Pennsylvanians Against Horse Slaughter

Cloud & His Herd's Fate Podcast Monday

2009-06-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

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BLM Advisory Board Meeting Webcast

The National BLM Advisory Board Meeting in Sacramento, California will be webcast online at www.nvhorsepower.org on Monday June 15th from 8:00am - 5:00pm PST. Listen to the Board that advises the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program and tune in at 3:00pm to watch the public comment period. Ginger Kathrens will be joined by many wild horse advocates to speak directly to the Board. Horse Power, a Nevada non-profit, also needs financial support to continue the funding of webcasts like this- please help them continue this important service!

Please tune in on Monday and continue to write President Obama regarding the need for immediate change in the Wild Horse and Burro Program. OUR government is managing OUR wild horses on OUR public lands to extinction.

Thank you,
The Cloud Foundation

2007 Pryor Mustang filly "Helena Montana"

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Our mailing address is:
The Cloud Foundation 107 South 7th St Colorado Springs, CO 80905

Our telephone:
719-633-3842

Copyright (C) 2008 The Cloud Foundation All rights reserved.

Save Cloud's Wild Horse Herd From Slaughter

2009-06-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

What You Can Do to Help Save Cloud's Herd and America's Wild Horses

http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/savecloudwildhorses.html

Over 40% of America’s wild horses have been removed from the wild from 2000-2008 alone and if the agency responsible for managing our wild horses, the Bureau of Land Management, does not change we are in danger of losing the last of our wild horses. Over 100 herds have been zeroed out from the over 19 million acres legally designated for their use. The BLM needs to return wild horses to these areas—over 30,000 are currently in government holding.

As few as 13,600 wild horses remain in designated public land herd areas in ten western states in America, among them is Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountain area of Montana and Wyoming. Only 25% of our wild herds are currently at genetically viable population levels! Cloud’s herd is one of these although a massive round-up planned for August 2009 would change this. The round-up would result in 60 horses losing their families and their freedom, including some horses who have lived their entire 20+ years in the wild. We must stop the destruction of Cloud’s herd and work for the sustainable future of all our wild horse herds across the west.Congressmen Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) have stepped forward to make real and positive changes to the Wild Horse and Burro program with their recently introduced bill HR 1018. Please write to them to thank them for their hard work. You can read Ginger Kathrens’ comments and suggestions to the congressmen here.

Here is a short list of government contacts -- please write, e-mail and/or call on behalf of Cloud and all our wild mustangs.

Contact the following agencies and representatives

PRESIDENT:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comment line: 202-456-1111
www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

CONGRESS:

1. Stop the BLM from managing our wild horses to extinction.
2. Halt all round-ups of wild horses until range conditions and herd numbers can be verified.
3. Return wild horses in holding to the 100+ herd areas (19+ million acres) that have been zeroed out.
4. Expand the Pryor Mountain. Wild Horse Range for Cloud’s Herd & protect herd at viable population level of at least 150 adult horses until range is expanded.

Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV)
2307 Rayburn HOB
Washington,DC 20515
(202) 225-3452
email

Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
1440 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
ph (202) 225-2435
fax (202) 225-1541
Email to: Laurel.Angell@mail.house.gov

Your US Senators and Congress people

Montana Senator Max Baucus (D)—specific to Cloud’s herd
511 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC, 20510, phone: 202-224-2651
e-mail from: http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Montana Senator Jon Tester (D)—specific to Cloud’s herd
204 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC, 20510,
phone: 202-224-2644, e-mail from: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/

Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee:
304 Dirksen Senate Building, Washington, DC 20510
phone: (202) 224-4971, Fax: (202) 224-6163, e-mail all 23 members at http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Reinstate wild horse protections removed in 2004 by the Burns Rider and include language in the bill that would prevent BLM from destroying healthy wild horses.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR- BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
1. Work to expand the legal boundaries of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range to include the historic and current use areas in the Custer National Forest. This will allow for a truly viable herd of 200-300 mustangs.
2. Keep the population at a viable number of at least 150 adults until range expansion is achieved. This will allow for the preservation of the rare Spanish genetics of the herd. Bringing in horses from other herds is ill advised, unnecessary and costly.
3. Do not remove older horses
4. Work to protect the mountain lions that have kept the herd at zero population growth in years past. Natural management should be the goal.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar \
DOI, 1849 C Street NW, Washington DC 20240
Phone: 202-208-7351, exsec@ios.doi.gov

BLM Acting Director Ron Wenker & Acting Deputy Director Mike Nedd
1849 C Street NW, Washington DC, 20040, phone: 202-208-3801 Ron_Wenker@blm.gov, Mike_Nedd@blm.gov

Don Glenn BLM Division Chief of Wild Horse and Burro Program
BLM Washington Office, 1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665 Washington DC 20240
Phone: 1-800-710-7597 or 202-208-3801, Fax: 202-208-5242, wildhorse@blm.gov
Jim Sparks, Field Manager BLM -Billings Field Office
5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101
phone (406) 896-5223, fax (406) 896-5281
Jim_Sparks@blm.gov

United States Department of Agriculture
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Email: AgSec@usda.gov

FOREST SERVICE
Ask the following people to please work with the BLM to expand the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range to include the historic and current use areas in the Custer National Forest. This will allow for a truly viable herd of 200-300 mustangs.

• Abigail Kimbell, Chief USDA Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20250-0003  
phone: (202) 205-1661, e-mail: akimbell@fs.fed.us
• Mary Erickson, Acting Forest Supervisor- Custer National Forest
PO Box 130, Bozeman, MT 59771,
p. 406-587-6701, mcerickson@fs.fed.us
• Chris Worth, Acting Deputy Supervisor
1310 Main Street, Billings, MT 59105
phone: 406-657-6200, cworth@fs.fed.us

Please write letters to the editor, ask that your favorite radio and TV hosts cover this story and last but not least, please tell your friends and family about wild horses and ask them to join the Cloud Foundation in helping to protect and preserve wild horses on our public lands.

List compiled by The Cloud Foundation, March, 2009 ~ www.thecloudfoundation.org

Arabian Horse Association Unanimously Approves Killing of Arabian Horses

2009-06-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

June 14, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Arabian committee at odds with Arabian Horse Association’s resolution on horse slaughter

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Subsequent to an Equine Welfare Alliance press release (June 9, 2009) calling attention to the Arabian Horse Association’s (AHA) passing a resolution in support of horse slaughter, the AHA Rescue and Rehoming Subcommittee, chaired by Carol Darnell, who is also chair of the Arabian Horse Foundation’s Rescue and Rehoming Advisory Panel, took strong exception to the AHA move, issuing the following position statement:

“We, the members of the Rescue/Rehoming Subcommittee of the Equine Stress, Research and Education Committee of AHA, take serious issue with the recent BOD action in support of equine slaughter.”

“Quite aside from the reality that some of the membership of AHA does support slaughter,” the release continued, “we believe it to be inappropriate for our BOD to take any position whatsoever on such a passionate and divisive issue, especially without polling our membership for consensus or consulting with our two rescue entities within the AHA/AHF complex. We believe it should be the role of a breed promotion organization to support husbandry practices and organizational goals which sustain our horses, rather than endorse practices which enable irresponsible husbandry at the horses' expense.”

The committee went on to say, “On a practical level, the negative response by much of the Arabian community and the equine community as a whole, along with significant negative press, is damaging to the organization at a time when we can ill-afford such damage, especially when it is self-inflicted.

We, along with many others in the Arabian horse community, are striving to have the BOD revisit and reconsider the action taken.”

The original press release issued to media outlets by the AHA led readers to believe the AHF was involved in the passing of the resolution. The AHF has a separate BOD, functions independent of the AHA and was not involved in the discussion and passing of this motion.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

PETA Interferes in Saving Horses From Slaughter

2009-06-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

June 7, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: John Holland
540.268.5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

PETA thwarts efforts to bring home racehorses

CHICAGO, (EWA) – As reported today on ESPN’s Outside the Lines, PETA has inserted itself into the issue of American racehorses being slaughtered in Japan. The slaughter of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand in 2002 brought outrage to American horse owners and was the catalyst for anti- slaughter awareness in America.

The Program reported on two thoroughbreds, War Emblem and Charismatic who are both standing stud in Japan. ESPN interviewed Michael Blowen, owner and founder of Old Friends, A Kentucky Facility for Retired Thoroughbreds and Kathy Guillermo, vice president of laboratory investigations for PETA.

Over the years, Blowen has developed an excellent relationship with key personnel in Japan that has smoothed the way for retiring these great athletes to Old Friends. He keeps a list of thoroughbreds that are nearing the end of their stud duties and has been following their stud careers for years. At the top of his list are War Emblem and Charismatic. Blowen has been in discussions for the past eighteen months and developing plans with his Japanese contacts for their retirement to Old Friends.

