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RE: [RC] The ethics of slaughter - heidi

I sent a much more in-depth post to Karen privately, since she posted this same post to me privately somewhat earlier, but I'll reply in brief here.
 
When one starts talking about "ethics" one has to consider how one's own actions relate to the whole.  Certainly one can place "blame" on the situation of unwanted horses on the owners, or breeders, or whatever.  Those sorts of generalizations sound nice, but don't cover the gamut of reality--yes, there are breeders who are rich, and who breed hundreds of foals trying to get that one stellar individual, etc., but they are not representative of the whole group of people who breed horses.  There are a whole host of very responsible breeders who try to breed the best quality that they can, to keep quality using lines going, and to place their horses in homes where they will be appreciated.  To me, simply blaming a class of people who are breeders is lacking in ethics.
 
Additionally, one can place blame on irresponsible owners, and that feels good, too.  But in reality, while some are indeed callous and irresponsible, many are simply ignorant of what it takes to keep a horse, and get trapped in the reality.  Some get old and didn't have any way to make a contingency.  (I once got a 14-year-old stallion from what had been a really top-quality and very responsible breeding program--but he was from their last foal crop, and was never halterbroke.  The wife had Alzheimers and the husband was on crutches.  Who do I "blame?")  Some people fall on hard times in other ways--loss of job, divorce, death of a spouse, etc.  Again, I find it unethical to point fingers at a whole class of people, when truly only a few are unscrupulous.  It is all well and good to say, "Gee, they should have had a contingency plan," but most of them don't even have contingencis for their KIDS, let alone their horses. 
 
Additionally, even though those who lobby to close down an outlet for unwanted horses are not "causing" the problem, and are quick to point fingers to that effect, I find it particularly unethical to make the plights of these animals even worse by removing what is often the only route to euthanasia that their owners can afford.  No, Karen, the lobbyists didn't "cause" the problem--but they are exacerbating the problem by their actions.  Personally, I find that parallel to somebody who would say, "Gee, I didn't get pregnant as an unwed teen, so the babies that result from such births can just tough it."  Or, "I didn't do cocaine, so that cocaine-addicted baby can just scream in the street until he dies."  Just because you didn't contribute to a problem doesn't mean that you have the right to remove a solution to it and cause even more suffering--and to label such an action as "ethical" is particularly odious.
 
Heidi



Since I started the "ethical" discussion, I need to clarify. 
 
I did not make my "ethical" statement in regards to what people eat, but as an assessment of the slaughter industry itself. The Mayor of Kearney, TX, where one of the plants exists, calls horse slaughter "America's dirty little secret" and I think she nailed it on the head. 
 
If everything were on the table and horse owners "knew" that their horse was headed to slaughter when it left the auction ring, if killer buyers were "proud" of their vocation and openly disclosed their intentions, if the horses were housed in ways that respected their herd instincts, if they were transported in trailers which allowed plenty of room and comfort, if they were fed and watered along the way, if all horses were cleared for slaughter related to clear ownership, if horses were not stolen and sold to slaughter for peanuts so some idiot could buy another "whatever".  If, if, if.......then perhaps I would not be quite so quick to label horse slaughter (the industry) as unethical. 
 
I don't set back and make grand statements from my "high horse" about this subject.  I face it every day.  I see the conditions these horses are subjected to (I call it being "terrorized"). I pay ransom for horses which are healthy, trained, friendly, I accept and rehab those which have been injured significantly during transport.  I listen to heartbreaking stories from people who can no longer care for their horses.  I receive calls and emails from individuals and breeders who simply "don't want to" care for their horse(s) any longer.  This "business" is pretty ugly nearly every day and it is not the fault of the horse.  It is the fault of the "horse people".  We made this mess and we are going to have to clean it up.  It will get uglier before it gets better.  There will, undoubtedly, be taxes or fines or assessments.  Registration rates will probably rise, the government will get involved at some level and there will be people spending time in jail.  Some will spend LOTS OF TIME.  Judges are now saying "animals abuse will not occur o n my watch" and people are "paying the price" for neglect, abuse and abandonment.
 
As Truman said, the tide has turned, regardless of your personal opinion.  I fully expect the anti-slaughter bills to pass both the House and Senate.  If not this year, then the next or the next, because AMERICA does not want horses slaughtered.  Just be prepared.  If you need to get a horse off your rolls, do so now.  Prices are around .32 per pound.  Get your money while you can and cut your losses now..
 
 
Karen Everhart MEd
President
Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement, Inc.
www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com
620-725-3402
 
Owner/Operator Horse Calls - Equine Management Solutions
Centered Riding Instructor
Distance Horse Conditioning and Training
www.horsecalls.com
316-648-5082
A captive bolt in the brain is certainly "humane."   And to suggest that it is unethical for humans to consume horses is biased at best.
 
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