They Slaughter Horses, Don’t They?

Essay by Ginny Moore     

 “Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to cultivation,

we will find the hoof print of a horse beside it.” -John Moore

            In some ways it’s very hard for me to believe we live in the 21st century.  While we seem quite advanced in many ways, there are many other ways in which we seem as uncivilized as we were thousands of years ago.   In that light, it seems contradictory that we have made great strides scientifically and technologically yet much of the world’s population still relies on the slaughter of other living beings to sustain their lives.  While most of us in the United States eat meat we do not normally associate meat with horses.  In fact, to the bulk of the population horse meat is considered taboo.  For several years slaughtering horses in the United States for human consumption has been banned.  And even when it was going on here in the United States, we ourselves were not eating it.  The overwhelming majority of the meat was being exported.  Before the ban there was a struggle between the pro and anti-slaughter groups to lobby their views to congress to have bills passed for their individual causes.  In 2007 after many years of working to get equine slaughter banned, anti-slaughter groups succeeded with a small victory with a bill that included wording in it that effectively banned slaughter by defunding USDA inspectors.  No horses can be slaughtered in the United States without USDA inspectors in the slaughter houses.  Very recently, in fact earlier this month, November 18, 2011, President Obama signed a bill that opened the door for horse slaughter to once again occur on American soil. Frank Luba a reporter for the The Vancouver Province, states in an article while investigating horse slaughter in Canada.  “The situation has become more of an issue in Canada since the U.S. passed a bill in 2007 that removed federal inspection of equine slaughterhouses. That removal stopped the slaughterhouses from operating and the Americans began shipping horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.  The Humane Society International contends that nearly 94,000 horses were slaughtered in Canada in 2009, primarily for meat sent mostly to European and Asian countries.”  (Luba)  So the issues that were once ours, have now moved north.  The bill recently signed, H.R. 3161, § 738,  had  previously been worded to state  no money would be allotted to support USDA inspectors to inspect horses for slaughter intended for human consumption.   If the funding for inspectors is once again reinstated due to the new wording in the bill, horse slaughter could happen again.  The burning question is, will it?

            Horse slaughter is a hotly contested subject among horse people.  The two camps associated with horses are those who consider horses companion animals, and or “recreational animals”, the other camp want them classified as livestock, just the same as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats.  The Bloodhorse Magazine, a widely accepted Thoroughbred Horse publication, did an article on horse slaughter in 2006 right before the initial ban on horse slaughter took place.  “A national public opinion survey found that 69% of Americans are against killing horses for human consumption. The findings come just a week before the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill that would end horse slaughter for human consumption”. (Duckworth).  To classify a horse as “livestock” seems preposterous; horses are what we use to round up livestock!  Horses are our second set of ears when we are out on the trail.  They are the mounts that police use to fearlessly control crowds.  Horses are the animals so often used for special needs children to build up their confidence.  In fact, it’s been proven that therapeutic riding on horses can bring about very real and permanent change to autistic children (Bass).  All these attributes seem way beyond what an animal bound for the slaughter house and then the dinner plate should be capable of doing.  Horses are even a part of a team sport in the Olympics.  Have you seen a cow compete in a team sport, or a sheep, or a pig?  I think not!  Horses have even been bestowed medals of honor for their service on the battlefield; the story of “Sgt. Reckless” is about such a horse.  Do we eat war heroes?  Hardly!

            Indeed, throughout our history of the United States, horses have played an integral and irreplaceable role in the discovery and settling of this great land.  In fact, there was a time not all that long ago when stealing a horse was punishable by death.  Horses were that valuable.  So when did our attitude toward horses change?  When and how did they lose their value?  Even once the automobile was invented, horses still played a huge role.  In World War I thousands of horses were used in battle, ridden by the Calvary, there were used to pull artillery and other equipment.  Even in the very recent war in Afghanistan horses were ridden in the mountainous and rocky areas.  No military vehicles are as affective in those areas as a horse.  Horses were greatly valued in past wars, and the best and bravest received accolades, high praises and commendations for their work on the battlefield.  So what happened?

