By Dominique Martin '12
The bill HR-2112 was passed on November 18, 2011 and re-legalized horse slaughter in the United States. While the reopening of slaughter house plants in the America gives a place for unwanted horses, the institution of slaughter is, on a whole, flawed. People do not adhere to slaughter regulations and practices, and at times, can be cruel. If slaughter is to be allowed in the United States, there has to be a move to ensure that horses are treated humanely and that humans actively make informed choices when owning equines.
After being banned in the United States since 2006, the slaughter of horses for human consumption was re-legalized in the United States. This was part of bill HR-2112 which was signed into law by President Obama on November 18, 2011. The law would allow for slaughter plants to re-open in the United States that would process horse meat for human consumption.
The meat would primarily be shipped overseas to foreign markets where it is regularly consumed. Countless citizens across the United States were outraged, but others believed that slaughter in the United States gives an outlet for all the surplus horses.
When horse slaughter was banned in 2006, the United States no longer had an easy outlet for all the unwanted horses. The hope was that the ban would stop horses from suffering painful and cruel ending. However, the 2006 ban did not stop slaughter, and instead, horses were shipped over incredibly long distances to Canada and Mexico. At times, the animals were inhumanely shipped in trailers with low ceilings meant for cattle. These did not allow the horses to stand comfortably during the trip, and the animals were exposed to countless cruelty on their way to the less regulated slaughter houses of neighboring countries. They were hit in the face with whips or with charged cattle prods and not given any food from the time they were shipped to the time they were slaughtered.
HR-2112 re-allows horse slaughter and was also signed in order to help boost the economy says Laetitia Mailhes who wrote Horse Slaughter Expected in America. Horses, along with citizens of the United States, are feeling the effects of the economic slump. They are being turned loose and left out to fend for themselves by owners who can no longer afford them. Horses are expensive to care for, and the industry has no outlet for all the unwanted animals. There are not enough horse rescues and buyers to care for the surplus of equines. Although horse slaughter does give an outlet for the extra animals and prevents inhumane shipment across borders, the practice of slaughter still relies on relatively medieval and cruel methods.
The American Veterinary Medicine Association states that the most common way to slaughter horses is through captive bolt, and this is said to be humane. With this, horses are loaded into the kill box and then hit on the head with a bolt until rendered unconscious. However equineadvocates.org states that at times, the methods to slaughter horses are horrific because the animals are sometimes still conscious as they are being strung up and having their throats slit.
“There is too much cruelty and unnecessary pain and torture these poor animals go through. Not to mention they don’t go quick, I have watched documentaries on this subject, and it usually takes 3-4 hits before the animal goes down. Half the time the animals are still breathing when they shackle them up and start to skin them. It is sick! I don’t know how anyone would think it was a good idea to start this again, it took so long to shut them all down in the first place and now with the flick of a switch Obama is bringing it back,” remarks Shannon Pleines, a professional horse trainer and founder of Shannon Equine.
Horses, unlike cows and other stock were not bred for food. They are animals raised to be ridden and enjoyed by humans rather than eaten for supper. The horse has become iconic and is prominently featured as man’s trusty steed in popular western films.
Remarkable bonds form between human and horse, but there are still people unwilling to overlook this and endorse slaughter. Dana Kelner, Trumbull High Senior and avid horse rider states that, “I think it is completely horrible that horse slaughter has been legalized in the U.S. They are beautiful creatures and deserve a good life unharmed by the food industry.”
Along with Pleines and Kelner, there are countless people who are opposed to this new proposition. Animal rights groups and private parties put in unimaginable effort to ban horse slaughter in 2006. Efforts have been made to fight against the new law.
The cruel practices and lack of emotion towards equines outraged people across the nation. Many slaughtered horses come from owners who over-breed their animals or who do not fully consider the financial means necessary to properly care for them. Race horses are bred to run for two or three years and then practically thrown away once they can no longer perform. The industry is competitive and many professionals look for the absolute top animal and discard a perfectly good horse that could be well suited in a different home.
To truly make a difference, people have to push for an overall change in the horse industry. When purchasing a horse, a person needs to be fully aware of the time, responsibility, and financial means necessary for their care. Horses should still be attended to and cherished even later on in life when they are no longer able to be ridden. Owning a horse is a life time commitment. In addition, surplus and unregulated horse breeding has to be put to an end. Cranking out foals for the slight chance that one will be the next Secretariat is a foolish practice. People have to make informed choices when bringing a new horse into this world for racing or sport.
Commonly used slaughter practices need to be revised. “As a Professional in the horse industry I am absolutely against Obama’s reinstatement of equine slaughter houses in the US. I personally have seen the horrors of what happens inside a slaughter house. A lot of good animals end up there because of people’s neglect and lack of caring or emotion,” stated Shannon Pleines. Horses could be saved unimaginable pain and suffering with better regulation of the cruel practices in slaughter houses. There is a feasible way to end the surplus of horses in America. A more active stand against people who use and discard horses as well as a push for humane methods in slaughter houses has to be established.
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