There are many many well intentioned people in this country who give money, time and resources to save unwanted horses from starving and or slaughter.The rescues that work with law enforcement to take in abused and starving horses are mostly over worked and underfunded.
They can use more help, but a lot of the resources they could be attracting are being sucked away by the desire to save horses from going to the slaughter pens in Canada and Mexico.
Trying to save horses the fate of going to the slaughter houses is a good one,
Unfortunately it is the effort to save horses from the kill buyers,
that is keeping the kill buyers in business.
.jpeg)
The price per pound at the kill plants in Canada and Mexico are low,
The restrictions and fees to get in to the countries with slaughter horses are high.
This makes buying horses in the US and spending more than $50 for each, then having to ship them to those plants is a losing proposition.
Recently there are also some rumblings about the plants being closed to US horses because the European Union (the largest horse meat buyer) is asking for life time health and drug records on the horses they buy. US horses do not have those and there for it is quite possible that there is no place for US kill buyers to ship their horses to.
I have heard of Kill buyers paying upwards of $1000 for a horse that they knew a rescue buyer was biding on,
Why would they do this if they have no market, or if the market is only 30 cents per pound, at the end of a long truck drive and after paying import fees at the borders.
Lets do the math,
- A1000 lb horse is going to bring approximately $300 at the kill plants. (30 cents per pound)
- The trucking of each horse and fees to cross the borders varies depending on how far from a plant they are, but it will average about $200 per horse.
- This will leave a $100 profit per horse IF THE HORSES ARE FREE
- The trucks can haul about 30 horses at a time.
This means that if the kill buyer gets 30 horses for free, he may earn $3000 max for his time and wear and tear on his truck.
So how can they spend more than $50 per horse let alone a thousand?
The answer is, their intended buyers have huge hearts, and are not the kill plants!
They know rescue buyers will pay what they ask to save a selected horse from slaughter.
They suggest to save the horse from getting on the truck to a kill plant the rescuers have to pay x amount. This amount is often said to just cover costs, Even Kill buyers want people to think they are nice people,
I have heard of up to $1500 in costs to save a horse from going to the kill plant.
I promise you, if a person has $1500 invested in a horse they are not going to ship that horse to slaughter.
THE FACTS ARE - IF YOU FORCE KILL BUYERS TO SPEND MORE THAN $50 for a horse, they cant ship it and see a profit.
The way to save more horses is to donate money to feed horses, do not buy them from people who say they will kill them..
THEY CANT KILL THEM AND MAKE A PROFIT. All you need to do is make the kill buyer spend more than a couple hundred bucks per horse and they will be out of business very fast.
If forced to ship a horse they have more than a couple hundred in they will lose money if they ship it to the slaughter plants.
Most of the kill buyers are horse dealers and evaluate and sell the horses worth keeping to ride or drive to people wanting a horse to ride or drive..
Some of the most effective horse dealers have double agents working for them.
The double agents pretend to be rescuing horses, finding foster homes that will pay all the high fees to save the horse from the nasty kill buyer, Then they split the profits with the kill buyer.
.jpeg)
Yes they may send a few good horses to slaughter that they cant afford to feed once the rescue money dries up.
BUT! I imagine if you time it right, you can buy the horses they get rid of, for 50 cents on the dollar of what they paid before you quit helping them stay in business.
The truth is that the horses you are saving from the so called kill buyers are most likely not going to slaughter anyway.
Some of the most effective horse dealers have double agents working for them.
The double agents pretend to be rescuing horses, finding foster homes that will pay all the high fees to save the horse from the nasty kill buyer, Then they split the profits with the kill buyer.
Most of the double agents I have heard of, are females.
They know how to pull the heartstrings
and sound like they have a heart as well.
There are very few of these double agents around, But they are successful and move a lot of cheap horses for more money than legit dealers can dream of getting.
If you have to pay more than $750 or $1000 to save a horse from slaughter you are dealing with a double agent!
If you have to pay more than $750 or $1000 to save a horse from slaughter you are dealing with a double agent!
DO NOT SUPPORT THEM.
