6 of 27

Write now Article Tools

Page 3 of 3

to use "downed" horses for human consumption. It's in the killbuyer's best interest to get the horses unloaded as soon as possible, so there is no evidence of any "downers". They've been caught using things like electric cattle prods on horses. Keep them up and moving, and move them into corrals to graded. Then the killbuyer is paid by the pound, and the men rush back to their hometown lot to refill the truck for the next load.

Slaughter plants do not run "the line" every day, so she's left to stand again, waiting. It's been weeks now, and she hasn't gotten anything for the extreme pain her feet are in. She stands parked out, in the characteristic laminitic stance. Several days go by. She stands in the same spot because walking hurts too much now. Finally it's Monday morning and the slaughter plant comes to life. She's made to get in line in the chute leading to the kill room, again using motivational tools like a scrap of lumber. She shuffles into the kill room.

The final moments are when the captive-bolt gun, a mechanical cylinder of metal designed for cattle not horses, is held up to her head. In theory the fast release crushed the skull and destroys the brain stem. In reality, it's only being held up to her skull by someone's hand. If she flinches at just the wrong moment, they miss, puncturing her head but not rendering her unconscious. A second hit is sometimes needed (hard to believe it, but you can verify this yourself). Their aim is to get her down and "render her unconscious" when they hoist her up by a back leg to be bled out. The reality is if her heart is still beating, her brain is still getting oxygen. Who's to say she's not aware of these last gruesome moments?

One of the leading equine vet associations, the AVMA, actually feels the captive bolt is not an acceptable, humane way to destroy a horse (reference: their own web site). They state that chemical euthanasia (what your vet does) is preferable. If that is absolutely not possible, a skilled use of a firearm is their second choice.

And it's not until the horse is dead that the slaughterhouses scan for microchips. If your horse was stolen, even if you alert them, odds are they won't know until it's too late. They must scan to remove them so they don't taint the meat. There is no law, however, that requires they check for stolen horses before killing them. If these were cars, the auto salvage yard who tears apart care without regard to them being stolen is now a "chop shop" and in possession of stolen property. A horse slaughterhouse is not held responsible, and the most a horse owner can hope to do is prosecute the person who took the horse in the first place.

Interesting stats:
In California in 1998 they banned horse slaughter for human consumption. The rate of neglect or abandonment did not go up. The rate of theft went down significantly.

All three slaughterhouses are owned by foreign corporations creating a product Americans find distasteful.. The slaughter plants themselves are so unpleasant to be around, they harm the neighborhoods nearby. In Texas there have been repeated lawsuits to get one of the plants to close, but the wealthy corporate lawyers just keep filing appears. Texans don't want the plants, Americans don't want to eat horsemeat, and in every general public poll, the average American is against this system.

In short, the system is inhumane at every step of the way. It encourages neglect and theft. It doesn't benefit Americans. Owners can still put the horse down locally, and can still do what their wish with the carcass. We're just saying we've had enough to this whole long, unpleasant commercial killing process.

Learn more about this author, M.G. Snyder.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3

Add your voice

Know something about The ethical issue of horses being sold for slaughter?
We want to hear your view. Write now!