I agree with Nathan....
How is breeding less going to solve a long time overloaded situation? I do not want the government regulating what and when I can and can't breed. That is a terrible infringement on MY rights. I would however like to see folks have the nerve to put a horse down that needs to be that has been suffering for years, but is still standing out in the backyard, or the folks who dont take care of their livestock so they end up in horrible condition in the first place held legally responsible for their animals and the crime committed against them.
The rescues here, due to the ban on slaughter, are so overloaded that at some, the horses are not getting the best care they could either because the rescue folks are not getting donations (who can afford it now?!) and and do not have the money to provide for five times what they intended to deal with. And it's just getting worse.
So now, folks are dumping horses in the desert, trying to GIVE them away- many with no takers as nobody can afford to feed one now. Many of the 'give aways' are healthy- the people just can't afford to feed it anymore and pay all these other high prices, and they are not selling either. (full sized horses) So then what do you do with them?
What do you do with the crippled, weak, etc.. ? I dont know anyone who wants or can afford to have a big pasture pet right now.
If the horse is in bad shape, and cannot be rehabbed into a healthy useful animal, then have it put down. Instead of dealing with that, they are all dumped on the rescues or at the auctions... In my opinion, that is not being a responsible animal owner! No, they all can NOT be saved, nor should they be. I wonder about the quality of life for some......