            As the automobile grew in popularity and once it was mass produced making it more reasonable to purchase by the average citizen, slowly but surely horses were used less and less for work and daily duties.  They were still needed on cattle ranches where motorized vehicles were not practical.  And police still used them to patrol city streets.  But as the decades went by, and technology grew and grew, the usefulness of traditional working horses grew less and less.  Soon horses were left virtually unemployed and looking at an uncertain fate.

“It excites me that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower.....even in this space age.  And although a riding horse often weighs half a ton, and a big drafter a full ton, either can be led about by a piece of string if he

has been wisely trained. This to me is a constant source of wonder, and challenge.”

- Marguerite Henry, famous author of “Misty of Chincoteague”

            So now that modern technology has rendered the horse unemployed, for the most part, why is it that we still have millions of horses in our country?  The truth is the majority of humans have an affinity for horses.  There is a certain amount of romanticism surrounding horses and the old west, that sentimentality creates a love for horses in people who don’t even own them.  We still like to watch them race, watch competitions during rodeos, see them march in parades and vacation goers to the west can still see wild mustangs running free.  Horses still play a huge role in our everyday life, even if it’s just in our language.  We still measure our car’s engine in horsepower.  That came from the thought of how many horses would it take to produce the same amount of energy.  How often have you heard the term “healthy as a horse”?  Horse related verbiage is all around us.

            Even though most Americans find horses appealing and hold them in special favor, there are others who do not.  There are some Americans who wish to exploit the horse for financial gain.  Horsemeat is a delicacy in other countries, and is very expensive and eaten only by the very rich (McCutcheon, Rose).  For this reason there are people who wish to have the slaughter of horses reinstated in the United States.  There has been lobbying for this in Congress by rich and powerful people, mostly a sect of the cattle industry and those who want to take advantage of the wants of the rich in other countries.  A large part of the population in the US is not even aware that this practice goes on.  Several years ago it was brought to the forefront when it was discovered that Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand was killed and eaten in Japan.  Race fans were outraged, and racetracks around the country enacted the “Ferdinand Fee”, a voluntary donation with each admittance fee that goes toward the upkeep of retired race horses and a non-profit group named “The Friends of Ferdinand” formed to assist in placing off the track thoroughbreds in jobs and careers after racing.  (McCutcheon, Rose) 

            Even with the ban of horse slaughter in the US, horses were being shipped across the borders to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in their facilities.  The people who take the horses across our borders mostly acquire them from auctions where horses are brought when people can no longer care for them properly, or want to sell them quickly.  Much of the time the horse’s owners are unaware that the buyer is a “kill buyer”.  A “kill buyer” is the name given to a regular auction buyer that purposefully purchases horses from the auction at a super low price, often for as little as $5.00 to $10.00. Those who bring their horses to these auctions are usually totally unaware that their former “pet” will be headed to their demise in foreign slaughter houses.  Once the auction is over the horses are loaded into large trailers and from there they head for the border.

            In an interview with Elizabeth O’Neal who is president and founder of Triple O Equine Sanctuary (the opinions of Elizabeth’s are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization, Triple O Ranch Equine Sanctuary) I ask her what people could do to insure their horses do not wind up with a kill buyer.  Her response was, “Do not price your horse below the going rate paid by kill buyers.  If you sell them at a cheap price, the kill buyers can purchase them, transport them and sell them for meat while still making a profit. They cannot buy more expensive horses and make a profit, so they are no interest to them.  Profit is the only priority in this business.” (O’Neal, Elizabeth)  Even at auctions, if owners would put a minimum price on their horses they would greatly deter the kill buyers.

