Make National Day of the Horse meaningful!

Tomorrow is National Day of the Horse. Thanks to folks like trainer Dennis Reis, Congress marked December 13 as a day to celebrate horses. But how?

I SERIOUSLY think that this should be a national call-in day, to every one of our Senators and Representatives and the President to get The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act through!

Okay, I also realize that being as it is December, we're really running out of time.

And how much time is there? None, at all. Because while some people seem to think slaughter of American horses is coming back, it's been going on, in the same numbers, since the closing of the last US plants and the defunding of horse slaughter (which got lifted this year). It's just been ALL happening in Canada and Mexico. So, even if the USDA's recent statement that no requests have been made for their inspections so they don't expect it to happen in the US anytime soon really does mean that it won't, it's STILL HAPPENING. Right now, as I type this and again as you read this.

This is why we need the bill through, even if it weren't for the fact that we know that there are those already making plans to start slaughtering horses in new or existing facilities in States where no laws have been passed against it. After all, they're the ones who got this changed.

So tomorrow, if you're not doing it regularly already (and I realize most who read this blog probably already do, so I may be preaching to the choir but I hope maybe every so often it reaches someone who isn't aware and also isn't an asshole or maybe it reaches someone who's been a bit burned out and helps them get riled up again, because I know there is a huge burn out rate on this cause) call, write, email, fax, all of the above your Senators and Representatives. Call the President 202-456-1111

But PLEASE do not be an idiot when you do. Again, I hope preaching to the choir but...

There's been a lot of stupid in this since the Agriculture Appropriations Bill was signed in as without the defunding of horse slaughter inspections. I do think that calling the President to let him know we don't want slaughter of our horses happening, here or in other countries, and putting a fire under him to do something about it is important. I do NOT however know how effective an Executive Order really would be, or possible. It's something that has come up in other causes I'm part of. The thing is that the very people calling for it are often people who complain, often justifiably, when such orders are made against them. Our President should not, after all, be a dictator. Now such orders are made, but when when it's a political situation being argued already, those whose political savvy is much greater than mine have pointed out that it can be a problem. I'm NOT saying this is the case here and, therefore, suggesting it is a good idea. HOWEVER...

Some of the threatening language, even if just "I won't vote for you!" that has actually been suggested even by those in this movement who I would have hoped would know better, probably does not make a good impression. And I can't honestly say it. Remember that the movement to get this defunding removed has come largely from Republicans and while other Republicans have been standing with the anti-slaughter movement, I am far more suspicious of where the current Presidential hopefuls stand on it. They certainly do not seem good choices, as far as I'm concerned on ANY issue.

There has even been a petition going around calling the Ag Appropriations Bill "Obama's Horse Slaughter Bill." Which, I did NOT sign. Some facts, this was NOT Obama's bill. It also is not a bill that calls for the slaughter of horses. Instead the section which banned funding for horse slaughter was REMOVED. AFAIK, there was nothing added calling for horse slaughter inspections to start. It was just not there. There is a very good chance that the removal of it never was even noticed by Obama. This itself is a sad statement about how important this issue might be to him but that is NOT the same as saying he's pro-slaughter. At all.

After all, after the Agriculture Appropriations Bill was signed by President Obama on Nov. 18, I wrote my people. My Representative's office sent me a letter on Nov. 22 claiming that the defunding was put in in 2007 and would be there for Fiscal Year 2012. They apparently didn't know. Later that same day, I received an email regarding a White House "We the People" petition from Edward Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Reform Programs at the USDA saying the same thing. They had no clue yet, not sure if Rep. Bass does yet as he's not responded to any of my follow ups when I explained this to him.

So, while we might be pissed off, while we might wish they care more, let's keep in mind that we're still, really educating them. This issue matters to us who care about horses want to stop the insanity, it matters to those who want to make money killing horses (and unfortunately do already have more money to spend to get their way). But for most it's a buried issue. Acting like lunatics, making outrageous claims about Obama wanting to kill horses, is not going to get us anywhere. It's going to make people bury the issue more. Leave the crazy talk to the Slaughterhouse Sues, talk rationally and sensibly and often. It's the only real weapon we have, let's not lose it.

Americans care more about pizza than horses?

The past several days I've got to admit I've been boggled. The fact that the Agricultural Appropriations Bill includes the idea that pizza tomato sauce is a vegetable is getting people all worked up while the fact that it renewed funding of horse slaughter is barely a blip on anyone's radar. Other than the usual suspects. Even good folk who do care about horses still seem to be far more upset over the fucking pizza.

