Save The Horses!

baysidebunny · #1 03/04/05, 08:38 AM

I belong to the Washington Freecycle and just recieved this desperate letter...

I was requested to pass this on and am doing my duty- please pass it
on to anyone you know ASAP!! Erin

Hi Group,

I hope you don't mind me posting here, but nothing ventured, nothing
gained. We have been very busy lately with the two new horses that
we litteraly pulled from the grave. If any of you are horse folks,
or know someone who is, you can do it too. Please check out the
link below. These horses are sold by the pound, so the price has
nothing to do with the quality of the horse. I would like to draw
your attention to two in particular. Cloey is a brood mare who was
sold along with her whole herd when the owner decided to get out of
the horse breeding business. She is 18yrs old and has been a brood
mare all her life. She is very pregnant. She only has about 5 more
days to live. She is the last of her group - the others were much
younger and could still be bred - poor Cloey has been used up and
thrown away. Her baby will die with her. The other horse is
Tasha. If we could have managed more than two we would have taken
her. She is an older girl with a sweet disposition. She would make
a great ladies trail horse or a good horse for kids. These horses
are in Yakima but any horse at the feedlot can be delivered to
Western Wa for $180 or you can pick them up yourself. If you are in
the market for a horse please consider one of these. There is
absolutely nothing wrong with the vast majority of these horses.
Most of them are well trained with good dispositions. The ones that
don't make it out are trucked to Canada (under horrific conditions)
to be slaughtered for human consumption. A shameful end for animals
who have spent their lives trusting and serving their humans. The
one I got, Swayback Jack, was a ranch gelding in Eastern WA all his
life. Someone made their living off of his sweat. When he got
older and started to slow down they tossed him out like garbage.
The truck would have taken him last Thursday -- it just makes me
sick. The other is a beautiful two & a half year old
percheron/quarterhorse cross mare. She has a wonderful
disposition. When we were checking out the horses she was following
my husband around like a big dog. Her owner raised her from a
foal. She brought her to the feedlot herself knowing full well what
was going to happen to her. Put her on the scale and walked off
with a check. Why? She "has too many horses". So why doesn't the
nasty lady stop breeding her mares? I will never understand how
some people think (or do they?). Anyhow, climbing off my soap box
now. Please check the link below.

www.columbiabasinequinerescue.org/feedlothorses.html

baysidebunny · #2 03/04/05, 08:39 AM

I'll bet glue that they have these in your area too.
If you have room please, please look into it!

IMContrary · #3 03/04/05, 10:49 AM

Why is it so bad that horses are marketed for food? What makes them special? Cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks....they are all cute and make good pets, but no one is concerned about them being eaten? And horse meat is quite tasty!

tsdave · #4 03/04/05, 10:59 AM

Hugg-y, feel-y horse issues would probably be better addressed in the equine fourm.

rambler · #5 03/04/05, 12:54 PM

One can personalize any living or even non-living object and bring tears, but I agree with the others - selling horse meat is not the worst thing in the world. This is all too huggy-feely to be a meaningful thing in the big picture. There would be better avenues to _help_ with animal issues.

--->Paul

willow_girl · #6 03/04/05, 02:59 PM

Bunny, I would like to thank you for posting this. Perhaps someone who lives in the area will see it and go to the rescue, who knows? It's worth a shot!

I have taken in several rescue horses over the years, still have two, aged mares who are spending their golden years out to pasture. Novices should be aware that many times, horses are sold for slaughter because of advanced age, and/or health or temperament issues. But if you have the time, money and inclination to deal with any issues that crop up, or are willing to take a horse that may be unrideable and end up a "pasture pet," WELL GO FOR IT!!!

Funny ... I just came in from the barnyard, where I was laying in the remnants of a round bale, scratching my two snoozing Holsteins, who are rescued dairy cull cows. They don't know how close they came to ending up in your grocer's freezer case, but I do ... and when I look out and see them lazing around, fat and sassy, making me some (hopefully!) heifer calves, I thank the Creator for his (her?) generosity in giving me a home in the country and the means to provide for my loved ones (two-legged and four-legged alike)!

james dilley · #7 03/04/05, 03:00 PM

this issue was covered last year, I am all 4 horse meat 4 people 2 eat,we eat beef why not horses,Is the world sopossed 2 b neck deep in useless animals that folks can't afford 2 keep?? the slaughter is a way out as I see it. And no I 2 think part of the problem is over breeding most people just don't think,when they breed thats the under lying problem. slaughter is just a choice thats all.

willow_girl · #8 03/04/05, 03:08 PM

Quote:

we eat beef why not horses

I vote for neither of the above!

Irish Pixie · #9 03/04/05, 03:24 PM

There is no one on earth that loves horses more than I do. I have 3 in the pasture now and have another coming in as soon as shipping is arranged. I breed Warmbloods and Sport Horses. However, horses are livestock just like cows, pigs, goats, chickens, sheep etc. They are not pets, and should never be classified as pets.