The end game - Once The Kill Buyers Stop Getting Your Money
BUT! I imagine if you time it right, you can buy the horses they get rid of, for 50 cents on the dollar of what they paid before you quit helping them stay in business.
Remember it is going to cost them money to ship, and there is no guarantee of a buyer at the kill plants.
Support the legit rescues (501c) , help feed the horses, and pay to euthanize the ones that cant be saved, the kill buyers will go away once you stop funding them,
The horses will still need feeding and a lot of horses can be fed for what the kill buyers suck out of well intentioned individuals each month.
But first you have to stop helping the dirt bags that squeeze your purses by pulling your heart strings.
I do see the need for a slaughter plant for sick, crippled and dangerous unruly horses, but I do not think they should be sold for profit,
They should be treated with dignity when put to sleep, Then used to help feed all the abandoned dogs and cats in the country.
But that is a story for another day.
Have a good day and god bless all rescue workers and supporters.
Addendum added please read this new blog before you comment on the the statement about my thinking there is a place for slaughter houses.
Rod
Support the legit rescues (501c) , help feed the horses, and pay to euthanize the ones that cant be saved, the kill buyers will go away once you stop funding them,
The horses will still need feeding and a lot of horses can be fed for what the kill buyers suck out of well intentioned individuals each month.
But first you have to stop helping the dirt bags that squeeze your purses by pulling your heart strings.
I do see the need for a slaughter plant for sick, crippled and dangerous unruly horses, but I do not think they should be sold for profit,
They should be treated with dignity when put to sleep, Then used to help feed all the abandoned dogs and cats in the country.
But that is a story for another day.
Have a good day and god bless all rescue workers and supporters.
Addendum added please read this new blog before you comment on the the statement about my thinking there is a place for slaughter houses.
Rod
I couldn't have said it better myself!!! Thanks for the good read!!
ReplyDeleteWe have been saying this until we are blue in the face for the past 2 years....social media has become quite the popular vehicle for all of these KB'ers, dealers, and their brokers. It falls on deaf ears...as soon as they yell "the truck is coming"...all the bleeding hearts come out of the woodwork to support these dirt bags. It's a mute point.
ReplyDeleteanonymous, with luck it may sink in to some, I heard that a horse got run up over a $1000 and then dropped on the buyer at the sale today :)
DeleteThat is the type of thing that has to keep happening if you take the profit out of it it will stop.
There is very little profit in shipping horses to slaughter as it is anymore,
Here in Montana the live stock auction does not.take the sick, blind, or.crippled up horses.
Deleteoh Brooks STFU! your a hag that wants the world to bow at your feet, you could careless about a horses life. Your so called social media is your own HATE page on not so lucky starz on fb, which is about attacking people that save lives and has nothing to do with saving animals!
DeleteIt's "moot", not "mute." Yes, I had an asshole kill buyer bid against me at a sale a couple of years ago - friend of the auctioneer, who thought it was funny just to drive up the price. They are assholes, one and all.
DeleteSorry Rob, but what you offer is all pure BS designed to work on the emotions driven crowd. The best way to protect healthy horses is to preserve their value. The best way to do that would have been to preserve the domestic horse slaughter market. For when a horse is actually worth $600 - $800 based on slaughter value, they are not starved, or abused, unless by some mental deficient.
DeleteFor some people, there is the thrill of "saving" something. For others, they suffer from depression and it makes them feel good to have helped save a life. For others, they can't get it through their heads that the ones they saved last week still need to be fed, vetted and cared for and it's more important to save another one from auction than it is to help feed the one that is now "safe" at a rescue. Leave the rescue to deal with that... these 'saviours" have more horses to save is the unintended mentality and it isn't going to change any time soon.
ReplyDelete"Leave the rescue to deal with that".....really? Many of the people who rush to save horses when "the truck is coming" know very little to nothing about what they are getting into. By supporting horses already in rescues and adopting horses already rehabilitated and evaluated for around the same amounts as horses they know nothing about would free up experienced rescuers a lot more and keep the horses that get "saved" only to be for sale again in the near future to a minimum.
