• Lio, beautiful Draft Horse
• Cappy, a Paint Stallion
• Winona, $20 Pony

Summary of Facts and Statistics

originally from www.hr857.com

Last year just over 50,000 horses were slaughtered here in the US for human consumption overseas. Their meat is exported to France, Belgium, Italy, and Japan. Horsemeat is generally considered a delicacy in these countries and is higher priced than beef. France alone consumed 300,000 horses last year, Italy 350,000 horses. The French numbers may change however. France has banned the sale of horsemeat in restaurants due to health concerns. Many medications and topical treatments that are commonly use on horses are never to be used on animals intended for food. There is no withdrawal period.

The population of horses in the US is approximately 7 million horses. The 50,000 slaughtered horses represents less than 1%. In 1990 over 300,000 horses were slaughtered in the US. The number of horses slaughtered has steadily dropped in the last 14 years while the number of foals being born has increased. Drops in the number of horses slaughtered have been almost 80,000 a year at times. During those years we did not see a huge influx of "surplus" horses or a large drop in the price of horses. The number of horses slaughtered every year follows the demand for their meat, not the overall horse population. This illustrates the lack of a need for the slaughter industry to regulate horse population.

California passed similar legislation in 1998. Since then, horse thefts have dropped almost 40% and continue to drop every year. Horse prices have remained steady and the horse industry thrives. Abuse cases in California have not risen at all, and have declined in areas, while the national average is on the rise. Also, during the years that the Illinois slaughter facility was closed, abuse numbers dropped. Ironically (or maybe not), Texas has the highest rate of horse abuse in the nation. This illustrates that ending slaughter will not encourage the neglect and abuse of horses.

The method of transporting horses to slaughter is inhumane. Horses often travel 36 hours or more without rest, food, or water in cramped double decker trailers. These trailers are built for shorter animals such as cattle and pigs. Horses often slip and fall in these trailers arriving at the plants dead or severely crippled. Transportation reform laws were enacted in 2002 but they have not done any good. Even proponents of slaughter like Dr. Friend at Texas A&M agree that the transportation of horses to slaughter is inhumane.

The slaughter itself is also inhumane. The chutes that hold the horses are made for cows. Horses are much more flexible with longer necks. They are also more intuitive than cows and have a skittish nature in stressful unfamiliar environments. They thrash about making the captive bolt operator's job very difficult. The operator often has to stun a horse 3-4 times before rendering the horse unconscious. Sometimes the horse is slaughtered while still alive. USDA considers a 90% rate of unconsciousness before being butchered very acceptable. That means that 5,000 horses (at best) were slaughtered last year while they were still fully alive. The captive bolt gun is used to stun the horses. It's like a spike on a leash. It is shot into the horse's head and then retracts back in to the gun. It can be a humane method of a killing a horse (much like a well placed bullet), but the assembly line fashion that these horses are run through makes it nearly impossible.

Horses that go to slaughter are not generally old, sick, crippled, or dangerous. By the slaughter house's own records (Dallas Crown and Beltex in Texas) only 10% of horses processed are old, sick, injured, or otherwise "unusable". Just like beef consumers, people who eat horse want young tender flesh. It's just plain ridiculous to think that all of the horses being slaughtered are 25 yr. old nags who can barely walk...

And did you know that 40-50,000 horses are stolen in the USA every year? You can verify these statistics with Stolen Horse International, http://netposse.com. Did you know that the only reason the slaughter plants scan for microchips is to remove them so they do not contaminate the meat? This was testimony from plant workers.

To support horse slaughter is to support the abuse and butcher of a national treasure. Horses helped build this country, settle the west, and win wars. Today they give us entertainment, pleasure, and companionship. Horses are not eaten here in the USA. They deserve respect and thanks for all that they have given us.

What Happens to the Animals

WARNING: GRAPHIC!

Horses sold to the "meat man" likely have a full days' journey ahead, before arriving at the slaughterhouse in Canada or Tennessee or Illinois. They ride in freezing livestock haulers with other miserable, suffering animals, some of whom will die in transit, their bodies trampled where they fall. There's even a chance that a pregnant horse will make the trip, delivering her foal en route. It happens often enough that the USDA guidelines have a statute to cover slaughter of newborns at the packing plant.

This last, brutal trip will end with a shot to the head from a captive-bolt pistol. The lucky horses will die quickly. The rest will remain conscious through the next few steps of the slaughtering process, including being shackled and hung from their back leg before their throats are cut. As prey animals, horses are extremely sensitive to the threat of danger. We can only imagine the horror they experience, hearing the cries and smelling the blood of their kin at the slaughterhouse.

• Links to Videos of the horrible things that can happen at a slaughterhouse (WARNING: VIDEOS ARE VERY GRAPHIC!)

What You Can Do

Are you deeply disturbed? There are things you can do.

Since the passage of Proposition 6 in California 1998, the sale and transport of horses for slaughter have been banned in that state. Now, slaughter opponents are zeroing in on the last two equine slaughterhouses in the United States, hoping a little-used state law will close down the foreign-owned Texas plants for good.

On the other side of the issue, slaughter proponents--which include many who make their living in the horse industry--view banning slaughter outright as folly that will lead to tragic, unintended consequences.

Some things you can do to support the humane treatment of horses are:

• Make your feelings on the issue of slaughter known. In general, regardless of your attitudes toward slaughter, you can help monitor its execution and support change for the better.
• If you want to protect your own horses from slaughter, "see them through to the end of their lives," recommends the Equine Protection Network's Christine Berry. "If you think giving an old horse away is the right answer, think again," she adds. "Many free-to-good-home equines end up on someone's dinner plate."
• Do everything you reasonably can to see that your horse isn't an easy target for thieves, who often sell stolen animals to slaughter plants. Branding is one deterrent. Installing lights, repairing rickety fences, and investing in security alarms can also help.
• In the event your horse is stolen, a supply of high quality photographs taken from various angles, and a full written description of his physical characteristics can help in recovering him. Ask your veterinarian about the option of implanting a microchip for identification, as well.

Grateful Acres rescues horses Like the ones above from the "kill" auction and from other abuse and neglect situations. We are always happy to accept donations to help us care for these animals. We can take whatever you can spare, every little bit helps. The horses eat $25.00 worth of feed and hay daily (and more in the winter) and need to see the farrier for hoof care every eight weeks. The costs add up rather quickly!

Some people choose to sponsor an animal from Grateful Acres. For example, our webmaster sponsors JT. Sponsorship is wonderful for GAAS because it is good to know that a certain amount of money is coming in every month.

A quick, easy, and free thing to do is visit these links. Some of them have petitions that you can sign online. You can start with a site that has info on HR 857, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Then check out the links below.

• Equine Advocates
• Rescue Network
• Sign an Online Petition
• Equine Protection Network