A PERFECT EQUINE STORM

CHAPTER 1:

"KILLER HORSES" ~ "MEAT BUYERS" 

"KILL PLANTS" ~ "HORSE SLAUGHTER INDUSTRY"

     These are words that make all of us in the horse world cringe and shudder. Who with a horse related horse business would want our horses to suffer or be abused. After all we are involved with horses because we enjoy them and find them fascinating. The thoughts that our beloved partners are treated without respect and kindness goes against everything we promote. And yet horse slaughter was a huge business in the US until a year ago. America's dirty little secret so to speak. Animal rights acitvists misguided and damaging efforts permanently ban the horse slaughter in the United Stages and has had dire consequences. These were campaigns based on emotion, ignoring the facts and provides no alternatives. I am the biggest softy on killing a horse. The thought of them suffering at a kill place upsets me. The thought of them suffering else where is equally offesive. 

    But how did we gt to this point?  We a nation of animal lovers. Well to paraphrase a movie ~ "If you produce them, They will come". We are a nation of over production, always building new and better, throwing out the old and useless. So it is with our horses. We breed and produce looking for new or better. Driven by greed and money with little thought to the future of the mistakes ~ slow thoroughtbreds, broken down performance horses, poor conformation babies, ill tempered sour horses. All rejects and unwanted. Basicly we have too many horses. The 2007 new registrations by breeds are as follows. The American Quarter Horse Association registered 150,000 horses. The Paint Horse Association registered 38,000, The Jockey Club registry for the Thoroughbreds 37,500, The Standardbreds 11,000, all of the rest of the breeds were under 8,000. While some breeds do have adoption programs and retirement farms, it is insufficient to cope with the huge numbers. There are approximately 100,000 unwanted horses in this country every year. Who will care for them? Where will they go? Slaughter can provides a humane, federally regulated and cost-effective option for owners of sick, old, or dangerous horses. Granted a slaughter house is not a pleasant environment for any animal but we can set up humane guidlines and respectful treatment of these horses there if we choose.

    Since the last U.S. processing plant was closed almost a year ago, horses have been abandoned in greater numbers; many more horses now suffer inhumane journeys and painful deaths at slaughter facilities outside our borders; and honest, hard-working people involved in the horse industry find their livelihood in danger. Those of us who make a living in the horse industry have seen the market value of horses plummet and customer base dwindle. We are so busy rescuing our mistakes we forget our partners. At high risk are the wonderful animals that spend their summers at camps teaching kids about horses. How ironic and tragicly unfair that an old useless thoroughbred or lame horse is rescued and a sweet camp pony ends up on the truck to the canadian slaughter house.

CHAPTER 2:

"RISING FUEL COSTS"    

     Last year we watched helplessly as diesel and gasoline prices began to rise. Everything became effected by the huge increases. All commodities rose and those that required trucking long distances really climbed. Farmers  spent more to produce the hay and grain that our horses relied on. Canadian tractor trailers of hay went from $185/ton to  $260 with a 7% surcharge for fuel. Even local hay was more expensive. Taking our horses to a horse show became a luxury ~ staying home to trail ride a new weekend activity. Now as winter approaches many horse owners are faced with choosing fuel for the oil burners or hay for their hay burners.

CHAPTER 3:

"RAIN, RAIN, RAIN"

     Here in the northeast  it rained most of the summer. It was almost impossible to make any hay. Many flooded riverside field were covered with 12" silt and gravel. Brokers who had hay priced it so high only the wealthy could affort it. Back yard horses owners were really up against it. There seemed to be little coordination thru the department of agriculture or horse groups to connect farmers with equipment and standing hay available to cut. Nor was there a good network to connect those with hay and the needy. So now we have a huge hay shortage and many hungy horses.

CHAPTER 4:

"SOLUTIONS"

    So are there solutions or will these 3 situations combine to create the the twillight of the back yard horse? Will we see fewer and fewer of the good old guys and more of the expensive and fancier animals that are often more horse than the first time horse owner can handle? What will become of the annual fall round up of "camp" horses?  How many will die for lack of buyers and hay. what are the solutions? I don't know. I would love to hear your thoughts. lbricker@together.net  But i do believe that we need to reduce breeding. Second we need to rescue intelligently. As a good friend in the horse business once told me "you can not save them all".  We need to have a plan for what to do with this huge surplus horse population. Perhaps conservation of oil and gas will help on the fuel cost until our representative can figure that one out! As for the weather.... pray.