American Quarter Horse Association
there were 2.7 million registered
Quarter-horses in the U.S for the
year
2000. Thus registered Quarter-horses
comprise of approximately 40% of all
horses in the U.S. Approximately 1/4
of
all auction and slaughter horses
were
either Quarter-horses or
Quarter-horse
types. It is unknown how many of these
were registered. Thoroughbreds or
thoroughbred types comprised about
7% of all auction horses, and 16% of
all
slaughter horses.
Standardbreds were
approximately 4% of the horses at
both
auctions and slaughter
plants. Horses
with an official Bureau of Land
Management freeze brand were less
than 1% of all auction horses and 2%
of
the slaughter horses.
Ten percent of all horses were grays.
USDA veterinarians interviewed
indicated that 70 to 90% of all gray
horses have melanosis tumors. Every
gray horse that goes to slaughter is
required to undergo an additional post-
mortem health inspection by the USDA
veterinarian. Depending on the location
and extent of the tumors, part or whole
carcasses are condemned.
DISCUSSION
Discussions with traders indicated
that if a horse was sound enough to be
ridden and it was not real old, they
could usually get more money for it if
they sold it for riding than if they sold it
for slaughter. As a result, most horses
are diverted away from the slaughter
plants until they lose all potential
as a
riding or working horse. However, a
severe behavior problem in an
otherwise usable riding or working
horses may render the horse non-
saleable to the public and may be taken
directly to slaughter. The horse
industry
is complex and multi-faceted. The life
histories of horses prior to being
sold
for slaughter needs to be understood
before appropriate regulations and
decisions are made about the industry.
Although this study did not examine the
life history of horses, discussions
with
industry people assisted in
understanding the complexity of the
industry. According to our interviews,
racehorses are frequently sold through
private treaty and not through auctions
Often these horses are sold to
intermediary traders who re-train or
continue with the current training of the
horse before selling it back into the
racing industry. Injured horses
typically
go either to a feedlot or directly to
slaughter. The average age of a
racehorse that becomes lame or
otherwise “breaks-down” is six years of
age. It is believed by people in the
industry, that this is due to the horses
undergoing a different training regime
with every owner. From the interviews
with people in the horse industry it was
learned that it is not unusual for a horse
to have been owned by 5 or 6 people by
the age of six.
California markets.
The law in
California (California Proposition 6),
which forbids the sale of horses for
slaughter, may have worsened welfare
for some horses. Some horses
that
would have remained in the U.S. are
being transported to Mexico and
subjected to many auctions and
rerouted
back to the U.S. resulting in longer
transport time and an increase in the
number of dehydrated horses arriving
at
slaughter plants.
It is likely that some of
the horses are passing through the
hands
of more traders, which would greatly
increase stress and be detrimental to
their welfare.
The vast majority of industry people
interviewed believed that overall horse
welfare would decrease if the option for
slaughter was prohibited in the U.S.
Most felt that one of five welfare
concerns would happen to the majority
of non-usable riding/working horses.
1)
The horse would be turned loose to fend
for itself. Often these horses starve
or
die from exposure, as they do not know
how to search for proper food and
shelter. 2) The horse will be kept on the
property but neglected until its death. 3)
The horse would be taken to a remote
location, euthanized. This can be of
concern if chemical euthanasia is used.
Birds and mammals that feed on the
carcass may die from the ingestion of
the chemical. Some states require that
carcasses are to be buried a sufficient
depth in order to prevent scavenging.
Many horse owners find the cost
prohibitive to rent earth-moving
equipment in order to excavate a hole
large enough bury a horse. Water safety
is another concern. Some states prohibit
the burial of carcasses in order to
prevent pollutants from entering the
water source. 4) The horses may enter
an underground horse trade that would
circumvent veterinary and brand
inspections, increase distance traveled
before arriving at a slaughter plant,
and
perhaps increase the number of times
bought and sold before reaching a
slaughter plant. These horses
would
most likely be transported to either
Canada or Mexico for slaughter. 5)
The
horse would be used in Mexico as a
working or riding horse until it dies.
Interviews with industry people
indicated that the level of horse welfare
in Mexico is typically poorer than the
minimal welfare standards in the U. S.
APPLICATION
Decisions regarding the horse
industry must be based on a
comprehensive understanding of the
industry. Since the completion of the
survey, the Nebraska plant has closed.
The remaining two slaughter plants
should be encouraged to remain open in
order to maintain a certain level of
American horse welfare. These
remaining slaughter plants
are serving a
purpose as they are humanely
euthanizing horses that are no longer
viable due to behavior problems, old
age, health, lameness, etc. There is a
public misconception that most horses
sold at lower end auctions are sold
to
the slaughter plants.
This survey found
that slaughter plants
were purchasing
only those horses that were not being
purchased as viable working animals.
The welfare problems of these lower
end horses occur prior to their
arrival at
the slaughter plant. Horses
at the
slaughter plants
were in substantially
poorer health than the horses seen at
the
auction houses, and the euthanasia of
these animals improves their welfare by
decreasing prolonged suffering.
This survey was conducted before
Foot and Mouth Disease increased the
demand for horse meat in Europe.
REFERENCES
American Horse Council. 1999.
http.//www.horsecouncil.org
Accessed 19 March 2001.
Harris, S.E. 1997. U.S. Pony Club
Guide to Conformation, Movement
and Soundness, Howell Book House,
NY.
Henneke, D.R., Potter, G.D., Kreider,
J.L., and Yeates, B.F. 1983.
Relationship between condition score,
physical measurements and body fat
percentage in mares. Equine Vet. J.
15:371-37.