Posted by: Pattie, Pickens, SC on March 17, 2011 at 02:56 PM

We finally stopped horse slaughter in The United States & here comes the State of Montanta. 1 step forward & 50 steps backwards for horses. I pray this plant never gets built & NEVER slaughters a horse. Remember, God is watching...after all, horses are his creations. The answer to the problem is STOP BREEDING if you can't provide for your horse.

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Posted by: Denise, Charleston, SC on March 17, 2011 at 01:05 PM

We can all do better to solve the problem. Here are some ideas because slaughter is not they way to treat our horses:

Campaign for responsible breeding:
Reduce the breed populations. AQHA and APHA should stop using shipped seamen. Shipping seamen allowed a huge increase in the horse population. A stud that used to cover 25 mares now covers 125. As an AQHA affilate member, I stopped breeding 7 years ago.
Insitute programs in every Breed Registry for previous horse owners to be contacted if a horse needed to be retired in dignity. AQHA did this, Great move.

The TB industy needs to do exactly the same thing on retirement. Plus stop racing in their early growth years. If racing didn't begin until they were at least 3 years old then
the breakdown rates would be reduced.
Stop all medications PERIOD when racing. If they need to heal in some way then they go on the injured reserve list like a baseball player, Not racing them with Lasix.


Start a gelding program for the Wild Mustangs and stop coraling them for the Indians to slaughter on the Reservation. Yes they are not goverened by Fed Laws so they can slaughter them.

Use FB whenever possible as a horse placement vehicle. Look at how viral the plight of those 52 TB's in Ohio found homes. I know you might think it silly everything helps.

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Posted by: Afleetalexforever, Little rock, AK on March 16, 2011 at 09:39 PM

Peirre,
u sound likea real coolcat. If u wait long enough you might get to claim some of Zenyattas foals when they flop as racehorses, then you can truck them up to Montana and then cook up one of those delicious entrees with a side of froglegs. While ur at it, u could invite Kathy and Laura back to SF with u where they can tie the knot!! Peace out. And remember BLAME beat that winch.

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Posted by: Junior, Lexington, KY on March 16, 2011 at 09:27 PM

Hey Laura, relax and take a bong hit! I have been pleasantly entertained reading these posts u all are so caught up in. I guess I might as well get in the act too. Have you ever been to the backside of a racetrack where they run cheap broke down used claimers that have no value as breeding stock and are too dangerous to give away to kids for a project. After being injected for a few YEARS by trainers/owners who felt it was the only way to try and keep this animal running to help pay the enormous bills it cost to have a racehorse. There comes a time when the cotizone, the blocks, the steriods, the airshots, the ACTH, the iodine blisters, the dex, the calcium, the butte, the lasix, and a myriad of other drugs dont work anymore. Then what? Are you so naive to think the few rescue agenices here in america are going to offer take every single one of these animals when they've outlived there purpose? They are classified as livestock at any international border. Look at the world and our economy. Go to all racetracks in America and you will find many folks trying to GIVE these horses away for free. A few years ago you could do this cause there were people out there who had the resources and could take them on. Now, you cant hardly find anyone who wants them cause they are having trouble just feeding the horses they already have. And then, because there are no more slaughter houses in operation, you start seeing the stories on the news showing a bunch of horses that have been mistreated and starved and an owner who is in trouble because he is broke and cant feed them. In the old days we could take these broke down horses over to a rewndering plant and at least get 400-500 for them. As far as inhumane goes, thats all in the eye of the beholder. You ever watched the state vet stick a syringe loaded with sodium penethol into a racehorses juggler vein because of a breakdown, Lots of thrashing and not a pretty sight. I assisted in this process more times than I care to remember. Just cause you dont raise chickens, turkeys, cows, or pigs doesnt mean that thousands of other folks especially 4h kids dont. And yes, they stroke their feather, wings, hides, snouts, sing and talk to them and feed them carrots amounst many other goodies. Do you think they would like to watch how they slaughter a pig or cow. Squeeze them into a chute, shoot them with a 45. cal knocker stud which renders them uncounscious while there legs are hooked to a hoist and then their bodies are lifted by the rear legs and their throats are slit so they "bleed out" while theie hearts pump out the remaining blood! There isnt any difference if its a beef cow, hog, chicken, or horse. They are still DEAD!

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Posted by: susan, holyoke, MA on March 16, 2011 at 04:51 PM

Hey people--did you not look at the time stamp of this article ???

2009. Last year the town of Hardin MT voted this down due to zoning laws and issues of sanitation .

There is no slaughter plant in Montana.

YET.

Slaughter is not a humane option for " disposal " of sport and companion animals .

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