Horse Slaughter Houses in the US?

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time know that I rarely stray from my expressed theme of honoring the Noble and Great horses in our lives and throughout history. You also know that I love horses, have ALWAYS loved horses and WILL ALWAYS love horses and not just until I die but beyond death as well! So it is with difficulty and distress that I broach the subject of slaughtering horses in our country. In November, Congress voted to lift a ban on funding inspections of horse meat processing plants (Slaughter Houses.) Obama signed the bill into law on November 18.

How do I feel about this? That is a tough question. I love my horses so much. I know them personally and I believe that they love me as much. The thought of one of them coming to such a violent end makes me sick to my stomach. However, as much as I wish every horse could be in a loving home such as mine, I know that that is not the case.

Five years ago, a ban was put into law the prevented the spending of any money to inspect horse slaughter houses. As a result, no horse meat could be sold for human consumption in the US. It must be noted that slaughtering horses was not banned federally, just the inspection. Two states, California and Illinois have banned the slaughter of horses. The result of the ban was that the US slaughter houses shut down.

However, in the intervening five years, what has happened? It is important to look at the results of a governmental action...something our politicians and government beurocrates refuse to do in most cases. There have been two major problems. First, many people had no humane way to dispose of an old or injured horse. Many were simply abandoned or neglected and left to live a life of long, drawn-out misery. The second problem is that Canada and Mexico continue to have slaughter houses. I have been told that the Canadian plants are quite humane but a horse sent to Mexico is sent to a torture chamber. I hope that isn't true but my gut tells me that it is. The other issue is that horses are transported the long miles out of the country in horrible conditions.

I really hate even thinking about this and any time spent researching it leaves me so upset I have nightmares. If any of you have ever been to a horse auction, you can quickly identify the "Killers" as they are called. They are the ones who step in when a horse hasn't sold and offer a low price.

There doesn't seem to be a good answer for those of us who so love horses. My love for horses in general and my own in particular does not negate the fact that there are simply insufficient resources available, especially in this economy, to take care of unwanted horses. Then again, our Federal Government does not need to take on any more costly programs!

So what is the best thing to do?
WHAT DO YOU THINK? I don't have an answer for this and would welcome anything you have to say!

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