In an effort to show that I am not pro-slaughter, but rather I have a concern for the horses welfare after the act passes; I want to post some comments made to yesterdays post. They contain statements that bring questions to the AVMA’s position.

Personally I believe we should not be slaughtering horses for the same reasons we do not slaughter dogs and cats; however, I do see possible problems with banning the slaughter of horses that need to be addressed such as unwanted horses and horses being shipped to other countries which this ban will not stop but rather increase. Unfortunately the largest problem as it always seems to be is money. Money is controlling what occurs with the horse market. One of the things that did shock me is the anti slaughter group saying that unwanted is a bad term that these horses are wanted and yet who is stepping up to take them? In the video from the humane society (http://www.hsus.org) states that horses were being bought up by killers (buyers with the intention of selling them to the slaughter plant) that were outbidding other potential owners. Well what is strange is that the killers have a set price, it is about profit to them. The price of horse meat is at a certain price so the killers can not go over a set price otherwise they would be losing money. The last I knew the price of horse meat was $.50 which makes a horse price $500. If you bid over $500 for a horse it is yours not the killers. If you can not afford $500 for the initial price of the horse how are you going to afford to pay for the up keep on that horse? I have been hearing over the past few months about many horses “no saleing” at auctions, and horses going for less than $200, now that is only a very small sample of my own personal experiences but it seems to me that it is an increase in unwanted horses. Obviously the market will settle down and because prices are so inexpensive it should deter breeders from just breeding anything. However what is going to happen with those seemingly unwanted horses in the meantime?

Here are the comments posted from yesterdays post that do question the AVMA’s stance…

From Joyce -
Please let me add a few things to this discussion. The AVMA has been aware that horses were being shipped to Mexico for brutal slaughter for many years now and have turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the situation. Why have they spoken out now? What is their motive? When asked, their response to me and others was “we are concerned about the unwanted horses.” Where has that concern been for all these years? For some reason, they seem to have allied themselves with the pro-slaughter contingent that want to reopen the slaughter houses here in the US. Any idea why?
They claim that they are neither pro or anti slaughter. Well, as my logic works, you are one or the other and their opposition to the ban means they are PRO. If they were indeed neutral, they would remain quiet.
It has always amazed me the way the number of horses classified as unwanted invariably equals the number slaughtered. Most of the horses that are being butchered for their meat are obtained at auction and many are stolen. Bear something in mind–unwanted does not mean useless. If the horses at auction cannot be used by the seller, they could be used by people seeking companion horses, gentle horses for a child to learn to ride, animals for therapy for the physically or mentally challenged or prison inmate and Iraq War veterans’ rehabilitation. But they don’t get that second chance; they are grabbed up by the kill buyers, “people” who make their living trolling the auctions for young, meaty animals. There is a statistic that the AVMA has chosen to ignore in all of their rhetoric: more than 90% of horses sent to slaughter are young, healthy and sound, not the old, crippled and infirm animals they would like us to believe. BTW, the 90% figure comes from the USDA. I have participated in the rescue of many of these animals from the feedlots, the second step in their road to doom.
The AVMA might be better served if, instead of taking the side of brutality, they do two things: 1)speak out for responsible horse ownership rather than advocate
for easy disposal of living creatures and 2) reread their veterinary oaths, “I solemnly swear to use my knowledge and skills…..in relief of animal suffering…. I will practice ….in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics…”

From Vicki -
Thanks for this forum and discussion on this hot topic. Let’s start with the unwanted horses. If they’re unwanted, why do the slaughter houses have to pay for them? Where is the mention of the conservative estimate of the 30,000 stolen horses? They are not unwanted. Past statistics have proven that we absorbed over 200,000 horses when the slaughter counts were reduced to 100,000 from over 300,000. Where is the mention of the horses that would have gone to new owners if they were not outbid by the kill buyers? The 100,000 number is grossly overstated when you account for the above factors. The pro folks just keep throwing out the 100,000 number over and over again. Just because 100,000 horses were slaughtered doesn’t mean that 100,000 horses were unwanted.

Use of Horsemeat. The majority of zoos in the US no longer use horsemeat. A quick google search will give you the info.

California. They failed to mention that the horse thefts dropped 34% when slaughter was banned. No doubt there were horses transported illegally. Where there is money to be had, there will be crime. After all, slaughter is about one thing and one thing only – the almighty dollar.

Neglect as it relates to slaughter. This article will give you all the facts and statistics proving there is no correlation between abuse/neglect and slaughter. http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-123.shtml People abused their animals when slaughter was an option. The abusers are not going to send their horses to slaughter. Abuse and neglect are criminal activities and an entirely different issue.

