Re: Horse slaughter

["Maggie Mieske" <mmieske@netonecom.net>]

 <it would be wonderful if we could all have
our animals peacefully put to sleep and buried on
the home farm - but that is unrealistic for the
majority. >

Just curious....why is it unrealistic to bury one's horse on the home farm?
 Just wondering...

Maggie Mieske
Mieske's Silver Lining
10601 S. Richards Rd.
McBain, Michigan 49657
http://www.netonecom.net/~mmieske
mmieske@netonecom.net

----------
> From: Susan <smw@sos.net>
> To: Ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: RC:  Horse slaughter
> Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 8:24 PM
> 
> I had hoped to avoid this thread since it is not
> really endurance related, but it seems it is a
> passionate issue with many.
> 
> I'd like to share a recent first hand experience
> with you.
> 
> At a local sale yard there were the usual 30 or so
> horses being offered for sale. There were also the
> half dozen already condemned to die - kept in a
> feedlot until the day they would be shipped to the
> packing house. They were well fed and cared for,
> although they were just tossed into a strange
> environment with strange animals.  At least half
> of these horses had no 'visible' defect.........in
> fact, one was a very striking bay, tall, athletic
> looking, kind of eye and alert.
> 
> A mother and her two children were discussing
> these horses, unaware that they were not being
> offered in the regular sale. They were seriously
> considering bidding on the 'gorgeous bay'. As a
> kindness, I informed them that these horses were
> all unsound and would not be going up for sale -
> they were to be sent for slaughter. You would have
> thought I had murdered the woman's children on the
> spot! She went into hysterics - screaming for
> anyone that was near - trying to marshall a group
> to 'storm the office' and stop them from
> destroying these beautiful animals.......
> 
> You see, her heart saw but her mind did not
> comprehend. She did not (could not) know that the
> bay suffered from incurable navicular - and that
> any movement at all caused him excruciating
> pain.....and the owners had opted to put him out
> of his misery rather than prolong it with drugs or
> nerving.
> 
> She could not know that the two of the other
> horses had incurable illness'......her untrained
> eye could not even tell that one of the horses was
> so arthritic his hocks no longer functioned......
> 
> Should she have been 'allowed' to rescue these
> horses? Should anyone have the right (uninformed
> and uneducated) to step in and override the
> decisions that had been made after numerous hours
> of heartbreak and in many cases the expenditure of
> large amounts of cash for veterinary treatment
> that is unsuccessful?
> 
> Perhaps there is a more humane way to deal with
> this - it would be wonderful if we could all have
> our animals peacefully put to sleep and buried on
> the home farm - but that is unrealistic for the
> majority.  And I personally don't have a problem
> with providing a meat source to foreign countries
> - its no different than our consumption of beef in
> America! In India cows are sacred......whats the
> difference?
> 
> Sorry this got so lengthy - but its important that
> people understand BOTH sides......
> 
> 
> 
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