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[RC] slaughter Sorry it's so long - sandra bommert

WOW!  I would just like to say that I'm very happy to see that there's other horse people out there besides myself who aren't opposed to slaughter.  While yes I would like to see it be more humane, especially after the auctions.  I know that both good horses and bad horses get sent to slaughter but as bad as this might sound; having the slaughter houses open helps keep the horse market good.  I know that here in Iowa the market has been down for some time.  I can go to an auction and get a well broke horse for $300, and a weanling to two year old for under $100 sometimes.  I feel that this has happened for two reasons.  A) too many horses being produced, which while is in part the back yard breeders fault, I also place blame on the PMU farms. and B) Too many poor/bad horses out there. When I say bad I mean lame, old, ill, or even unmanigible (psycho) which truly crazy horses are few but they are out there and most of them are only crazy because of something that humans have done to them.                                                                              

    While it would be nice if everyone would let their horses retire on their farm, not everyone can or would do this and then they send the horses to auction, clogging the market for the good horses out there that are actually have a monetary vs. sentimental value.  I once had a clinician that I greatly respect tell me that the horses at auctions are there for a reason, with that reason most of the time being that the owner couldn't sell them honestly with a private treaty etc.  Yes, I have sold a horse at auction, one that I really loved.  The only reason I sold him there was I had tried the internet, classified ads etc without success and the auction I took him to was a specialty/breed auction.  I met the people that bought him and stayed in touch with them which was nice.  While I know that my story is the exception vs the rule, I think it can also really depend on the auction people take their horse(s) to.  

     I know that I prefer to eat home/farm raised animals instead of store bought, or even store bought organic.  It justs tastes better and I feel better knowing that I'm not eating a lot of chemicals, hormones etc and that the animal was fed things it was supposed to eat; i.e. cows eat grass, corn, and grain, not ground up cow meat full of hormones.  Honestly though if it came down to me having to kill my own animals to eat then yes more than likely I too would be a vegetarian or I would have to have someone else (my nieghbor or husband if I had one) kill it.  Although I suppose if you're raised and accustomed to killing your own animals then maybe I could do it, but currently I couldn't.  I just get too attached lol. 

     Once again, it's so nice to see that there are horse people out there that are FOR slaughter, and just want to change it a bit.  Most of the horse people I know or have met are ABSOLUTELY against it and think that it's the most horrid thing known to man.  While we all love our horses, they are a little more difficult than a dog to bury in the backyard.  I don't think that I could personally eat horse meat unless I was starving, but other cultures do and so be it.  There are also other cultures that like to eat St. Bernards and there's NO WAY  I could do that.  

  Sandra

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind!

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