DeleteWhile I agree with the sentiment completely, the prices have been higher and different weight horses bring different amounts of money at the plant. The real killbuyers have a quota to meet per their contract and no matter what, they are going to fill their quota. They buy extra horses, those to fill their trucks and thise to sell to the bleeding heart advocates. And then real rescues like ours, is scrapping to get buy with horses taken in seizure where the court system drags their feet, horses where owners have died and the family doesnt want them, etc.
ReplyDeletevery true
DeleteWell said!!
ReplyDeleteThe EU has only banned meat coming out of mexico but will still except it till march 1st 2015. 30 cents a pound is a low Mexican pay out. Canada will pay much more up to 95 cents a lb depending on the quality meat. Example- the old work horse, mule ect means tougher meat n pays less, young healthy stock- tbs, qhs ect mean a leaner higher quality so it gets higher $. Kill buyers will buy at $ 300-400 on 1 of these young healthy 1000# horses that will 70cents n higher a lb. The meat is graded just like beef. So u do the math. There r true statements in this write up but not many. 1 that is true is, if u r spending $1000 to buy 1 from a kill buyer u r paying to much. Had kill buyers bid us up to almost 600 on an older tb b4 they gave it up. Bottom line is breeders need to have a specific plan for each foal n stop looking at them like $ back yard breeders breeding mutt to jeff need to stop all together. Tb breeders need to stop putting a 100 + foals on the ground in hopes of 1 being the next star. Until the supply runs out, there will b slaughter & there will b every level of rescue. As far as resuces, not wanting to upset any1, but I get sick of seeing, need 1000s for a surgery so this horse can walk. It wont ever b ridable , or companion only, lame forever. We have spent 1000s. That is what fills alot of rescues. Most people want a riding horse, not a lame 20+ so unless the rescue is willing to pts they r stuck n want more funds. Not trying to b cold as I have been on the end of the rope more then once when they a laid to rest n it rips your heart out everytime but there has to b an end pt if they want to try to help more. Alot of changes need to happen when it comes to the kill buyers, auctions, sales, breeding & rescue on any level. A horse saved is a horse saved. Doesnt matter where it came from.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely.
DeleteAnd I also agree with you on some of the ethics involved in rehabilitating horses that truly need to be put out of their misery.
Kristen
I agree also that too many horses that are not rideable have thousands of dollars spent on them. I know some of those horses have a lot of heart but still as you said unless the rescue wants to just end up with a bunch of horses to support they need to be realistic on which ones should be 'saved'. most people cannot afford to keep an unusable horse, that is sad but it is a fact.
DeleteThe mare I rescued last year only cost $575. Her rescue doesn't make any difference to you; but it makes a lot of difference to her - and to me. I shall rescue as many horses as I can because of that difference.
ReplyDeleteWOW? why the resentment in the tone? The fact you were able too, and did rescue a horse is wonderful to me and anyone else who cares about horses. There are exceptions to every rule.
DeleteI think we are on the same side, not sure why the resentful tone, but good for you and your horse.
She is resentful because so many other horses died for that one special rescue.... the additional horse on the truck, the one humane agents couldn't find space for so instead of help it died slowly in a field.... and the horse euthanized at a rescue because no one was left to adopt him and a dozen other horses need space NOW.
Delete"I do see the need for a slaughter plant for sick, crippled and dangerous unruly horses, but I do not think they should be sold for profit,
ReplyDeleteThey should be treated with dignity when put to sleep, Then used to help feed all the abandoned dogs and cats in the country.
But that is a story for another day." In the 1970's they banned the use of horsemeat in dog food,, Why? Because it was making dogs sick. And I suppose by "They should be treated with dignity when put to sleep." Means a Gunshot to the head? Because we all know you cannot Euthanize a horse with the chemicals and then feed it to anything. And why do you see a need for slaughter for sick, crippled or unruly , dangerous horses? Don't they deserve a dignified, Humane death also? But I guess in your eyes, The kill buyer is the good guy as long as he is only buying sick, crippled or dangerous horses.
