Pre-2016 you could find me somewhere between "well, I don't know" and "we can find a way to save them" on the question of horse slaughter. Growing up in Maryland, I didn't really have to think about or face the issue too much; however, once I moved to Oklahoma, got a horse of my own and immersed myself fully in the equine community, it was time to take a side. In spring of 2016, I heard a woman named Skye McNiel in Oklahoma City speak on the issue, and I was convinced.
Before you call me a horse-hating satan worshiper, listen to what I have to say; here are the four reasons I support horse slaughter in the U.S.:
1. Humane.
It's not a secret that what Mexico does with horses sent for slaughter is an actual, legitimate horror show. God forbid, if you had to send a horse to slaughter, would you rather send her to die painfully or to a plant in the U.S. where inspectors can make sure that horses are put down painlessly with respect?
Putting aside the actual slaughter itself, let's talk about the thousands of miles of transport in crowded livestock trailers, the kill pens, over stuffed, depressing journey that the horses take when it could have been a short trip and a painless end.
2. The end of suffering, diseased and mentally-disturbed horses.
Let's be real here. Euthanizing horses is expensive, not to mention disposal hassles on top of the emotional costs. Selling a horse to horse slaughter plants in the U.S. not only ensures that your horse is humanly put down, but it is cost effective and ensures your horse goes on to serve a new purpose. This isn't to say that euthanasia is lesser, it definitely isn't, however sometimes there is unfortunately no other option or someone who can afford to put down older, diseased or just plain mentally disturbed horses.
3. No room.
Instead of first addressing the obvious Mustang issue, I'd like to draw attention to why we can't just treat this like a cat/dog issue. Unwanted horses cannot all fit into pounds and foster programs for the simple reasons of size, nutritional needs and complicated care/disposal processes.
Now let's talk about those Mustangs. Look, obviously I love horses. I love the American Spirit, and I wholeheartedly want to see wild Mustangs forever roaming the Western U.S. But we have a problem. The population of Mustangs has hit thirty-three thousand, stunningly over the Bureau of Land Management's order of keeping the population around twenty-three thousand. The problem for those who don't know much about these free ranging horses is this: by the year 2030, a new study predicts that the U.S. government will have spent $1.1 Billion (with a B) in food/shelter for these usually self-sufficient horses.
Another issue is tracking, vaccinating and checking in on the Mustangs. This is a daunting task that would be made so much easier (and cheaper) by reducing and keeping the herds at the twenty-three thousand mark. And just in case you want to know why we need to vaccinate them, how about you do some research on contagious and deadly equine viruses.
4. Improvement of the horse market.
Now is when if you didn't think I was evil before, you'll think I am the devil.
It's the age-old secret of capitalism that the better quality product turns a better profit. Similarly in the horse market, the better quality horse means more money spent and pumped into the beating heart of the American equine industry. Unfortunately, without horse slaughter, we've got some real low-quality horses coming into the sale barn; this drives down money spent, earned and earned-by-cut by the sale barn owners. This only begins to touch on the issues that are plaguing the equine market, but for sake of argument, let's look at one example of how horse slaughter would help the market:
Horse slaughter puts what some refer to as "salvage value" on horses. Believe it or not, there is actual use for horse bodies after death beyond meat. This salvage value places a market floor on horses, ensuring that, no matter what, there is some value in the selling of the horse. I highly recommend that you read more here and do more research on your own!
I think we've lost sight of horses in a lot of ways. Horses represent a lot of different things to a lot of different people. They are everything from our best friends to our livelihoods to therapeutic tools. The bottom line is that horses are private, personal property and, in the most literal sense, livestock. Though their use has evolved over the years, horses are not equal to humans, and you cannot approach issues like this thinking one way or another about the whole equine population.
You can find more information about horse slaughter here:
AVMA Horse Slaughter FAQ
Salon - Horses to the Slaughter
You can also read more about Sky McNeil's journey here.