Despite the claims of slaughter advocates to the contrary, PETA had until now, remained out of the horse slaughter issue. But now, in true PETA fashion, the message was horrific visuals of the cruelty inherent with slaughter, however, their organization offered no assistance in bringing the athletes home. At one point, Ms. Guillermo actually challenged Blowen by saying she was not aware of anyone that was working to bring the horses home. Blowen had recently discussed just this effort on EWA’s Howling Ridge radio program.

Blowen’s most recent Japan rescue was Wallenda who earned $1.2 million in 33 lifetime starts on the track. Old Friends also expanded its facility from 40 acres to 92 acres last year and currently has over 40 retired athletes including Popcorn Deelites, one of the horses that portrayed Seabiscuit in the box office smash hit about the legendary California racehorse.

“I’m hoping things like PETA is doing won’t hurt our relationship with the Japanese,” Blowen said, asking the extremist animal rights group, “Are you just going to keep showing footage of horses in excruciating painful situations or are you going to try to build a relationship with the people that actually own these horses, that actually control them - to find a place for them and work really, really hard to bring them home?”

EWA couldn’t agree more.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Montana Governor Schweitzer Parties At Kentucky Derby While Horse Slaughter Bill Beomes Law

2009-05-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Governor Schweitzer goes to Derby, leaves slaughter bill to become law

On Friday, May 1^st, Governor Brian Schweitzer packed up and left his office to head for the Kentucky Derby. On his desk, he left HB 418, a bill designed to encourage the building of a horse slaughter plant in Montana! The bill was designed to lure a horse slaughter plant to Montana by effectively preventing Montana citizens from challenging such a facility in the state courts.

The Governor had initially issued an amendatory veto of the bill, pointing out that it was almost certainly unconstitutional, but the legislature sent it back to him without his suggested amendments.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Butcher, was quick to praise the Governor’s act of surrender.

In an interview published in The Horse, Butcher dismissed the idea that his bill was unconstitutional.

He went on to explain his misguided belief that the role of the courts is more like that of movie critics, saying, "Courts have the right to offer an opinion about legislation--they do not have the right to make law. That's the legislature's job."

Butcher has said these safeguards [taking away the access of citizens to the courts] were needed to avoid the types of legal appeals that shuttered the country's last horse slaughterhouses in Illinois and Texas in 2007.

In an earlier article “Showdown at Horse Slaughter Pass”, EWA’s John Holland used the metaphor that Butcher was trying to “tie the citizens of Montana to the tracks”, and pondered whether the Governor would save the day. But alas, the Governor had his mind on the Kentucky Derby and left the citizens to their fate. Luckily, Butcher’s bill ties them to the wrong tracks.

Although the plants were cited repeatedly for pollution, sewer and discharge violations, all three plants were shut down by state laws.

The Belgian Velda Corporation’s Natural Meats plant in Saskatchewan, Canada is the most probable target of Butcher’s overtures. Their operating license was indeed suspended in December over unspecified health violations but by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, not a law suit.

Since no slaughter plant can legally slaughter horses in the US for human consumption, the bill’s only real impact may be the statement it makes about Montana, its legislature and its governor.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

AVMA Remains a Staunch Supporter of Horse Slaughter

2009-05-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/may09/090515i.asp

Legislative priorities identified

The Executive Board approved several recommendations from its Legislative Advisory Committee regarding bills in the 111th Congress.

The Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2009 (H.R. 305) was given a designation of "active pursuit of passage." The bill would prohibit the interstate transportation of horses in a motor vehicle containing two or more levels.

Support of H.R. 305 is consistent with the AVMA policy on "Humane Transport of Equines," the LAC explained in the recommendation background. Moreover, the AVMA has consistently supported related proposals aimed at protecting the welfare of horses in transit to slaughter.

The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727) was designated for "active pursuit of defeat." The legislation would criminalize shipping, transporting, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving any horse, horse flesh, or carcass with the intent that it be used for human consumption.

The AVMA opposes the bill because it fails to adequately address the fundamental welfare issues associated with unwanted horses that will be impacted by this legislation.

Wild Horses Found Starving on Nebraska Ranch

2009-04-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

04.29.09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Plan emerging for mustangs from 3-Strikes Ranch

CHICAGO, (EWA) – In recent weeks, the tragic extent of problems at Jason Meduna’s 3-Strikes Ranch in Nebraska has unfolded. The sprawling facility, whose mission statement said they were “dedicated to working with the BLM and BLM three-striker horses”, was found to be littered with starving and dead horses. “Three-striker” is a reference to horses at risk of unrestricted sale (slaughter) under the Burn’s amendment that removed protections from older horses that had been offered for adoption by BLM three times.

Jerry Finch of Habitat for Horses, was one of the first people to arrive on site in Nebraska. Upon learning the extent of the problem, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), immediately sent fifteen people from around the country. All reports indicate that Emergency Services group has done a stellar job. Finch says he is thankful to all the volunteers, rescue organizations and local officials who are assisting and for the outpouring of concern for the horses.

Now, with the surviving horses safely removed to the local fair grounds, equine groups are coming together to re-home the surviving 211 horses.

The following information is being provided for those interested in helping in the process.

-Not withstanding the claim on the 3-Strikes web site that it was charging a $500 intake fee so that all horses could be gentled before allowing them to “roam free”; rescue workers on site indicate that most of the horses are completely wild.

Jerry Finch therefore warns that these horses will therefore require special facilities and handling until they can be gentled enough for transfer to ordinary horse owners.

-Any individuals wanting to adopt or claim a horse must contact either Michelle Conner at 719.651.3662 or Hilary Wood at 719.481.1490. Michelle and Hilary are from Front Range Equine Rescue and will be handling all the release and adoption paperwork.

-HSUS has indicated that they will remain engaged as long as they are needed. They are providing the current medical needs but a long-term plan must be developed. The horses have all been evaluated and a major issue is lice and particularly, tics. Some of the horses are bald, due to infestations.

-Hay is in good supply and additional volunteers are not needed at this time.

-The duration of allowed stay at the fairgrounds is under discussion, but assurances have been given that the Rodeo grounds may be used through May 9^th.

-Anyone with information on potential long-term homing facilities should contact Jerry Finch at 409-682-6621

In an ironic coincidence, The Restore Our American Mustangs (ROAM) Act, HR 1018, introduced by Congressmen Nick Rahall and Raul Grijalva, will be considered before the full Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday, April 29th at 10:00am (EST). The act would reverse the “three strikes” legislation for which the ranch is named. We are hopeful that this will result in the swift scheduling of a floor vote before the House of Representatives.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Beef - Not Horses - Still What's For Dinner

2009-04-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Beef: It’s still what’s for dinner

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Horse slaughter advocates have recently thrown their misinformation campaign into high gear. In an attempt to solicit support by any means necessary, they are now feeding Congress outright lies on what the passage of the Federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, HR 503 and S 727, will mean. The legislation could not be more clear in its intent: an end to horse slaughter. It is not, as recently asserted, an act to criminalize horse meat.

More importantly, the legislation is absolutely, unequivocally, indisputably, not the beginning of a vegetarian led effort to end animal agriculture in this country. Such claims are, in the jargon of animal agriculture, just plain hogwash.

Wyoming State Representative, Sue Wallis has teamed up with a special interest group and has become the go to lobbyist for the pro-slaughter campaign. In an “Informational” paper, that rivals the length of the recent stimulus package, Wallis missed her calling as a fiction writer.

And why is this special interest group, a 501(C)3, currently fundraising to “assemble a political war chest” to fund Wallis’ travels in what would appear to be a violation of Article 3 of Wyoming’s constitution? We urge the Wyoming legislature to convene an ethics investigation of Wallis’ highly suspect activities on behalf of the horsemeat industry.

What is readily apparent is that slaughter advocates are glaringly lacking in factual information. Their arguments, when exposed to critical examination, fall apart like the succulent beef of a well cooked roast. They have escalated efforts to scare the livestock industry into believing that ending horse slaughter is the first step to banning the slaughter of livestock. The shallow thinking exposed by this argument totally ignores the millions of beef, pork and chicken eaters who are revolted by the prospect of killing a non-food animal such as a horse or dog for profit.

Supporters of ending slaughter are portrayed as tree hugging vegans and PETA crazies that are on a mission to take away everyone’s hamburgers. The entire premise of Representative Wallis’ dissertation on horses as a food source is negated by the fact that horses are not classified as food animals by the USDA and are in fact classified by the FDA as companion animals.