I'm just wanting to put this out there, just to say that there is something wrong in America when people don't even seem to know or care that the real crime of this is that horses can be slaughtered in the US again. That no one, even the horse advocates, are raging about this unbalanced reaction is mind boggling. So now I have.

PMU Baby Saorsa says:
Eat pizza not horses!

Do you REALLY want to eat our horses?

I"m the first to note that I don't want horse slaughter due to the cruelty. I live every day of my life with horses, I work with horses, I rescue horses. I have known the overwhelming feeling of having a horse who has been abused turning around and putting absolute trust on me. In reality, most horses do look to humans as sources of food, comfort, and caring; even ones which have been abused. Can you imagine what going through a slaughterhouse, being stunned by a bolt but waking up shortly after while being cut up, by the very beings you have had faith to take care of you all your life?

If you are not in contact with horses, can you imagine if this was your dog going through that? Because our horses, here in the US, are COMPANION animals. 

But there is another side. One that Slaughterhouse Sue Wallis and others want to deny. Because they are companion animals, horses are given medications which are banned for livestock intended for human consumption. And horses given these drugs, with these drugs in their systems, are being slaughtered and will continue to be as long as horse slaughter exists.Slaughterhouse Sue tried to refute this, without giving evidence. So, remember, not only does she want to kill our horses, but she happily will kill the people who eat them by lying.

You really want to eat our horses? Well, at least you might get exactly what you deserve. 

Are YOU willing to fucking do something?

I'm disgusted. There has been so much loss of late for the horses. The greed of those making a profit off of horse death, either by their own participation or by taking money from those who want it, is sickening in itself. But so is the fucking apathy of those not involved. Including many horse owners.

I am facing the fact that the general public doesn't give a fuck about horses. Doesn't care about their suffering. Just doesn't care. Oh, I know a few who do, but I don't see them doing a lot. For the kittehs and puppehs sure, pass everything along on FB, sign petitions, write-write-write. But I see nothing happening except by a handful when it comes to horses.

Of course, there are more who just seriously think it's okay. People who gladly would eat horse meat. Who don't even care that even if you do think horses should be killed in a torturous manner their meat is poison due to medications given to them. At least those assholes I can get out of my life. If I broke contact with all the apathetic I'd not have many people to speak with. But sometimes I think about it.

There are 3 followers to this blog through Blogger....2 of them are writers for it. There are 11 via FB/NetworkBlog, including the 3 of us. That's it. This blog has existed for a year and has a total of 237 hits.....which include ours.

You say "but you don't write much, it's you're fault." Well, we don't. I've been fighting this issue for 20 years, I"m burned out. I can't speak for Lysippe or Jo, but they've been on it a long time too and I'm sure have some degree of burn out. Burn out, is, a big problem in this movement. Because it's been so fucking long.

We got that bit of victory, Congress removed funding for inspections for slaughtering horses and the last two states, Texas and Illinois, who had foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses outlawed them. Horse slaughter ended in the US. Meanwhile, we couldn't get a single step on the American Horse Protection Acts to stop horses from being slaughtered in the US should the funding be returned OR be taken, as horses continue to be, to Canada and Mexico. Slaughter continued.

NOW, just this week, the funding for horse slaughter has been returned. The horse haters are dancing in joy, because their paid off Congress members have listened to them and not their constituents. Jerry Finch speaks of this and the frustration involved here “Which means more to you – love or money?”

But, really, while we talk about all our letter writing and all, how many of you out there really did it. Oh, wait you're not fucking reading this either, are you. You just don't want to think about it.

I wish I could do that. But I lost due to this, I loved horses some assholes in France or Belgium or Japan ate. The gelding, Midnight, in this photo was one of them. I hope everyone who hate him and Trouble, his sister, got cancer from the bute those horses were on. Oh, and they were on it. I hope they suffered miserably and died hard and scared. Because my horses died hard and scared, rendered while still alive and regaining consciousness. Because that's what horse slaughter is like. EVERY TIME.

And so, horse slaughter is now again legal in the US. And there is, again, no movement on the law that would end it in total. Not just end it here, but also any transportation anywhere to kill the horses.

Do you really care? Are you fucking reading this? Did you do ANYTHING? Seriously, are you telling your Senators and Representatives to get moving on and pass The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Senate Bill S727 and House Bill HR 2966?

