Temple Grandin, PhD, University of Colorado animal scientist and humane slaughter facility specialist, believes much can be done to reduce the need for slaughter, but that the option will still be needed for a small percentage of horses.
"With better education of novice buyers, education of owners on overbreeding, funding of sanctuaries and recycling of horses to other careers, maybe we can get down to needing only one slaughterhouse in this country," she postulates.
The AQHA's Persechino also believes the slaughter option should remain, "but in a more enforced and supervised way, just as transportation to slaughter should be improved. In addition, auction houses and sale companies could be more responsible in letting sellers know that their horse could go to slaughter."
Ideally, he adds, "we'd also invest in properly funded euthanasia stations. "This last is an idea others have tossed around, as well, as a way to provide horse owners with subsidized euthanasia and carcass disposal." But, again, funding is the sticking point. The AWI's Heyde would like to see industry and breed organizations collaborate with humane groups to create such nationwide low-cost, pro bono euthanasia programs.
Working Together... Or Else
Clearly, opinions differ widely on many aspects of dealing with the problem of homeless or unwanted horses. But on some aspects, all who care about horses can agree. Perhaps the most important area of consensus is expressed by the Kentucky Horse Council's Grulke.
"Every sector of the equine industry must join together to address this problem in the interest of the welfare of the horses," she asserts. "If we don't, forces may come from the outside and impose rules, and it may not be the answers we want--such as legislating how you can breed. We need to be responsible.
"It's just as with any industry," she adds. "If we have a problem, we should work together to solve it. It's time."
This article originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of Horse & Rider magazine. Pick up a copy of the issue to find how the United Kingdom limits its need for slaughter, suggestions for what you as a horse owner can do to help, and a list of innovative solutions to the problem of unwanted horses.