Sue Wallis and the meat business she hawks like a carnival barker want to create a market for horse meat in this country. Wallis, and the group she lobbies with, has even created a survey that is being sent only to carefully selected individuals that have registered on a pro slaughter web site. Undoubtedly, the results will be published as the voice of Americans and sent to our Congress even though only one side of the issue has been polled.

Ms. Wallis goes on to use the same property rights arguments that slave owners used unsuccessfully to stop the government from freeing their “property”. She argues that owners have the right to dispose of their “property” in any manner they choose, oblivious to disposal laws on appliances, cars, computer equipment, toxic waste materials and in some areas, horses. Wallis cannot change history any more than she can change the grim reality of horse slaughter.

In survey after survey, more than 70 percent of the American public has gone on record saying they don’t want horse slaughter. Congressman Conyers and Senator Landrieu, who introduced the federal legislation, are respected legislators that have been elected to multiple terms. Neither could be remotely considered tree hugging, vegans out to ban livestock slaughter. Conyers comes from a state where Midwestern beef is revered. Landrieu hails from Louisiana, and anybody knows that if something moves in that state it will likely end up in a pot to make a spicy Creole dish. Radical vegans? Hardly!

With rare exception, equine welfare advocates are meat eaters. Ending horse slaughter is not going to take away our hamburgers, sausage, chops and steaks. If anything, it would be a great opportunity for the livestock industry to start promoting our beef overseas.

We urge Congress for the swift passage of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act and not be swayed by desperate attempts to link it to an imaginary vegan agenda.

And American Beef? It’s still what’s for dinner.

Interview With a Horse Slaughterer

2009-04-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here is an excerpt from Gail Eisnitz's book "Slaughterhouse" when she interviews a slaughterhouse employee. This is difficult to read.

If this testimony doesn’t horrify you, I don’t know what would. I do know that it is totally unacceptable to me that horses be killed this way. This goes beyond inhumane.

Chapter 11, Gail A. Eisnitz went to the state pen to talk with a former horse slaughterer that was
doing time.

Steve Parrish finally entered and was directed to where I was seated.

Parrish, a compact, graceful African American in his early thirties, crossed the room with a slow,
confident gait. He sat down across from me, smiled, then asked- as if he were actually interested-
how I was doing. I wanted to establish a good rapport, so we talked for a while about life in
general, his specifically.

He had worked in slaughterhouses ever since he was a teenager. He didnt say much about his
life in Chicago's streets, the dangerous crowd he ran with- or how he'd landed in jail this time.
I asked him what kind of horses were slaughtered at the plants where he'd worked.
"Belgians, Arabians, little ponies- all kinds. Long as it's a horse. Stolen horses, too"
"Stolen?" I asked. Lately at my job, I'd been getting a lot of complaints about horses that had
been stolen from their owners and sold to slaughterhouses. Horse theft for slaughter seemed to
be on the increase.

"Guys with their own trucks, they'd steal horses and bring them for us to kill and sell," he replied.

"This one guy- I know him pretty well- he told me it's good money, stealing horses. Said I got lots of
experience with horses, would I like to go with him sometime and steal some. I told him I'm not
really into that."

"Where would he steal them from?" I asked.

"A lot of people own little farms they don't live on," he said, "just places where they hold horses
and feed them. Pet horses, riding horses in good condition, some of them young. These guys
would bring them in at night. We didn't have no night shift then. The boss needed more meat to
ship to Belgium. We'd stay over after the USDA doc left, or go back in the middle of the night. The
boss would have the accountant put an extra bonus on our checks, twenty dollars for each horse.
We'd kill anything from thirty to forty horses at night."

"What about USDA inspections?"

"They weren't inspected."

"And the inspector wouldn't notice the extra horses in the morning?" I asked.

"Everything is moving so fast," he replied. "He'd never know."
"How many times did you do this?"

"Quite a few. Maybe ten times."

"How'd they handle the horses that couldn't walk?" I asked.

"If he's down on the truck, down in the manure, and he don't want to move," he said, "or if the
horse is injured or sick or pregnant, or maybe he's done a split and can't get up- you try to pull him
up by the tail. Or stick a two- by- four under him, try to pick him up. Or hit him with the shocker.
There are times we took a boning knife and stuck them in the rectum till they bleed to make them
get up."

"Does this happen much?"

"A lot," he replied. "Because he's holding up progress. Plus you don't want the other horses to
run all over him and trample him and bruise the meat up. So we'd take a hoist, put a chain around
the horse's neck and drag him all the way to the holding pen. Or if we kick a horse and he is 2D
-downed or disabled- and we can't move him, I'd slit his throat in the pens and let him bleed, cut
his nerves off at the back of his neck. Because you could work with him better when he's dead.
You can bend his legs and you ain't got to worry about being kicked. You can hold him and flip him
and drag him to the knocking box. Either way, as long as we can get him to the kill floor."

"What about the ones who can walk but don't want to go up to the chutes?" I asked.

"All animals fear when they're going to die," he said. "If he don't want to go, if he falls down, they
beat him with pipes, kick them, hit them with pieces of wood, stick them with knives. If he still
won't move, you wrap a cable around his neck and drag them in with the hoist. You drag them
while they're still alive. Choke them to death."

"You've got to have something for whatever situation you're in," he continued. "You can't spend
fifteen or twenty minutes on one horse. You have to do whatever you can to get him in that box to
get him skinned- fast. You can't let one horse stop you from making money."

"See, the thing with a slaughterhouse, every piece of meat is valuable," Parrish said. "Every
horse is valuable. Like, a horse that dies out in the pen, maybe he's still warm. By law, that horse is
supposed to be condemned, cut up, and incinerated. Instead, we put him in the freezer so the
meat can be sold."

The buzzer rang. After the prisoner count, I asked Parrish how the slaughter went for horses who
walked into the knocking box.

"There's a certain way to shoot or knock an animal," he said. "I seen them shoot them five times,
hit them all in the eye. Hit them in the neck. I seen horses get shot wrong and get right back up
and walk around the kill floor, kind of dazed. And they run up on them and just hit them with the
knife in the neck, anywhere, and just let them suffer, walk around bleeding."

"Sometimes they can't get close enough with the knocking gun," he continued. "It didn't work
right sometimes, sometimes the gun gets wet, gets blood up in it, and it don't shoot. The boss
tells us, 'run and cut his throat.' I've seen my boss grab a knife and run and cut its throat."

"What about the inspector?" I asked. "Does he ever see any of this?"

"Yes"

"How do you know? Have you seen him?"

"We all on the kill floor together," he said, "we all watching this. Sometimes he'd complain about
it. But you've got a lot of guys there, new, unexperienced, and they think it's a game."

"Do any of the horses regain consciousness after they're hung?"

"Some," he said. "they still be kicking, they still be alive."

"Does anyone ever get hurt?"

"People get their arms broke, get kicked- I got kicked in the nuts. People been hit by them. And
they beat the hell out of them. I've seen horses get beat with pipes."

"If the horse is kicking, how do you know it's not just a muscle reaction?"

"See, that was my department. I did it so long," he replied. "He'd cry out. Cry and kick. And he'd be
choking from the blood, still blowing out air, and I'd start skinning the head."

"How long do they usually have to bleed out?" I asked.

"The sticker and the header is the same person," he said. "You move so fast you don't have time
to wait till a horse bleeds out. You skin him as he bleeds. Sometimes horses' heads are still down
in the blood, sucking up the same blood from some other horse. 'Cause a horse is so long, his
nose is down in the blood, blowing bubbles, and he suffocates." "See," he continued, "a job like
that, is a job of cruelty. You don't have no conscience. All you think about is you making your
money, you doing your job."

"Sure," I said, "but the USDA's supposed to be enforcing the law."

"But you're moving so fast," he said, "a lot of things slip past. There's times the doc might say, '
I've got to condemn that horse.' Might be part of him's bad, might be the pneumonia's traveled
everywhere. I'd drag him back, and my boss would tell me to cut the hindquarters off and bring
him into the cooler. This meat's supposed to be condemned, but you still cut it up and bag it."

"But don't they have to be stamped 'USDA inspected' ?" I asked.

"He got the stamper," he said, "he can stamp it himself after the doc leaves."

"You're saying your boss had access to the USDA stamper?"

" 'Course he's got access," he replied. "He's got access to anything in the plant. it's like this: if
you a good worker, you do favors for the boss, he does favors for you. You take a condemned
horse, skin him, cut him up, sell the meat in the street. We have sold horsemeat, unstamped, to
people in restaurants, in their homes. We've sold it as beef."

"You've done this?" I asked. "Or heard about it from other people?"

"Heard about it, seen it, done it," he said. "Everybody want a hustle. I had a buddy who had a
key to the plant. He'd go in and steal horsemeat and sell it in town as beef."