Yes, I am passionate about this issue. It’s very frustrating to see the same tired arguments published over and over again. When they are challenged and given facts, they just keep spewing the same dribble, over and over again. Slaughter breeds more slaughter. It was nothing more than an outlet for owners that didn’t take responsibility for their animals. Why should the horses suffer because owners don’t know when to stop breeding? They cry they can’t afford their horses, yet, they keep breeding. Why aren’t these pro slaughter groups addressing that instead of coming up with reasons we need it? Why not be part of the solution? The majority of horses going to slaughter are quarter horses. The AQHA foals counts were 144,000 compared to 23,000 Thoroughbred. What does that tell you? The Friends of Barbaro have rescued over 1,000 horses and raised over $500k. That money could have gone to the rescues to maintain horses but instead, it was spent pulling the horses from the kill buyer’s trucks. Is everything going to be perfect? Of course not. There will be issues but individuals that take ownership of a horse need to be responsible and care for their animal in life and death. Death meaning a humane death; not being butchered for an industry that is not welcome in or needed in the US. You cannot buy or sell horse meat in the US for human consumption. Horses are not part of our food chain so we certainly do not need kill houses.

@Vicki on one item about horse counts because you asked – the foal count statistics of AQH vs Thoroughbred tells me that the breeding program that the Thoroughbred Association has in place is working, meaning they do not allow artificial insemination. So of course their numbers are going to be lower. I guarantee you that if Thoroughbreds were allowed to be artificially inseminated there would be more Thoroughbreds probably the same number as AQH which then would mean more of them would be unwanted and going to slaughter. In turn it does prove your point that unwanted horses comes from irresponsible breeding. I know a long way around to explain that you are right in the first place about irresponsible breeding…LOL. Irresponsible breeding should take care of itself if there is not a market for horses going to slaughter in Mexico and Canada however there is going to be at this point in time which I believe is the AVMA’s stance and the AHSPA does not address.

Well do not shoot the messenger on this one, but I am going to return to the discussion of Horse Slaughter in the United States. Why? Because a few days ago the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) weighed in on the topic on their website by answering some FAQs. If you did not know already, the AVMA is against banning horse slaughter and they believe that it will increase the number of unwanted horses.

Here is the information they put out on October 12th on this hot topic –
Frequently asked questions about unwanted horses and the AVMA’s policy on horse slaughter

Highlights of this FAQ page include -

On Unwanted Horses -

Unfortunately, there are not enough homes for all of these horses. If there were, there would be no market for slaughter horses. Although there are numerous equine rescue facilities throughout the United States, these facilities simply do not have enough room or resources to accommodate the additional 90,000 to 100,000 horses every year that will no longer be able to be slaughtered in US plants.

On use of Horse meat -

However, an often overlooked demand for horsemeat comes from zoos. Large carnivores, such as lions and tigers, require a lot of high-quality protein in their diets. Although their nutritional requirements can be met with other types of meat, horsemeat has more protein, less fat, less cholesterol, less sodium, and more iron than the same amount of high-quality beef.

On stolen horses -

Nobody really knows how many horses have been stolen and sold for slaughter. Although some individuals and organizations claim this number is high, no data exists to either confirm or disprove such statements. We do know that horses are more commonly stolen for their value as performance or breeding animals than they are for their value as meat.

The California law -

It does not appear that passage of the California law had a substantial, long-term impact on the number of horses slaughtered nationwide; it is likely that horses were illegally transported out of California, or that horses from other areas filled any void created by the law.

An I told you so moment -
I posted this back in May – Horse Slaughter Bill and High Gas Prices add to this a drought that has also increased hay prices and you get the following statement from the AVMA -

So far, there have been several media reports of increases in horse neglect. Increases in horse neglect have been reported in Washington County, Virginia and statewide in Georgia. We acknowledge there are many factors at play in these situations. Recent droughts have caused hay prices to soar, and an increasing number of people are having trouble finding affordable hay for their horses. As more unwanted horses remain in the horse population, hay shortages and high costs will increase the cost of care and further deplete resources. It will cost more to care for these horses, and many rescue facilities are already financially strapped. This adds to the AVMA’s concern that these animals may be more likely to be abandoned or neglected.

And lastly a link to a website that I think has a positive spin on this – http://www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org/ A group regardless of what the cause of unwanted horses is, is working to help the situation.

And as I said before I am neither pro or against horse slaughter, I see good reasoning behind both arguments, my concern is for the welfare of the horses that become unwanted because of the passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA). With new laws especially those attached to such emotion comes problems that are unseen and here are some problems that are seen and I believe they need to be addressed, before this bill is passed. And the Unwanted Horse Coalition is a great start.

One other item the Humane Society is on the opposite side of the fence from the AVMA on this subject. They want a ban on Horse Slaughter for the same reasons that my heart goes out to horses subjected to an industry Americans really do not support. They have a video on their website about it go check it out here – http://www.hsus.org/
The one thing I have to say about it is the video does prove the point the AVMA has, in that once slaughter is banned here, it will increase the inhumane treatment of horses because there will be an increase in horses transported to Mexico where our laws have no effect.