slaughterfacts

HOW DO HORSES END UP DESTINED FOR SLAUGHTER?

Horses from every aspect of life end up being sent to slaughter. Horses are not raised
in the U.S. for food and industry. When owners breed their horses they are dreaming
of their next show or race winner, or to further a good bloodline. There are many
reasons people breed their horses, a steak dinner is definitely NOT INTENDED.

The majority of the horses destined for slaughter are purchased at non- catalogued
auctions. Owners or dealers bring their horses to these auctions where they may be
purchased by other dealers, "kill buyers", or agents for the slaughter houses.

***DEALERS answer CLASSIFIED ADS or may accept TRADE-INS. Very few
horse owners who place an ad would KNOWINGLY sell their horse to slaughter.
Dealers promise the owners a good home often telling the owner a time honored story
of a good home with green pastures. The dealer makes certain to tell the owner
EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR.

***The AMISH owner is generally WELL AWARE of the final destination of the
carriage horse or work horse that can no longer perform. Their horses are equivalent
to our cars and tractors. They are disposed of at auctions like cars at a junkyard.
Many people believe that Amish owners love their horses and are wonderful horse
owners. Being Amish is no guarantee either.

***CARE TAKERS of Thoroughbred and Standard bred race horses are WELL
AWARE of the potential of these horses being purchased by the "kill buyers" to be
slaughtered. The actual owners of these horses make the decision to sell them and
rarely do they ask where they are going. "Kill buyers" often make visits to racetracks
to fill their trailer with horses whose career has ended. Many of these horses have
won 6 figures on the track.

*** RIDING STABLES and THERAPEUTIC RIDING STABLES have sent retired
lesson horses, school horses, leased horses, etc to these auctions- all for the sake of
getting the quick "last dollar" out of their horses. Many horse owners have lost their
horse to cover back board money, it is likely these horses end up in the hands of a
dealer or auction house to be purchased by a kill buyer.

***SUMMER RIDING CAMPS often purchase their horses from the local horse
owner at the beginning of the season. Often after a summer of hard work they are
disposed of to the nearest dealer or auction house. Most camps do not want to
"winter" these horses so they will restock again come spring. (Ive had a personal
experience with this).

***STOLEN HORSES almost always end up at the auction house, typically to be sold
to the kill buyers. (see www.netposse.com for a list of stolen or missing horses in your
area)

***Auction houses and kill buyers are often a quick disposal of horses for people who
have NEGLECTED or ABUSED these beautiful creatures.

***NURSE MARE FOALS and PMU PRODUCTION HORSES also become victim to
Slaughter nurse mares are generally used for the racing industry. "A race mare gives
birth to what could be the next winner, unfortunately the race industry wants the
mare to get right back to racing, or be bred back to get yet another foal. So they
remove the mare from its foal and bring in a nurse mare. The nurse mare has to give
birth to its own foal to become able to take care of the race foal. The nurse mares
foal gets left behind labeled a "by product" of this industry. These "left behind" foal
do have monetary value to the farmers, they sell them to: Furriers- to be used to make
decorative fur and leather products. Cordoba leather is foal skin. Birkenstock shoes
are made with foal skin. Dealers and kill buyers to send to slaughter. They may even
be shipped live to other countries for human consumption. PMU horses are mares that
are consistently "in foal" to have their urine collected to make hormone replacement
drugs for women. Their foals are also a "by product" of the industry and often are
generally sent to slaughter. (see www.premarin.org )

Most horse auctions have dealers who travel from sale to sale NATIONWIDE, buying
and selling horses with the ultimate goal of making money. "Kill buyers" OFTEN have a
dealer who will purchase horses at various auctions, racetracks, equine retirement
homes (your old friend you could not keep), or directly from private owners. The
horses will then be delivered to a "kill pen" where they will await delivery to the
slaughter house. Slaughter provides dealers with a guaranteed method of clearing
their inventory on a weekly basis, with a guaranteed base price. (The fatter and
healthier the horse, the more money)
EXAMPLE: A six week report from ONE slaughter house. (These statistics vary with
every six week report)
A TOTAL OF 2,306 HORSES SLAUGHTERED
1,660 Quarter Horses
184 Paints
261 Thoroughbreds
59 Appaloosas
57 Palominos
62 Drafts
11 Ponies
12 Mix breeds/ Foals

33 of these horses were brought by "walk-ins"-- PERSONAL HORSE OWNERS
dropping them off directly to slaughter. The rest were delivered by "kill buyers"