"Didn't people know he worked there? Didn't they think it was strange that he'd be- "

"Nope," he interrupted, "because they're getting a deal. He's doing them a favor, helping them
save money. You mix it with beef, cook it right, people don't know the difference. I could
decorate a piece of horsemeat and you'd think it's roast beef. In restaurants, people eat what you
put in front of them."

Parrish looked past me and shouted something I didn't understand. Someone shouted back at
him, and he nodded.

"The USDA man," I said, "did he ever stop the line?"

"If the horses are touching, one getting shit on the other because the line's clogged up, he'd
slow it down a little.

"What about for live animals kicking?"

"Nope," he said. "See, certain guys get an attitude and take off on the horses. You know, you
drink on the job. You go out to the liquor store on your lunch break and buy your liquor and beer,
and we drink while we work. The USDA peoples drink with us. Come to our houses and party."
"But that's after work," I said. "Would they drink on the job?"

"Sure they would. Drink a beer down by the liver stand, where they check their livers and
hearts."

Visiting hours were over. We stood up.

Gail Eisnitz graciously gave me permission to excerpt her book here on my blog. You can purchase "Slaughterhouse“ at this link: www.hfa.org/catalog/index.html

Canadian Horse Slaughtering Plant Closed for Food Safety & Environmental Violations

2009-04-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Great News for Horses!

Natural Meat – Horse Slaughtering - Company Shuts Down

We are pleased to inform you that Natural Meat Company (formerly Natural Valley Farms) in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, closed its doors in mid-February. No more horses are being slaughtered in that facility! According to the Director of Parliamentary Affairs for Canada, Natural Meat Company was shut down by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for food safety concerns. At this time we are attempting to clarify details surrounding the closure.Graphic evidence of animal welfare violations was documented at Natural Valley Farms in April/May 2008. This footage was released to CHDC by undercover investigators, and the concerns were aired on CBC's No Country for Horses the following month:

http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/special_feature/no_country_for_horses/no_country_for_horses.html .

In September 2008, CHDC Western Region Director, Twyla Francois, filmed horse blood from the slaughter plant being illegally dumped on the banks of a nearby river:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udbD6OeiUBY .

Further Good News from the U.S:

On April 3, 2009, the governor of Montana issued an amendatory veto on a bill that had already been passed by the Montana House and the Senate and simply needed an official signature. That bill was intended to stop any citizen from launching a lawsuit that might prevent a horse slaughterhouse from being built in the state. On April 2, 2009, CHDC had assisted U.S. horse defenders by supplying proof of the closure of Natural Meat Company for food safety reasons. This evidence then found its way into the hands of the governor. As a result of the veto, the amended bill will now go back to the legislature for consideration, thus opening up an opportunity for debate. With such strong evidence of food safety and environmental concerns, to say nothing of animal welfare violations that are inherent in the horse slaughter industry, it is clear that step-by-step progress for the horses is being made. We applaud the Equine Welfare Alliance for serving as an intermediary between our efforts and the many wonderful grass roots groups involved in the state and federal initiatives in the U.S.

Remember the Horses

In order to commemorate the lives lost in Neudorf and to pay homage to the suffering that occurred there, we plan to visit the massive horse graveyard on site--resting place for former pets, race horses, rodeo horses, and other unfortunate animals who, one way or another, were sent to a fate that none should ever have to endure. Anyone wishing to submit a poem, blessing or memorial message for this occasion can e-mail it to Twyla Francois by April 8, 2009:

twyla.1@mts.net

Your tribute to the horses will be placed where their remains lie...and where each strong and graceful spirit moved forth...away from the pain, away from the crippling fear, and away from the betrayal of trust that marked this final and brutal interaction with humankind.But no matter what has gone before, horses continue to have friends...in all of us who defend them. And our numbers are growing. May the equine spirit be the wind beneath our wings until slaughter is ended forever.

Canadian Horse Defense Coalition

P.O. Box 26097

Westbank, B.C.

V4T 2G3

Ph/fax: 250-768-4803

info@defendhorsescanada.org

www.defendhorsescanada.org

Montana Equine Veterinarian Speaks Out About Horse Slaughter

2009-04-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=163x1051

I know many of you and many of you know me. I know many of you to be very good, honest, decent people and it saddens me to see the lies that are being spread about the issue of horse slaughter. We are all entitled to our beliefs as we are entitled to share & stand up for our beliefs. I feel the need to clarify some absolute lies that have been circulating via email.

If you are in favor of horse slaughter, you are entitled to that, but please know some truths. The pictures and videos are real. They are not made up or sensationalized. The wounds, broken legs, foals born in feed lots, pictures of shod horses, pictures of peoples pet horses in feed lots and at slaughter, videos of horses being repeatedly hit with the captive bolt, overturned cattle trucks with 60 horses mangled..Those things are real; they are not made up or sensationalized. Please just accept that fact for what it is. Horse slaughter and its journey for the horse is not humane. If you are OK with that treatment of the horse, that is certainly your choice, but it is sad to me when I hear people deceiving themselves by saying that they are sending their horse to slaughter because it is humane. If I offered to buy your horse and guarantee you that I would haul it and treat it inhumanely then kill it in an inhumane method, there is no way that many of you would sell your horse to me. But that is what we are doing when we drop off our horse at the sale ring and walk away with a small check and a rosy thought in our mind that our horse went to some green pasture with a good owner, mind you, many horses do get this good end, but many do not and to close our eyes & just hope it all works is sad because reality is, the slaughter horse is destined for a very bad journey.

I am tired of the emails circulating that say PETA is sensationalizing, blah, blah, blah. The truth is PETA is NOT at all involved. The people who are spreading that rumor to incite anger are really being ridiculous. I have been a very involved person against horse slaughter; I know the opponents and I assure you PETA is not involved. I also assure you that other rumors circulating are false as well. There is not an abandoned horse problem, the Montana Grass Roots Horse Coalition has done a county by county survey and the rumors are false. Additionally, the allegations have been studied on a national level and have been proven false. It is a ridiculous argument anyway because the reality is that there is still a loose horse market, horse slaughter is still going on so if there were abandoned horses, the people who would do that would do it regardless of access to a slaughter facility as there is still access to horse slaughter. This false rumor is being spread by proponents to incite fear.

Furthermore, the Montana Grass Roots Horse Coalition is simply a group of Montana horse people who are against horse slaughter. In fact, some of the people started out leaning towards being more in favor of slaughter, then the more they researched & studied the issue, they failed to see how or why horse slaughter is a good thing. Not one person who is at the core of the group is a member of PETA, not one person is a vegetarian, not one person is an animal activist and they are all really nice people from around the state who live year round in Montana. Most of you would really like them if you were to ever meet them (or, if you do know them, you already know them to be good people). It is shameful for Linda Grosskopf, the editor of Western Ag Reporter and Stan Weaver to say that the group was made up by Animals Angels. The thing that is made up is the email Stan circulated. That organization does have a website and I personally have downloaded and distributed some of their stuff, but that organization is in no way connected to the Montana Grass Roots Horse Coalition. The reality is that Linda and Stan out & out lied to you about this issue. One of the people in the Montana Grass Roots Horse Coalition does have that email address and she did email around fact sheets. It is ironic that so many of the emails Stan Weaver is sending have so many false things in them and are sent in such a way as to try to elicit fear. Fear of who is involved and lies to create fear. If you are a horse slaughter proponent, you are certainly entitled to that opinion but please make your decisions on facts, not lies or fear.

It is true that the opponents have hired a lobbyist to fight HB 418, but it is also true that AQHA has spent well into 6 digits on their own lobbying for horse slaughter. Additionally, there are MT organizations that have also hired lobbyists in favor of horse slaughter, I assure you, this is no fear that proponents should have, they have more lobbyists than the opponents. Additionally, it is very confusing how AQHA can campaign for us to have horses as partners, family members and pets and yet promote horse slaughter. No wonder so many people don't want to face the reality of how cruel horse slaughter is. The AQHA is totally advertising a double standard.
Another thought, the horse slaughter industry wants young, healthy animals. It is a human meat consumption industry, they do not want the old, thin crippled horses. This is not a way to get rid of old horses. The average age of the horse slaughtered is 7. This is reality, so it really should be asked, do you want to raise horses as food animals. That is really the issue and that is what beliefs should be based on. Certainly there are people who will say yes to this and people who will say no but let us argue about that fact, not fears and lies.
There are horses that are unsafe, horses that are ill, people that cannot afford their horses. What would happen if all of us great minds in the horse community came together to deal with these things as a community. What happens if the lobbying money (assuredly, proponents have spent far more than opponents) was used to help programs develop. To help create euthanasia funds, spay and gelding programs, rescue programs, educational programs, feed programs to help people through a short term crisis with their horses, scholarships to help fund equine programs, and lots of other positive things that haven't yet been thought of.

