Slaughter

["Claudia Provin" <provincmk@fanninelectric.com>]

I have read with a great deal of interest the stories from California.   I
am confused as to whether there is no slaughter at all available, or just
not slaughter for human consumption.   You DO have auction houses?   If so,
how is the ultimate fate of those horses controlled?   If there is no
auction and no slaughter, what happens to those "unwanted" horses?   I AM
NOT referring to YOU or ME---but we all know that "THEY" don't care as much
as we do.

On the one hand, I agree with everybody who says we have a responsibility to
our horses; on the other hand, the slaughterhouses, as I see it, fulfill a
need.   Far better to have a week of misery then die, than starve to death,
out in snowstorms with no shelter, or locked in a stall with no attention,
feet growing until they curl (while still starving); or, lying underneath a
collapsed shed while slowly bleeding and/or starving to death; or, in
another reported scenario, slowly starving then having no water in
100-degree temperatures for days on end.   And, if it is thought we have
such a degree of responsibility to our horses--then perhaps we also have the
responsibility NEVER to sell them--because who knows what the next guy will
do.

Another point - there IS a difference in the emotional factor between a
horse who has been a buddy for years and years, and a horse who just came
into your life six months ago and has not been manageable.  And as Heidi
pointed out, sometimes circumstances can force the best-intended into harsh
decisions.

(Didn't know I even owned a soapbox!)

Claudia
Provin's Promises
http://www.equine-marketplace.com/ProvinsPromises