Two days ago, we who signed White House "We the People" (what a joke) petition to “Protect Wild Horses and Burros; Reform Inhumane Interior Department Management Program That Wastes Tax Dollars” got a response. NOT from the White House administration, the one of the President who proclaimed he's protect horses in his campaign, no. We got a canned response from BLM Director Bob Abbey, the very man we were calling to get managed. The response was all the same lies and bullshit that we could find on his website. Lies about the environmental impact of wild equines, the need for roundups, the "humanity" of round ups that traumatize horses, kill horses and separate not only herds but foals from mothers.

But, you know, I'm sure that the numbers who signed weren't enough for them to really see any reason to act. After all,l the cattle farmers want to graze that land and that's where the money is. We The People do not matter...especially when so few of us actually signed.

Unless we can really get people do want to do something about this it will remain a small group of burned out people. We will lose towards the even smaller but moneyed Horse Haters, which includes not only those hoping to make money by doing business with the foreign horse meat interests but also breed associations who chose to overbreed rather than breed for quality, glutting the market.

It's time to stop this. But if we're only talking to ourselves, we don't stand a fucking chance.

Roundup links, not wild horses!

As I'm back online again, I thought I'd try to help with updating this. Burn out is a bitch, mine went deep. I'm hoping there is some end in sight, although even if we get the total ban on transportation we'll have to keep fighting to keep it. But, although they fight, once we get it it'll be a lot easier to keep that it has been to get. So if you haven't signed these petitions then please do so and please keep up letters and phone calls until this is done!

And speaking of them, the Horse Killers chief asshole, Slaughterhouse Sue Wallis is using fake science to claim that horses given Bute are not dangerous to eat.  The Equine Welfare Alliance has strongly rebuked this with actual facts. So if you don't give a shit about the welfare of horses, remember that this is also a public health issue, Slaugherhouse Sue is more than happy to endanger people's lives as well as inhumanely kill horses.

Today, Oct. 5, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in Massachusetts is holding a hearing on a state ban of horse slaughter for human consumption and the sale, purchase, transport, possession, delivery, receipt, or export for slaughter for human consumption. While this is one issue I want to see go federal, every state that makes such a move will help with that. It shows we the citizens do not want horse slaughter!

A bit of good news on the Wild Horse and Burro front. The US Supreme Court denied consideration of an appeal of an earlier overturn of the Bush era BLM grazing regulations which had violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. This is a big step in getting the land back to the use of the wild and feral animals who should be using it, rather than ranchers.

But we have a long way to go.

Petition to the White House

I am hoping that folks have already been writing to their Senators and Representatives about supporting the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 (S.B. 1176/H.R. 2966). Now there is a petition on the White House petition site to ask Obama to support this bill. Please sign this, we need to get this done now. It's been so long.

We petition the Obama administration to: Support a Ban on Horse Slaughter

You do need to create an account, but that's pretty painless, once done you will find many other petitions that you may wish to take part in. Like ...

Restore the Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to its original intent that no organization or person be exempt.

Which needs 5,000 signatures and is well below 200!

The value of the backyard rescue

When people look at the idea of getting a horse in need, they usually think of going through a rescue organization. This is a great thing, of course, these horses need homes, the groups need to make room. Room enough is a big issue, there often just isn't. Therefore many groups offer their other resources to those who must rehome their horses, without taking the horse, giving people who want to have some assurance their horses will be somewhat safer (there are no guarantees while the option still exists) from going to slaughter or otherwise end up in an abusive situation. There are many who see going through a rescue as the only option to save horses, but this isn't the case. Again, because there isn't enough room. Or money. Or volunteers. Or other resources. And because not everyone is conscientious enough to utilize a rescue. Some, in fact, probably would be just as happy if their horse went to slaughter, as long as they got rid of it.

Any horse that is sold cheap and, even more so, any going "free to good home" is a rescue opportunity. Horses dumped somewhere are too, of course. These horses often end up either in a bad home (a cheap or free horse is far less likely to get proper care), slaughtered or, if lucky, end up at a rescue. The last, of course, keeps another horse from having a spot. A few end up back yard rescued, taken by someone who will treat a free or cheap horse well. Even if that horse isn't perfect, and few are.

But for some of us any horse is a gem.

