My view on Horse Slaughter..

There has been recent debate about horse slaughter , and whether it is ethical and right. I am 100 percent against horse slaughter, and I wish I could stop it from happening. Horses are special creatures, they have feelings and they get attached to their owners and to those who care for them. They know their name, and there are so many purposes that retired horses can serve. For example , a retired race horse could be retrained to compete as a hunter , dressage or even become a therapy animal for a child that suffers from a disability. I had never thought of a horse becoming someone's food until I read about Ferdinand. Ferdinand was a Ky derby winner in 1986 who was slaughtered in 2002. In his derby win , he came from dead last, like Mine That Bird had. He had been retired in 1989 and was sent to a Japan stud farm sometime in 1994. He is the horse pictured above, when he was a race horse. No one knew what had happened to him until 2002, when it was discovered he had been sent to slaughter by the Japan's breeding farm. He was a derby winner, a BC classic winner, and a beautiful athlete. He wasnt the only major thoroughbred to have been sent to an awful fate- slaughter. Another horse by the name of Exceller, who had beaten Seattle Slew and Affirmed was sent to a Swedish slaughterhouse in 1997 and was slaughtered.

I dont understand why we have the need to slaughter horses, when we slaughter cows, pigs and chickens. I have never tasted horse meat and I hope I never do. These race horses train for 3 years, and win money for their owners and get the best treatment, they work for us! They supply us with entertainment during races, they supply some with company and are companions to young children. I think there are other alternatives to slaughter. I know we have a huge over population problem but we can find careers for those horses. I know one career that is needed desperately is equine therapy horses. Horse slaughter is not a humane process... I dont think many know what goes on in a slaughter house , but I recently watched a video about it and got disgusted. One method they use is electrocution... They stick a electric stick to a horse's head and shock them till they fall down. The transportation to slaughter is twice as bad, with some horses being crammed into a trailer , some being sick and some starving. Just think... Would you want your horse to have to experience that? I think not.. so lets end slaughter!!!