Horsin' Around - the horse column
Spare a Prayer
Written by Noey H.


When you think of horses, do you think of the wonderful animals who are free to graze in a green pasture and be ridden day in and day out? If you do, then sadly you live in an unrealistic world full of ignorance towards what really happens to thousands of horses every year. Though many Americans are completely unaware of it, each year more than 60,000 (that's six with four zero's!) horses are slaughtered nationwide for human consumption in countries such as France, Belgium, Japan, Italy, and Switzerland. In addition to this, horses are also slaughtered for dog and cat chow --- sometimes they are even stuffed into goat food or used for human consumption products!

So what kinds of horses go to slaughter anyway? Are they all old and crippled? Have they all been problem horses that were dangerous to work around and could damage property or anyone who ventured near them? No, this is not so. According to the Equine Protection Network, “Horses of all ages and sex are slaughtered, including pregnant mares and foals. Former racehorses, show horses, pleasure horses, carriage horses, Amish work and buggy horses, summer riding camp horses, police horses, former therapeutic and handicapped riding horses, lesson horses, rodeo horses, wild mustangs, and just about any other type of horse you could imagine are slaughtered without a care.”

As if that could not be horrid enough, the treatment of these horses during transportation and slaughter is extremely cruel and inhumane. Possibly twenty horses or more are stuffed into a five-horse trailer (most of the animals stamping on top of each other) and taken to a factory where they are dragged from the trailer and into stalls. Inside the factory, horses writhe in the holding stall (known as the “kill box”), legs buckling under their own weight after each traumatic, misguided and ineffective blow to their head. Extreme summer and winter temperatures add to the misery as well as the lack of food, water, and other essentials which are withheld from the equine victims.

Until the spring of 2007, two Texas factories were slaughtering horses and had been for the past 45 years. Though both the slaughterhouses were shut down, now more and more horses are being shipped to Mexico and Canada to be killed every year. As of now, the slaughter rate of horses in Mexico is up at least 383% or more than it was in 1987.

The fight to end horse slaughter has been a much heated and ongoing battle. New injuries are discovered and left to heal on their own as horses struggle to balance on slippery metal floors which are coated with urine and manure. This point is further illustrated by an excerpt from Gail A. She claims, “Animal neglect is a completely different pathology than slaughter: Owners who starve or neglect their horses are usually repeat offenders who will profess to love their animals. Slaughter has to do with some dealer buying up every available cheap horse he can get his hands on to sell for meat. Finally, the carcass is skinned, gutted, and dismembered.” The practice of horse slaughter could safely be considered the effect of cruelty and madness.

For merely one minute, look around yourself and think of all of the things that were made possible in this country due to our faithful servant the equine. Please try to stop the decimation of these beautiful animals, even if all you can do is spare a prayer every month.