Furthermore, we have learned so much about the care of older horses that still have great value in the horse community. Their value in human rehab programs, human therapeutic programs, teachers to young & silly colts and teachers to young and/or inexperienced horse people. There is a lot of work that can be created around these old horses, jobs and money that can stay in our communities and in our industry. Horses of all ages need farrier work, veterinary work, dental work, massage & other body work, feeds, caretaking jobs, etc. All of this is part of the horse community and supports that community. Slaughter plants simply take their profits overseas. Except for the sale rings and killer buyers who make money on slaughter horses, but they do have a food animal market to make money on. They can still make their money there.

Why not come up with good, positive ways to treat our horses humanely and create good and honest work in the horse community. Why not go back to our western roots of helping each other when in need.
We are all good, intelligent people who can do amazing things if we will work together.

In closing, please be passionate about your beliefs, but please base your beliefs on truths not on fear or on lies.
Thank you for your passion and for your efforts,

Dr. Lisa Jacobson
Equine veterinarian
Clyde Park, MT

The True Economics of Horse Slaughter

2009-03-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.horsebackmagazine.com/breakingnews.htm

From Caroline M। Betts, Economist, USC

Letter to the Editor

Dear Horseback Readers,

I feel compelled to respond to the rash of state efforts (Montana, Illinois, and North Dakota to name just a few) to re-introduce the slaughter of horses in the United States of America. As a professional economist, I find the arguments spouted nationwide to re-invite foreign owned horse killing facilities onto American soil confusing and without merit.
To paraphrase a horse rescuer I know, why is it that upon the observation of an abandoned dog or cat, people jump up and down to preserve the life of that animal, while upon the observation of an abandoned horse, some politician jumps up and down and yells that we need to slit its throat and bleed it out on American soil so that a wealthy connoisseur in Europe or Asia can have a nice horsemeat snack?

According to USDA data, approximately 20 percent more American horses are being exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter now than were being slaughtered in the US prior to the closure of the foreign owned slaughterhouses in 2007. It is clear that the option to slaughter is readily available: you simply drop off your horse at the nearest auction or make a quick call to the local “kill buyer” and he will be dispatched through the pipeline to a foreign owned slaughter house in one of our NAFTA partners. Any abandoned horse, one would have to presume, is abandoned NOT because there are no slaughter plants in the US. To add to my confusion, there is nothing but anecdotal evidence that horses are being abandoned at a higher rate now than before the closure of the US slaughter plants, and that is because no better data exists: there is no data collected at the state or national level on horse abandonment or neglect. Even if a single year’s observation were available, which it is not, it would not constitute a sample that any statistician would take seriously. And the few independent scientific studies that have been conducted over the years all illustrate the very same result: rates of horse abandonment, neglect and abuse are completely uncorrelated with the availability of local slaughter facilities.
In some of the debate concerning the proposed bills, the idea is even being perpetrated that somehow inviting foreign horse killers back on US soil is part of the solution to the severe recession currently devastating the US economy; the invitation is touted as “economic development” in, for example, Montana। A sort of bizarre economic stimulus package, for states suffering job losses. For those unaware, Americans don’t eat horsemeat. The foreign owned slaughter houses formerly on US soil paid next to no taxes here. All profits were repatriated to the foreign owners in Europe. And agricultural output and employment in America represent 1.2 percent and 0.6 percent of GDP and employment respectively, tiny fractions of aggregate economic activity, as in any industrialized nation; indeed, that is the hallmark of a mature, post-industrial, service based economy such as the United States. You aren’t going to resurrect the US or your own state economy by killing 100,000 horses, an American icon, to satisfy the palette of some French or Japanese gourmand.

The agricultural and breeding interests that finance these new state political efforts want equine slaughter reintroduced on US soil because a) they fear that social and cultural rejection of equine slaughter might actually somehow induce American citizens to stop eating animals that ARE consumed as food here, b) they want to continue to breed for income and US slaughterhouses provide a more convenient venue for routine culling of the scores of less than perfect and commercially non-viable equine products of that breeding, and c) they represent the interests of a small percentage of US citizens who believe they have the right to dispose of their own animal however they choose, even if that involves a socially and culturally unacceptable act which is abhorred by over 70 percent of the US population according to any survey I have ever read.

My understanding is that optimal policy design requires that incentives be altered, if you are going to shift the allocation of economic resources away from the privately profitable but socially undesirable, and towards the socially and culturally desirable. In my opinion the only way that you will halt irresponsible and excess breeding of equines, and irresponsible ownership, is to completely eliminate the slaughter option. While the horse slaughter industry EXISTS because foreigners want to eat horsemeat, it provides an easy reward for those who want to breed as many horses as they choose and dispose of the excess in the manner that they want to, and for owners who will not take responsibility for their horse’s care. Take away that reward with a federal ban on slaughter and export for slaughter, and slap a good tax on the product of any equine breeder, and the politicians currently yelling that we need to kill a bunch of horses may find it much harder to spot one that is abandoned.

We are currently being inundated with arguments that the reintroduction of equine slaughter on US soil is "necessary"। The only thing it is necessary for is to fill the pockets of the big breeders and their agricultural associates, and perhaps the pockets of a “bought” politician or two. Apparently the senators and representatives of Montana who just passed a bill to introduce a new horse slaughter plant there care more about fulfilling those needs, than the fact that 85 percent of their own state citizens strongly object to the proposal. Suppose the devastated US economy is making it tough for horse owners and breeders to maintain for their animals in some states? Why is the solution to re-introduce a culturally and socially unacceptable practice with a horrendous USDA record of humane transportation violations? Why, instead, aren’t these states considering the establishment of temporary state funded horse rescues, with jobs in them that provide tax revenue, until the economy recovers and the horses can find homes? Why aren’t they providing additional funding and jobs for Humane Societies and Animal Control agencies to cope with whatever is being claimed that they are having to deal with? Why not do something that BENEFITS HORSES as well as creating some jobs? And why not impose a state tax on horse breeders to help fund it all?

Caroline M। Betts, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Economics
University of Southern California

Congress Must Act Now: Draconian Horse Killing Bill Equestrian News Release

2009-03-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO, (EWA) - A vote in the Montana House Thursday on a Draconian horse killing bill demands immediate action by the Congress. The Equine Welfare Alliance urges immediate passage of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009.

State legislation that has been introduced and passed in Montana and elsewhere to build horse slaughterhouses on US soil are in direct violation of federal law. Illinois, in particular, is attempting to completely remove veterinarian inspections. This is a clear message stating that the US does not care what drugs the horses have ingested, what diseases they carry and more importantly, what the consequences will be to the consumers of the horse meat.

In Montana, the bill was written to prohibit citizens from bringing suit against the building of a plant based on environmental issues unless a fee is paid equaling 20% of the construction cost. This is a violation of the constitutional rights of every American citizen to have access to the courts in a fair, equitable and above all, affordable arena.

Congress can no longer ignore that the basis of the campaign unleashed by pro horse slaughter supporters and organizations is fraught with lies and scare tactics. Organizations and individuals promoting horse slaughter have not provided one piece of solid evidence that justifies or supports the need for horse slaughter. Their constant media blitzes consist of false articles portraying a tsunami of abandoned horses and dismissal of irrefutable evidence provided by Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The documentation of unspeakable abuse and cruelty extracted reluctantly from the United States Department of Agriculture proves the need to forever prohibit killing horses for human consumption in foreign markets.

The media campaign is misleading at best, and downright dishonest, at worst. The spin includes calling horse slaughter processing, harvesting, humane euthanasia and recycling, in an attempt to transform the reality into something more palatable. These words belie the reality that living creatures are strung upside down, as their throats are cut for a slow death, while hooves are sawed off from their bodies. The horse is still living and often conscious during this “humane” process.

Anti slaughter advocates are accused of being employed by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) or being city “folk” that don’t understand the horse industry. Nowhere does the reader see one fact or any type of data to support the claims.

Increasingly, supporters of horse slaughter squawk that anti-slaughter advocates are vegans determined to end animal agriculture in the United States. Noting could be further from the truth.

Horses, mules, and other equines built the Capital building in Washington where their fate will be debated. These beasts of burden carried lumber, brick and mortar, to build the White House where we implore President Obama to sign the act.

The American Veterinarian Association (AVMA) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) classifies horses as companion animals, not livestock. Law enforcement rides service animals, hardly food stock animals. Livestock do not participate in the Triple Crown. Livestock are not used in therapy to help returning soldiers with head injuries, regain their balance. Livestock do not participate in presidential and military funerals. Every function horses perform in our society is that of a service animal.