The kill buyer wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for irresponsible, backyard breeders.
I understand your point in the beginning of your post here, But I think you contradicted yourself at the end. You are either for or against slaughter. There is no middle ground. You can't say "Don't buy horses from a kill buyer because you only line his pockets" and then turn around and say "Well it's ok IF" There is no "IF".
I have pulled horses off a feedlot, I raised money yesterday to pull two 18 year old mares that spent their entire lives together probably teaching children how to ride and then thrown away like they are garbage, awaiting a gruesome fate in Mexico. I look into their eyes and I see a great sadness, but what Joy it brings me to see their eyes light up when they realize they have gone to a good place. And yet, You call ME a dirtbag? Let he who is without sin,,cast the first stone......
Just want to vomit at the thought of someone giving the okay TO SLAUGHTER SICK OR DISEASED HORSES...horrific...just horrific.
DeleteI love the passion in the responses to this post, specially the ones who think they know how I think or why wrote it.
ReplyDeletepassion with ego leaves makes an interesting dinner :)
I agree Rod. The statement of "You are either for it or against it" is BS. I stand right with Rod and it looks like we are both in the middle so tell me what I can or can't believe, please try. I have put many a horse and other livestock down with a bullet. It is quick and humane.
ReplyDeleteA bullet is sometimes the most humane if done properly. I have heard of many horses suffering due to a needle.
DeleteI totally agree about a bullet to end the suffering of a horse that can't be saved. Three years ago, I had to put down a thirty year old stallion, whom I loved like a family member. I had the vet come out in a snowstorm (forty mile trip) to confirm that the old man was not going to get up this time. He had the drugs with him, but when I asked what was the best course, he drew an X on the horse's face and said I can give him the chemicals, but if he were my good and faithful friend, I'd put a bullet right in the middle of that X. Instantaneous. The drugs can take a good bit of time, and lots can go wrong. He said he's actually had to shoot horses that had an adverse reaction to the drug and convulsed. Sometimes it's better to think with your head rather than your heart. Thank you so much for posting this Mr. Miller. There should be NO place on earth that slaughters horses; because, believe me, they can't sell sick, drugged, or aged horses for human consumption-- just like cattle, it's the young healthy ones that people want to eat!
DeleteTotally agree .. a bullet is usually best... I have had the honor of owning many older horses and when it came time to let them go I use to watch them struggle and panic with the injections. The heart stops but the brain does not... Its not like a cat or dog that is so small the drugs immediately take hold.After watching my dear equine friends struggle and have to be given repeated injections and watch seizures and see the panic in their eyes I will choose a bullet to that...
DeleteEuthinasia drugs are not always the best option. I had a 5 y/o "throwaway" thoroughbred that injured his spine and his back legs no longer functioned properly. After consulting with the vet and a week of treatment, I was advised to put him down. He had been the best horse I ever owned and when he was given the shot he took off like a rocket. He needed 2 additional doses and it took 15 agonizing minutes for his heart to stop. I will never euthinize a horse again. Even if you are a horrible shot, a second one will certainly not take 15 minutes.
DeleteI believe in horse slaughter if we were to open our own ans regulate them the same as we do our other plants. Do I live my horses? Yes. Are horses livestock? Yes. Could we design facilities much better than foreign options? Yes.
***He was a weanling when I got him and 5 when he sustained his injury.
Delete***love not live
You had me until the end. If you support slaughter of horses in any capacity using the current system and techniques....you lose all credibility, no matter how close to accurate your article was. It was like reading an anti-domestic violence campaign and having the last sentence read "now, if your wife deserves it, go ahead."
ReplyDeleteI honestly think our system works very well. There are several rescues and brokers that the kill buyers are stopped by prior to the truck actually getting to Canada. I believe we save as many as we can with the funds that we have and we are all doing our best.