From a purely unemotional standpoint, these horses that are slaughtered and put into the food chain are full of toxic medications and chemicals that are used in horses every day.  Horses here in the United States are not bred or raised to be food.  Horses are routinely given wormers, often every couple of months, some of which are not recommended to be consumed by humans.  They are also administered analgesics, especially horses off the track. Phenylbutazone, or “Bute”, is a pain reliever that is a known carcinogen to humans and it invades every part of the horse, including the muscles.  This is particularly harmful as it has never been determined how long it takes for Bute to leave a horse’s system.  If a horse was ever given Bute it should never be introduced into the food chain.  (Fitch)  No care is taken when transporting horses from the United States to Canada or Mexico about this very necessary information.  There is no six month quarantine time.  “Protests were also held at slaughterhouses in Nanaimo and in other cities across Canada.  ‘Horses are for riding, not eating,’ said Vancouver-Kingsway NDP MP Don Davies from Ottawa. ‘Horses are commonly administered drugs that are banned for use in [other food] animals.’” (qtd inLuba)

"If you must kill, kill without torture."  Muhammad

            According to Equine Welfare Alliance, somewhere around 112,000 horses are shipped across our borders and slaughtered each year. (Equine Welfare Alliance)  Proponents of horse slaughter will tell you this has increased because the economy has gotten so bad people are not able to care for their horses and are sending them to auction, and thusly to slaughter.  They have played up the poor economy as being the devastating catalyst to what appears to be an increase in horse slaughter.  This is a fallacy.  “Slaughter proponents claim that horse slaughter is necessary because there are too many horses, but the irony is that the availability of slaughter creates a ‘salvage market’ that encourages excess breeding and poor breeding practices. In a market where supply is so easily increased, it will simply follow demand.”  (Equine Welfare Alliance)  The Equine Welfare Alliance has done a great job keeping track of the numbers over the years, going all the way back to 1989.  The real truth is that there were fewer numbers of American horses being slaughtered here before the ban than are now being slaughtered across the borders.  So the economy has really had no effect on the overall quantity of horses being slaughtered.  (Equine Welfare Alliance)   Only the location has changed.

            This reasoning is seen in the support by the American Quarter Horse Association, the American Paint Horse Association and the Jockey Club.  Every one of these horse registries are in favor of horse slaughter.  At a glance this seems counterproductive, but there is a method to their madness.  To truly understand their rationale you have to understand horse reproduction. Horses only bare one offspring per year.  The only way a breeding facility can have any hope of making absolutely certain they have “champion” horses every year is to breed every mare they have.  Out of hundreds of foals born each year, they will only get a scant few that are “champions” and the rest are discarded.  To these “breeders” the only real motivation is money.  Without a way to unload their rejects, and still make a small profit, they would not be able to continue with these breeding practices.  So they push their agenda and blame the economy.  The Equine Welfare Alliance has a paper on its site from the Government Accountability Office and on pages 11-15 describe the “facts” that AQHA have put forth. (Equine Welfare Alliance)

            There are people who would argue that if someone is unable to care for a horse any longer, and they cannot afford to humanely euthanize it, sending it to slaughter is better than letting it slowly starve to death.  This would seem a viable solution, but for one fact:  there is no humane way of slaughtering a horse. In an article on the site, Equine Welfare Alliance we read ‘As Dr. Lester Friedlander,  DVM & former Chief USDA Inspector, told Congress in 2008, ‘The captive bolt is not a proper  instrument for the slaughter of equids, these animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being  struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected.’"  (Equine Welfare Alliance)  This goes beyond inhumane to truly being torture.  For those who know and understand the psyche of the horse, because they are a herd animal, when one hears another scream in pain or fear; it elicits their “flight” instinct.  Herd animals have this to assist them in fleeing from predators, and to keep the herd together, it’s an instinctual response.  For horses in line behind the horse being slaughtered the fear they must possess hearing their herd-mate screaming in pain and fear must be horrific.  And being able to smell the blood and other odors coming from the freshly slaughtered former herd mate would be unimaginable.  Being prevented from fleeing from the source of that fear and pain must be inconceivable.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress

