and protection to domestic animals.


Sterilising your pet cats and dogs


Not breeding an animal without careful forethought, which includes careful selection of breeding animals, and never breeding casually just because it might be "cute" to have a litter of puppies or kittens, or some other "adorable animal babies" - adorable they might be, but they grow up and are entirely dependent on us for their welfare


Thinking about growing and killing your own food animals, and making sure they have good lives before they become food


If that's not possible, then looking at where you are sourcing your animal products, with a view to how these animals are kept - e.g. looking for genuine free range eggs, pasture-fed beef, free-range pork, and accepting that you will pay a higher price for products that come from production systems that offer better quality of life for food animals


Remembering that in the wild, every animal is eventually a food animal (except for extreme situations, like an animal falling into an active volcano or a peat bog)


Thinking about getting your next dog or cat from a re-homing facility rather than a breeder


Thinking about whether you might like to adopt and ride a Standardbred, OT Thoroughbred or rescue horse, like many people on this forum are doing (but also not judging people for buying good horses from breeders - because it would be a pity if we lost great horse breeds because of over-breeding elsewhere)


Thinking about whether you might like to volunteer to help out at a dog pound or similar organisation


Thinking about whether you might want to volunteer to walk a dog for someone who is sick, or overwhelmed with demands on their time


Not littering, and helping clean up seashores or your local nature patch because plastic litter in particular can create a lot of trouble for animals


That's just a start. Anyone want to add ideas?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

the minimum age for membership here is 13.


empathy is a wonderful quality to have. it's admirable that the OP does not want horses to be seen as just fodder for a heartless machine of slaughter and consumption. maturity will help her to see the reality of the issue; that millions eat meat, or animal by products, and that if not for the availability of slaughter houses to get rid of the many thousands of uncared for horses, they would lead a life of misery, neglect, and often starvation until death.

. Our best bet, as horse lovers, is to encourage limited and thoughtful breeding, and humane slaughter methods.

as a person, if she chooses not to eat or utilize animal products, and by example lead the way, she may make a small change in the future of animals that we currently see as a commodity.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

13 may be the stipulated minimum age here, but it's pretty easy for kids to get around it by, for example, faking a birthday (since no documentary evidence is required), or using a parental account, or borrowing an older friend's. Contemporary children have incredible adeptness at getting around such things - ask any teacher! ;-)

The poster may, of course, be over 13. But we can never be sure of that, on the Internet. I could be a Zygon, for example, and you'd never know! ;-)


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## Shoebox (Apr 18, 2012)

OP, the fact that you're comparing horse slaughter to the haulocost is absolutely disgusting and incredibly disrespectful. That statement right there tells me all I need to know about the fruitfullness of trying to reason with you, so I won't do it. I'm out. Hopefully one day you can see how awful that is and see the necessity of horse slaughter (unless you can find space for 30+ THOUSAND extra horses per year?)


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## smorzie (Apr 7, 2014)

thank you 
i don't lye 
i am young-15
and i am not going to argue so i will not be opening this thread to look at replays any more
thank you


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Comparing genocide to livestock slaughter. The mind boggles. :|:|


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## poundinghooves (Aug 5, 2010)

I'm a Vegetarian, because of inhumane conditions and slaughtering. But look, we can't just march up to a slaughter house and demand it be closed. There's much more to it than that. Even if a petition did shut it down (which it wouldn't), do you think all those animals at the slaughter house near you would just happily run free? They've got to go somewhere! And what about the other slaughter houses? Believe me, vegetarians are outnumbered by meat eaters. You can't just magically shut it all down! If you want to do your part, become Vegetarian/Vegan or purchase humanely raised and slaughtered meat ( and by that I mean actually go to a small, local farm and see how they're raised ), or go out and shoot a deer. Your post is the type of things that make omnivores think vegetarians are nut cases. You don't even know how to spell. If you're going to speak out against something, know what you're talking about. I'm young too, only 17, and I am always speaking out against puppy mills and things like that. But I know what I'm talking about, I speak well, and people at least consider what I'm saying, because of that.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

smorzie said:


> thank you
> i don't lye
> i am young-15
> and i am not going to argue so i will not be opening this thread to look at replays any more
> thank you


The mind is like a parachute - it works so much better when it is _open_...


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

SueC said:


> 13 may be the stipulated minimum age here, but it's pretty easy for kids to get around it by, for example, faking a birthday (since no documentary evidence is required), or using a parental account, or borrowing an older friend's. Contemporary children have incredible adeptness at getting around such things - ask any teacher! ;-)
> 
> The poster may, of course, be over 13. But we can never be sure of that, on the Internet. I could be a Zygon, for example, and you'd never know! ;-)



I'm pretty sure you're not a Zygon. you don't even speak Zygonese.

And, by the way, if you suspect someone is under the minimum age, please report such to the moderators, instead of calling them out on that in the open. Same thing with trolls or fantasy posters (not saying these apply to the OP)


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## Strawberry4Me (Sep 13, 2012)

Oh, dear. Someone started an anti-slaughter thread again! This is just what I needed to occupy my Tuesday!


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Heya Tinyliny! Do you speak Zygonese? ;-) Or maybe Sontaran?

Not calling them out by the way - was just suddenly horrified that there might be a small girl with tears in her eyes we were trying to debate with, you never know on the Internet, and raising it as a _possibility_. Is that out of line? If so, my apologies.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I did mean that if you feel concern for a young one, better to report than start a discussion here. at this point, it's becoming a place to make fun of the OP's idealism and immaturity. time to close.


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