Excellent post elbucko...
I object to slaughter of the domestic horse for the reasons you stated. It is a betrayal of the trust we asked them to put in us when we first haltered, or first climbed on a horse and said "trust me, work with me, and I will not hurt you". We have their cooperation in life, and when we injure them from our use, or have used up their working years, they deserve better from us in return than a crammed slaughter truck to a terrorizing end at a factory slaughter house somewhere. I think we have a contract with them, and we are better for holding ourselves to it.
Betrayal is not the same in the case of the Mustang... they don't know us, really, though some of these unwanteds are certainly broke to halter, even if they've been returned to BLM as too hard to handle. Their attitude toward us is probably not different than our contract with cattle. I must concede that not all these Mustangs are suitable for placement in homes, it's a rare horseman who desires and can handle the training of a wild horse. And there are probably not a lot of people out there willing to take on a horse that can't be used... aside from the few afforded by refuge groups who will put them to pasture.... larger holding pens...
Your idea to make shorter work of them by at least bringing the slaughter to the horse is as good as any. But it is an abomination of nature that we have let this situation grow into a problem of this magnitude. There is no excuse for creating a scene where this many animals will die. It certainly can't be called management. It's just cleanup after mismanagment. People have really screwed this up, to have managed this into a situation where 10,000 animals need to be slaughtered. It makes me sick. And I am not ashamed of that, I like the me that cares about them. I certainly wouldn't like the me that felt nothing.
Better ideas for the future are needed.
It is a betrayal of the trust we asked them to put in us when we first haltered,..
Yes, and I believe we betray ourselves in doing so. Those opposed to our point view maintain that humans are worth more than horses, which is to state the obvious. Any moron can state the obvious. I maintain that to sell a domesticated, healthy horse to slaughter, in some way injures the humans involved, seller, buyer, transporter. That is not so obvious, but none the less so.
Betrayal is not the same in the case of the Mustang...
I agree.
But it is an abomination of nature that we have let this situation grow into a problem of this magnitude. There is no excuse for creating a scene where this many animals will die. It certainly can't be called management It's just cleanup after mismanagement. People have really screwed this up,...
Exactly. And it has been done by people who should know better, people who were supposed to be the "experts". The need for slaughter in Mustang herds is made necessary by the very same people that were supposed to prevent it.
And I am not ashamed of that, I like the me that cares about them. I certainly wouldn't like the me that felt nothing.
Me too.
Better ideas for the future are needed.
Yes, better than the ones now proposed. If allowed to go ahead, there will be no political pressure for the BLM bureaucracy to improve.