I’m sure that you have all heard by now that despite campaign promises, the ban on Federal funding for horse meat inspectors has been lifted which now allows USA equine slaughterhouses to resume function.
MY ARGUMENT…
My argument is that there has never been an equine kill method offered where minimum wage slaughterhouse workers could perform the task effectively and humanely.
I’m not against slaughterhouses as much as I am against inhumane technique – and the inhumane people behind the inhumane technique.
You see, horses are tough to kill (unless you get it just right). And, they are highly sensitive. For humans to not adequately consider the equine with a humane form of slaughter is, well, inexcusable and too easy of an out for me to respect.
OH BUT THEY WILL SUFFER LESS…
Just because horses are now going to be killed in the USA instead of Mexico or Canada, doesn’t mean that their suffering will be less. It just means they don’t have to travel as far under horrible conditions – So, I guess they will not suffer for as long, but certainly they won’t suffer any less.
Being killed is being killed. Being aware that you are being killed is even worse. Being killed badly is unspeakable.
You can’t pretty that up.
EVERYONE SAYS IT WILL BE BETTER FOR THE HORSE
Did we formulate a humane method of horse slaughter during the last FIVE YEARS in preparation for this day? Um. No.
And why not? Because developing and maintaining humane slaughter methods would cost a lot more money… and those making all the money would prefer not to have to part with any of it.
So how could reverting to inhumane slaughter be better for the horse?
It isn’t. It will be better for us, not the horses.
We Americans will now have less guilt about disposing of our unworthy horses and make more money at it while we are doing it.
And, what kind of message are we sending?
If inhumane horse slaughter of any age/any condition horse is OK in America… I guess we are making a clear point that we don’t care about anything that has no obvious value – even if it did help build our country. (Oh wait, we’re kinda like that with our elders too, aren’t we?)
Fail.
Major flipping fail.
IF YOU CANNOT CARE FOR IT, DON’T BREED/BUY IT.
It isn’t OK to have a ton of kids/cars/garbage and not care for it…
Since when is it OK to breed/buy whatever horse you want and when you get it – if it doesn’t measure up – just get rid of it. Why do humans think it is A-OK to not care for an animal they own – especially if it is competing with, costing too much or pissing off the human?
You wouldn’t kill Trigger but you would kill the mare next door.
What is the difference?
Disconnect.
GET RID OF THE LAZY, WORTHLESS HUMANS
Hey, I have an idea… there are too many people in this world. We breed indiscriminately. We don’t even have herd sires or lead mares that keep the riff-raff from adding genetic defaults to our lineage.
There are too many of us…
So, I think we should start there. If we humans had to devise a humane slaughterhouse for unproductive/unwanted humans, it would probably end up being a heckofalot better than what we’ve adopted for the poor equines.
In this way, we could do unto others as we’d like, right? Oh, wait a minute, that ‘do unto others’ stuff is strictly meant for humans. We can do whatever we want to the animals (and the earth, for that matter).
IF YOU NEED TO OFF YOUR HORSE, HAVE THE VET DO IT
Allowing your horse to die painlessly and with dignity isn’t cheap. That’s why ownership has responsibilities…
Oh sure, you could drag your sorry sick horse to the slaughterhouse – and maybe make a coupla bucks – but is that right?
All I’m saying is do the right thing. Either care for your horses, plan for your horses, ask for help in emergencies, dispose of your horse humanely or DON’T HAVE A HORSE. Take responsibility, people!
Who is minding the store anyway?
IN CONCLUSION
I hadn’t planned on getting all Andy Rooney on you… but this cop-out of an equine kill procedure really burns me.
Six of my eleven horses were queued up in that slaughter line before they came to live with me. And, I gotta tell you, there isn’t a worthless, useless, non-thinking nor non-feeling one in the bunch. I could not imagine any of them standing in the bloody chutes waiting for the misplaced hammer.
For my dollar, I’d rather get rid of some of the insensitive and godcomplexed people who are clogging up the world – and leave a bit more space for the keepers of the horses.
Just sayin’
Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand. When he was no longer valuable, he sold, then sold again and then he was slaughtered in some dark place in Japan...
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