Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hi Terry,

Thank you for both your retraction and your explanation.  Who amongst us 
hasn't been the victim of the dreaded pre-send?  That inexplicable 
glitch in all email clients that perniciously sends out our emails 
before we have finished with them?

Your last line in yesterday's post is absolutely the key. "...why can't 
we *come up with new ideas and move forward*?!"  One of the difficulties 
is that there are two different issues that have been exacerbated by the 
new HP amendment.  1) Euthanizing and disposal of horses whose lives are 
at their end, whether because of age, infirmity, dangerousness or 
whatever, and 2) Slaughter of horses intended for human consumption. 
The poorly constructed amendment, created at the behest of people 
emotionally wrought over the idea that people would eat horses and 
without the assistance of those knowledgeable about the problems horses 
and their owners face in the real world, is like the proverbial sledge 
hammer used to crack a walnut.  The results are a disaster.  Except for 
those who would substitute their preferences for ours, regarding what we 
may put on our dinner table, most horse lovers want to abolish the 
cruelty associated with slaughter and even better, the conditions 
leading to so many excess horses, not particularly the slaughter itself.

We need to repeal that amendment and replace it with one that addresses 
the real issues.  1) Slaughter houses and rendering plants that process
horses should be as free to open and operate, and subject to the same 
types of restrictions, as those that process cattle, sheep, pigs, etc. 
2) It should be illegal to ship horses in containers designed for 
smaller species or under any conditions that subject them to avoidable 
pain or mental stress (though I cannot for the life of me understand why 
this wouldn't apply to ALL animals bound for slaughter). 3) Whatever 
protections exist for other species being slaughtered should be required 
in the slaughter of horses too.  If those are currently inadequate, then 
they need to be upgraded, for ALL food stock, not just horses.  If one 
can in good conscience argue that we need to protect our horses, then as 
guardians of the animals of Earth, we must also protect other animals too.

As to over-breeding, currently that must be left to education.  If we 
are serious about reducing the numbers of excess horses, we need to 
encourage the funding of research into the real world causes and results 
of over-breeding and then THOUGHTFULLY design legislation to control it, 
not just pass a law prohibiting people from breeding such and such a 
number of horses.  Again, it seems if a law is good for horses, why not 
other animals too?  Like with unwanted horses, kitten and puppies are 
produced - NOT bred - under despicable conditions and then disposed of 
like trash if they don't sell.  Where are the guardians of the Earth for 
them?  We can... we MUST do better.

Diane

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