Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

Re: [RC] [RC] [RC] Canadian Slaughter - terry banister

We have to start somewhere.

Backyard breeder: Unlicensed general public who breed for the fun of having a baby (In the past two years, I have personally known three people just in my area, who have bred or are planning to breed their mare just for the experience of having a baby. We all know about the puppies and kittens that people allow to be born for the "experience" of letting their female have a litter, or letting the children have the experience of seeing where puppies come from.
People who allow their stallions to breed indescriminately: In the past two years, I have personally known two people who purchased a mare in foal without knowing it. The sellars either did not know, or did not plan for the stallion to breed those mares. Etc., etc. Grade horses come from somewhere.

Licensed breeder: large or small operation, breeding program that is run as a business. Having done the homework and paid the dues, and usually has a program for placing the animals. Even if the large breeders overproduced, the more quality animals would be more likely to be placed if there weren't so many grade horses.

I am only talking financial programs that discourage irresponsible breeding, not controlling what kind of animals are bred. And I don't have answers, only questions. And I know that the animal overpopulation problem would not exist if we did not allow it. We are the ones who created/allowed it, and we are the ones who have to live with it, or take control of it.
Is slautering excess animals after the fact more desireable than taking control of the breeding?
OK, I guess that everyone feels that it is.
I will shut up and crawl back under my rock.
Terry


From: "Heidi Smith" <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "terry banister" <terrybanister@xxxxxxxxxxx>,<seamstob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,<ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [RC] [RC] Canadian Slaughter
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 11:07:04 -0700


> I have always wondered  why can't we regulate backyard/irresponsible
> breeding? Why can't we require a license to breed and a severe fine for
> keeping uncastrated male animals (horses, dogs and cats)?

What constitutes "backyard?" Who is to be the judge of that? In my
experience, most of the truly responsible breeding is being done by smaller
breeders who take a personal interest in what they do and in the animals
that they produce. A significant number of unwanted horses come from the
"big" breeders who have a few stellar individuals in the show ring--and who
have the resources and the callous attitude to throw away a hundred foals to
get one "stellar" extreme oddball for the show ring. As for fining those
who keep intact males--it doesn't take very many males to get a large number
of females in foal. It is limiting the number of females that reproduce
that controls the population. Furthermore, once again, it is the smaller
breeder who has done his/her homework who would be impacted by what you
suggest--the ones who try to carefully produce a few quality horses, often
on a pretty tight budget. And simply eliminating males from the gene pool
is a great way to destroy the diversity of a gene pool as well. Talk to
some of the knowledgeable equine geneticists about this approach--it really
curls their hair.

So what would you do with the preservation breeders like me?  I have 12
intact male horses on the place.  I don't breed that many foals in a year.
Furthermore, I know the whereabouts of almost all of the foals I've bred
over the past 30+ years--and a significant number of them are/were loved
riding horses of caring owners.  And I am not unique--many others have done
their homework and understand the importance of gene conservation and
genetic diversity, many others work hard to ensure quality offspring and
take the responsibility to place them in suitable homes, etc.  Too often it
is people that simply don't understand what it takes to responsibly breed
good horses/dogs/whatever that want to license/fine breeding out of
existence.  While it is noble to want to adopt rescues, etc., for those who
want to actually ride or compete with their horses, there simply are not
enough of the "throw-away" variety that have the traits necessary to do the
job.  Yes, we all have heard of the occasional sterling individual that has
become a superstar after being rescued--but the reality is that the vast
majority of the horses who go to slaughter are NOT suitable as riding
horses.

Bottom line--you can't legislate morality.

Heidi


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


_________________________________________________________________
Send a QuickGreet with MSN Messenger http://www.msnmessenger-download.com/tracking/cdp_games


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=