ReplyDeleteLast I heard slaughter houses do not "put to sleep", rather they use a bolt to the head that often doesnt work the first time. I see NO use for slaughter houses at all. Besides unwanted horses the kill buyers are after our wild mustangs as well so even if the crisis with unwanted "pets" ends there will still be an abundance of wild horses for them to greedily destroy! I don't feel driving up prices to be the answer. I feel that ending indiscriminate breeding of ALL pets will be the only thing to end this cycle! And banning slaughter as well as banning shipping to slaughter outside of the US.
ReplyDeleteSlaughter of any of our horses will NEVER EVER be the answer....humane euthanasia, people need to STOP BACKYARD BREEDING, be responsible for the LIFETIME of the animals you take in, buy...commit to. These are our family members and until the culture of thinking of our animals as "objects" to be discarded when u are tired of them....well that shit mentality has got to stop.
ReplyDeleteAnd slaughter is not an option for our old, crippled, sick horses..... Sssoo NOT an option.
They are the horses that deserve a humane, peaceful end to their journey..surrounded by love and care.
NOT THE FRIGGING CRUELTY AT THE END OF A Bolt GUN!!!!
What the hell is wrong with you???
Be a part of the solution!!!! Stop continuing the problem and trying to justify one of the most
grotesque and inhumane things we do to our horses!
They deserve so much more than this....
Kim I wish you had of read this other blog I mentioned at the end of this blog before you asked me what my problem is.
DeleteThe problem is people like you who do not think because their hearts are to big and expect everything and everyone to fit into your perfect vision of how things have to be!!
Now if you are just to upset to discuss or think then do not bother reading this post. but if you are interested in being part of a realistic solution then by all means please read the blog post called "In a perfect world every horse would be knee high in their favorite grass!"
If not then God bless, and I will look for your order of fairy dust that is mentioned at the end of that post!
Statistically, 70% of all horses sent to slaughter are Quarter horses and Paints... 16-19% are race horses...the problem is not the back yard breeder. Now, if the large AQHA ranches would stop breeding for horse meat for a couple of years, I think the majority of the slaughter issues would stop
ReplyDeleteAnyone who thinks all of the horses can/should be kept alive at any cost are out of their darn minds. And there is absolutely no way that they have any REAL background in animal husbandry, none whatsoever. Some animals need to be put down, period. Whether for their own comfort or for the safety of potential handlers. Yes, there are some horses beyond the abilities of even experienced practitioners of natural horsemanship. So just stop. Rescues are great. But I completely agree that they waste too much money on the wrong cases.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe of the phrase unwanted,starving and neglected Equines.
ReplyDeleteThere are alot of super nice animals with or without registration papers being killed at slaughter.
I have seen lots of horse's that great breeding background that I would have payed $5,000.00 for 10 years ago when I showed Quarter Horse's.
Over breeding is a huge problem from breeders such as the American Quarter Horse Association encourages breeding for registration fees. Two years ago 2014 the American Quarter Horse Association projected increase that would be 10,000 more mare's bred.
Sunnyside, Kaufman and Bastrop are processing lots of Quarter Horse's and Thoroughbreds that are being deposed of from breeders and private owners.
Then you have the back yard breeders who are breeding who can't afford to keep those animals and despose of them with no regard to what happens to them.
These is why the Safe Act has to be passed.
This will put a stop to over breeding and these individuals will not a escape goat to despose of horse's that has been a easy convenience.
I don't believe of the phrase unwanted,starving and neglected Equines.
ReplyDeleteThere are alot of super nice animals with or without registration papers being killed at slaughter.
I have seen lots of horse's that great breeding background that I would have payed $5,000.00 for 10 years ago when I showed Quarter Horse's.
Over breeding is a huge problem from breeders such as the American Quarter Horse Association encourages breeding for registration fees. Two years ago 2014 the American Quarter Horse Association projected increase that would be 10,000 more mare's bred.
Sunnyside, Kaufman and Bastrop are processing lots of Quarter Horse's and Thoroughbreds that are being deposed of from breeders and private owners.
Then you have the back yard breeders who are breeding who can't afford to keep those animals and despose of them with no regard to what happens to them.
These is why the Safe Act has to be passed.
