Good intentions are driving up the cost of rescuing horses. while many thought I had wrote an informative piece, some gave it less than stellar reviews.
Terms like "makes me want to puke", "You cant be for slaughter and against it at the same time, etc."
I wrote another blog about educating people, so fewer horses need rescuing. That blog is called Fighting equine abuse and neglect through education of both horses and owners! Before anyone assumes they know my position on anything the should read the above mentioned blog, and this one.
The main issue people had with the blog Good intentions, seemed to be I mentioned the need for an effective affordable program to euthanize some horses. I used the words "slaughter and dog food" in the suggestion and that seemed to upset a few good hearted people.
So that brings me to my main point in this post,
In a perfect world
The need for slaughter houses would not exist..
The need for rescues would not exist
The facts are that not all horses can be saved, in a perfect world they would be. BUT this is not a perfect world. We all have free will,
- Some will chose to be uninformed,
- Some will chose to think differently than we do,
- Some will chose to be heartless towards all animals.
- Still more will chose to put their head in the sand and ignore issues others find impossible to ignore.
- Some people will always raise more horses than they can feed or sell.
- Maybe they think they can sell all their donkeys, because they love them and believe everyone will want one?
- Maybe their wonderful stallion can't produce the winner at a better ratio than 1 in 4 so they breed 5 to get one good one and the other 4 are throw ways?
- I do not now why they over breed and really do not care why they do. The only thing we can do is educate people, so that they do not do those things out of ignorance, they have to chose to be heartless or just dumb! . - Some people will take a horse and then not be able to care for it.
- Horses are a huge commitment, both in time and money, peoples lives change, if they find they can't care for the horse and can't give it away their only option many times is a sale. We can not judge these people till we walk a mile in their shoes.
- Personally I have found myself in that position temporarily, fortunately for me I had developed my horses into great riding horses, they had some value so leasing them so someone else would feed them and care for them while I couldn't was easy.
- Again why I promote education for both the horses and owners as I mentioned in Fighting equine abuse and neglect through education of both horses and owners! - Some people will take a horse and turn it into a pushy dangerous beast by coddling it and trying to make it a dog.
- Ask any knowledgeable horse person who deals with rescue horses what the hardest horses to adopt out are and they will tell you the spoiled pushy dangerous ones, Finding people who want to, and are able to correct those issues is very hard.
- The old and crippled will find a foster owner before a pushy dangerous horse will.
The majority of people realize this is not a perfect world, and we have to deal in reality.
The reality is if we want to get rid of slaughter houses we first need to develop an effective way of dealing with all the horses that end up there.
This is where my comment in Good intentions are driving up the cost of rescuing horses. came from. It was a suggestion as to how we could possibly create an affordable and effective way of dealing with the horses that find themselves at the kill plants and or starved and crippled.
Obviously to some it was not a great suggestion, but instead of telling me how bad an idea it was, how about telling me how we can address the issue?
The reasons this needs to be addressed by adults and not people who believe in sprinkling fair dust on the problem are simple:|
Have a great day and please support an equine rescue, My favorites based on what they do and their practical approach is the Alaskan Equine Rescue and The Colorado Horse Rescue Network.
The reality is if we want to get rid of slaughter houses we first need to develop an effective way of dealing with all the horses that end up there.
This is where my comment in Good intentions are driving up the cost of rescuing horses. came from. It was a suggestion as to how we could possibly create an affordable and effective way of dealing with the horses that find themselves at the kill plants and or starved and crippled.
Obviously to some it was not a great suggestion, but instead of telling me how bad an idea it was, how about telling me how we can address the issue?
The reasons this needs to be addressed by adults and not people who believe in sprinkling fair dust on the problem are simple:|
- Rescues work tirelessly to raise money to help horses, and still never have enough money to save them all.
- Every dollar they spend saving horses that will never find an adoptive owner, is a dollar they will have to spend over and over until that horse dies. Meaning they could have used the same funds to rehab and adopt out many others for the cost of saving one.
- Euthanize programs that are run by some rescues are great options for people who have a heart and cant afford to pay to have their crippled or older horse humanly put down.
Taking in horses from people who cant afford to feed their horses, is a good thing as well.
BUT as I said earlier not all people are going to have that big a heart, remember free will? Some will chose to take the horse to a sale and take $50 instead of giving it away to a rescue, (even if they can find a rescue that has room). Others will then chose to take that horse to a slaughter plant. Others will then chose to eat the meat.
We have effectively decided in the USA that as a society we do not want to slaughter horses for human consumption. I have no problem with that, I do how ever have a huge problem with there not being any cohesive way of dealing with the problem that slaughter houses deal with.
There will always be more horses that need rescuing, than there are rescue dollars.
SORRY THAT IS A FACT, IF WE CANT FACE THAT FACT WE CANT FIX THE PROBLEM !
I still believe that developing an affordable and safe alternative is needed before we stop the slaughter houses completely.
They serve an ugly purpose, Shutting them down does not make the purpose go away!
I am all for helping develop an alternative. But until there is an alternative I will continue to try and help educate people on:
I still believe that developing an affordable and safe alternative is needed before we stop the slaughter houses completely.
They serve an ugly purpose, Shutting them down does not make the purpose go away!
I am all for helping develop an alternative. But until there is an alternative I will continue to try and help educate people on:
- How to save the most horses with the dollars they have,
- How to develop value in the horse, so the horse never finds itself in a position to be unwanted and uncared for.
Have a great day and please support an equine rescue, My favorites based on what they do and their practical approach is the Alaskan Equine Rescue and The Colorado Horse Rescue Network.
If you support a great rescue that has a practical approach, please let me know so I can give a shout out to them and offer my help.
Rod
very well said, thank you for putting out there. it is very hard to get rid of a lame horse. or a very mean one. there needs to be a place to send these animals to. A place that the animal's body can still be of use to other animals. but done in a clean way
ReplyDeleteHorses are not fit for either human or animal consumption due to the chemicals and other products used on them. They have not been used for dog food in the US since the 1970's. Slaughter isn't a humane form of euthanasia. If one is going to own a horse, one also has the responsibility to humanely end its life should the need arise (chemical euthanasia by a licensed vet or a well placed bullet to the brain) and properly dispose of the body.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Purpose' of slaughter plants is to feed horsemeat to humans. Most likely, entirely unregulated, adulterated meat to people - it is terrorrism. The horse slaughter plants do not exist to provide a 'service' of horse disposal. If they can get them cheaper or more cost effective somewhere else, they would not buy them here. They are not obligated to buy even one horse and could close any time they dont get the profit they want. you are correct in that we will never be able to 'rescue' out of horse slaughter. There are many large ranches that run horses like cattle. Through a couple hundred out and gleen a few every year to sell. If they arent what they determined are 'worthy', they dump them at auction or sell to the trader. They dont care about the horses - just the money. The AQHA 'halter' sector is about producing meat horses. Still waiting.... The majority of people that ship their horse into the inhumane, terrorizing slaughter system CAN afford to humanely euthanize. We don't Need it. It is NOT a service. Clinics could offer free or low cost humane euthanisia and those that ship into the slaughter system wouldnt stop because for them its all about the money. They are the ONLY reason horses are still shipping to slaughter - money. Stop buying horses from those that ship to slaughter!
ReplyDeleteHeart 4 Hooves Rescue in Iowa is a rescue that takes a very practical approach to dealing with the animals it takes in.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the your well thought out comments.
ReplyDeleteIf one is going to own a horse, one also has the responsibility to humanely end its life should the need arise (chemical euthanasia by a licensed vet or a well placed bullet to the brain) and properly dispose of the body.
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