Slaughter is not an end of life option for one 92% of the horses which go to slaughter are young sound healthy horses, not lame, neglected skinny horses. The slaughterhouses don’t want those horses.

But let’s look at the real problem, we have an economy that started heading down hill in 2007 and went into full blown recession in 2008, neglected and abandonded horses did not go up because the slaughter houses were closed in the states, but because the economy tanked. As a matter of fact, studies have indicated that slaughter actually increases the number of unwanted and neglected animals because breeders continue to breed. The majority of the horses going thru slaughter are AQHs, the registry still offers breeding incentives. Breeders have to start facing facts that there is a basic economic principle of supply and demand. The demand has been down and is steadily going down as our society changes. And as long as slaughter exists as an options breeders will continue to over breed.

Lauren at the end of your post you mentioned some ideas, I do want to be “pro-horses” but dont know what is the best way to help. Any direction would be appreciated
What I have been doing lately is using my facebook to create awareness. I have been talking about at work, with horsie friends and just trying to put it on the table for everybody to see. My next step is creating awareness/bringing up the subject with my horse community, not too sure how….but I hope that everyday we can make steps in the right direction!

“Part 1: Horses with Savings Accounts.

“When a horse is born, the breeder would have to put credit into their account to pay for their basic training. This would help reduce the number of horses that are untrained and therefore unwanted. It would also make breeders invest more in their foals and help make them think more about WHY they are breeding, and what the horse’s market will be.

“If a colt is born, then the breeder also has to put money into a fund to pay for it to be gelded. If the owner decides not to geld, then a ‘stallion’ fee will have to be paid into the sanctuary fund every year until the stallion proves that he is worthy of being stallion with having marketable foals. Hopefully this will make people think harder before keeping their horse a stallion. It will no longer be the cheaper option to gelding. The built up sanctuary fund can offer subsidies to geld cryptorchid stallions, as people currently will keep these horses ungelded, rather than accept the additional cost
of gelding them.

“Throughout the horse’s life, then its owners will have to put money into its savings account for every ribbon it wins, every race it places in, for every trail ride or ride it gives. Lesson horses and horses for hire will get money into their account for each ride they give. Broodmares and stallions will get a percentage of the money each of their foals is sold for. Horses that work hard and bring joy to their people will earn their retirement. Lesson students will feel better knowing that their favourite lesson horses will be looked after in their old age.

“Suddenly there will be more incentive for people to own older horses as these horses will have built up a retirement fund to support them in their old age. Novice horse owners might actually start buying horses suited to their skills rather than getting something young just because it is cheap. People will actually have to start paying their fair share for ensuring that each horse gets cared for, from start to finish.”

Something to think about; I don’t know how or who would enforce some of the ideas, but it would be nice!!!!

After Ms. Bogley introduced new language into the federal transportation laws for horses, did she just pat herself on the back and go home? Did she think to perhaps took at the reams of investigations done since then showing a) unacceptable rates of significant injury and b) every single undercover investigation showing blatant disregard for humane transport regs by kill buyers? We don’t have the money for appropriate oversight, and evidence has shown, without a shadow of a doubt, that transport within the U.S. causes terrible suffering to equines.

Most of the people above have dealt with the misinformation, but one pro-slaughter tactic you’ve employed here that I find completely irresponsible is posting the pictures of neglected horses suggesting that slaughter in some way is a solution to neglect.

Here are some fundamental facts that disprove that:

#1 Kill buyers are not interested in skinny horses. Once a horse starts to drop weight / experience neglect, it ceases to be a slaughter candidate.

#2 Owners who neglect their horses have made a choice NOT to send that horse to slaughter. Let me repeat – They’ve chosen not to send their horse into the slaughter pipeline. Often they choose to keep the horse because they specifically want to prevent the horse from ending up there, so availability of slaughter could actually be increasing equine neglect.

And #3 Slaughter has been widely available as an option to American horse owners for years, and yet we have increasing rates of equine neglect. How much more evidence do you need that it has FAILED to impact neglect?

If you – and Sidelines – is genuine about addressing equine neglect, it’s imperative to really understand the true causes, in order to create effective solutions. The most cited reasons for neglect are hoarding issues (often related to fear of slaughter or other perceived negative consequences of giving up horses), owner ignorance, owner apathy, or major financial hardship. The rescues I work with understand and acknowledge the true causes of neglect, and are working hard to address them directly.