Re: RC: Re: Horse slaughter

[Bette Lamore <woa@stormnet.com>]

Hi Kenzie
I hope you're saying that it is wrong to send ANY animal to slaughter in
a cruel fashion and I have to agree 100%. I didn't eat veal for 10 years
and supported FACT. The laws were changed and calves can no longer be
raised in a wooden box which allows for no movement. Now FACT is taking
on other animal practices, such as chickens, and I am all for it. And I
believe all of us are. Hey, there is nothing wrong in my mind with
eating an animal or plant (didn't anyone else read Stranger in a Strange
Land?? It's called "grokking" (TIC). It's the method by which any animal
is treated prior to death. I don't believe anyone on ridecamp who enjoys
nature and our horses as much as we do, wants to see any animal suffer.
That is not called tree hugging; that is called humanity and is what
separates us from the animals (who very often are kinder than us, I am
unhappy to say). Instead of debating how to dispose of our horses, we
simply need to lobby for better treatment until the point of death,
whatever the ultimate destination of the carcass--- which is just that.
Bette

Kenzie_Kelly@spc.com wrote:
> 
> But it is not so much that they
> > have to do it because of economics, but that there is no ethical reason
> not
> > to - other folks have as much
> > right to sell their horse for slaughter as the chicken farmers.
> 
> <<I don't think that the problem is with choosing to send the horse to
> slaughter. The problem arises because of the *way* most horses are
> transported and treated (or not treated) until the moment of their demise.
> What I hear in these discussions is not so much wanting to decide for others
> what decision they should make, but more an expression of concern for the
> treatment of the animal. And I think it has been well documented that the
> treatment of horses sent to slaughter is far less than humane in most cases.
> This is a compassionate concern that one would hope would be considered by
> anyone selecting a method to end the horse's life.
> Pat Super>>
> 
>      I was so going to stay out of this discussion, as interesting as I
>      find it.  But, I have to agree with the poster above who says that
>      people have as much right to sell their horses as the chicken farmers.
>       I think it really is a product of our emotional outlook on the horse
>      that affects our thinking about its slaughter.  Have you ever seen a
>      chicken truck?  Do you think those chickens are being treated humanely
>      on their journey to the slaughter house?  How about cows, hogs, sheep?
>       Ever witnessed part of their last trip?  It isn't pretty.  I don't
>      think any of the livestock animals destined for meat are treated
>      humanely.
> 
>      I've heard it argued that horses behave differently in these
>      situations, than say, a cow would.  Fighting and such.  But chickens
>      have to be the worst to each other.  I imagine 25% of chickens hauled
>      to the slaughter house don't make it alive.
> 
>      If we regulate shipping conditions for horses bound for slaughter, we
>      should do the same for the rest of the meat animals.
> 
>      Having said that, I also have to say that I have never sold a horse at
>      auction, and I don't consider that a choice.  But I have resources
>      that most people don't have, and I can retire a horse that is unsound.
>      I do eat meat, but I don't eat a lot of chicken (not because of the
>      trucks, to be honest, but have you ever *seen* a chicken slaughter
>      house?  Yuck!)
> 
>      Kenzie & Zane
>      Birmingham, AL
>      http://kenzie_k.tripod.com/zane.html
> 
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

-- 
Bette Lamore
Whispering Oaks Arabians, Home of TLA Halynov
http://www.stormnet.com/~woa
I've learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer it
gets to the end, the faster it goes. Smell the roses!