Horses to slaughter

[ducks4you]

Lots of other horse forums have discussed this at length. Though this seems like a hijack, I would like to see horse slaughter reinstated in Illinois, where the meat market only drove 3 hours to the slaughterhouse. NOW, they really do drive several days to Mexico. We have a severe overabundance of horses in 2010. Here is my response (on another forum) re: the article about the BLM roundup which killed 7 horses this summer. PLEASE excuse my emotions, because it was originally directed towards a flaky online critic.
The Mustang population continues to be an expensive problem, and it hasn't been solved in the 52 years I have been alive. I hate to hear about ANY animals who suffer unneccessarily. I have a solution. I believe that we should sterilize the mares, so that the Mustang populations drop WWAAAYYY off. I believe that after the numbers drop off dramatically, Americans should then apply for a license to own/breed their own herds on their own land. They will become a "historic landmark," of sorts. (See how NICE I am--I would actually prefer to allow Mustangs to grow old, pass away and let the "Breed" die off.) I will not ever adopt a Mustang. It doesn't fix the problem.

My taxes have been paying the BLM, just another government agency, to perpetuate a cheap way to buy a horse. Ya don't have to pay breeding fees, ya don't have to pay your Vet for mare check-ups, ya don't have to dispose of stillborn foals, or aged Mustangs that die of illness. You pay $125.00(?!?--That's how much it used to be) for horses with a healthy, strong build and sturdy hooves, because the environment has weaned off the horses with infirmities...like bad hooves and bad backs, and OH, YEAH, ALL of the problems that people have inbred into domestic horses. But every other American, even those who don't give a hang about horses, STILL have to pay something to support the horse habit. It's stealing from others.

Mustangs are NOT an endangered species. They exist because domestic horses went feral. I will understand if those of you under 25 didn't learn about American History in public school, since they choose to not teach it anymore.

And, what about the ranchers, who let Mustangs live on their property, provide water for them, let them graze and then take and break a few. THEY are stealing from other Americans, too.

Should we have a rant about dogs and cats who are euthanized daily because they are unwanted? Here is some food for thought:

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/pre...helters-each-year-in-north-america-137347.php

There are NOT enough predators to maintain the populations that we want. We manage deer populations with hunting, exactly what what was done with wild horse populations some 50-60 years ago.

Why don't ALL of us stop simply CRITICIZING anybody who has a solution--even a bad one--and come up with some better solutions than kill 'em all or keep 'em all.

This is symptomatic of our current culture where we don't fix bad law or our own bad habits. It will not be a bad thing for Americans if we visit public places withOUT wild horses. I am tired of the animal suffering and I am SICK AND TIRED of online critics.

(BTW, fixing bad law DOES NOT MEAN that you make a new law.)
I guess I took my English Professor seriously when he suggested using an emotional hook in your writing!!

 

[michickenwrangler]

There's an idea. Allow people to hunt mustangs for meat.

People DID eat horses long before they were ever ridden.

 

[w c]

I think that a great many BLM mustangs are not out on the range but in dry lot pens waiting for...nothing. Ranchers don't want them on public lands.

I think we are fighting a losing battle with the mustangs, and for pretty much no reason. These are feral (escaped domestic) horses with a lot of draft blood, and no longer resemble any original horses brought to the US. Americans have an extreme and romantic attachment to them but aren't willing to actually set aside land for them. It's a sad situation.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Our State of Michigan loses SO MUCH money with non-enforcement of various laws. Seems like there are plenty of enforcers for tiny things, but no one for big stuff like over-loaded semi trucks wrecking our highways, animals with no paperwork being introduced into the State. I would agree with you on organized horse activities following rules, having paperwork in order. But the folks who run down to Shipse on a Friday for the summer horse, don't have needed paperwork and NEVER get corrected, along with the killer buyers running home to Canada after the sale. Everyone just thumbs their nose at the laws and gets away with it. Heard about some out-west sale horses coming thru the Sales in Lansing just COVERED in ticks. New owner had to de-tick them when she got home. Who knows what those ticks had in them? Not inspected anywhere along the route and crossed a LOT of states getting here. Horses were lethargic, not enough blood left in them! Scared me, hearing about this. We got a free tick in alchohol for 4-H study, it was HUGE! And this is just stuff I know about, lots of horse things I would never hear of in other state locations.

