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End Horse Slaughter Now! |
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HaNAeleh |
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www.hanaeleh.com |
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HR. 503/ S. 311
The only way we are going to truly end horse slaughter is through federal legislation. Most specifically, it is incredibly important that HR. 503 and S. 311 are passed THIS YEAR to end the transportation of horses for the purpose of slaughter to Canada and Mexico.
PLEASE contact your representative and ask that we get this bill passed to help save our horses!
Click here to contact your senators!
More information on HR. 503:
More information on horse slaughter: (Please note that some sites contain graphic images)
Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates
Just Say Whoa! to Horse Slaughter
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Horse slaughter |
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Hanaeleh was started after its founder rescued an untrained Arabian horse from a feedlot in Chino. Many months of training later, Cleopatra competed in dressage and western shows as well as in endurance. She is the horse in our logo and our reminder that beautiful horses are being needlessly slaughtered everyday. While the slaughterhouses in the United States have recently been closed, horses are still being slaughtered– they are merely being shipped across the border to Canada and Mexico, where they meet horrific ends. In Mexico, for example, horses are repeatedly stabbed by “puntilla” knives until they bleed to death. These are not horses who are bred for meat, but horses who could have been a little girl’s best friend until purchased by a killer buyer at an auction. Hanaeleh is in favor of the passage of HR 503 and S 311, both bills in Congress that would amend the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act and would prohibit the purchase, sale or transportation of horses for the purpose of human consumption. Common Questions about Horse Slaughter: 1. Without slaughter, won’t there be too many horses? The truth is that we do have more horses than there are a market for currently. There are a number of reasons for this: the poor economy, the severe droughts/floods that have driven up the cost of hay, the lack of land available to own a horse, the closure of stables in suburban areas, etc. Even the fact that we are better able to care for our elderly horses with medical aides and joint supplements has led to the decreased demand for horses. One of the most unfortunate reasons that we have too many horses, however, is that breeders continued to breed horses without regard for the quality or the need for their animals because they knew that they could get money for them at auction– killer buyer or no. One of the most unfortunate victims of over breeding is the Quarter Horse. While the AQHA continued to report decreased registrations, breeders continued to breed, and it is no surprise that the most popular horse that is slaughtered is the American Quarter Horse. In essence, slaughter created a false market in which breeders could unload horses that they could not sell otherwise, and therefore they continued to breed without regard to whether or not there were other buyers for their horses. Horse slaughter created the problem that its proponents state that it will solve– there is no way that continuing to create a market for horses will lead to the decreased population and stabilization of the horse market. The people who continue to breed the best quality horses will continue to have a market for their animals, and those who breed for the purpose of having more stock will find themselves out of business. How many Friesians do you think end up at the slaughterhouse?
2. How are horses different from any other livestock? Hanaeleh does not see horses in the same classification as cows, for a number of reasons: 1. First– and, most importantly, foremost, horses are bred to be companions, and we feel that they should be classified as a companion animal, not merely livestock. Horses are trained to be riding mounts, they are used for mental and physical therapy, and some miniature horses are even trained to help the blind! Horses have been domesticated for 5,000 years not as a meat animal, but as a means of transportation, for war, and as companions. For this reason, people have a special bond with horses, very similar to the relationship that we have with dogs and cats, and should be treated as such. One of the most common questions we are asked is why, if there are many horses, why we do not feel that they should be slaughtered– our answer is for the same reason that cats and dogs are humanely euthanized– because they are our friends and companions and deserve a noble end. 2. Because they are not bred for the purpose of human consumption as other livestock are, horses are wormed, given supplements and medicated without thought to the fact that these can be toxic to their meat. The guidelines are so lenient for horses as opposed to other livestock that a horse can literally be bought at an auction in the morning and that afternoon can be shipped to a slaughterhouse– no consideration is given to the quality of their meat or the physical condition of the horse. While strict regulations are set for other types of animals, sick, dying, lame or medicated horses can be slaughtered and their meat sent out to France, Belgium and Asia without any thought to the quality of the meat. 3. Horses are not humanely euthanized when they are slaughtered. While health standards do not care about the quality of the horse meat in regards to wormers or medications, there are strict guidelines as to how a horse should be slaughtered for human consumption. When veterinarians euthanize a horse, they give medications to calm the horse first, then they give a medication that stops his heart. A horse in a slaughterhouse, however, is often killed by having a bolt driven through the front of his head, just as a cow might. Unfortunately, different than a cow, one of the hardest parts of the horse’s head is that exact spot where the bolt would be, and sometimes multiple bolts must be used to finally kill horses. In Mexico, as has been mentioned, horses are stabbed repeatedly in the neck until they bleed to death. This is not humane, and our horses deserve better than a torturous end.
3. What kind of horses end up at the slaughterhouse? Essentially, all types of horses can end up at the slaughterhouse, including horses such as the 112th Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand, who won over $600,000 but was slaughtered in 2003 because he didn’t prove to be a worthy enough stud. Many ex-racehorses are shipped to slaughter instead of being retrained for a future life outside of the track. Quarter Horses, Arabians, Morgans, Tennessee Walkers, etc.– all are welcomed by the slaughterhouse. The most common horse slaughtered, however, is the American Quarter Horse. Because no consideration is given to the horse’s past, many stolen horses end up at the slaughterhouse. In an effort to making a quick buck, people steal other people’s pets and sell them to the slaughterhouse; the slaughterhouse doesn’t even have to check for a microchip before they put an end to someone’s pet. Netposse.com was created to help reunite horses with their owners, and found a great deal of these stolen horses were stolen for the purpose of being sold to slaughter. Click to read a special article from Time/People– Note: there are graphic images on this site.
4. What about the abandoned horses? The idea that the lack of horse slaughter has led to the increased abandonment of horses has been prevalent, but it is untrue. There are a number of reasons why people abandon their horses, just as there are reasons people abandon dogs, cats and even children. The poor economy and mortgage fallout has seen a huge rise in dog and cat abandonment, but no one suggests slaughtering them to solve this problem. Horse slaughter was made illegal in California over ten years ago, and horse were being abandoned before this, and we assume that they will continue to be abandoned in the future, no matter what the legislation on horse slaughter. Our purpose is to offer owners an alternative to abandonment or neglect by allowing them to donate their horses to Hanaeleh, another local rescue, or even to the local humane society instead.
5. What about the sick or dangerous horses? We believe that the sick, elderly or extremely dangerous horses should have a noble end to their lives and be humanely put down– not scared to death by being forced into a chute, trampled on by other horses and then brutally killed. Our horses are bred to be our friends and companions– the United States is not a society that needs or even desires horses to be used as a meat source. If a person has a horse that needs to be euthanized, but does not have the funds to pay a veterinarian, then they can contact zoos or lion sanctuaries that euthanize horses for the animal’s food source. |