Not all horses can or should be "saved" from slaughter. Horses are expensive to keep. I'd rather see a quick captive bolt to the head than a horse suffer from disease or starvation in a field--which could very, very easily happen if slaughter was banned in this country. The classification of horses as pets would drive the horse industry to it's knees.

Stacy

Xandras_Zoo · #10 03/04/05, 03:33 PM

First of all, thank you for posting this. I will cross post it onto a huge horse group. (horselovers)

Secondly, people feel different ways about different animals. I do not like the killing of rabbits (or horses), but I still eat other animals that are of the same approximate intellegence. No, it doesn't hold much logic, but whatever, we don't care, we want to help horses.
Baysidebunnies didn't ask whether you thought we should eat horses, just whether you would help. It is acknowledged that many people don't see the difference between horses and cows, and that's fine, it's been discussed, and it isn't the subject of this posting.

milkstoolcowboy · #11 03/04/05, 03:49 PM

I agree with Paul, but I hope they all get adopted -- might make the price of hay go up!

vegascowgirl · #12 03/04/05, 03:51 PM

I too am a tad puzzled at why this was not posted on the equine forum, but then again, to each, his/her own. I have seen many great horses come off of feed lots. Rescuing horses from feedlots is a great idea. However, as a horse woman, I can say that if I had my choice, I'd rather a horse go for human consumption and not just for glue or dog food. In this post you seem upset about the fact that they will be used for human consumption, and only that reason. Whether you know it or not, you probably feed horse meat to your pets at least once a week (or bone meal to your livestock).
Horses have been used for human consumption since the beginning of time. In Europe horse meat is as common as beef or chicken. My mother tells me of her mother buying horse meat at the butcher when she was a kid (that was in Ohio). In places where horse meat is consumed, it is the cheapest buy. In my opinion, if a horse is used to feed a family who might not otherwise be able to afford meat, then so be it. Don't get me wrong, I love horses, but I would think that rescue efforts would be best if directed toward PMU horses. These horses are slaughtered and burned when they are no longer usefull (mares can't have foals, Studs are imputent, etc.)... and those (the mares) that are used, are kept pregnant and in very small stalls. Most of the foals are slaughtered within a few weeks or months of birth.
Needless to say, I'd rather see a horse be consumed and keep a person alive, rather than be slaughtered because it can't get pregnant and produce the hormones in it's urine.

agmantoo · #13 03/04/05, 04:04 PM

I am searching for a mammoth jenny donkey that has been around cattle. I am located in NC. I promise I will not eat her.

Any thoughts or leads?

Irish Pixie · #14 03/04/05, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmantoo

I am searching for a mammoth jenny donkey that has been around cattle. I am located in NC. I promise I will not eat her.

Any thoughts or leads?

Have you tried www.dreamhorse.com or www.equine.com to search for a jenny?

Stacy

baysidebunny · #15 03/04/05, 04:40 PM

I'm sorry I didn't post it in the right forum. I honestly wasn't thinking.

I guess what makes this so sad to me is the fact that some of these horses are still good and productive animals, sold for the wrong reasons. If they can be saved, what's the harm in that? There will still be enough old horsemeat to go around. :waa:

agmantoo · #16 03/04/05, 05:43 PM

KincoraFarm, thanks for the links!

kabri · #17 03/04/05, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkstoolcowboy

I agree with Paul, but I hope they all get adopted -- might make the price of hay go up!

Price of hay is already going to go up, WAY up in Washington this year, we are in a very serious drought and most of the hay in this state is grown with irrigation water that will be in short supply.

vegascowgirl · #18 03/05/05, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baysidebunny

I'm sorry I didn't post it in the right forum. I honestly wasn't thinking.

I guess what makes this so sad to me is the fact that some of these horses are still good and productive animals, sold for the wrong reasons. If they can be saved, what's the harm in that? There will still be enough old horsemeat to go around. :waa:

Nothing wrong with wanting to save some great horses, and yes there are quite a few in feed lots (the champion Barrel racing horse "Scamper" was bought for $400 from a feed lot). I think (as I did) people just saw your emphasis to be on the human consumption of horse meat. Truth is, I would love to rescue as many horses as my 7 acres would hold (especially PMU horses), but it's just not always feesable.

knottyknome · #19 03/05/05, 10:25 PM

People have no horse sence sometimes.

Irish Pixie · #20 03/06/05, 07:07 AM

Scamper wasn't bought from a feedlot. The majority of horses going to slaughter are there for a reason. Usually it's health, training or behavorial issues that brought them there. Not all horses can, or should, be saved.

http://www.coolanimalstuff.com/prodfebaf

"Born in 1977, Scamper’s registered name is Gills Bay Boy. When this “wild little bay” sent his first trainer to the hospital, Scamper was put up for sale. Charmayne’s father purchased him for $1,100, thinking that was too much to pay for a horse that had to be ridden for a half hour so he didn’t buck."

There's a movie being produced about Charmayne James and Scamper.

Stacy