Well, they ARE starting to enforce it. 4 GLDRA riders got arrested and had to post bail to get to the Pine Marten Ride.

They didn't stop in St. Ignace. A few other rigs managed to make it there w/o getting caught. I stopped there voluntarily.

 

[w c]

It is very hard to change laws and to pass laws. And if a law is passed with weak or vague language, it still takes a lot of time to get it fixed. The law has to be tested in court and it is a long process.

As imperfect as our legal system is, I also agree, that just ignoring a law is not the way to fix the situation.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Now, if I were to loose a herd of Indian Elephants loose in the South

Double dog dare ya!

My that would be an interesting thing to say the least.

Most people don't think back as far as you. They see horses as a big part of the romantic settling of this land by Europeans. They choose not to see the arrival of the Spaniards long before that who did not to take their horses back with them and turned them feral. Thus, Spanish Barb is now the 'Mustang' blood they look for in testing the herds to see which ones are the originals.

There's a mammoth thread going on on BYC. We may yet have feral mammoths too!

 

[terri9630]

How refreshing. I'm so tired of hearing how I'm wrong because I think that horse slaughter is ok. My neighbour thinks I'm a horrid person for raising/eating chickens and rabbits. She thinks I should buy my meat at the stores because "it comes from a factory and no animals have to die".

 

[elevan]

My neighbour thinks I'm a horrid person for raising/eating chickens and rabbits. She thinks I should buy my meat at the stores because "it comes from a factory and no animals have to die".

I seriously don't understand how any sane person can think that the meat in the stores = no animals were harmed. It's not fake meat - it's the real stuff!

I think we've become way too far removed from our food to have people that think this way.

And our romanticism of animals has gone way too far - to the point that we are causing harm to the animals. Abandoned horses, dogs, cats and more...long domesticated and unable to fend for themselves. I completely understand the pet thing - I had a potbelly that the vet said to put down due to aggression...I couldn't just waste him...but I couldn't eat him cause he was my pet...so I gave him to a needy family to slaughter.

 

[KristyHall]

I had never thought about horse slaughter one way or another but it makes perfect sense. I was often criticized by fellow wildlife rehabbers because i would tend to an orphaned fawn but I eat deer meat. I often tended mainly to animals that were in that situation due to human stupidity. If I saw an animal being killed by a predator I did nothing because that is nature.
I have a sick chicken in my bath tub. I have been giving her food and water by hand, but if she doesn't start eating and drinking her own soon I will stop this and make the decision to put her out of her misery.
I have thought about what I will do with my old mare when she passes on. I may skin her and tan the hide for a throw. I know it horrifies some people but I grew up in a house hold where you use everything you can. My mother made most of our soaps, I gather my garden veggie sin hand made baskets, I have purses made from deer hide and turtle shells.
There is a difference between mercy, and cruelty caused by squeemishness.

 

[LauraM]

I had never thought about horse slaughter one way or another but it makes perfect sense. I was often criticized by fellow wildlife rehabbers because i would tend to an orphaned fawn but I eat deer meat. I often tended mainly to animals that were in that situation due to human stupidity. If I saw an animal being killed by a predator I did nothing because that is nature.
I have a sick chicken in my bath tub. I have been giving her food and water by hand, but if she doesn't start eating and drinking her own soon I will stop this and make the decision to put her out of her misery.
I have thought about what I will do with my old mare when she passes on. I may skin her and tan the hide for a throw. I know it horrifies some people but I grew up in a house hold where you use everything you can. My mother made most of our soaps, I gather my garden veggie sin hand made baskets, I have purses made from deer hide and turtle shells.
There is a difference between mercy, and cruelty caused by squeemishness.

Good post. I abhor that people create so much waste when it could be put to use. If anything, not allowing anything to go to waste would be far more "natural" than what many people do now with their animals.

I think it's a shame that zoos and other sanctuaries and rescues are closing because they can no longer afford the meat needed for those animals that need it. Yet horses are starving to death and dying from neglect. Where is the sense, the humanity, in that??

I agree that there needs to be a local knacker.....small slaughter businesses that could be regulated and overseen on the state or county level. Seems to me that would solve pretty much all the problems.

Seriously, I really doubt the animal cares what is done with it's body, any part of the body, after it's dead. The idea of not wanting to use anything from the animal after it is dead is entirely a human concept, and only a recent one, at that. That concept is "unnatural" and has much more far-reaching "inhumane" consequences.