It is time for Congress to take a stand and say enough is enough. Equines should be recognized as service animals and Congress must enact HR 503 immediately to end the cruelty and abuse American horses endure to satisfy European diners. It is time for Congress to remove the reward for irresponsible breeding and the owners that do not take responsibility for equines they chose to own or breed.

We urge caring Americans to pester your Legislators relentlessly until they pass and President Obama signs legislation putting an end to the obscene cruelty of horse slaughter.

85% of Montana’s Constituents Are Opposed to a Horse Slaughtering Plant

2009-03-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

Representative Wanzenreid has responded to all my (and many others fighting to end horse slaughter) communications recently requesting opposition to the Montana Horse Slaughtering Bill, HB 418. Sadly, the bill was passed on Friday afternoon and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

Even more sad is the fact that he notes that 85% of the calls he got opposed the allowing of a horse killing plant in Montana. Apparently many of his colleagues (and I use the term loosely) aren’t listening to their constituents.

Horses are NOT products or produce. They were never meant to be harvested or processed. There should not be a “salvage” cost for these loyal animals that we partner with, compete with and recreate with.
Here is an email from Representative Wanzenreid। You’ll also find a link below to a YouTube Video created to oppose HB 418. It is not graphic or offensive in any way. Please forward generously, as the legislator asks us. Thank you for being a good, and responsible man, sir.

###############

It has been my great privilege to become acquainted with you (some better than others) during our battle to defeat House Bill 418, which authorizes the formation of investor-owned equine slaughtering facilities.

My, but, that sounds antiseptic, doesn’t it?

Now, that the bill has passed the Senate and is on its way to the Governor, I want to take a minute and share a few thoughts.

First, thank you for your conviction to fight what amounts to a horrible, horrible idea. Because of your commitment and willingness to engage, your voices were heard. Your convictions and principles resonated.

Second, thank you for your patience in educating those of us elected officials who share your concerns and horror of sanctioning such an inhumane, disgraceful idea. We newcomers to this issue benefitted immensely from your ideas, data and willingness to answer questions (in some cases, more than once).

Regardless of what happens now, I am afraid that the damage to Montana’s renowned grandeur and rustic elegance is done. But, the damage, that is likely to follow, will not occur because the opposition was silent or subdued. As a team, we gave it our best effort and came up short. I’ve been through more skirmishes than I care to recall. But, honestly, I never remember being as proud as I was with the effort put forth by every team member on this one.

So, thank you.

Next steps

The bill now goes back to the House of Representatives for administrative processing and then on to the Governor.

The Governor has three options: sign; veto; allow the bill to become law without his signature. (The Governor could make an amendatory veto, but I doubt the Legislature would approve it. Besides, a horrible idea like this cannot be made less egregious with the infusion of new words.) I recommend that each of you send an e-mail or contact his office requesting a veto. The contact information is listed below. Then, write a letter to the editor expressing your opinion and ask your friends to do the same.
If the Governor signs the bill or it becomes a law without his signature, Montana’s constitution provides an initiative process, by which the electorate may gather signatures asking for a vote to repeal a law. The last time this was done successfully was following the 2003 Legislature, when several legislators headed a successful initiative effort to repeal an ill-advised energy law.
If the Governor signs the bill or it becomes a law without his signature, Congress could pass HR 503, which would ban this type of operation in the United States.

In closing, I would like to share some data.

I log each of my contacts. Every e-mail, every phone call, every letter.

I received just under a thousand contacts on House Bill 418.

The supporters expressed argued that outside, sinister forces were behind the opposition. Nothing could be further from the truth. I received 82 contacts from out of state, 61 in support and 21 in opposition. The remainder of the contacts was from Montanans and roughly 85 percent were in opposition to the bill.

Facts are indeed a stubborn thing.

Please continue to keep in contact with me and please notify me if I may be of assistance.

Respectfully,

Dave Wanzenried
Senate District #49
903 Sky Drive
Missoula Montana 59804-3121

######

Good evening/ morning.

Sandy Elmore produced the attached segment making the case for a veto of House Bill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJDcLvtS_Bc

Please forward generously.

Thank you.

Dave Wanzenried
Senate District #49
903 Sky Drive
Missoula, Montana 59804-3121

Slaughter Promotes Horse Theft And Heartache For Equine Owners

2009-03-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

From Race Horse to Main Course

http://www।nbcwashington.com/news/weird/From-Race-Horse-To-Main-Course.html

By JEFF BURNSIDE and TODD WRIGHT

Updated 9:36 AM EDT, Wed, Mar 18, 2009

NBC6

These lucky horses were saved in a raid of a slaughterhouse in Miami.

The story sounds like the summary of a bad horror flick.

Horse owner outraged after finding her horse butchered in a nearby field.

Dozens of horses disappearing in the dead of night only to be found stripped of skin and meat on a roadside. Other horses are discovered butchered in their stables by mortified owners.

But the culprit isn't some half-wolf, half-man abomination that preys on thoroughbreds during the full moon.

They are poachers from Miami's black market who sell the horses' meat, which is a popular delicacy among new arrivals from other countries to the area. The horse meat can go for as much as $20 per pound and based on the number of bloody horse remains and meat-stripped carcasses found on the side of dirt roads and in stables across Miami-Dade, harvesting horses for meat is a lucrative business.

The sale of horse meat for human consumption is illegal in the U.S., but that hasn't stopped the meat from being in high demand by natives of the Caribbean, Cuba and other European countries who crave horse cuisine.

Some U.S. cattle ranchers have worked around the law by exporting horses to Mexico or Canada, where killing horses for dinner is legal.

Fostering some of the boom in slaughterhouses has been the horse-racing industry and some owners of race horses. Some discard a horse after it's out-lived its racing life or is injured. They are usually sold to the first person who offers a few bucks for the animal, as was the case for Freedom's Flight, a horse rescued during a raid at a Miami area slaughterhouse.

"Freedom's Flight would have definitely ended up on someone's plate. Absolutely. And we've seen it too many times," said Richard Cuoto, who volunteers for the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Freedom's Flight's blood line includes Secretariat and Seattle Slew, two of the greatest thoroughbreds of all-time. But his wealthy owner, Herman Heinlein, gave the horse to a handler after it broke a leg in a race at Gulfstream Park. The handler, Marian Brill, sold Freedom's Flight for $500, but refuses to say to whom. Police believe Freedom's Flight eventually ended up at a pony ride show before he wound up at the slaughterhouse.

"I've already told you, I can't and I won't," she said in an interview with NBC6.

Freedom's Flight's saga and salvation is the exception to the rule, animal rights advocates said. Other race horses have had a less than ceremonial retirement.

The real horror may be that no arrests have been made in the deaths. Authorities claim it would be hard to charge someone with a crime because it's difficult to tell if a horse found butchered on the side of the road was killed by a poacher or an owner.

Pennsylvania Woman Saves Race Horse From Slaughter Death

2009-03-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Safe-Haven-for-Horses/vm-ngptAoEqjxIecWdmiBw.cspx

Cheree Esposito runs a non-profit horse rescue from her barn outside Franklintown, York County. She's got enough room for ten horses at "Safe Haven Arabians," but right now, there are only eight.

This is her latest addition - a five year old thoroughbred that she rescued from an auction kill pen three weeks ago.

She knew she was going there that day to save some horse's life. She just didn't know which one.

"And I asked (God), 'Give me a sign for the one I'm supposed to save.' And he (Nick) just stared me down and gave me this look," says Esposito.

It was a horse named Jazzercise. He was just about to be carted off ... and eventually be taken to the border, and sold for slaughter. But at the last minute, Esposito convinced the man to sell her the horse.

"I (re-)named him Nick because I got there in the nick of time to save him," says Esposito.

Nick's been at Safe Haven ever since ... training, recovering, learning to trust again. Esposito tested Nick by doing what she does with all her rescues - she pulled a sleeping bag into his stall one night and laid down.

"He comes over and nuzzles and nudges, and the last time I did it, he actually laid down right next to me," says Esposito.

Nick is just one of many success stories ... horses that other people were done with, couldn't afford, or didn't see as anything more than meat on a plate. At Save Haven, they're just allowed to "be" -- while their guardian angel finds them the perfect home.

"When the people come (to adopt a horse) and you do find that match, you know you're in it for the right reasons," says Esposito.

If you'd like to contact Esposito about adopting one of her rescue horses, click here।

Equine Vet Speaks Out Against Horse Slaughter

2009-03-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Equine Vet Speaks Out Against Horse Slaughter

http://www।hsvma.org/advocacy/news/equine_vet_speaks_out.html

By Lisa Carter, DVM

I am a horse person, a true horse person. I get up every morning at the break of dawn, put on my coveralls, boots, hat, gloves, and winter parka to trudge across the snowy yard to take care of my horses. I feed them, water them, turn them out, clean their stalls, and give them the love that they deserve.