Saoradh had been a backyard rescue of the worst sort. He was starving and was owned by someone both ignorant and uncaring who had just hoped to make a buck on some horses. He'd come from a history of abuse, was scared and scarred. If we'd not have found him he'd have died within a very short time, if he'd been found by or reported to the vet first he'd likely have been destroyed as too far gone and never had a chance. He was indeed a gem.

Many years before that, I did my first backyard rescue, just a few miles from where I found Saoradh on the same road. The place we found him at is now the home of the dairy farm we buy from, actually, but the, obviously, owned by someone else. I'm glad the farm has been rescued too, as it were, now a place where humane treatment is the key. Phoenix was a Shetland with Cushings, also starved (because he had a big belly was the excuse, never mind the bones poking out everywhere else). I had no plans to have a tiny pony at that time, but it was an age when up here backyard rescues were really the only option, there were no organizations that existed as far as I or anyone I knew (including the farrier who trimmed his rocker feet) knew. He lived out his life here, just as a pet and as a companion to my Mum's Morgan stallion. He was an unruly brat, of course, nearly as stereotypical of Shetland as one can be, but a gem all the same.

Saorsa is the first horse I got through a rescue, she may or may not be the last. Because with no rescue real close, sometimes the backyard ones come first. And we're doing it again. This time the horse is in far better shape and is safe, because she was dumped on our Saorsa's trainer. She had belonged to our trainer before, actually, but had been sold and after three years unceremoniously dumped back with her. The trainer can't keep her, she has enough equine mouths to feed, like a rescue sometimes there just isn't enough room or money. So there's some feeling that she's not a rescue, she's safe. But where might she go? What might happen? There's always the chance that she'd end up in a bad situation or taking up room at a rescue which then won't have room for another. So we're taking her. Because our trainer knows we don't think a cheap horse is worthless, their monetary cost means nothing, it's what's in their hearts that counts and all horses are gems. Misty certainly is.

We need another horse, a "husband horse" literally; my husband had never been on a horse until he rode Misty a short time ago. And Misty is perfect, as perfect as horses might be. She's in her late teens, been trained, has a good temperament. She was apparently in a sort of "petting zoo" situation, however, and it has affected her. She's not the same, loving, people focused horse that had been sold, which is one reason that the trainer was leery about what might happen to her. She's obedient, but unwilling, unfriendly and just sort of puts up with you. This is characteristic of a people-focused horse who hasn't had anyone to bond with for three years. She was brushed and petted by who knows how many kids on days that she was working, probably had food thrown at her; she doesn't want to connect because no one has connected with her for three years.

She'll come here, we'll work with her, as long as it takes for her to figure out it's okay to connect with us. We'll have the rest of her life *knocksonwood* to do this. She'll be coming home forever. She'll have Saorsa to teach some horse social skills to, which is the other reason we need another riding horse (she's small, but not that small, while our Mini horses are far to small to be safe with Saorsa). She won't end up at a rescue, she won't end up in slaughter, she won't end up abused by someone who thinks she's worthless. Because she's a gem.

Addendum: I don't know why I didn't think about it, as it is a discussion I had not long ago, but really the Minis my parent's bought were backyard rescues too. Many pet Minis are, because so many of them go oversized, these are unwanted by breeders and show folk, and so are sold to those wanting pets or non-competitive driving horses. Minis do not end up at commercial slaughter, because they are too small for the facilities, but can end up in horribly abusive situations and many end up at rescues every year. These "larger" Minis are a great option for rescue, either backyard or through a group, for those who are willing to take care of them but aren't equipped to take on large horses. Again, it saves the ones who might be abused, it keeps room open for rescues.

Wyoming Horse Killers trying again

Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming is attempting to again get the language forbidding the inspection of horse slaughter plants in the US removed. This apparently goes to vote on WEDNESDAY! Tomorrow!

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) is a leading voice in fighting this, so PLEASE contact your Representatives TODAY June 14, 2011, to tell them you do not want horse slaughter allowed. See US should get out of the horse meat business

The Compassion Index is working again!

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 and other things

Three bloggers here and none of us posting, but a lot of horse stuff going on. One is picking up a lot of business teaching relationship focused horsemanship, another is mostly offline. I'm mostly just overwhelmed.

I was going to post about the Equine Herpes outbreak when it hit, but realize that anyone reading this, with horses, in effected areas is likely even more on top if the news than I am.