The conditions these horses endure during the collection process are harsh but true.
No food or water, being crammed into cattle trailers, several terrible injuries. Fights
break out in kill pens, horses are cattle prodded and herded only to trample each
other out of fear. This happens to these horses SEVERAL times in one week- traveling
from sale to sale. The meat men have often said, "Why feed a dead horse" "Get up
you're not dead yet" "He wont need a halter where he's going" "We don't keep dead
horses paperwork"
Just to name a few. (A lot of these horses have at one point been registered). These
horses endure thousands of miles of inhumane transport, cruelty, and fear before
arriving to their final destination......the slaughterhouse.
(see www.equineprotectionnetwork.com this site is very informative)

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR HORSE WENT?

(note: "we are not telling you that everyone in the horse business is "bad". Our goal is
to educate you on preventing this from happening to your horse. We would like you to
see how good horses can come into the wrong hands and end up going to slaughter.")

FACTS:
**The number of horses purchased from "kill pens" that have gone on to glory in the
show ring could fill a book.
**The number of horses that were once prized show horses, beloved pets or
companions that have unknowingly ended up in kill pens could fill another book.
** The number of horses who have won 6 figures or more on the race track, and have
later been purchased out of kill pens could be the sequel to the first two books.
**Almost anybody who has owned horses at one time or another PURCHASED a horse
that was DESTINED FOR SLAUGHTER.
** In the US more than 1500 horses are slaughtered every week.
**There is a HUGE horse meat industry operating in the US. (More than $200 million
dollars per year and 100,000 horses per year)
**A large percentage of horses sold at auctions will go straight to the slaughterhouse,
often without knowledge of the seller. Kill buyers are ready to buy YOUR HORSE.

JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

THE REALITY OF WHAT HAPPENS AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE

Horses are slaughtered by the use of the captive bolt, a four inch retractable nail
gun. The horses are hit repeatedly in the forehead with the captive bolt which is
"supposed to render the horse unconscious". One hind leg is then shackled and the
horse is lifted into the air upside down to have its throat cut and be bled out (while
still alive).

Undercover investigations have shown that horses have been hoisted into the air while
STILL CONSCIOUS. The terrified horses can smell the blood, can hear the horses in
front of them being tortured and killed, and see other horses hanging- being bled out
and dismantled- some are still conscious for this. The horses awaiting their turn
desperately try to avoid the "knock box". Some thrash violently and others look at
their killer for mercy. Once they are in place many will struggle to avoid the captive
bolt gun. Once they are steady they will be hit, they fall to the blood and urine
soaked floor only to try to regain their footing. Most will need to be hit 4 or 5 times
before they are unable to stand up. Some will be RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS,
MOST WONT. At this point the side of the "knock box" is raised, and a chain is
secured to a hind leg. The horse is then hoisted by that one leg, STILL ALIVE, into
the hanging position. At this point, the butcher drains the body of blood by slitting
the throat. The bleeding is so peruse that sometimes the butcher is unable to step
aside fast enough to avoid being covered with it. The only task left at the first station
is to skin the animal and remove its head. This is accomplished rapidly, as more horses
are awaiting their turn. At the second station the headless animal is dropped to the
floor. The body is propped up on the back and relieved of hooves, and genitals. At this
time, any urine and feces that didn't drain from the body during the first few seconds
of death now pour freely on to the floor. The body is then slit down the middle, and
the hide is peeled partially away. A yoke is then hooked to the stumps of the hind legs,
the body is lifted upwards, and the rest of the hide is pulled past a roller to be
peeled off. The once gleaming hide is crumpled in a barrel with others to be
"processed". The body is now at the third station where it is gutted and sawed in half-
becoming "two sides of beef" rather than horse. At the fourth and final station the
sides are sprayed down, to rinse to congealed blood from them and then weighed. The
sides are placed in the cooling locker where the warmth of life slowly steams away.
From the cooling locker the meat goes to a deep freeze storage area where it is kept
for as long as a week. This meat will then be sold in the supermarket to end up on
dining room tables.

PLEASE VISIT www.sharkonline.org for undercover footage from inside a
slaughterhouse.
www.kaufmanzoning.net is also very informative.

The USDA has a pamphlet promoting the eating of horse meat in this country. The
USDA is the AUTHORITY over the transportation of horses to slaughter, and
regulates the METHODS under which they are slaughtered. The USDAs Meat and
Poultry hotline will send you a publication, paid for with your tax dollars, to help you
learn how to select good horse meat, proper storage and cooking. 1-800-535-4555