Horse Slaughter

As most of you know, the thoroughbred racing industry is one of Kentucky’s main sources of revenue. Our state is the home of the Kentucky Derby, the Triple Crown, and many other important races. Keeneland and Churchill Downs, the sites of many of these races, and the breeding operations that produce the horses provide countless jobs for Kentucky’s citizens. It is impossible to drive even twenty minutes from the center of Lexington without running into a horse farm. About 30,000 foals are registered with the United States Jockey Club each year, most of which come from Kentucky, California, and Florida. Thoroughbreds typically begin racing at the age of two or three, depending on what their trainers want to do with them. A very lucky thoroughbred’s career lasts until they are seven, and a select few stallions and mares are kept for breeding. After these few years of pounding their premature skeletons into the ground, trainers want nothing to do with them. There are approximately 200 organizations that purchase these horses to place them with new owners. Some are simply “pasture puffs” who have been too maimed by their time on the track to do anything but live for the remainder of their years. Others are sound enough to move on to varying levels of competition in other disciplines. While it would seem that 200 programs would be able to pick up most of the unwanted thoroughbreds, that is far from the truth.
So what happens to all the others? Nothing pleasant. In 2007, the year that the last United States slaughterhouse was officially closed, 29,761 horses were slaughtered in the U.S. However, 45,609 horses were sent to Mexico and 36,401 horses were sent to Canada for the same reasons, totaling 111,771. Most of these horses were thoroughbreds. This number has actually fallen slightly from 2006, when the total was 135,288, and in 1996 113,399 horses were slaughtered in the U.S alone. As you probably know, Americans do not consume horse meat. Horse meat is consumed in Canada and Mexico, and it is considered a delicacy in France, Italy, and Japan, to name a few countries. While I personally find this practice revolting, my argument is not to end horse slaughter worldwide. My argument is to end the slaughter of American horses.
Most horses end up at slaughterhouses in the same way. They are purchased at auctions by kill buyers for extremely low prices. Along with race horses, standard bred trotters(think the Red Mile) and Amish cart horses are the most common. After this purchase, they are put on double decker cattle buses. Not double decker horse trailers, but double decker CATTLE buses. The average cow is 4’4”. The height of the average horse is about 5’1”--not including the neck and head, which easily add another two and a half feet when fully extended. This means that the horses are packed together and forced to stand in a position that does not conformationally work. Because of this, many of the horses become fatigued on their journey, fall, and are trampled to death. Due to the extremely low prices at which these horses are purchased, these instances of blatant cruelty are not, financially, a problem to the buyers. Upon arrival at the slaughterhouses, the horses are packed together in small pens. When their time comes, they are herded into a small “Kill Box.” They are then killed with a captive bolt gun--the same thing used to kill cattle. Well, that doesn’t sound inhumane, right? Wrong. Captive bolt guns are designed for use on cattle, who have very short necks and slow reaction speeds. Horses have long necks and fast reaction speeds, allowing them to dodge the weapon that is often wielded by an unskilled worker. Thus, the horses are hit several times before being killed, causing intense pain and suffering. This is no way to for anything’s life to end.
Most people are under the impression that only sick animals go to slaughterhouses. While many of the animals who end up in these places appear sick at the end of their journey, most do not start out that way. Even famous racehorses are not safe. Exceller, the only horse to ever beat two triple crown winners, was slaughtered in Sweden at the age of 24. He was in excellent health. Ferdinand, the winner of the 1986 Kentucky Derby and the 1987 Breeder’s Cup Classic, was slaughtered in Japan at the age of 19. These are animals who worked their hearts out for their owners, trainers, and riders. As Ghandi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” What does that say about America?
Since over 100,00 horses are sent to slaughter each year, a ban on the process would cause an unwanted horse problem. However, there is not truly any such thing as an unwanted horse. Someone, somewhere, would love to take that animal home. The feasibility of that is another matter. While horse rescue programs take as many as they can, their abilities are not unlimited. Some horses have to be turned away. For these, humane euthanasia should be the answer. However, the cost is prohibitive. It costs anywhere from $140-500 to have a horse euthanized by a veterinarian(depending on location), which is a problem for the greedy and the poor, who unfortunately are a huge denomination of the horse industry. To counter this, funds are being set up to help owners afford euthanasia. For example, the Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary in Green Valley, Arizona, has such a program. They rely on donations to keep the fund running. The NorCal Equine Rescue offers seven free euthanizations per month for those who qualify, and others can have their horses euthanized for only 150 dollars. As these programs continue to spring up across the country, pro-slaughter advocates are running out of excuses.
It is my hope that, eventually, horse slaughter will become as much of a taboo in the United States as the actual consumption of horse meat. As a country, we are making the right strides. In 2007, our last slaughterhouse was closed, but a ban on the export of horses intended for slaughter has not yet been passed. As I said earlier, there is not reason for a country who does not consume horse to send their horses away for consumption. You don’t see the Indians sending off their cows, do you? While those have religious connotations, one must only think of how the horse helped early Americans conquer the “new world” to realize that horses are just as important to our society. They deserve repayment in the form of long, happy lives with peaceful deaths at the end.


Bibliography:
After the Finish Line: The Race to end Horse Slaughter in America, Bill Heller, Bowtie Press, April 2005
Footage of a horse slaughter operation provided by the Humane Farming association
A photograph of a horse trampled to death en route to slaughter
http://www.equinevoices.org/
http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/rescue/euth.htm