She is about 12HH.... and a light fancy Hackney pony... I wouldn't put more than a hundred pounds on her, don't you think?
Posted on 12/30/2003 4:37:20 AM PST by rooster1
An Education in the Unthinkable
Driving up in the afternoon I watch the horses graze carefree in the pasture. Once a naive horse owner I am now all too aware of the horrors of the slaughter industry in the US. There are two horse slaughter plants operating in the US currently, both in Texas and named Bel-Tex and Dallas Crown.
With both plants so far from South Carolina, it seems unlikely to most horse owners and lovers that we would have a problem with our beloved horses ending up at a plant, but it is not far fetched. How many of us, I included, have stopped by an auction house and looked through the horses awaiting their turn at sale? Never staying to buy, but just seeing what was there. On any given night there are "kill buyers", those who go to buy the cheap, the old, the underweight for very little money. Like cattle they will stay in feedlots and be fattened up and then make the trip to Texas.
Horror stories about the trucking companies have led to some minor changes but still no victories for the horses. Sometimes hauled for several days, they are denied water, are crowded with mixed sexes. Mares, foals and stallions all fight for room. Some horses never make the trip and are trampled to death on the trip or suffer injuries for which they will receive no care.
Breed, size, color, or tempermant mean nothing to the slaughter house buyer. Once faithful friends of someone, wild horses who slipped through the cracks, unwanted, or stolen horses all await the same fate. Undercover footage has shown the brutal process of butchering for meat. Horses struggle in the chute where a captive bolt gun is applied to their head. It is supposed to insert a bolt to split the animals skull rendering it unconscious before it is strung up and it's throat split. Imagine the horror in the horse's mind as he hears the others, and scrambles on blood soaked floors trying to escape the inevitable. Undercover investigations have caught on tape horses being strung up fully alert, and being cut open before being dead.
Horses in the US played such a valuable part of our country's birth. We built roads, cleared forests, carried mail, battled for freedom, created towns and plowed fields for food all with the horse. As Americans we do not dine on our equine friends. Most people are appalled at the idea. Yet, we kill our horses to feed the Japanese, French, and other European and Asian nations.
Even famous horses are not spared. A Blood Horse reporter uncovered that beloved Ferdinand, a Derby Winner, was "disposed" of in a Japanese slaughterplant after he failed to be a productive stud. Racehorses are so full of heart and determination. They are used and abused, they make men rich, they offer the chance for the socially elite to show off their best, and yet the reward they receive is put out or be rid of.
The demise of the 1986 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner and 1987 Horse of the Year signaled an end to whatever innocence may have remained in the Thoroughbred business. While it is easy to point fingers at the Japanese culture that holds monetary issues above emotional ones, the story of Ferdinand also ends the era when North American interests can sell bloodstock without taking responsibility for the ultimate disposition of the animals they've brought into this world. While it numbs the brain that Ferdinand was passed from farm to farm and agent to agent throughout Japan with nobody thinking to contact people in the United States who'd bring him back home, it is also mind-boggling that nobody here inquired into what happens to stallions who have outlived their breeding usefulness overseas.
Ferdinand's story became a big news story thanks to the extensive and meticulous reporting by Barbara Bayer, who spent several months tracking the path of shame that marked Ferdinand's last days. After The Blood-Horse broke the story in late July, other industry publications attempted to discredit Bayer, The Blood-Horse's Japan correspondent, as a "freelancer." They said she lacked proof, that the timing was wrong for this type of story (as if there's ever a right time), and that the horse's fate was uncertain. They were wrong on all counts.
Bayer, through her intimate knowledge of Japanese culture, got it exactly right. She knew just what it meant when she was told Ferdinand had been "disposed of." In fact, he had been killed late in 2002, the victim of two societies all too willing to rid themselves of what is no longer money-producing.
After failing to make the desired impact as a stallion at Claiborne Farm (also his birthplace) near Paris, Ky., Ferdinand was sold and arrived at Arrow Stud in Japan in 1995 with high expectations. His covers, which peaked at 77 in his initial year, plummeted in subsequent seasons. By 2000, his final season at Arrow, he covered 10 mares. He moved to a smaller operation, Goshima Farm, where he covered six mares in 2001 and two in 2002. Then he passed into the hands of a dealer, whose job it is to get whatever he can for unwanted bloodstock.
