Speech

I have been called everything from an “animal-hater,” to a “heartless, cruel horse-beater.” I’m not even joking. Although everyone who knows me realizes that this is not true, those are standard reactions that I get when I discuss my views on the subject of horse slaughter. Rather than completely banning horse slaughter, I believe that the transportation and killing of these animals should be regulated. The anti-slaughter parties paint a gristly picture of the industry, but in all reality, things aren’t as bad as they are made to seem.

In 2007 the last three horse slaughterhouses in the United States, two in Texas and one in Illinois, were shut down. This did nothing but make the situation worse. Now, instead of being shipped within the US, these horses are just being sent to Mexico and Canada for the same fate, in much less humane conditions. While the treatment of these animals can be regulated within the United States, once they are outside of our borders, we have no say in matters. There are standards which are expected to be met, including that the horses must be stunned, or rendered unconscious, before they are killed. When the slaughterhouses in the US were still in operation, they were strictly required to follow these rules. Not so across the border.

Can anyone give me the number of unwanted horses slaughtered, per year, that were slaughtered in American slaughterhouses? That number falls roughly between 90 and 100 thousand. Imagine, with the economy how it is today, trying to find homes for this huge number of horses, keeping in mind that they can live between 30 and 40 years, and can easily cost a couple thousand of dollars, per year, to keep. And when a horse is no longer suitable for an owners need, whether due to age or temperament, it can become a burden upon the owner to try to care for it. This provides a dilemma for the owners. Best case scenario, they are able to place it with a rescue group or a new home. More likely though, they will have to choose between paying a vet to euthanize the horse, shooting the horse themselves or selling the horse for slaughter. But even the options in which the owner directly causes the death of the horse cause a financial burden, from the costs of euthanazia, to the costs for the disposal of the body. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the owner to be compensated for the loss of their property?

Another part of slaughter that does need to be addressed is the issue of transportation of these animals. With transportation of horses to other countries for slaughter, there were little, to no regulations reguarding the conditions under which the horses had to be contained. This was not the case with horses sent for slaughter before the last three houses were closed down. During transport to these sites, all horses were subject to inspection by United States Department of Agriculture, and in December 2006, it was illegal to transport horses to slaughter in double-decked trailers, such as would be used for cattle, because of the horse’s taller stature.

Just to clarify once again, I am by no means a horse hater. I have worked with horses my entire life, and it is my dream to one day become an equine specialized veterinarian. It’s for exactly these reasons that I feel we must put aside our cultural disgust with the idea of killing our “beloved horse” and start thinking about what is best for us, our economy, and above all, our horses.