Why Do We Slaughter Horses?

Human Consumption

Horse Meat is consumed in a number of countries, including the USA. In fact it was only in 1985 that Harvard University withdrew horse meat from the menu in the Faculty Club Restaurant. Most often it is consumed in Asian countries, and even though USA slaughter houses do not kill horses, they do export live animals for slaughter overseas. It has been suggested that the beef industry, not the public, are the ones who stopped horse slaughter for human consumption in the USA.

According to Wikipedia over 4.7 million horses are consumed by humans yearly world wide.

As Meat for Zoo Animals

Artwork by Author

Since beef primarily goes to human consumption, and there is a big demand for meat for large carnivores in zoos, horse meat is a suitable feed for these animals.

The PMU Industry

Every year thousands of mares are kept pregnant while their urine is collected for the purpose of manufacturing estrogen replacement hormones for women. The foals are unwanted by-products of the industry and many are slaughtered. It is a simple matter of math that the industry cannot support, or find homes for, all the foals who are produced.

Artwork by Author

Flooding the Market

Sometimes, as a result that there are more good horses than there are homes for, some perfectly fine horses go to slaughter. In some areas rescue groups work towards saving some horses from auction, but they too can only save as many as they can find homes for. This is a problem the occurs specifically when people breed “just any” horse to another horse only for the purpose of creating a foal, rather than for the purpose of breeding superior quality animals. There is very little market for “grade” foals.

Crippled

Of course some horses are born deformed or crippled. It costs money for a person to have a vet euthanize them, plus they still have to dispose of the body. Many people find it more cost effective to ship these animals to slaughter. These horses are referred to as “Culls”. Sadly without slaughter houses available, and with a poor economy, people unable to afford to pay a vet to humanely euthanize a horse, people are resorting to “other means” for getting rid of their cull animals.

Race Horses

Although a lot of people believe that race horses are well treated, it is a fact that they are not. Even the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand was shipped to Japan and eventually was slaughtered for human consumption.

How Can you Stop This?

Although horse slaughter is illegal in the USA, it happens in other countries, be aw

If you own horses, you can be a responsible owner and breeder.  Do not send a horse to auction unless you are prepared to be there and out-bid the meat buyers, thus taking the horse back with you if somebody else does not buy it. 

If you plan on breeding your horse, make sure it is purebred, registered, and of top quality.  Do not breed unless you have interested buyers and your horse is conformationally sound and correct. 

If at any time your horse becomes an unwanted burden take the time to find options including surrendering it to a horse rescue, donating it to a petting zoo, or Equine College.  If your goal is to get rid of a financial burden, consider the money you save more than the money you may make by taking it to auction.

If your horse is lame or injured so bad it is unridable, and you cannot keep it, and it cannot be rehomed, have a veterinarian euthanize it, rather than have it be passed around from auction to auction while suffering. 

If you are on Vacation, be aware of what you are eating.  Try to avoid ordering any meat that you are unsure of. 

Finally, never buy any hormone replacement pills that come from pregnant mare urine. 

More Links worth Reading – none have graphic pictures

• The PMU Industry
• Is the economy to blame for people getting rid of their pets?

Unique Horse Breeds