Since I started the "ethical" discussion, I need to clarify.
I did not make my "ethical" statement in regards to what people
eat, but as an assessment of the slaughter industry itself. The Mayor
of Kearney, TX, where one of the plants exists, calls horse slaughter "America's
dirty little secret" and I think she nailed it on the head.
If everything were on the table and horse owners "knew" that their horse
was headed to slaughter when it left the auction ring, if killer buyers were
"proud" of their vocation and openly disclosed their intentions, if the horses
were housed in ways that respected their herd instincts, if they were
transported in trailers which allowed plenty of room and comfort, if they were
fed and watered along the way, if all horses were cleared for slaughter related
to clear ownership, if horses were not stolen and sold to slaughter for peanuts
so some idiot could buy another "whatever". If, if, if.......then perhaps
I would not be quite so quick to label horse slaughter (the industry) as
unethical.
I don't set back and make grand statements from my "high horse" about this
subject. I face it every day. I see the conditions these horses
are subjected to (I call it being "terrorized"). I pay ransom for horses which
are healthy, trained, friendly, I accept and rehab those which have been injured
significantly during transport. I listen to heartbreaking stories from
people who can no longer care for their horses. I receive calls and emails
from individuals and breeders who simply "don't want to" care for their horse(s)
any longer. This "business" is pretty ugly nearly every day and it is not
the fault of the horse. It is the fault of the "horse people". We
made this mess and we are going to have to clean it up. It will get uglier
before it gets better. There will, undoubtedly, be taxes or fines or
assessments. Registration rates will probably rise, the government will
get involved at some level and there will be people spending time in jail.
Some will spend LOTS OF TIME. Judges are now saying "animals abuse will
not occur on my watch" and people are "paying the price" for neglect, abuse and
abandonment.
As Truman said, the tide has turned, regardless of your personal
opinion. I fully expect the anti-slaughter bills to pass both the House
and Senate. If not this year, then the next or the next, because AMERICA
does not want horses slaughtered. Just be prepared. If you need to
get a horse off your rolls, do so now. Prices are around .32 per
pound. Get your money while you can and cut your losses now..
Karen Everhart MEd President Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement,
Inc. www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com 620-725-3402
Owner/Operator Horse Calls - Equine Management Solutions Centered Riding
Instructor Distance Horse Conditioning and Training www.horsecalls.com 316-648-5082
A captive bolt in the brain is certainly "humane." And to
suggest that it is unethical for humans to consume horses is biased at
best.
