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Very few horse owners would say they chose to send their horse to slaughter. Who would come right out and admit such a thing? So, if it’s not you, and it’s not me sending our horses to slaughter, how do 60,000 to 100,000 American horses wind up in foreign slaughterhouses every year? The fact that horse slaughter is illegal in America does not protect tens of thousands of sound, healthy horses from horrific, violent deaths. Yet it happens every day, through legitimate business transactions that begin with the horse’s unwitting, often well-meaning, owner.
The slaughter pipeline is full of healthy, sound, trained horses whose owners had no idea what happened to their beloved companion once it left them for the last time. I’ve yet to meet a single person who said they “sold their horse for slaughter.”
Little Suzy's prize palomino is about to end up as the main dish on some family's dinner table in Europe or Asia. Of course Suzy, now a college student, didn't sell her childhood horse for slaughter! After interviewing several takers, she gave the plump mare to a kindly old gentleman. He said he couldn't wait to get her home to his beloved granddaughter ("She reminds me of you!") With the best intentions, Suzy gave her horse to "the perfect home", never suspecting the home didn't exist.
Billy Bob doesn't care to make money off his old ranch horse. The hardworking gelding gave all he had, but just couldn't keep up with the crew anymore. Maybe just a couple hundred dollars - as long as he goes to a good home, Billy Bob thought. What luck! A retired rancher came along, looking for an old ranch horse to tool around on his property, checking fences, "mostly grazing dense pastures," and living an easy life. How could Billy Bob know the old guy wasn't who he said he was?
Marcus's faithful appaloosa was of no use with a hoof abscess, and he couldn't afford the vet to fix it. With the loan payment for his new truck due, Marcus needed cash. So, he took Ol' Spot to the livestock auction where he was guaranteed quick, easy money. Marcus was stoked when the first round of horses went for big bucks. But who wants a limping appaloosa? When the crowd ran dry, Spot and all the rest of the leftover horses went to an old cowboy for pennies on the dollar. Marcus didn't pocket much, but at least he didn't have to worry about those vet bills.
Grandpa Mo died suddenly, leaving his grieving family to juggle the responsibility of dealing with the estate...and what to do with Grandpa's livestock. Mo loved the mustang he raised from a colt, and Buck loved the old man. Now pushing 30, Buck had aching joints and missing teeth. No one would want him, but they didn't have the heart to put him down. How fortuitous when one of Mo's "old friends" stopped by to say he had a place for Buck. He hated to see him go to someone Mo wouldn't approve. Bingo! How could the family know the old cowboy learned of Mo's love for Buck from his recently-published obituary?
ENTER
At the crack of dawn, the haggard cowboy began loading up his trailer bound for the Mexican slaughterhouse. Week after week, the horse meat plant pays him 75 cents to $1.50 a pound for dozens of horses he picks up mostly from livestock auctions, but also from Craigslist, Facebook, obituaries, classified ads, and any other of the plethora of venues where unwanted horses can be found. Such is the life of a kill buyer – hunting for free and cheap horses to meet his weekly quota.
The kill buyer’s pick of this particular week was a tossup between the palomino he got from that college student in a hurry to make room for her new horse; or the sore old mustang he found in the obituary section of the newspaper. Each freebie represented at least $600 pure profit. Billy Bob’s old ranch horse would net at least $500.
But the old kill buyer was especially proud of his haul from the auction the night before. When the bids dried up, he got that limping appaloosa and five other unwanted horses for $300.
Now, I’m not saying all kill buyers use these types of tactics. In fact, the vast majority probably don’t and wouldn’t. It would be easy to paint the kill buyer as an old-fashioned villain with twirly mustache and stove-pipe hat, but he’s really just a businessman making a legitimate living under current laws, primarily at livestock auctions. Kill buyers are known to bid aggressively on any horse they can get for below meat price. Their biggest competition is often the cash-strapped rescue hoping to save unwanted horses from…well, from them.
Here’s the thing, unless you know the person who’s taking your horse, imagine the worst-case scenario. Picture the horse you used to pamper, feed, groom and stall every night, now starved and fighting diseased, aggressive horses for food and survival. Imagine the companion that faithfully served you with broken bones, infected bite marks, gaping wounds, impaled eyeballs and every other gory injury – and that’s before it ever even loads the death trailer. And before your horse ever meets its final fate of a bolt to the head (if it’s lucky, within the first few shots), imagine its cramped, days-long ride to hell – never again to enjoy food, water, fresh air or room to stretch.
We don’t aim to frighten, but illuminate. It’s a responsible owner’s duty to ensure your horse does not meet the terrifying fate of tens of thousands of horses that once had loving owners just like you.
It’s honorable to want to give your horse to the right home, or to not want to profit from the sale of your horse. But rather than deal with an unknown quantity, consider surrendering your horse to an established rescue with a record of placing horses with forever homes. There are plenty to choose from, so this isn’t a marketing tactic for Swingin’ D (in fact, we’re typically packed to the gills, but we’ll try to help connect you with someone who can help).
Most 501c3 horse rescues post their policies and adoption guidelines on their websites. They also post proof of their prior performance through photos or testimonials.
A rescue can help you find the “soul human” for your horse – which is what responsible owners really want. Even if the rescue can’t take your horse immediately, most can help you find other options. Most have waiting lists of people looking for a particular type of horse. Who knows? Maybe that horse is your horse!
Think about the trust your horse has in you. Every instinct in his or her body says to run from every cockamamie idea you had: Strap a dead cow to its back and cinch until it could barely breathe; then, once he or she finally exhaled, cinch it again. Time and again, he let you shove metal sticks and chains in his mouth and strap more dead cow around his head, knowing it meant surrendering all control to you.
Think of the trust it takes for a prey animal to allow something higher up the food chain to jump on its back and lead it into unknown dangers and hazards. What about the trust it takes to load onto a giant, dark metal cave, knowing that, after being bounced around the cave for a while, he’ll eventually step off of it in some strange place he’s never been? Against his or her better judgment and terrified nature, your horse allowed you to slog him through creeks, logs, brush and all kinds of other obstacles he feared would kill him.
Your horse didn’t do all of those things for you because you have some magical powers. Somewhere along the way, you earned your horse’s trust and respect.
Now, think about the fact that your horse will allow you to lead him or her onto a trailer for his last ride with you, his trusted human.
Make sure that final destination is with someone who’s just as worthy as you are to have your horse’s sacred trust.
If you’re interested in surrendering your horse, let us know.
Please note, Swingin’ D, like most horse rescues, is overflowing with unwanted horses. We can’t always immediately take in surrendered horses, but we will provide whatever assistance we can until space becomes available. We are not a sanctuary, so we are only able to accept horses that are likely to be adopted; however, we will suggest options for horses in need of sanctuary or humane euthanasia.
Please also note, horses with veterinary records, vet references and farrier history receive preferential placement in our surrender program.