can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  --Mahatma Ghandi

            So what are we to do?  Firstly, as individuals we owe a duty to the animals in our care, and must do what is truly best for them.  Since multiple sources say that slaughtering of horses is inhumane, then reason states it needs to stop.  That creates yet another problem, how do we convince those that are stubbornly set on the idea that it is a viable way to reduce the unwanted horse population?  Being diligent in showing them that there are genuine, legitimate alternatives is the answer.  There are many great rescues and sanctuaries that will take horses that are unwanted, that people can no longer care for, whose racing days are done, or any number of reasons.  “For healthy horses that become displaced for whatever reason, there are still many avenues to explore before considering selling the horse at a low end auction which is frequented by kill buyers.  Networking between owners, friends and family as well as equine organizations most often does place a horse if the owner is willing to take the time to wait until a suitable home is found.”  (O’Neal)

“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution.  Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”  ~ Thomas A. Edison

            There are many solutions that can be taken so that slaughter of horses is not necessary.  Education is our biggest asset. Teaching the casual owner of horses how to avoid their pets being victims of the kill buyer is a huge first step.  Next rescues and animal groups around the country need to work hand in hand with the large registries to place the horses that they do not want into loving homes with people who will care for them and give them the love and respect they deserve.  While these actions are taking place, a voice is needed in Washington to also educate and reinforce that the majority of people, people who are voters, are not in favor of horse slaughter.  Politicians are driven mostly by two things, money, and votes.  Lobbyists for big money groups can promise plenty of campaign contributions, but without the votes of the people, that money does them no good.  This message needs to be sent loud and clear.

Legislature is the surest way to get rid of this issue once and for all.  Elizabeth O’Neal stated it quite clearly in the recent interview I did with her, she said:  “My preference would be to get our elected officials to pass legislation to protect American horses from slaughter. (S. 1176 - H.R.2966 - American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption).”  (O’Neal, Elizabeth)  This bill is currently awaiting a vote.  If this bill passes, it will stop all slaughter of American Horses, here and across our borders. 

“There's nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse.”

- Ronald Reagan

            Regardless of which side of this issue is taken, there are no sure and simple solutions.  When there is a demand for something, a supply is created.  If people are willing to succumb to supplying that demand, it’s a difficult thing to stop.  Morals are not the same across the board.  Morals may be taught or learned.  How they are taught or learned is the problem.  And they vary from individual to individual.  The best we can hope for in situations such as this is a compromise.  I firmly believe if we educate and provide rescue and sanctuary for horses that are in need, both sides will be appeased and the horses will all be happier for it. 

“If we cut up beasts simply because they cannot prevent us and because we are backing our own side in the struggle for existence, it is only logical to cut up imbeciles, criminals, enemies, or capitalists for the same reasons.”  ~C.S. Lewis

They slaughter horses, don’t they?  At the moment, yes they do.  In Canada and Mexico there are horses that are losing their lives, their flesh is being processed and packaged.  The beautiful creatures they once were are reduced to bloody meat. I look forward to a time when the wild horses run free with no fear of capture, and all other horses can just be horses, not dinner.

"And God took a handful of southernly wind, blew His breath over it and created the horse." ~ Bedouin Legend

Works Cited

Bass, Margaret M., Catherine A. Duchowny and Maria M. Llabre. “The Effect of Therapeutic Horseback Riding on Social Functioning in Children with Autism.”  Journal of Autism and DevelopmentalDisorders (2009).  39:1261–1267.  Print.

Equine Welfare Alliance.  n.d.  Web.  23 November 2011.

Fitch, R.T.  Straight From the Horse’s Heart. Wordpress.  n.d.  Web.  23 November 2011.

Luba, Frank.  “Horse slaughter 'disgusting'.” News The Vancouver Province [British Columbia, Canada] October 5, 2010. Final ed.: News;  A14  Print.

McCutcheon, Rose.  “Horse slaughter an outrage.” Tulsa World [Tulsa, Oklahoma]  April 16, 2009.  Opinion.  X. Print.

O’Neal, Elizabeth.  Telephone interview.  15 November 2011