Let me begin by asking the question "Why is it okay to sell one type of animal to slaughter and not another?".

Some countries kill and eat cattle, others worship them. Some countries kill and eat dogs, other countries kill them and throw their bodies in to the garbage (I refer to the surplus animals euthanized in Canada, USA, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere). Some people keep pigs as pets, other people eat pigs as bacon. Why should horses be any different?

Make no mistake, I love horses, I own horses, but I also have seen horses suffering because people kept them alive for the wrong reasons. I have seen perfectly health animals shipped to slaughter, while substandard ones limp around the fields on crocked legs. Why should a perfectly healthy cow be killed, and a crippled horse be kept alive?

We are talking about ethics here, specifically the ethics of selling horses for slaughter. We are not talking about the ethics of eating a horse. A lot of horse meat is actually used to feed zoo animals. Certainly some is sold for consumption by humans, and when this happens, why should it be viewed any differently than a cow being eaten?

Horses are noble beasts, but only because we view them as such, and have found other uses for them. One such use is a major contributor to why so many horses are slaughtered. The female hormone replacement therapy program sees thousands of mares kept pregnant for eleven months of the year, with their urine being collected. The by-product is unwanted foals. More foals are produced than the horse industry needs, so many are sold to slaughter.

Crippled, or permanently lame, horses are seldom wanted as lawn ornaments. Very few people are willing to keep a horse strictly so they can look at it. Most want a horse they can ride, show, or otherwise make use of. With feed costs, and veterinary costs, being high the horse is either starved, neglected, or disposed of. Selling the horse at an auction often sees it being purchased and shipped to slaughter.

For many people this is a practical solution to a financial burden. The argument might be made that the owners could euthanize the horse on their property. But then what? Most people do not bury horses, they call for the dead animal truck to pick up the body. A euthanized animal is unsafe for human consumption but some are used in pet food or for zoos, or are otherwise rendered down.

The argument has also been made that people will profit by stealing horses and selling them to slaughter yards. It must be noted that slaughter yards are required to check for proof of ownership. Even horses that pass through auction markets must pass inspection to prove ownership. Brand inspectors can easily spot a stolen horse. The small profit is not worth the risk.

I do not agree with the slaughtering process on a whole. Starving animals before they are slaughtered is cruel and only done for our convenience, to keep the slaughter house floor clean. It is no more unfair for horses than for any other animal.

To be blunt, one dead horse feeds more people, than one dead chicken, but both suffer.

If we as humans want to end the slaughter of horses, we need to address the reasons. We need to reduce the numbers of horses born every year. We need to insist that people do not breed inferior horses, thus producing lower quality stock with poor legs. Or we need to accept the fact that we as humans are omnivores, we need to eat meat. We can select what meat we want to eat, but should not judge others for their selection.

To read more about the PMU hormone industry and how it impacts horse slaughter, click here.

Learn more about this author, Brenda Nelson.
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