More than 7000 american horses sent to meat

Discuss horse welfare and rescue and horses in need of assistance.

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karenkarenn
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Molly Mae

Postby karenkarenn » Thu Sep 05, 2013 11:51 am

I had a situation about five years ago that I needed to share after reading what Jeff had written.
Our family had purchased a QH about five years ago and I had thought was very loving regardless if she was broke or not. I was looking to get back into the saddle more often. We brought Molly ( In Nov.) back to our pasture and she was great and her and I were inseparable. I broke her, she did well, but she had a BIG JEALOUSLY Problem with my first son. SHE DIDN'T LIKE HIM NEAR ME AT ALL.
She got to the point that if my son who was four at the time went out to see me with her - she would tear away from me to go after him. LITERALLY off and running, teeth bared ears back and my son never did anything negative to her that I know of because her and I were close, like best friends.
We have a back deck that she jumped over to get to him. And right then and there, she had to go. Or else she would hurt him. We put her up for sale, cheap mind you but no one was interested because at the time we knew of only family horse people and one family came and she went after the nine year old boy. She didn't display this type of behavior when our son was there when we bought her, but as time went by ( about a month in the spring time) she went after my husband. And he was working 40 days straight and 10 off and this was his first day off to see her and try to understand what was going on.
In May ( it was two months of putting her up for sale) we brought a friend over who was female to help me ride her better, I needed a refresher balance wise ect. and through the lesson she broke from me and chase the instructor down. At one point the women was down on the ground and the mare ( Molly Mae) was about to run her over. She threw me and went after the instructor and Molly was successful . My instructor left and she asked that we euthanize her and my husband and I agreed.
The vet came, got ready to inject and she turned on him ripped into his arm. He got the muzzle on her but she kept swinging around, he couldn't do it. We were stuck with her.
At that point in our lives we had to ask ourselves what do we do? We can't get rid of her, our son can't walk out on to the deck and she has struck an instructor and a vet. Since we can't fire a firearm in our area we couldn't put a bullet in her head cleanly.
I know I know it sounds BAD. It was bad enough that we had to feed her carefully and my husband had to flee for his life if he went to take care of the fence, so we asked the vet to come again and this time with a Deputy because he either said injection and have animal control or the deputy attending to shoot her because of the complaint by the instructor. We needed many hands to keep her still.
The vet failed to get the needle in but the deputy didn't fail ... it took myself, my husband, the vet, ( Kept my son inside) and the animal control to hold her while the deputy shot her.
but I ask you with an animal like that I couldn't send her to slaughter but if that Deputy didn't shot her properly and she acted up, she would have been wounded by the bullet and not dead. And then you would have had a situation as bad as slaughter because he couldn't get it squarely and she was in pain.
I often asked myself why? Donald was never around her until the spring. He was working 14 hour shifts. I fed her. My son never left my sight until he got up from his nap and came out. He never touched her, he wasn't allowed to touch the horses. Once he got up and out to the deck I had to quit being with her and be with my son.
I don't think I could but what if that Deputy couldn't show up or what if that Vet wouldn't euthanize her. What would happen to my son if he left my sight?

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Postby Jeff » Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:03 pm

Karen,

One of my mares hates little kids too, it scary, but fortunately it's just my wife and I so we don't have to worry about her hurting anyone. I'd have done the same thing you did, how horrible for you to have to go through such an ordeal; you did the right thing.

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Postby Nancy T » Fri Sep 06, 2013 7:29 pm

I am not a fan of slaughter but given the choice of a humane slaughter plant and I emphasize humane. Over horses abused, horses neglected or horses abandoned. I would rather see well regulated horse slaughter in this country not a long terrible truck ride away.

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Postby Jeff » Sat Sep 07, 2013 8:08 am

It should be illegal for people who have sent a horse to slaughter to ever be able to breed and raise another foal. There needs to be a hefty government fee of at least sever hundred dollars to get a license to breed a new foal and bring it into the world, That would be a big step in the rigbt direction to keep the underclass from breeding a bunch of unwanted horses that they are unable to feed, water and house.

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karenkarenn
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Postby karenkarenn » Sat Sep 07, 2013 9:39 am

There also should be more vets willing to euthanize too.

