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October 7, 2019

Horse Slaughter

Horse meat was something that used to be very popular here in the U.S. and is still

popular in other parts of the world. According to the article from Horse Fund (2019) in a Journal

of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2000), it is stated that the consumption of

horse meat is surely to increase as the years go on. As so we must remain aware and involved in

the care of these animals for further issues in the future. (Horse Slaughter. 2019) In this research

I will discuss some pros and cons about the slaughtering of horses in the U.S. and what has

become of the U.S since the banning of the slaughtering. I will further explain why I believe we

should keep the ban an effect, and what has led me to question certain things about what I have

read in these articles throughout this research. Concluding with my own opinion about the

slaughtering of horses (pro or con) based on the findings form these several articles.

In Brandon Gaille’s article I have found several reasons as to why horse slaughter was

horse meat (2014). As stated in this article horse meat provides around 28 grams of protein with

less cholesterol and fat compared to other meats but the same number of calories. Horse

slaughter was another option for unwanted horses, around that time the estimated cost for a horse

per year was about $2,300 (Gaille, 2014). Thus, for a lot of people that is a lot to spend on only

one horse and for someone who doesn’t want or need one. As for the final reason, in the process

in which the owner does care for the horse and the horse eventually gets too old and later has to

be euthanized. The processing of the carcass and the disposal itself is quite costly, running

around $2,000 which could potentially go over depending on the size and weight of the horse.

(Gaille, 2014).
 On the other hand, I have found more than a couple of reasons as to why horses should

not be slaughtered and the reason behind the banning of horse slaughtering here in the United

States. In an article written by The Humane Society of the United States (2019), it explains why

it is not safe for humans to consume horse meat. The USDA does not have and never had a

system for the history of the hoses that get sent to slaughter, violating the rules of the meat

industry (HSUS, 2019). Horses were not slaughtered humanly according to an article by Horse

Fund, they had found proof of several horse plants here in the states where footage of workers

reveled how cruelly these horses where slaughtered (Facts sheet, 2019). Finally, horse cruelty,

neglect and even theft had shown a decrease by about 34% back in 1998 when horse slaughtering

was banned in California according to Gaille’s article (2014), The Animal Welfare Institute and

The Horse Fund (2019).

After the closing of the horse slaughtering plants in the United States back in 2007, the

unwanted horses usually end up in being sent to the horse rescue organizations around the

country according to The Animal Welfare Institute (2019). They also mention that most horses

are marketable and are put on sale and given to new owners, however any elderly or sick horses

will then have to be euthanized by a veterinarian. (Animal Welfare, 2019). As mentioned by the

Humane Society the economy took a down turn earlier in 2007 even before the last slaughter

plant had even closed. So, if there was any neglect, abandonment and/or any evidence of abuse it

would’ve had to be related to the downturn the economy was facing (HSUS, 2019).

Based on what I have found throughout this research I can say that in my own opinion

there is not a humane way to kill or slaughter horses. In all the articles I have listed in my

reference page and going back to what I have stated above about the cons of horse slaughter,

stating that they have footage and pictures incriminating the plants for even slaughtering
conscious horses. There may be a lot of protein in their meat, but it is also not always necessarily

great for human consumption. I believe that the United States has made a great choice as to

banning the slaughtering of the horses and importing/exporting any horse meat.

With all this research I have found I question every author, because they all have facts

about what was happening back in the day when horse slaughter was still legal. So these are my

questions; “Horse slaughtering began in the early 1990’s according to J. Finch (2012), and

having all this evidence on the treatment that went on back them, why didn’t the government act

sooner? I mean I understand that now a days we have organization such as PETA that make sure

every animal in a movie for example is not harmed in the making of a war scene, and times back

then may have been different. But were they really that different to the point that the animal had

to suffer on its last day?”.

To conclude my research, I agree with what each of them had to say in their reasoning

behind as to why we should keep the banning of horse slaughter. It is a cruel way to end an

animal’s life, and if we even think about making it a thing again, I do believe more and more

precautions and methods will need to be well organized and put together. But as of right now,

hose have moved more into a companion animal category much like a dog and should not be

looked at as food.
 References

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). “The Facts about Horse Slaughter”

2019. Separate fact from Fiction on the issue of Slaughtering U.S horses for food.

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/facts-about-horse-slaughter

The Animal Welfare Institute. 2019 “Horse Slaughter Facts & FAQS”.

https://awionline.org/content/horse-slaughter-facts-faqs

ASPCA We are their voice. 2015, February 25th. “Myths and Facts regarding horse

slaughter”

https://www.aspca.org/sites/default/files/myth_fact_on_horse_slaughter_aspca_2-25-15.pdf

The Horse Fund. 2019, May 25th. Facts Sheets. “Horse Slaughter”

https://horsefund.org/horse-slaughter-fact-sheet.php

Brandon Gaille, 2014, July 27th. “21 Shocking Horse Slaughter Facts and Statistics”.

Brandon Gaille Small Business and Marketing Advice.

https://brandongaille.com/21-horse-slaughter-facts-and-statistics/

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, April 15, 2000.

https://horsefund.org/horse-slaughter-fact-sheet.php
 J. Finch. August 12, 2012. Habitat for Horses, Rescues, Sanctuary, Education
& Therapy; “Horse Slaughter: The Truth Revealed”

https://www.habitatforhorses.org/horse-slaughter-the-truth-revealed-history-part-i/