DISQUS

horsesRfood2 · 1 year ago

First horses, next dolphins First they are going to ban eating horses, next it will be eating dolphins.

Lee

vicki9 · 1 year ago

horse slaughter Lee, it has been illegal for years to buy or sell horse meat for human consumption in the US. We are trying to ban the export of horses. Americans overwhelmingly view horses as companion animals. If foregin countries want to eat horse, that's fine but let them kill their own horses. France and Belgium have made fools of us and are laughing all the way to the bank.

BUC · 1 year ago

Not Just Senators Don't lay all the blame on the senators. There are PLENTY of horse owning Americans who think shutting down the slaughter plants was the dumbest move of all time....Abuse and neglect is already on the rise.

vicki9 · 1 year ago

horse slaughter Not so, Buc - at least not due to the kill houses being shut down. Our horses are still going to slaughter. There are plenty of statistics out there proving that there is no correlation between abuse/neglect and horse slaughter. There was plenty of abuse/neglect when the kill houses were open. Those folks weren't taking their horses to slaughter. The pro folks just chose to ignore that and keep spewing the same old tired arguments. All the articles claiming abandonment and abuse were investigated and not one of them was true.

When are you guys going to get some new material? And before you start on the exports, I'm sure you're aware that the 2007 counts were not the highest count. The highest count was 80,000. The exports were happening when the kill houses were open but nobody seemed to care then. You can verify this on the USDA website.

BUC · 1 year ago

What? Sorry, but you are wrong. Export to Mexico increased 400% in 2007 to Mexico. Whatever web site you pulled that one off of apparently doesn't have a clue.

And I could sit at a desk and write "white papers" all day long and that does not make anything true. The abuse/neglect/slaughter "statistics" all all written by anti slaughter activists....Imagine that?

Slaughter in the USA has ALWAYS been an option until this last year. So no one in their right mind (this may exclude you?) can say what will and will not happen....not even me.

But I will tell you that a lot of American horse OWNERS are not happy about this at all. We see what is happening to the price of our horses. Any idiot can own a horse for the price of a Happy Meal now.

So when are YOU going to get some new material....

Allen · 1 year ago

Yummy! So what does horse meat taste like?  Is it good?

vicki9 · 1 year ago

horse slaughter Buc, are you saying the USDA website is not correct? The highest number of exports was 79,749 - in a year that the kill houses were open. You are only looking at the Mexico numbers. The USDA website also includes Japan and Canada. How can say that slaughter isn't available? Didn't you just quote a percentage increase in exports? Are they being exported for show? Let's see, they're American horses being exported for slaughter. Doesn't that mean that slaughter is still available?

There are many horse owners that are responsible and wouldn't dream of torturing their horses with slaughter and are glad the kill houses are closed. Many of the owners I know have horses that were rescued before the kill buyers got their hands on them and the first thing they did was set aside money so when the time comes, they will have a humane, dignified death. That is responsible horse owner. Those that breed responsibly and care for their horses will humanely euthanize their animals. The cost is no more than one month's care to euthanize and dispose of their animals. It's amazing that they can afford to care for them but then say they can't afford to euthanize them. You cannot buy or sell horse meat for human consumption in the US. Why on earth would you support slaughtering our horses for overseas diners? Let them slaughter their own horses. Oh, I get it. You must own Quarter Horses. They keep breeding and breeding and as long as there is an incentive from slaughter, nothing will change. The AQHA will keep getting their registration fees and they'll keep bringing more and more horses into the world. All slaughter does is promote more slaughter and thefts. Pretty sad that you'd sell out your horse for a quick $200. Your compassion is overwhelming.

I also notice that you haven't mentioned the hay shortage. Is that not a factor? It's so much easier for pro folks to blame everything on the kill houses being closed. Slaughter isn't the solution. If it was, after all these years, don't you think things would have righted themselves by now?

BUC · 1 year ago

Not Going There I'm not going to argue with someone that has been brainwashed and obviously does not have a clue. If you READ what I wrote and comprehend you will see you are talking about something completely different.....

Maybe your right on the Canadian or Mexican border, I don't know...but horses in mid state are not worth anything...yes I blame it on slaughter...end of story...and so do many other horse owning Americans.

According to studies the main reasons for horse neglect and abuse is owner ignorance - the second is financial hardship. How does banning slaughter address either situation?

Please don't enlighten me with with your answer...just try to think reasonable for 2 seconds.

Also I didn't realize this was a forum? Isn't it a comment section for comments about the article? Don't you have a forum to spout on?

BUC · 1 year ago

Horse Meat It's delicious. The leanest meat around. Red and sweet. If you like steak it will only take you about 2 seconds to figure out why foreign countries think it's a delicacy.

Carole · 1 year ago

The real reason for low horse prices BUC, it's easy to hide behind the same old pro-slaughter arguments and refuse to include facts in the decision-making process.  Of course, many horse owners are running scared.  They have reason to.  Poor management practices by careless backyard breeders, racing operations, and huge breed organizations have produced too many horses. The glut of horses is the cause of so many horses going to slaughter. The over production of horses is the cause for their drop in value, not closing the plants.  People are using the closing of the plants and those that support the closing as scape goats for their frustration that an easy, cheap way to dump their unwanted horses has become more difficult.  Yes, the disposal of unwanted horses has become a national problem.  However, continuing the cruel, unnecessary practice of transport to slaughter houses, and either not caring or pretending that it does not exist, will not solve the basic problem.  Americans have produced more horses than the market will support, and the low prices are the market's way of correcting itself.

vicki9 · 1 year ago

horse slaughter So typical. Change the subject and don't address the issue. You answered your own question. Slaughter will not heal ignorant people. Slaughter will not ease a financial hardship. Slaughter does not stop the overbreeding. Horse prices dip and rise every year. Again, you're not factoring in the cost of hay. How do you explain the dips when the kill houses were open? I am being reasonable just as the majority of Americans are. You don't need kill houses for a country that doesn't use the product.

Enlighten you? I don't think anyone could do that.

Mishalak · 1 year ago

Should This be a Priority? Overwhelmingly view them as companion animals?  It surprises me that a majority would have any idea what horses are like.  Or would actually care deeply about this issue.  I personally am a lot more interested in health care, education, organizing the primaries better in 2012, etc, etc, etc.  This is not a priority for me and I would be greatly surprised if the poll that found this fact was not badly worded to produce the result wanted by activists. 

Chris P · 1 year ago

Horses are a waste of time First they don't belong in the wild because they are not native to North America.  Second, they have been bred to the point that they are a walking veterinary nightmare. They seem to get all sorts of diseases and medical problems.

The fact is that there are too many of them and eating them doesn't seem unreasonable.  If you don't like the idea - then just don't eat them.

What I think is crazy is that I thought they were supposed to be a mode of transportation.  Instead everybody who owns them seems to feel the need to then go out and buy a giant dually diesel pick-up and a giant trailer to tow them around in.  Totally nuts. 

Chris P

pdt · 1 year ago

Probably tastes like chicken

Carole · 1 year ago

clarification Chris, it's not the eating or not eating of horsemeat that is the focus of the legislation before Congress.  The issues that the legislation is designed to correct are the cruel treatment of the animals during transport to auction and slaughter and the unquestionably inhumane conditions during the slaughter process.

Diane · 1 year ago

Horse Slaughter Keep the boarders open and re open the US slaughter plants!!! This bill sucks!

Rachelle · 1 year ago

Slaughter sucks And slaughter doesn't?