Horse advocates in my State of New Hampshire had a bit of a surprise when we found out that a bill, HB 0339, that already had gone through the NH legislation to allow the state vet to inspect locally raised and slaughtered meat, allowing local farmers to better sell and something I support as a localvore activist as well, included equines as well, despite the legal issues of slaughtering horses for food in our country.

In one section it was clear that it was ADDED to the text "This term as applied to food products of equines shall have a meaning comparable to that provided in this paragraph with respect to cattle, sheep, swine, and goats"

NH activists went to work to try to get this vetoed and several met with the bill sponsor Representative Laurie Harding, who had not realized this had even been added. She and the other sponsors are determined to have the horse and other equine references removed from the bill as of next January. Our Governor, one to give a shit about what his constituents want, signed it in on June 6. Frankly, while I think this is a great bill other than including horses, I do think they should have had to reintroduce the ORIGINAL text and the watched it carefully. How the fuck did someone "sneak" this in and it not get noticed? (and I want to know WHO put it in and make sure s/he never gets elected again! to anything) So we'll breath our sighs of relief in January, until then, we're going to feel a bit anxious.

And, yet, there may be hope.....even with Slaughterhouse Sue Wallis and the United Anti-Horsemen continuing to try to make horse slaughter legal here. No, I won't post links to their crap, you can find it, you're probably reading blogs which do post the links and discuss it more.

What I want to note here is that Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have just introduced S. 1176, the "American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011" and it's time to start making sure that our Senators and Representatives know that we want this to pass this time! Now!

This bill will shut down Slaughterhouse Sue, will stop bullshit like we in NH have had to deal with, will stop transport of horses to other countries for exceptionally cruel slaughter:

"The slaughter of horses is not a substitute for humane euthanasia though it is often mischaracterized as such by opponents who are more concerned with wringing a few bucks from a suffering animal than doing what is right," said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute. "AWI commends Senator Landrieu and Senator Graham for their continued leadership and for reintroducing this very important measure."

If you aren't using this already and don't have your legislators on speed dial, you can start at The Compassion Index at AWI (This link had not been working but IS NOW).

10 years ago....

....just about now, my father and I went to talk to a man about a horse. We had found him the day before, driving to places where my Dad knew horses were for sale and there had been several at this pasture, now there were three. Two were neglected looking but in good condition, the third was a walking skeleton. I left knowing I had to try to save that horse and, as the pasture was not located where the man lived, we went home and called him.

My father was encouraging about buying the starving gelding, I was quite sick at the time and I think he felt that saving this horse would be healing for me. When he got a closer look at the horse the next day, I know he started to have second thoughts. We had, of course, called the vet and a farrier (all three horses had horribly neglected feet...we were going to make sure all three were dealt with for that). No one said anything to me, but it was clear all three of these men realized this was a walking dead horse, there was no way to bring his weight up before he'd die without that itself killing him. Especially since he also had a heart murmer. The owner, however, was in complete denial, "he'll come right up once the grass comes in better..." The vet explained things to him, looked at me and asked again if I was going to buy this horse, I confirmed that I would, and he told the man I was keeping him out of jail. I had mixed feelings about that, really, this man should have been jailed for this, stupid is no excuse, but I also knew that if the horse was seized he'd be put down as too far gone. I needed to try.

And I did. Until his Coggins test came through and he could cross the border from VT to NH, I went several times a day to the pasture to feed him softened senior feed. His starvation was caused by horribly neglected teeth, which nothing could yet be done as he had enough strength to fight the attempt to float them and he needed more than that. And he would not survive being sedated. I'd walk him after he ate, to help him digest. He came home to us, amazingly he survived for nearly 6 years.... I won't tell more the details of his story as I already have here. In short, it was clear he was abused long before he suffered the neglect we found him in. It took some time to gain his trust, for him to feel safe. But he got there. Perhaps for the first time, he trusted a human and he found some peace.

What I will note here that I named him Saoradh, which means "freedom" of a redemptive sort. When I named him I didn't even realize how long things had been bad, how much redemption he needed. I didn't know that on the day I bought him and started feeding him, it was his 27th birthday. I didn't know he was the Arabian gelding a classmate had talked about having, which her parents boarded at a "trainer" we knew was incompetent at best, and possibly far, far worse. I didn't know how many hands he went through, or the kind of people they were. But I did find that out, as he was freeze marked and his registry developed an online program to look such stuff up.