That dealer initially lied to Bayer several times when she inquired as to Ferdinand's whereabouts. The story evolved from "he'd been given to a friend" to "he's at a riding club far away from here" to, finally, "he isn't around anymore. He was disposed of."
Thank God their are agencies in place trying every day to save horses from this fate. From lobbying to letter writing. Those in the "trenches" daily buying horses from kill buyers, establishing retirement options and racehorse retirement. And there is more.... there is you reading this article. Please call, fax or write your US Congressman and urge them to cosponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (HR 857). Let them know how recent efforts to legalize horse slaughter in Texas met with overwhelming opposition from the public. Tell them about the survey conducted last month that showed that 72% of Texans oppose horse slaughter.
HR 857 prohibits the transport of horses across state lines and international borders for the purpose of slaughter and also prohibits the sale or transport of horsemeat for human consumption. If passed, HR 857 will put an end once and for all to the slaughter of American horses both in the U.S. and in foreign countries.
Next time you drive by a field of horses, think if that one will be there tomorrow. WIll he be there ten years from now, or will he be in the stomach of a man far, far away. Our horses deserve better, we do not slaughter our dogs and cats in this way to feed other countries. We value their lives and care for them and at the right time humanely euthanize them. We have shelters in place to care for those who need help and who can over see a humane end if need be. Blood money is what prevents the horse from having the same basic rights. The strong and beautiful horse who America owes so much too, dies today to line the pockets of a few greedy individuals who see them only as a money making business for countries overseas. Don't you think it is time to put an end to this horror? How many more will have to die? I will go kiss my horses tonight and whisper a prayer for the others who won't be getting the love and care I shower upon mine. It is time now for us to take a stand and speak for those who cannot.
Leigh Anne O'Kelley
www.rescuewishes.com
www.rescuewishes.com/allanimals
And I thank you for writing it- animals are God's creatures, too, and should be treated humanely.
I agree that it's your option to eat what you like. A vegetarian diet can be healthy if you're careful, and it's probably better than the greasy fast food a lot of people your age chow on. Your age, heck, a lot of Americans, period. It's their choice, but of course there will be consequences for them, more so than for you.
I do agree that animals have emotions (so, in fact, did Darwin, who studied the subject). I just believe that there is a bright line of demarcation betwen human (the rational animal -- supposedly) and other animals. Biologically speaking, you may be closer to the truth than I; my belief is grounded in politics and in the desire to protect humans (my concern primarily being the elderly and mentally ill -- I don't want to get into the abortion battle) from the sort of human mercy killings and rendering that is the fate of suffering animals. I believe that to be a slippery slope, that ends with some governmental authority making life or death decisions based on bureaucratic criteria.
Finally, I'd just like to point out that some cultures think it's normal to eat animals that we don't. In parts of Asia they eat monkeys and dogs. In Ecuador the national dish is quy: deep fried guinea pig. Some Africans find large insects a delicacy. The Hindus of India, a gentle people, are discomfited by the fact that we eat beef. My Moslem friends would be appalled at the ham my mother cooked for Christmas; some of my Jewish friends would politely pass if I offered it to them. Would it be any better if the horses were exported live and slaughtered where people eat them? I bet you would dislike that just as much. Should we impose our ideas of what is good to eat on the French, Koreans, Thais, Ecuadorans, Muslims, Jews and Hindus? Should they be allowed to impose their dietary preferences or beliefs on others.. like us?
You can't save all the horses, obviously. I suppose you do what you can. Do you mind telling us what creatures you have rescued? I am probably not the only one in the thread who is curious. I think it's very good of you to do that, and sure to be rewarded in the next world if not in this one.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Yup. I've eaten horse sashimi in Japan on occasion. It is actually pretty tasty -- recommended.