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madelyn
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Postby madelyn » Sat Sep 07, 2013 12:54 pm

Jeff wrote:It should be illegal for people who have sent a horse to slaughter to ever be able to breed and raise another foal. There needs to be a hefty government fee of at least sever hundred dollars to get a license to breed a new foal and bring it into the world, That would be a big step in the rigbt direction to keep the underclass from breeding a bunch of unwanted horses that they are unable to feed, water and house.


You are assuming that all of the horses out there were the result of "planned pregnancies" - what about the owner who has everything loose running together and doesn't geld? (not common in the TB world, or even the "purebred" world, but common otherwise).

Besides that, though, any call for government restraint ie licensing for being "allowed" to have a foal born on a particular piece of land is somewhat naive..
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....

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Nancy T
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Postby Nancy T » Sun Sep 08, 2013 5:54 am

Funny how everyone screams that Government is running their lives until they want something regulated. Do you really want the government regulating horse breeding? I think there are more important things in the world that need attention.

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Postby Nancy T » Sun Sep 08, 2013 5:55 am

The "underclass? " wow that's a pretty strange statement.

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madelyn
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Postby madelyn » Sun Sep 08, 2013 9:30 am

The "underclass" screams elitism.. I think before horse breeding gets regulated they should do something about puppies, kittens and crack babies.. :)
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....

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Postby Jeff » Sun Sep 08, 2013 10:23 am

Bon appetite

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karenkarenn
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Postby karenkarenn » Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:35 am

Madelyn - I got to tell you every year the people in our county receive a bill for the livestock they have on their premises . I pay for my livestock ( horses mainly) its five dollars a head.
They do regulate it and you do have to pay for it. For five bucks a head and I don't know where that money goes to either.
Karen

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Postby laterush » Mon Sep 09, 2013 3:18 pm

Jeff wrote:It should be illegal for people who have sent a horse to slaughter to ever be able to breed and raise another foal. There needs to be a hefty government fee of at least sever hundred dollars to get a license to breed a new foal and bring it into the world, That would be a big step in the rigbt direction to keep the underclass from breeding a bunch of unwanted horses that they are unable to feed, water and house.

Yeah, for sure, your absoulutely right!

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Re:

Postby ireneinwa » Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:07 pm

Jeff wrote:I'd rather be a 1/2 starved abused horse that manages to live to 30 years out in the backyard, than a well treated nag at the slaughterhouse, but that's just me.

I hope everybody everywhere eating horse meat, chokes to death right now.

Jeff

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Re: More than 7000 american horses sent to meat

Postby ides of ice » Sat Aug 23, 2014 9:29 am

If I had a colt that was successful at the track, and I was going to breed him, I would only breed to a small # of mares the 1st yr. Then I'd wait to see how the foals did at the track before breeding again. I would hope with this approach that fewer horses would enter the pipeline. No guarantees of course.
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Re: More than 7000 american horses sent to meat

Postby summerhorse » Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:34 pm

There is never going to be "humane slaughter" for horses. It is not economically viable. In the old days of the corner butcher, yes, you could take one down, keep it calm, it was quickly and hopefully painlessly dispatched, and butchered then and there.

NOW speed is the word. They must process so many horses in X amount of time, in facilities not made for horses, with a bolt gun proven by studies to be terribly painful and NOT instant. The law requires animals to be stunned so they are bled out alive and in the cases of shorter necked cattle, sheep, etc. it works well. But for long necked, unrestrained (which is in itself illegal) head shy horses it not only is terrifying but they miss and rarely does a horse go out on the first shot. What is worse is that they WAKE UP in 30 seconds, the pain is terrible for them and they are often more conscious than not when their throats are cut. This plus the general mayhem and noise around the horses, does mean a peaceful or painless death. Couple that with people who don't give a rat's ass about their welfare and I am still shocked anyone would wish this on ANY horse. That is assuming they even survive the journey TO the slaughterhouse in one piece if at all. Shoot them in the pasture for heaven's sake. Feed them to the crows. THAT would be much more humane.

A vet injection renders the horse unconscious so any following noises or movements are not painful to the animal. Just like when you go to surgery and you count backward from 100 and after 98 you don't know a thing until you wake up. Except they just don't wake up.

And a horse in the pasture (starving or not) can ALWAYS be rescued. A horse in a slaughterhouse can't. But people who starve horses in pastures are not going to be taking them to slaughter, it is just too much trouble for them. Otherwise they'd already BE at the slaughterhouse and the creep would have money in their pockets.
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