Bo Derek has worked for six years to bring about proper protection of American horses. She has worked with legislators across the United States, and American slaughter houses have been closed for several years now. But we need to take one more step. The final effort to protect our country’s horses is about to come up in Congress. This is not a “bleeding hearts” issue. It is common decency and the recognition of American horses’ contributions to our lives. Did you ever realize how important a part they played in establishing the United States of America? Horses may very well have been the key element in defeating the British. British soldiers were on foot and realized their disadvantage, and whenever possible, they resorted to stealing horses. Luckily for us, they realized this too late.
When legislators return to Congress in September, they will be taking up the The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (S 727/ H.R. 503). If you care about cruelty to horses, please contact your congressman and the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Ask them to support this bill. It will prevent our beloved American horses from being slaughtered for human consumption.
Although slaughter houses in the U.S. have long been closed, horses are still bought here at auctions or obtained by other unsavory means and transported to slaughter houses in Mexico or Canada. These horses experience a long-distance, grueling trip, without feed or water, aboard cattle trucks to the slaughter house. The weak, older or very young horses are often trampled to death on the way.
Once there, the horror increases. The horses are nose to tail in a line-up. When the horse in front is ripped apart, the next horse is almost on top of the horrendous action. Eyewitness accounts tell us that the rod shot into the horse’s brain to kill often misses the mark and the still living horse is hoisted by one leg in the air and ripped open. If a mare is pregnant, the still living foal is thrown in the offal bin with the rest of the internal organs.
The men doing this work are not skilled technicians, even though it requires considerable care for it to done exactly right. As one might imagine, there is reportedly a constant turnover of employees at these plants. It is a heartbreaking job.
Why would anyone want to oppose this long overdue bill? Several reasons: It is hard to believe, but some people simply block out the reality of what actually happens to their horse when it is purchased by a slaughter house. They don’t hesitate to send an old friend, who has worked hard for them or given them years of pleasure, to a horrifying death.
Sometimes, they justify it by saying they don’t want to pay the vet to euthanize their horse and pay to have it buried at the landfill. The truth is, they could certainly avoid sending their dear friend to a grizzly death. If need be, they could put the horse down on their own property and bury it. Most people who have horses have land to do this. We here in the Valley have a service that will come and pick up your horse and take him to the landfill. Probably all areas with a population of horses have disposal sites.
Another reason that some oppose the bill is that a few horse associations depend on large registrations to bring in money. They do not want people to be encouraged to stop breeding more horses than they can take care of. These are some of the same people that profess a great love for horses. Yet they simply get rid of extra horses in this cruel and thoughtless way. If you think your breed association is one that will not support legislation to prevent the slaughter industry from operating, you need to contact them. Stand up and be counted for doing the right thing. There are some people who will make money, if Americans slaughter houses are re-opened or if this bill is defeated. So they have a network of spreading false rumors about huge numbers of horses being abandoned or starved. The fact is that most of the horses that go to slaughter are sound, healthy horses that were purposely sought out by a predatory horse slaughter industry.
“There have always been thoughtless people who starve or abandon animals,” Derek says. “But in spite of rewards and careful monitoring, officials tell us that there has been almost no increase in the problem since the closing of the slaughter houses in America.
“Slaughter houses in California were closed by a ballot initiative in 1998, but studies showed that there was no rise in abandonment. In fact, there has been a significant drop in horse thefts. As a horse owner, I am very glad of the ban and am calling for an ultimate federal ban to protect all of our American horses. There is simply no excuse for painting horse slaughter as a humane end-of-life option. Some Asian cultures eat dogs and cats. Does this mean we should have slaughter facilities for them, too?”
Some of the possible solutions: 1. Make sure people are heavily penalized for the abandonment or mistreatment of horses throughout America. 2. If the economy is at fault, make sure people have ways to solve their problem in a humane and decent way. There are many rescue organizations. 3. There are people who would love to have a donated horse. Healthy older horses are quite suitable for beginners and children to learn to ride. 4. There are several drop-off centers. The University of Davis has one. There, horses can either be rehabilitated or the gentle method of euthanasia can be demonstrated to the vet students. 5. Arrange a workable system where veterinarians can charge a lower fee for euthanizing a horse for clients they know are in need. 6. Check for burial sites at landfills at a reasonable price.
The people of America need to come together to help each other and our horses. Please send an email message to your congressman and your out-of-state friends, too. We need to end this tragedy.
Rep. Congressman Elton Gallegly — fax: (805) 686-2566; Washington fax: (202) 225-1100.
Dem. Congresswoman Lois Capps — fax: (805) 730-9153, Washington fax: (202) 225-5632.
PLEASE MAKE THE CALL, IT WOULD ONLY TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES OF YOUR TIME. BUT IT WOULD MEAN THE WORLD TO A HORSE IN RISK OF GOING TO SLAUGHTER AND DIEING A PAINFUL AND CRUEL DEATH.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
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