This will put a stop to over breeding and these individuals will not a escape goat to despose of horse's that has been a easy convenience.
I run two horse adoption groups on FB, the Bolero Gaited Horse Adoption Network, and the Bolero Appaloosa and Spotted Horse Adoption Network. The groups are called Bolero for a purebred Paso Fino that I personally knew as a young colt, who ended up in a kill lot and heading for slaughter in PA.
ReplyDeleteI almost fell off my chair when I saw a photo of this horse that I recognized! The photo was taken by one of the rescues that saves horses going to slaughter. I networked this horse in every Paso FIno group I am a member of, and Bolero was saved from a grisly death. The next day I started the Bolero Gaited Horse Adoption Network in his name.
Our members network horses for rescues and horses that are being given away or have really low prices on Craigslist and are in danger of going to slaughter. Sadly, we also will network purebred gaited horses, like Paso Finos, Peruvian Pasos, Fox Trotters from the emotional blackmailer Facebook Kill Buyers, because there are not that many of those horses in the United States, and some of them are considered rare breeds. It SICKENS me to do this, but I also know that the real kill buyers have a quota to meet, and when a load is not full they will put the horses they buy to resell on the truck to fill it.
Last month we saw over 100 purebred Fox Trotters dumped at an auction. All of the adults went to slaughter, and their colts and fillies, 20 of them, some just 4 months old, were left to fend for themselves at the kill lot. Another buyer bought the bunch for $20.00 each:
20 Fox Trotters X $20.00 = $400.00
These young horses sold for over $300.00 each to a group of people on Facebook who love that breed:
20 Fox Trotters X $300.00 = $6,000.00
With that kind of profit margin, it is quite obvious why this type of thing keeps going on, and I really don't see it ending anytime soon.
Two of the foals had holes in their skulls under their forelocks--both died from infection--one died before it was picked up at the kill lot, and the other one made it to her new home but died a few days later.
We are seeing this kind of thing ALL THE TIME--purebred horses dumped at auctions, bought by kill buyers, and sold for meat. It would be one thing if they were slaughtered humanely, but the horror they face in Mexican slaughter houses is the worst thing I have ever read. The thing that haunts me the most is the piles of halters that are left after they are loaded onto the trailers, many have their names on them. One horse had a halter with I LOVE MY HORSE on the nose band! That terrified horse was bought out of the kill lot by a rescue in Pa.
These are our companion horses that TRUST US, and yet so many unknowing owners sell them at auctions, or in Free To Good home ads, and many of them end up in the slaughter pipeline. Some of the horses who are bought by the Facebook Kill Buyers for resale to "bleeding hearts" are so stressed that their immune systems are compromised and have contagious diseases like strangles
From what we are seeing, there would be no reason for all of this misery if more people knew what could happen to their horses when sold cheaply at auctions or given away on Craig's list ads. I think the biggest thing that needs to happen is EDUCATION of the American Public on what is happening to over 130,000 horses a year.
Right now our Bolero members are working on educating horse owners concerning the safest way to sell their horses so that they do not end up on a death ride to Mexico. We are going to clinics to talk about this situation, and handing out brochures with simple instructions on the best way to safely sell your horse.
I do believe that many of us are on the front lines of change, but it saddens me how many horses will suffer a horrible death before that change actually comes....
Tracy Stevens
Bolero Gaited Horse Adoption Network
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bolerogaitedhorseadoptionnetwork/
Bolero Appaloosa and Spotted Horse Adoption Network
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BoleroAppaloosaHorseAdoptionNetwork
This is a great article. I have been saying this for years but not as eloquently as you. When I was going to auctions in 2009 and 2010, the kill buyers there were all talking about finding another line of work because they were losing so much money. Now they are all buying new trucks and shipping more horses.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I know there are many out there who feel intently against this but the simple fact is that until we accept this as a needed reality and regulate it accordingly (ie. humane treatment prior to slaughter) what we all fear will keep happening. I could go on and on but I just wanted to pass on some positive thoughts and regard to you to battle against those who see the internet as a safe place to blast others.
ReplyDelete