They Dont Love Horses, Do They?

Or,..."My Beef with the Pro-Slaughter Folk"

Last revised April 23, 2009 9:02 p.m.EST

It never fails to rile me when I hear people from the so-called horse-loving community argue in favor of slaughtering them. They scream about all the “unwanted” horses and claim that slaughter is a necessary “evil” to control their populations. However, they confuse slaughter with actual “humane euthanasia.” Slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia in any way. Slaughter is a horror we reserve for food chain animals only, and the slaughter is never humane. It is violent and traumatic by its very nature. They argue that there is no difference between a horse or a cow, a pig, a sheep, a chicken or any other traditional food-chain animal. What they ignore and/or “skirt over” is the fact that the horse is not and has never been considered a food animal in the United States. Yes it is true that throughout history at certain times and under certain circumstances, Americans have turned to consuming horsemeat, but those were hardship cases where other kinds of meat were not available. Today, Americans are not starving and there is no shortage of other kinds of meat. Meanwhile, the USDA keeps a list of “officially approved” animals for us to eat, and the horse is not on that list. That is what makes the horse different or special from any other food animal, and people who really love or care for Americas horses want to keep it that way.

Can these so-called horse-loving people actually believe that slaughter is humane? Are they that out of touch with reality? Apparently so, cause they are standing up in Congress and lobbying for their “individual rights” to send their horses to slaughter, and are crying that a prohibition against horse slaughter will go against the concept of “free enterprise.“ The really interesting part is that those who are doing the loudest yelling for horse slaughter are the very ones responsible for producing or promoting the breeding of all the so-called “unwanted” horses. Breed registries like the American Quarter-Horse Association (AQHA) and the racing industry are responsible for over half of all horses being sent to slaughter. No wonder they are crying a need for horse-slaughter. If they didnt have the slaughter option they would have to get their breeding under control and take more responsibility for the lives of the animals they bring into this world. They would have to pay to humanely euthanise them. So why do they so strongly support slaughter over real humane euthanasia? The truth of the matter is this. Slaughter PAYS while real humane euthanasia costs.

Anybody who claims to love something and would intentionally cause it harm for any reason, is a hypocrite in my book. If you love something or even remotely have a care for it,....you do not wish it harm in any way, nor contribute to its infliction. If you love or care for something, you protect it and wish it well, always.

Actually, its not about “loving horses” so much above all other animals. Its not even about "caring deeply" for them or any other animal. What it all boils down to is this: Having a healthy respect for all living things and a good sense of right and wrong, and a determination to DO NO HARM if and when possible. This is Basic Human Understanding 101, something I guess they didnt teach in their schools.

Oh, the pro-slaughter folk may “love” their horses alright, as far as they are capable of in their pea-pickin narrow-minded compassionateless little brains, ... its just that they dont “love” them as much as they do the blood-money to be made off of the peddling of their flesh when they are no longer profitable or useful to them.

These people need to evolve out of their moral primitiveness, use their brain to educate themselves,..grow a heart and JUST SAY NO to un-necessary evils like horse-slaughter.

Christine A. Jubic