Hey! I have opinions on stuff!
So, yeah, I'm playing this howrse game. And while browsing through people's profiles I've seen a lot of profiles that have these cute pictures of baby horses frolicking through the fields and the picture will say something along the lines of "WOULD YOU EAT THIS?!!!? Ban horse slaughter!"
So I wrote a little response in my profile, but I wanted to repost it, because I am so strongly against what is happening to horses now because the two horse slaughter plants in the US have closed.
Let's talk about what I've seen, as a veterinary student, since the two horse slaughter plants in the United States were shut down.
1. People who previously would've sold their older animals to slaughter now just stop feeding them, and let them starve to death. Real humane, folks.
2. People who previously would've sold their older animals to slaughter now just throw away their horses. Very few people take in these horses (and I respect the ones who do!). They are generally sick, old, injured, on daily medications, underweight. You can't sell these horses. You can't give them away. Some rescues don't have the space. Thankfully, some stables will take them and use them as pasture companions until they pass peacefully. Otherwise the animals are just allowed to die from their disease.
3. People who are determined to sell their horses to slaughter now send them to Mexico. Horses are also bought at auction by companies that send them to Mexico. Horses are crammed onto cattle transportation trucks, which are so low that horses can't lift their heads up while they're on their 10 hour journey through 110 degree heat. At the border they often sit and wait in that heat for 2+ hours. They are not fed, given space to move, watered. When they get to the plant, if they have to wait before slaughter they are not fed, watered, or given adequate space to get comfortable. Before their jugular veins are cut, first they go through a chute where they are stabbed through the cervical spinal cord with a dagger to create paralysis. The dagger doesn't always get it the first time. It does not cause unconsciousness. All of the laws in place in the U.S. for the humane slaughter of horses are thrown out the door when you cross the border.
Ending horse slaughter in the United States has only hurt horses. Those of you who are adamently against it never would've sent YOUR horses to slaughter anyways. The people who would've sent their horses there originally still find ways to send them there, or just ignore them completely. Slaughter, I know, is controversial. It's painful for many people to think of horses going through that. Of course many of those people talk about it while eating their McDonald's cheeseburger, but hey, that's *different*. Cows are dumb, right? No one has a pet cow, right?
I respect the opinion that horse slaughter is wrong. Everyone is free to have their opinion. Everyone is free to not send their own horses to slaughter. But I've seen what has happened to horses that would've gone to slaughter if the plants were open, and I have to say... it saddens me immensely. Exporting over the Mexican border will not stop anytime soon. We have no control over their slaughter. Our plants will not be reopening, even if there was some vote to do so. We've condemned hundreds of horses to an inhumane, horrible death. Was it really the right decision?
So I wrote a little response in my profile, but I wanted to repost it, because I am so strongly against what is happening to horses now because the two horse slaughter plants in the US have closed.
Let's talk about what I've seen, as a veterinary student, since the two horse slaughter plants in the United States were shut down.
1. People who previously would've sold their older animals to slaughter now just stop feeding them, and let them starve to death. Real humane, folks.
2. People who previously would've sold their older animals to slaughter now just throw away their horses. Very few people take in these horses (and I respect the ones who do!). They are generally sick, old, injured, on daily medications, underweight. You can't sell these horses. You can't give them away. Some rescues don't have the space. Thankfully, some stables will take them and use them as pasture companions until they pass peacefully. Otherwise the animals are just allowed to die from their disease.
3. People who are determined to sell their horses to slaughter now send them to Mexico. Horses are also bought at auction by companies that send them to Mexico. Horses are crammed onto cattle transportation trucks, which are so low that horses can't lift their heads up while they're on their 10 hour journey through 110 degree heat. At the border they often sit and wait in that heat for 2+ hours. They are not fed, given space to move, watered. When they get to the plant, if they have to wait before slaughter they are not fed, watered, or given adequate space to get comfortable. Before their jugular veins are cut, first they go through a chute where they are stabbed through the cervical spinal cord with a dagger to create paralysis. The dagger doesn't always get it the first time. It does not cause unconsciousness. All of the laws in place in the U.S. for the humane slaughter of horses are thrown out the door when you cross the border.
Ending horse slaughter in the United States has only hurt horses. Those of you who are adamently against it never would've sent YOUR horses to slaughter anyways. The people who would've sent their horses there originally still find ways to send them there, or just ignore them completely. Slaughter, I know, is controversial. It's painful for many people to think of horses going through that. Of course many of those people talk about it while eating their McDonald's cheeseburger, but hey, that's *different*. Cows are dumb, right? No one has a pet cow, right?
I respect the opinion that horse slaughter is wrong. Everyone is free to have their opinion. Everyone is free to not send their own horses to slaughter. But I've seen what has happened to horses that would've gone to slaughter if the plants were open, and I have to say... it saddens me immensely. Exporting over the Mexican border will not stop anytime soon. We have no control over their slaughter. Our plants will not be reopening, even if there was some vote to do so. We've condemned hundreds of horses to an inhumane, horrible death. Was it really the right decision?