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I'm opposed to the slaughter of any living thing. At least that is my gut reaction when I hear about the slaughter of horses. Yet I eat beef, buffalo, poultry, pork, and fish, all victims of some sort of slaughter. So I guess that makes my opposition to slaughter a provisional one: I'm opposed to the slaughter of any animal I don't eat.
But sadly, with horses, it's not that simple. I am sickened by the thought of any horse being herded into a chute then killed by a captive bolt to the head, to feed some guy in France. (And yes, veterinary experts confirm the bolt kills the horse, it doesn't just stun him.)
I'm also opposed to the killing of millions of unwanted dogs and cats every year. But I can't blame the French for that. It's an American problem. So is the problem of unwanted horses.
The Invisible Herd
No one knows how many unwanted horses there are in America. These are horses that owners no longer can or are willing to care for. Some may be infirm or dangerous. Others (perhaps the majority) are healthy, but no longer meeting the needs, interest or budget of their humans. What we do know is that around 90,000 horses were slaughtered in 2005?
How many of those were unwanted? Some would argue all of them--why else were they sold, even grudgingly? After all, there are alternatives. To avoid an uncertain fate for a low-value (killer price) or infirm horse, euthanasia is one option, though it (and the resulting "disposal" issue) can be expensive and heart wrenching.
It costs around $150, plus or minus, to have your vet administer a fatal injection. It can cost another $200 or more to have the body hauled to a rendering plant or other disposal site if you don't have a place to bury it. (When euthanasia drugs are used, you may not have the option of burial in your area, due to the risk of environmental contamination.)
Horses put down with a gunshot or captive bolt to the head (both considered humane euthanasia methods by veterinarians) can be buried--if you have room. If you have to rent the equipment to dig a hole, factor another couple hundred dollars. Cremation is available in some areas, but can cost hundreds of dollars or more. (And you have to get the body there.)
There are other options--but there aren't enough of them. You can donate to a college or therapeutic riding program (and some mounted patrols)--if the horse is sound enough, and sane enough, to meet the program's criteria. Vet schools may take your horse for research purposes, an option many owners find uncomfortable--just as they find the idea of euthanasia uncomfortable. Retirement farms are out there, too, but may require a monetary donation before accepting horses--and likely have a waiting list.
Such limited (and sometimes unattractive) alternatives can make a sale barn look pretty good. For a lot of folks (see that 90,000 number), it's easier to take Dobbin, the gelding who's racking up monthly expenses but is too lame to ride, too tough to handle, or too slow to race, to the local sale yard or dealer. You get to drop him off, give him a pat, and drive home dreaming about him thriving in his new home.
As you do, you work hard to tamp down the reality that a killer buyer could be his final owner. But that several-hundred-dollar check you get for his sale (killer price) helps nudge that thought away.
Do The Math
That's grim. But here's where you have to emerge from the emotional cloud of a "Save The Horses" campaign and into the glaring light of reality. With H.R.503, legislation that bans the transport and slaughter of horses in the U.S. for human consumption, what's going to happen to the unwanted? Its well-intentioned advocates haven't answered that question. (H.R.503 passed the House in September by a 263 to 146 vote; the Senate's decision hadn't been made by press time.)
Will all theses horses magically find new and wonderful homes? No. Will their owners opt to keep paying for them? Some will; most won't. Will owners pony up the bucks for humane euthanasia and environmentally sound disposal? Some will; most won't. I (and others) believe Mexico will become a player. Cheap horses. Cheap labor (pulling carts). Then they can kill 'em down there in unregulated slaughterhouses. Have we solved the problem?
Our donation, rescue, and retirement programs are ill equipped and under funded to take in tens of thousands more unwanted horses. They can't handle the overload now. Respected animal behaviorist Bonnie Beaver, DVM, MS, Diplomat, ACVB, of Texas A&M University, estimates that U.S. rescue and retirement facilities currently have a capacity for only around 6,000 horses. Her concern about the fate of unwanted horses led her to testify against a slaughter ban in a Congressional hearing.
