[RC] Slaughter- The numbers problem.. - Karen Everhart
There is a cute, though poignant,
email about a barnyard animal crying for help. The other
animals on the farm were not interested, didn't feel it applied to
them, and failed to do anything about the problem. Within time, the issue
began to affect every one of the barnyard animals in a very negative fashion.
That is where we (horse people) are
regarding the slaughter issue. Producers of all types want the freedom to
produce as many of "whatever" as they can, whether they can sell them or
not. Individuals want to use, abuse, throw-away, or swap out an animal
because it is not the right color, size, disposition, gender, or "whatever" ( I
know of a breeder who only breeds for palominos and sends all
other babies to auction/slaughter). Then, when legislation
is passed to eliminate our "waste system" (slaughter) because we (horse
people) have gotten ourselves in a pickle and not managed our affairs
effectively, we cry foul.
If we were in any other industry
and were failing to understand "supply and demand" criteria, we would have
been out of business a long time ago with a HUGE inventory of product;
horses. Instead, we (horse people) created the slaughter industry.
Yes, we (horse people) did it. We over-produced and then had to find an
outlet. We let the Belgians and Dutch and other
foreign investors know that we had an abundance of horse flesh. They
in turn knew that the meat was highly desired in many countries, so an extension
of the horse business was created: slaughter. And they have made ton of
money off of our horses.
Because breed organizations
thrive on increased registrations, it makes no business sense
to encourage a slow down in production of registered
stock. So most fail to implement any programs that might
discourage breeding. Fortunately the American Jockey Club is coming
to the realization that an off-shoot of Thoroughbred production and
racing (thousands sent to slaughter every year) is bad press. They are now
doing something about it by stepping up publicly against slaughter and
funding thoroughbred rescues and rehoming facilities.
We (horse people) can choose to step
up to the plate as responsible horse owners or not. Regardless, the
horse has an appeal that is indescribable and individuals who may never have
owned a horse in their lives are captivated by its magnifigance. Those
folk have a voice in the decisions of this nation and they (as well as many, if
not most, of the horse owners across America) do not take lightly to our (horse
folk) decision to send horses on the slaughter train any longer.` So,
we (horse people) have lost that shameful portion of our business - or at least
have mostly lost it as the Cavel plant is still operational. However,
horses are now being trucked across the border to Mexico and Canada in ever
increasing numbers. If you have never observed the final moments of a
horses life in that environment, please feel free to view the following
video:
We (horse people) can do something
about this. We can stop supporting uncontrolled breeding by refusing
to "buy". We can contact our Senate and House Representatives and tell
them that we do not want America's horses
trucked anywhere for slaughter. We can become informed about the realities
of the slaughter process. We can support local rescue facilities with our
dollars and our time. We can also hold our local authorities
accountable for bringing abuse, neglect and abandonment perpetrators to
justice.
The reason so many get by
with atrocities towards the horse is because we (horse people) are like the
barnyard critters I mentioned above; we do not feel it is our problem........not
true!
Karen Everhart MEd Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement,
Inc. Serving the equine companions who have so loyally served us... 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
Am I the only one that thinks the REASON we have so
many throw-away animals has to do with the PEOPLE who are producing
them? How many horses are churned out every year for the various
industries so that they can find their one or two prospective champions?
How exactly should the horse community go about
addressing the issue of reducing the number of animals that have uncertain
futures?
