I am having a hugh

[Reijel's Mom]

I live in ND only 70 miles for the Canada border ... with horses selling for $10. There is NO real slaughter market.

There are still kill buyers but now they are getting the horse's for $10 or free not paying $400. The plants in Canada are full of Canadaian horses.. they do not need ours. And with the cost of shipping, the buyers have to pay they can't pay much and when horses are being given away why would they pay more?

Ok, I'm a little confused here. So even in your area that is an hour from the Canadian border there is not a demand for slaughter horses? So how is re-opening the slaughter houses in the US the solution to the poor horse market? I don't see how it would increase the demand for horse meat. And if there is an unmet need for horse meat, why WOULDN'T the Canadian slaughter houses want ours to ship off to those countries that eat the meat? How could there NOT be a profit in that with so many horses going for free or $10?

Unless there just isn't much of a market for horse meat. . .or that demand is already being met.

The funny thing is, I'm not necessarily even anti-slaughter, nor am I anti-breeding. I agree that other livestock can be just as much a thinking, feeling animal as the horse. I grew up on a farm and had PLENTY of pets that made their way to the dinner table. I've helped raise calves and piglets into adults that were a WHOLE lot friendlier than many of the horses I've been around.

I just take issue with people blaming the closing of the slaughterhouses for problems that WE created. Yes, there were broken down old horses sent to slaughterhouses. But there were also a lot of young healthy animals that just should never have been bred in the first place because there just wasn't a demand for them, and there really isn't much excuse for that.

 

[stormy]

Just a few thoughts

Horses live 20 yrs or more...will take a long time for reduced breeding to make a difference. Many of the horses loose in the hills were wanted, were loved at the time they were bred.

Went to a local sale a couple weeks ago. Watched a bunch of untrained, unhandled but well bred full size horses sell for $20 to $35 each, some registered. Watched a kid broke mini sell for $350.00. Training has value.

Just had a call inquiring if I wanted a yearling arab cross stud for free, the owner is laid off, no money to feed him, just wants a good place for him. I do not have room, cannot take on more, already have 5 rescues here.....even for free it is hard to find a home for your loved ones when things go bad.

Just purchased an ex racehorse, 22 yrs old, raced in 204 races and won placed or showed in over a third of them. He won a good chunk of money in his life but most of his kind do not end up hanging out in someones back yard in their old age. Do we stop breeding saddle horses so we can accomadate the race track left overs? Only a small percentage ever race, even less win, all eventually retire, few are retained by the one who raced them once they can no longer compete.

The problem is huge, even if everyone takes some action it will not go away anytime soon and yes, were I am, semi loads go to Canada for slaughter; yet with a crumbling economy there are more unsupportable horses than the killers can use.