	Dr. Lisa Carter and her beloved companion, Black Diamond.

True horse people are responsible horse owners—but not all horse owners are horse people. Some people treat their horses like a commodity. They ride and feed their horses, pay for veterinary and farrier care, and brag about them.

The big difference between true horse people and horse owners is the long-term responsibility they take for their horses. True horse people care about their horses, even when they no longer own them or they are no longer "useful."

Taking Responsibility

I currently have a 27-year-old Arabian gelding that I showed competitively on the Class A Arabian show circuit. We won many ribbons and reserve championships. Over time, he became old and arthritic, insulin intolerant, and I was no longer able to ride him.

The easiest manner of getting rid of this responsibility would be to ship him off to an auction house where he would be sold for slaughter. I would make about $200 off the deal and be rid of this high-maintenance horse.

But I am a true horse person. I take the responsibility of horse ownership seriously and know that it is a lifelong commitment. I know that when my geriatric horse's quality of life is gone, I will humanely euthanize him by chemical injection. It is the least that I can do for this wonderful animal.

Easy Way Out

Some horse owners take the easy route to rid themselves of "useless" horses. They send their horse to an auction. He or she is left in a pen for 12-24 hours without food or water, packed up into another trailer (sometimes a double-decker cattle trailer), and hauled hundreds of miles—still without food or water—often incurring injuries during the ride due to the overcrowding.


	An American horse enters the kill box at a Mexican slaughter plant.©The HSUS

These horses arrive at a slaughterhouse, which is designed for cattle, in deplorable conditions and are forced into the plant to endure a terrible and painful death.

If they are lucky, they will only be struck in the head once with a captive bolt before their subsequent death. Most are not so lucky. Some very unfortunate horses end up in Mexico, where they are stabbed repeatedly in the neck in an effort to sever the spinal cord. These horses are paralyzed while being butchered, but still fully conscious.

Options are Available

I realize that not everyone has the financial ability to keep a horse that is no longer useful or is in poor health, but shipping a horse off to a slaughterhouse for a quick buck is simply wrong.

There are many options for people that are financially unable to care for their horses—they can relinquish their horse to a rescue organization, sell their horse to a carefully vetted private owner, donate their horse to a riding center, or have a veterinarian humanely euthanize their horse.

What You Can Do

As well as being a true horse person, I am also an equine veterinarian. I cancelled my membership to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) because I do not agree with their pro-slaughter stance. Their position on slaughter mirrors that of big money making organizations like the American Quarter Horse Association, whose members often use slaughter as a quick and easy way of disposing of "useless" horses while making a quick buck.

Currently there is a bill going through Congress, H.R. 503, known as the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which would make it illegal to slaughter American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as ban the export of horses for slaughter.

I beg all of you, especially true horse people, to contact your Congressman and urge them to pass this bill. Horses deserve to be treated in a humane manner—H.R. 503 will make this inhumane manner of horse disposal a thing of the past.

Dr. Lisa Carter is a veterinarian and avid horse enthusiast and owner.

Thanks to Jim Durkin of Illinois Who Opposes Horse Slaughter

2009-03-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

An Open Letter to the People and Legislators of Illinois Regarding Horse Slaughter:

Dear Illinois Legislator,

I am writing to implore you to vote NO to HB 583.

You see I am a volunteer at a horse rescue. I see the beautiful, sound horses we pull out of the slaughter pens. Most of these horses go on to live productive lives with people who love them.

The slaughterhouse is not a place that humanely takes care of old, sick or dangerous horses. Those are the horses the kill buyers are least likely to buy. They want the healthiest, meatiest horses they can find. The USDA reports that over 92% of the horses that go to slaughter are young, sound and not dangerous.

The trip to the slaughterhouse is perhaps worse than the cruel, slow and painful death. Many horses arrive missing eyes and limbs. Please view this link:

http://www.kaufmanzoning.net/foiaphotos.html

It will horrify you. If you support slaughter, you must look at these pictures and you must condone the horrors these horses have experienced. Do you really want to be that conscienceless?

Horse are revered and special animals. We bond closely with them, like we do our cats and dogs. The vast majority of Americans do not want horses slaughtered.

Slaughter encourages the theft of horses. I don't want my horse stolen and ending up at a slaughter house! What a horrible way for my friend and partner to die.

Please do the right thing and vote NO. Your state doesn't want the ugly reputation and environmental issues that will profit only foreign interests.

Horses deserve to die with dignity, just like our cats and dogs. Euthanasia as performed by a Vet is the humane way to let our horses leave this world.

Thank you,

Lorri Roush Shaver

###

Response from Jim Durkin:

Thank you for your e-mail regarding HB 583, the bill to overturn Illinois’ ban on horse slaughter. I will vote no on this bill. We do not eat horses in this state, nor in this country.

History has shown that horses are distinct from other animals because they are respected and revered, much like dogs and cats. As such, they should not be a commodity to serve European and Asian palates.

Sincerely,

State Representative Jim Durkin

Saving "Nic" From Horse Slaughter - A Day At New Holland Livestock Auction

2009-02-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

This is a factual account of the New Holland Livestock Auction on Monday, February 23rd, 2009. Cheree, who rescues Arabian horses in danger of slaughter plans to attend the Auction and save a horse - probably an Arab. He is her account of "Saving Nic."

#########

My day was off to a rough start before I even left the house. I set my alarm for 5:00 am, but didn't sleep a wink, I was up all night tossing and turning, just dreading the day ahead of me.

I left for New Holland around 7am, when I was about three miles from the auction I saw the first nightmare of the day... an Amish buggy, being pulled by a horse that just couldn't do the job: (He was a Saddlebred very obviously, but about 300 lbs too thin, and the sweat pouring off this horse was so intense it looked like he has a water hose on him. He was trying his hardest to pull the weight, but could barely break a trot, and they were literally beating him with the whip to keep him moving forward, he had whip marks all over his rear an was bleeding in some spots.... When I saw this, I almost turned the car around and went home. It was awful.... My heart was pounding out of my chest when I arrived at new Holland minutes later. It was 8:30 am.... Most of the horses that were going to run through the auction that day were already there tied up and waiting…there weren't as many as I thought there would be this week... Maybe seventy-five at most.

I was anxious for [my friend] Rita to arrive, because it was all very hectic and confusing, and I needed someone in my corner for sure... While I was waiting for Rita (who by the way is one of the most amazing women I have yet to meet) I walked around asking about local transport, as Lorraine was full. I found it, in about 5 minutes or less... so now I knew it was time to buy... Obviously I was looking for an Arab, luckily for my new guy, there were none in sight... I walked the isles over and over again.... looking at all these poor horses... Some of them nice, some very neglected, too thin, cuts, scars, and a lot of draft horses....I saw a young filly, who was obviously scared to death with her eyes bugging out of her head, pull back on her tie, as something spooked her, she was pulling back and going crazy trying to break free, and some people came and took a cattle rod to her rear, and scared her even more, and she finally reared up and flipped over cutting her back up... I left the auction halls, and went to my car to sit for a moment and get myself together....I returned about ten minutes later and saw a few more horses had arrived, been tagged and were waiting for the auction to begin, so they could determine their fate...It wasn't long before the horse I was meant to save chose me to save him... His number was 388... he was a gorgeous 16.2 hand boy thoroughbred with black stockings, his face was so pretty, I thought there must have been a little Arab blood in there somewhere, he turned around as much as he could and starred at me, locked eyes, and held it for a good 30 seconds or more even, without reading too far into, his eyes most definitely were pleading for me help... He was so nice looking, I thought for sure he'd be out of my price range, he was the nicest horse at the auction, and the locked eye contact touched me, as all the other horses were either too busy biting and kicking each other or so scared the kept their faces buried in their hay... This one was special...

Rita arrives!!! YAY!! Someone to show me the ropes, someone to share my sorrows! Thank God she is here!!!! Rita and I walked around, as I told her excitedly that I found someone to ship and I think I had found my horse!!!! She said "well let’s go see him" and so we went.... It was around 9:30ish by then, five minutes earlier my boy starred me down and asked me to save him, five minutes later, with Rita by my side I go to show her him... and he is gone.... Never being to New Holland before, I am very confused... "Where could he have gone?" "The auction didn't even start yet?!" Rita new where he had gone...he was in the kill pen... purchased privately by a meat buyer before the start of the auction.... We found the broker who brought him to the sale and proceeded to find out which dealer bought him and if he was in fact in the "pen."

