Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 9:32 AM

Subject: [againstslaughter] According to the slaughterhouses own records, only 10% of the horses slaughtered are old or lame

Hi, a friend shared the email exchange he had with you, and I was moved by your words. I am also a horse owner, breeder and have been showing for 40 years. I am also a 20+ year Regular Army veteran, and no "bleeding heart". Your views mirror mine from a few years ago. I also used to believe as you do, that horse slaughter was a necessary evil. But the more I have researched horse slaughter in the last 2-3 years, the more I have realized that pro-slaughter arguments are basically myths and propaganda. The majority of these horses are not old, lame, and "unwanted" horses.

America's horses are not slaughtered because they are "unwanted". They are slaughtered because of the huge profits made by the foreign-owned companies operating illegally in Texas. The meat is shipped to developed countries like France, Belguim, Germany and Japan, where it brings prices close to beef prices there. Yet the US does not even get tariffs on horsemeat like they do on beef. This industry is NOT providing us a service, they just like to say they are.

According to the slaughterhouse records in Texas, only 10% of the horses slaughtered there are old, lame, or otherwise "useless". They don't even bother with starved skinny horses. The other 90% are healthy normal horses that were sold at an auction, just the wrong time and the wrong place. Killer buyers also answer ads placed by people trying to find another family to love and care for their child's outgrown pet; they do not have to identify themselves as killer buyers, and many inexperienced owners have no idea who they are selling to. Many slaughtered horses are stolen horses, and many are American mustangs that are supposed to be protected under federal law. After California banned live horse slaughter, their horse theft rate dropped by more than 40%. Those are hardly "unwanted" horses.

I have purchased several draft horses that were in feedlots and killer pens at auction where the killer buyer was willing to turn a quick buck and re-sell a horse. Not one was over the age of 6 years. Not one was sick, lame, or crazy. They are absolute sweethearts, and we are riding some of them under saddle now, and will be training them to drive this winter. The most of the others that were in those feedlots and killer pens at auctions were just as nice. They want fat healthy horses to butcher, not old skinny ones. In fact, the companies in Texas will charge sellers $50 to put down the old, starved, or sick horses, and send them to a rendering plant. Those horses are not fit to eat, and they don't even mess with them.

A friend lives near one of the horse slaughterhouses in Texas, and has to drive by the horses in the holding pen outside the plant that are waiting to be butchered alive. I hope you will take the time to go to her website and look for yourself. These are beautiful, fat healthy animals, that could have been wonderful mounts and companions for the people that were simply outbid by the killer buyer. I have cut and pasted the links from her page at the bottom of my email. Please look at the photos listed under September 1. These are not useless, "unwanted" horses just because they ended up there.

The TB community has come out strongly against live horse slaughter, and are developing plans to provide for off the track TBs that, up to now, probably went to slaughter. Instead, they are re-trained for various other equine sports, or simply retired. John Hettinger, the owner of one of the biggest TB auction houses in America, is helping develop these plans, which can be funded by fees paid on each TB sold. Mr. Hettinger has written a very informative article about "Where would all the horses go?", and he is much more knowledgeable and factual than I can be. I hope if you did not already look at it, you will take a look now at this link: http://www.saplonline.org/Legislation/ahspa/where_would_all_the_horses_go.htm

September 1, 2002 Dallas Crown horses waiting for slaughter, by Paula Bacon 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
Date Unknown Photos of horses in the slaughter house, from Society for Animal Protective Legislation

October 15, 2003 Freckles, adopted by Regina Anderson, Lone Star Equine Rescue
October 5, 2003 MPulse, saved from Killer-Buyer Jones, Stephenville, Tx Auction by Sherillyn Flick, Flower Mound
September 30, 2003 Dallas Crown trailer comes loose from truck...blood spills everywhere A B C D E F G

If you are still with me, thanks for reading this far. I will be happy to discuss any points or questions with you.

"john/missy o'brien" <obrien@1st.net>
>Reply-To: "john/missy o'brien" <obrien@1st.net>
>To: <fletosojoi@hotmail.com>
>Subject: horse slaughter
>Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 08:24:46 -0400
>
>i received your statement on banning horse slaughter.
>
>i am a horse lover, trainer, breeder, i show, and own several horses,
>but....
>
>where are all the horses going to go? there are only so many places to
>send the unwanted, lame, outlaw, and unhealthy animals.