I've always taken care of my own horses as well as my leased horses, and if a good horse in trouble comes under my eye, my friends and I will look after it (probably in my 40 years plus of working with equines, I've paid money out of my pocket to help buy 3 or 4 from the killer man, and I couldn't tell you how often I or my friends have "chipped in" to help get necessary care for a horse in need.) It seems to me that if an animal serves you faithfully for a time, it's your responsibility to make sure it is taken care of. If it's been outgrown, it goes on to a qualified owner who can look after it properly. If it is beyond its useful years, you have to either keep it as a pet or make sure that its life is ended mercifully and without pain.
I don't think the horse sale market is near as bad as some people think. . . . at least not for the well bred and well schooled animals I've dealt with most of my life. In the pony stages, plenty of outgrown ponies go on to good homes with smaller kids. With trained riding horses, "beginner" and "intermediate" horses always have a new rider coming along when the current owner's level of expertise gets beyond the horse. And the really high priced hunters and jumpers (the ones that cost as much as a good sized house) always have buyers.
The scandal with the stud horse in Japan is precisely because that sort of an end is rare with a well known stakes winner. (It's not uncommon with brood mares though. We bought a broodmare unbroken at age 13. She turned out well; not all do.)
The problem is with the "backyard breeder" horses, the ones that are so poorly bred that they aren't capable of doing anything useful because their bodies won't hold up, the crazies, and the killers. Even when horses were useful drudges the crazies and killers were no use to anybody and often injured or killed innocent humans.
Nobody has bonded with or developed a working relationship with these horses, so nobody "cares" about them. I think the only imperative you can place on them is to reduce their suffering to a minimum. Unfortunately, ameliorative measures in shipping and killing cost money, and some are inconsistent with using the meat for food.
I think the only measures that can reasonably be taken are to reduce suffering as possible, and increase the controls to keep stolen and fraudulently obtained horses out of the killer yards. Freeze branding and the new ID implants, plus a requirement that every killer yard subscribe to an up-to-date electronic list of stolen and missing horses, would probably improve that situation.
I agree... and horses are unique among pets in how many times they change hands... perhaps because their role and best use changes over time, perhaps because their lives are so long. I don't know how many people had Bay before I did... but I knew I needed to be the last, at age 19.
What haunts me is my first horse, the ugly mustang I had at 14. He taught me to ride and I taught him to be a riding horse, and I even jumped him a little in competition before my trainer convinced me I needed to move up to a better horse if I wanted to show. I saw him last over 15 years ago, carrying three little kids in a row, a nice family bought him. He would be in his upper twenties now... The fact that I have no idea how well his needs were met makes me loathe to ever sell another horse, even this silly useless pony I have.
Good post AAM.
The last I heard, the ex-race horse we saved from the killer man was crippled up with arthritis but was living in the back yard of two pre-teen girls who doted on him and enjoyed feeding him carrots and braiding ribbons into his mane and tail. The last time I checked on him was about eight years ago, and if he is still alive he would be pushing forty. I figure we bought him at least an extra twelve years of happy life and that's all anybody can do.
Unfortunately, he's just hit a growth spurt and has graduated to the "big ponies" and smaller horses. He had to "say goodbye" to his favorite pony, Ash, a half Connemara half Arab who is only 12 hands high but can jump 4 feet. I will NEVER forget when we had a miscellaneous makeup class of beginners mixed with advanced, and our trainer lined us up to jump a course. The kid was next in line and just assumed (that ADHD again) that he ought to jump the same course . . . so the next thing we know here comes Ash snorting like a grampus down the big outside line - no stride in and out to a 3'2" oxer to a 3'6" row of oil barrels with a rail over . . . . I swear we all saw daylight under my son's bottom as Ash sprang over those barrels, but he landed right side up and in the saddle and cantered to the end of the line whooping and hollering and waving his fist in the air (Ash crowhopping all the way.)
Must be nice to be that dumb . . . . :-D
She is about 12HH.... and a light fancy Hackney pony... I wouldn't put more than a hundred pounds on her, don't you think?
Looking at her legs, back and loins, I would say hundred pounds tops, I'd walk and trot her with that weight and see how she carries it.
Surely there's got to be a tough little kid somewhere in the Thelwell mold who would like such a pretty little girl, even if she's a bit "skeery".
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