[Uncle Chip]

In related news:

Federal appeals court vacates ban on US horse slaughter

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3101776/posts

[Nepeta]

Federal appeals court vacates ban on US horse slaughter

I have always loved horses. I took care of mine even through some hard times when that care demanded sacrifice on my part. Slaughter was never an option.

But the sad truth is there is a surplus of horses in this country. Hundreds are available any day for free or nearly free, with papers, with nothing really wrong with them except perhaps they are too slow. Many people acquired their animals in better days and in the Obama economy their finances collapsed. Some people were just stupid and bred foals for whom there was no market.

Many "wild" horses are animals turned loose by their owners. Supposedly there are even wild horses in the Appalachins now.

Banning slaughter in this country does not mean rescue. It means an even longer ride in a packed truck to Mexico, and slaughter conditions worse than in the US. Slaughter is ugly, and I carried my horses into their old age and did without myself to keep them in good feed and 20 acres to run around in--but regulated slaughter in the US is better than days on the road to Mexico.