Every day in the United States horses die. NOT due to neglect or to abuse, but due to slaughter. I'll define slaughter for you: Intentional killing of these horses, for human consumption overseas in countries such as France, Belgium, Japan, and Italy. Horse meat is also eaten in Mexico.
It is illegal to eat horse meat in the United States, and also against the law to sell it. However, every day 312 horses enter the two slaughter plants in Texas... and come out in meat containers stamped with 'A Taste Of Texas'. They're shipped to various countries (mostly the ones stated above). The buyers of horse meat pay up to $20 a pound for it. That means the average horse, weighing anywhere around 1000 to 1500 pounds, could bring about $2,100.00 per horse.
The sad thing is, people in the United States had NO idea this was happening to their horses... Until Ferdinand, a famous racehorse who won the 1986 Kentucky Derby, and the 1987 Breeder's Cup, and was ALSO named 1987 Horse Of The Year, was sold to Japan in 1994 because he just wasn't a successful stud. After six years at Arrow Stud in Japan, Ferdinand still hadn't proven himself a successful sire. Therefore, he was slaughtered in a Japanese slaughter house in September of 2002.
As a racehorse, Ferdinand won eight of a total of twenty-nine starts (starts means how many races he ran) and earned $3,777,978. He retired as what was, as of then, the fifth leading money winner of all time. His victory in the Kentucky Derby gave his trainer Charlie Whittingham his first success in that classic, and it was the final career Derby win for jockey Bill Shoemaker. He was an outstanding racehorse, but couldn't prove himself an outstanding sire. So his life ended in a blood-covered kill box in 2002.
Americans were simply outraged at the Japanese for slaughtering Ferdinand... Yet soon, as more research was done on horse slaughter, we realized we shouldn't be so quick to judge.


Note: The following was taken from https://ssl.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=133600&letter_id=336521956


Facts About Horse Slaughter:


*Last year three foreign-owned slaughter plants cruelly slaughtered more than 65,000 horses for human consumption in Europe and Asia. Tens of thousands more of America's horses were exported and slaughtered in other countries.

* Slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia. Horses suffer horribly on the way to and during slaughter.

* Passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) will reduce animal suffering - hence its wide support throughout the equestrian and veterinary world, as well as the humane community.

* Americans overwhelmingly support an end to horse slaughter for human consumption (recent polls from Kentucky, Texas and Utah respectively show that 82, 72 and 69 percent of those questioned oppose the practice). In California, a 1998 ballot initiative (Prop. 6) banning horse slaughter
for human consumption passed with 60 percent of the vote.

Question: Is it true that slaughter is only a last resort for infirm, dangerous or no longer serviceable horses?

Answer: 92.3 percent of horses arriving at slaughter plants in this country are in good condition, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Guidelines for Handling and Transporting Equines to Slaughter.

Question: Will horse abuse and neglect cases rise significantly following a ban on slaughter?

Answer: There has been no documented rise in abuse and neglect cases in California since the state banned horse slaughter for human consumption in 1998. There is no documented rise in Illinois following closure of the state's only horse slaughter plant in 2002.

Question: If there is a ban on horse slaughter, will horse rescue and retirement groups have the resources to take care of unwanted horses? Should the government have to pay for the care of horses voluntarily given up by their owners?

Answer: ÂNot every horse currently going to slaughter will need to be absorbed into the rescue community - many will be sold to a new owner, others will be kept longer and a licensed veterinarian will humanely euthanize some. Opponents of this legislation admit passage of the
bill will not necessarily lead to an increase in the number of horses sent to rescue facilities, precisely because humane euthanasia is so widely used. It is not the government's responsibility to provide for the care of horses voluntarily given up by their owners, as these animals are private property. Hundreds of horse rescue organizations operate around the country, and additional facilities are being established (a list is available).

Question: If slaughter is not an option, what will we do with sick, old and 'unwanted horses?'

Answer: Approximately 690,000 horses die annually in this country (10 percent of an estimated population of 6.9 million) and the vast majority are not slaughtered, but euthanized and rendered or buried without any negative environmental impact instead. Humane euthanasia and carcass disposal is highly affordable and widely available. The average cost of having a horse humanely euthanized and safely disposing of the animal's carcass is approximately $225, while the average monthly cost of keeping a horse is approximately $200.

Question: If there is a ban on horse slaughter in the United States, will there be an increase in the export of horses for foreign slaughter? Will horses suffer from longer transport for slaughter in countries where there may be weaker welfare laws?

Answer: Horse slaughter has declined dramatically in the United States over the past decade, but there has been no correlating increase in the number of American horses exported for slaughter abroad. Further, the AHSPA prohibits the export of horses for slaughter abroad, and contains clear enforcement and penalty provisions to prevent this from happening. Risk of federal prosecution and the high costs associated with illegally transporting horses long distances for slaughter abroad are strong deterrents.

Question: Is it true no standards exist for horse rescue facilities that take unwanted horses?

Answer: The Doris Day Animal League and the Animal Welfare Institute published 'Basic Guidelines for Operating an Equine Rescue or Retirement Facility' in 2004. Additionally, the Association of Sanctuaries and the American Sanctuaries Association provide accreditation programs, a code of ethics and guidelines for the operation of sanctuaries and rescue
organizations. Horse rescue groups must also provide for the welfare of horses in their custody in compliance with state and local animal welfare laws.

Question: If there is a ban on horse slaughter, will horse meat no longer be available for pet food?

Answer: There is no horse meat in pet food. This practice stopped decades ago and has some connection to the enactment of protections for America's wild horses in 1971. The US public and Congress were outraged to learn federal agencies were rounding up and allowing the exploitation
and slaughter of these national treasures for items such as pet food. Some by-products of the horse slaughter industry are used in various consumer items, but they are derived from the rendering (a different process than slaughter and not affected by the AHSPA)of dead horses and other animals.

SAVE THE HORSES!!!

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