Who's to Blame

BrokenWing Chronicles
Who's to Blame

This touching story arrived in my email today, I thought I would share it with everyone.

Who’s To Blame?

Though I have known about horse slaughter for many years, it has really come into the fore front of my mind in the last few days. It began while I was watching a documentary called Last of the Spanish Mustangs directed by Len Johnson which touched on many issues, one being slaughter. After watching this film and seeing clips of the slaughter houses in Texas I decided to do some further research. What I found was appalling and disgraceful on many levels.

I began to form my own opinions on who was to blame for the slaughter of horses. First and foremost the owners are to blame; well the ones who are willing sell their horses to kill buyers anyway. If owners did not see there horse as a disposable animal, than there would not be slaughter houses for horses. I find it odd that most horse owners that own dogs, own them for the duration of their life until old age or medical problems end their life. Why is it that most Americans would never think of sending their dogs to slaughter, but the ones who send horses think so little of it? For some owners they have know idea that when they sell their horse to some stranger for less than a thousand dollars it could very well be going to slaughter. For the owners who would not want to see their horse sent to slaughter upon being sold I have a few suggestions. If your horse is going to be bought for under $1000 do a background check on any potential buyer, it may cost a little money but it will be well worth it in the end. If someone offers you 3 to 4 hundred dollars for you horse, make sure to do a background check. If they are not willing to wait to buy the horse while you do a background check, then they are not really interested in buying your horse for pleasure. Most blame the slaughter houses and the kill buyers; I say the owners play their part as well and should be held accountable in some way.

Kill buyers are also to blame, making a quick buck by playing middle-man for the slaughter houses. I wonder if they go home at night feeling guilty for the injustice they are bringing to horses. Kill buyers seem to have only one objective in mind, get as many horses as they can as fast as they can to the slaughter house. The way they transport horses to slaughter is deplorable and uncalled for. If there is going to be slaughter and it cannot be stopped, than there should be laws in every state protecting these horses from having to endure horrible conditions and experiences during their last day or days. Whoever thought that transporting horses in a cattle stock trailer was the way to go should perhaps come in contact with a captive bolt gun themselves. Horses deserve much more during any transport than to be crammed into a cattle trailer where they cannot even stand up straight. Most horses are injured in some way and some even die during transport to slaughter, not to mention they are not feed, watered or let to rest during their arduous journey.

Auction houses also play their part, fattening their wallets through the sale of horses bound for slaughter. The auction houses and auctioneers are well aware that most horses are going to slaughter; proof is in the cattle stock trailers that are lined up outside and the invoices of sale that specifically say “for slaughter” as I observed in a video by the Human Society of America depicting an auction house in New Holland, Pennsylvania.

The slaughter houses have blame of their own, not just for slaughtering horses, but for the manner in which they do it. At the same time I think I should also point out that cattle, sheep and pigs are also slaughtered in much the same manner as a horse. The difference being that horses are not raised in America for human consumption. During my research I watched some videos of horses being slaughtered, though it pained me to watch, I felt I needed to know exactly what was going on. One video that I watched was shot at a Texas slaughter house, which one I am unsure of, it was a horrible place. The horses were kept in over crowded dirty pens while awaiting slaughter. Those that were lined up to be slaughtered could see into the slaughter house and smell the blood and fear in the air. Once in the box to be hit with the captive bolt gun in the head they were on unstable footing that consisted of blood from previous horses. The man operating the bolt gun did not have very good aim; most horses in the video were shot with the captive bolt gun more than twice. Once down they were hooked up to a chain by their hind leg, some still moving and conscious, to have their throats slit. Another video that I watched was filmed in a Mexican slaughter house. It sickens me more than the American slaughter houses. Once the horse was in the box a worker stood overtop of it with a small sharp knife in his hands. After a few attempts he finally succeeded in severing the spinal cord at the top of the horse’s neck. I was even more appalled when I heard workers in the background cheering after the horse went down. The horse, still conscious, but unable to move was then hoisted in the air by a chain around his hind leg to be bled out. This is such a horrible way to die, to be awake and know that something is very wrong and not be able to do anything to save ones self. As in the other video the horses in front of the one just killed could see into the slaughter house. Of all the videos I watched there was one slaughter house that seemed to care about the conditions and the way the animal died. It was filmed inside an English abattoir in Taunton , England . Horses were kept in clean un-crowded pens while awaiting slaughter; they were walked by hand into the area of the slaughter house where they were going to be killed. This was an open room adjacent to the slaughtering facilities. The horses showed no signs of fear or distress when walked into the room. The man who walked them in then retrieved a shotgun and while holding the horse on the underside of the halter with one hand he brought the shotgun to the horses head a point blank range and shot the horse. These horses never knew what was coming and none shied away from the gun, they all instantly died. Once on the floor a door leading to the slaughter facilities was then opened up and the horses were chained and raised for processing. Any blood that was spilled from the gunshot wound was cleaned up before the next horse was brought in. I have to say that if there is no way to stop slaughter, then all slaughter houses should adopt these practices that the English seem to have, at least the horse would meet a better end than the ones slaughtered in other countries.

The government is also to blame. Due to the closures of the slaughter houses in the U.S. horses are now being exported into Canada and Mexico for slaughter. The government needs to crack down on this, why is it they are not stopping theses kill buyers at the borders? If the government is willing to pass a law that shuts down slaughter houses on American soil, than why aren’t they protecting these horses at the border?

I was also shocked to learn that the slaughter houses in America were foreign owned. Why is it that they were allowed to set up camp on American soil to slaughter horses when we Americans do not even consume horses? Which brings me to another point, if foreign countries feel the need to put horses on the dinner table why can’t they raise them on their own land for this consumption? We raise the cattle, pigs and sheep that we eat on our own soil, why can’t they?

If horse slaughter is to be stopped it needs to be stopped before it begins, it needs to stop with the owner who knowingly sends a horse to slaughter and the ones who are unaware need to be aware. If owners stop supplying the horses there will no longer be a demand for slaughter houses and foreign countries will have to raise their own horses or do without. Selling horses to slaughter is not limited to pleasure horse owners. There are far too many professional work horses that find their end in slaughter as well. I know this first hand, in the mid 90’s I worked as a groom for standardbreds at a local racetrack in upstate NY. The Amish would arrive every few months looking to buy horses. It was widely known that if they bought your horse for less than $600 dollars it was going to slaughter, and yet there were trainers and owners who gladly sold their horses for less than six-hundred dollars. The government needs to not only crack down on slaughter houses, but owners as well.

If horse slaughter is not stopped and there is no way around it, than there needs to be strict standards in the transportation and rendering of these animals. There is no reason for such cruel standards that the slaughter houses have. I think the English have shown that a horse can be slaughtered in a manner that is quick and painless to the horse and as far from fear as possible.

If slaughter is stopped there needs to be plans in place for the unwanted horses of America . Why not have local and state governments set up a place of sanctuary for these horses to live out their lives at? Why not have strictly horse shelters set up in every state? We have shelters in place for unwanted cats and dogs so that they may find a new loving home, why not the horse? Though there are some shelters that do take in horses, there needs to be more. I’m sure there are many people and families out there that would love to rescue a horse and prevent it from going to slaughter.

Though I do not support horse slaughter in any way, I also realize that if it continues there needs to be better treatment in the transportation and slaughtering of horses. We cannot stop the slaughter if our country keeps supplying the demand!

By: Jennifer Mikuta,
Henderson, NV