I just knew he hurt, that he was suffering. And so was I. I was ill, had spent some time housebound. I hurt emotionally from the loss of Midnight and Trouble not a decade before. A loss that kept me away from horses until shortly before we moved back here about 6 months before finding Saoradh. I knew if I was going to be around horses, I had to save them, because I couldn't save those two. I had volunteered for awhile, before my health got as bad as it did, at a horse rescue. When we came here, I was looking for a horse to save. I found one.

And was saved.

We healed together, going out on slow walks around the pond, letting him stop to eat while I rested my weak body. We both built strength. Our timing was neatly synchronized it seems as I look back. We both started too weak to really walk far or fast and we progressed. We later learned to "dance" together, as we did Natural Horsemanship ground work to build trust. And eventually we were able to explore together, when he was secure enough as well as strong enough to accept me as a rider, I was also able to trust my body's ability to handle riding.

And I know so many stories like this, of people who saved horses only to find themselves healed too. Whether emotionally, physically or both. There is something about a horse that can touch people so deeply, to pull us out of ourselves, to give us strength. Dogs have this too, for some other animals as well, but these two creatures, I believe, horses and dogs, we have a primal, instinctual connection with.

Which is, again, why I'm against horse slaughter. Because we have this connection, they've been with us for millennium, we as a species owe so much to horses. They were both partner and tool to different people; sadly, it's often the tool that people see. They no longer are needed for work, for the most part, and so they mostly are seen as sporting equipment. And like tools and sporting equipment, horses are discarded when "useless," when they get too old to preform, when a new style comes along. Wild horses are seen as pests to be rid of, foals as nothing but money makers with profits coming from quantity over quality and those not bringing the big bucks as sporting equipment making at least something for their greedy breeders as meat.

There are those who look at horses that end up like Saoradh did before I found him and proclaim that this is a reason we should have horse slaughter. But old, sick horses are not what the slaughter industry wants. No, it wants young stock, fat and healthy, like the PMU filly (on the let here) I adopted and stopped from being sent to the feedlots. They'll sometimes take fat and healthy middle age horses like Midnight and Trouble, but it's not the most desired and easy to sell. And the truth is, I have very good reason to believe that the person who sold Saoradh at the auction where the guy whose pasture I found him in owned his registration, and therefore it wasn't the freeze brand that kept the kill buyers from buying him but instead that he was too old. Because that probably, and I have good reason to believe this, that was probably the intent.

And what if he had been slaughtered? After a lifetime of abuse, of fear, of distrust, I suppose the terror and torture of the slaughterhouse would have been along the lines of how he expected it to end. Instead, he got another chance. He got a chance to learn that not all humans wanted to hurt him, he got a chance to trust, he got a chance to feel safe and comfortable. To be rewarded for all he and his ancestors have done for us. And it's the least he deserved. It's the least any of them deserve.

I thank Saoradh for his time with me, for healing me, for sending Saorsa to me (for I feel he did in some way). I miss my old boy.

When Horse Slaughter Comes to Town

An Int'l Fund for Horses
SPECIAL REPORT
By JANE ALLIN
March 2010

"The flesh of 'unwanted horses' is acknowledged to be
toxic when consumed by humans. And who among the
politicians, equine practitioners, and veterinarians
lobbying to prevent a ban on the slaughter of American
horses - in the name of equine welfare - would wish to
be responsible for the deleterious impact for human
welfare associated with promoting the slaughter of
toxic horses?"
~ Caroline M Betts ~


Table of Contents
1. Environmental Impact


2. Economic Growth and Community Welfare


3. Legal Implications


4. Opposition to Horse Slaughter


5. Alternatives and Solutions to Horse Slaughter

This is a 24 page report looking into the real issues of horse slaughter and the real solutions to the "unwanted horse problem." It is a valuable tool when lobbying to get the ban on slaughter and on transportation to slaughter finally in place!

The Horse Summit back fires!

Due to our internet connection still not being the greatest, I've not seen all the news coverage, but reports from horse advocates such as the link below (which links to some of the coverage) report that not even 200 people showed up to Slaughterhouse Sue's event and speakers did not "stay on script for them." Abbey of the BLM denounced the idea of building slaughterhouses (although this can hardly excuse the BLM's on going actions). With the press coverage and the outrage, this may actually have been just what the PRO-horse movement needed! Check out Fitch's report here, and go on to other pages of his blog for more:

Press and Guests Turn On Slaughterfest Organizers