We met much resistance to say the least. I had five good ol' boys at once telling me "You don't want that crazy son of a bitch, that horse will hurt you, he is CRAZY!" "I'm not gonna sell you that horse, he deserves to be slaughtered, that crazy son a bitch got loose in here, and it took five of us to catch him, we had to rope that crazy a$% horse, you do not want that horse!" I politely asked and stated "what makes him so crazy?" "If I got lose at a scary auction like this, I would run too and you could bet no one would catch me!" I then asked "is this crazy horse broke to ride?" They said "yes, he's a real nice riding horse, BUT he's crazy as sin, real head shy won't let you touch his face, if the wind blows he'll rip our arms off, again lady, YOU DO NOT WANT THIS HORSE!"Rita and I then walked back to the kill pen, and there he was... with about 25 other horses, he was more scared than any horse I have ever seen in my life, he was bleeding slightly on the face by his left eye, and has been kicked in the cheek and was all puffy, his eyes were big and blood shot, he was so scared... I gave him a treat through the bars and he snatched it up... I walked away with Rita... we were very sad....as we were walking back to the barn... the reality set in and I realized, that I had given that horse his last treat... the last treat he'll ever have.... How can I let this happen to such a young, beautiful and so called "crazy" horse??? I couldn't..... We headed back to the barn to find the meat dealer who had his fate sealed... Rita was coaching me along the way.... I was scared to death to have to go head to head with the meat dealer trying to make a deal for a horse I know he didn't give a damn about.... Rita stood back, and I approach the man point out to me. He said "Your back? You till want that crazy horse don't you?" I said "What do you want for him?" He said "How much you really want him?" I said "it's not about how much I want him, it's about what he' worth, how much?" He said "500.00" I said "NO WAY 350.00", he laughed in my face, and said AND I QUOTE "Shit no, I'll get more to slaughter that SOB, they'll give me at least 700.00 for a horse that size, then he raised his voice, his face got really grim and mean and said "NO DEAL" I looked over to Rita, she was holding up three fingers as to say "No more than THREE HUNDRED" and I agreed...I walked away....

Rita and I looked at some other horses, but I couldn't get it out of my mind... The locked eyes earlier, the scared eyes in the kill pen, did I really feed this horse his last treat? I decided I would approach him (the meat guy) again.... He had a smirk on his face this time, but was still very mean....I told Rita my plan was to poke holes in what the horse was worth, by asking it's age, and is he registered, etc.... I walk up to the meat buyer who is standing with the broker who sold him the horse... He laughed at me and said "back so soon?" I said "How old is this horse?" Broker said "5" I asked if he was registered broker said "should be, he got a lip tattoo, he's off the track, they don't race sh*# horses, although this one's crazy, and that's why he's here." The meat dealer then said "You got cash? I said "yes, but not 500.00", he said 400.00" I said "350.00" he said "375.00, let me see it" I took the money out and put it in his hand and he said to me "now look, you gotta go get the horse out of that pen, I ain’t goin' in there with all those other crazy horses, and I ain’t touching your crazy ass horse, and when this horse hurts you, I don't want you comin' up to me next auction cryin' about it, it's buy at your own risk, and you just did, ( as he shoves the money in his pocket) now go get your horse out of my pen, and good luck to you, cause you're gonna need it!" I then heard him mumble under his breath as I was walking away “crazy ass broad."

I walked away, Rita was smart enough to find the guy who agreed to haul the horse for me, who also rides at the auction, she asked him to get the horse out of the kill pen, he was nice and agreed, he went an got the "crazy horse" out, and put him in his own pen directly behind the kill pen.... He was very stressed, but....he was SAFE! Rita was my strong hold, she told me how to do it better the next time, but said she was proud of me, I held my own and I did a good job, she then pointed out, that I was shaking like a leaf... and I wasn't cold... She was right, I had just gone head to head with my # 1 enemy in the world, I could see by speaking to this man that he thought of horses like most people think of rats.... it was heart breaking, he really didn't care... Maybe he played me, maybe not. But I saved my boy, and made sure he hadn't eaten his last treat. Rita and I went back numerous times to check on him to make sure some auction worked didn't throw him back in the pen, by accident... I eventually got so paranoid, I went back and made a sign that said "SOLD! DO NOT LOAD THIS HORSE" When I went back there to put the sign on his stall, I noticed three more kill pens, three total, all full.... There were such nice horses in the slaughter pen, some had brand new blankets on, new halters...I wonder if their owners new what happened that day at the auction, and where they were headed... It was hard... to say the very least. I slipped in my pen with the new "crazy" horse, that "won't let you touch his face" and in less than a minute, I was scratching inside his ears, took his halter off to adjust the size, put it BACK ON... The horse although still very stressed, was as good as could be, his eyes softened, he listened when I spoke to him, he let me rub his face, and feel the lump on his cheek where he was kicked, I brushed him with my hands, feed him treats.... Rita walked back and said "Yeah, he seems reallllllly crazy doesn't he?" We both laughed, he surely wasn't crazy....The kill buyers thought he was a "crazy SOB" because he escaped at the auction and was running for his life, he didn't want to be caught, because he has a will to live!! To me and Rita, that's a smart horse fighting for his life, not a dangerous one...

The auction is ending... I see dead animals everywhere, a lot of cows and baby cows didn't make it :( I saw 10 BIG horned bulls in the same pen stabbing each other to death. I saw a horse being beat because it wouldn't move out of the way in the kill pen, when the truth is, there was NO ROOM for the poor thing to move. I saw babies ripped away from their mothers, and Amish horses standing for hours and hours with no water. I saw a lot of sad eyes looking back at me, and I watched horses being punished for just being horses.... I said an almost tearful goodbye to Rita, because she was such an angel and so there for me, I was truly sad to say goodbye to her.... I confirmed my address with my shipper, and I waited until most of the kill pen horses were gone to make sure they didn't try to sneak mine back into the herd and take him! I headed home.....My new OTTB was about 45 minutes behind me... he arrived, safe and sound... The most defining moment for me was when he stepped off the trailer and was heading toward the barn, and I was leading him... he let out this huge **sigh** and his eyes became as soft as they possibly could... He relaxed almost instantly... I led him back past the barn to the QT round pen, and put him in there, I went and got a blanket, tied him which the meat buyer and broker who sold him said COULD NOT BE DONE, "YOU CANNOT TIE THAT HORSE HE'LL TAKE DOWN THE BARN" I tied him to the fence of the round pen, and brushed him and put his blanket on, and he was wonderful, I put medicine on the cut by his eye, wonderful....He didn't even threaten to drag me, pull me, spook at being tied up.. He is very certainly NOT a crazy horse. I have named him "Nic" short for "Nic of time" because I literally got there just in the nick of time to save him….

End Sacia's Foolhardy Attempt to Bring Horse Slaughter Back to Illinois

2009-02-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

Even if you aren't from Illinois, if you care about horses please make these calls! Horse slaughter is a national issue. We don't want our horses stolen and ending up in a slaughter house!!

####

URGENT AWI eAlert:

Illinois Horse Slaughter Advocate Trying to Overturn Ban - Again

Dear Humanitarian:

On Tuesday, February 24th, the Illinois General Assembly’s Agriculture and Conservation Committee will consider H.B. 583, a bill designed to overturn the state’s ban on horse slaughter. The ban, which went into effect in 2007, closed the country’s last remaining horse slaughter plant – Cavel International (based in DeKalb, IL) – which was foreign-owned, marking the end to an utterly cruel practice that the majority of Americans oppose.

The sponsor of the pro-slaughter bill, Representative Jim Sacia, has a long history of fighting to keep horse slaughter alive despite strong opposition from the majority of Illinois residents and the American public. Rep. Sacia is out of step with public opinion and his effort is in vain; having sat empty for almost two years the former Cavel plant recently opened to slaughter non-equine species. Further, the U.S. Congress is currently considering the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which is anticipated to move quickly, and will prohibit the slaughter of horses here as well as their export for slaughter abroad.

What You Can Do

If you are from Illinois please click on the links below and call each member of the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee, except for Rep. Sacia who also serves on the committee, and politely ask them to oppose H.B. 583. Contact information for committee members is shown below. Remind them that:

You oppose H.B. 583 because horse slaughter is a cruel and unnecessary practice.
The Illinois General Assembly banned horse slaughter by an overwhelming majority in 2007, and urge them to reject Representative Sacia’s bill, H.B. 583.
There is no evidence to support Rep. Sacia’s claims that Cavel’s closure has led to an increase in horse abandonment.
Ending horse slaughter stopped an overt form of animal cruelty and has only been good for the horses. The state ban is important.
Rep. Sacia complained that closing Cavel would put local workers out of business despite the cruelty of the industry. The building that formerly housed Cavel has recently re-opened to slaughter non-equine species, thus bring jobs and income to the local economy. His argument is even more irrelevant given this development.
Please also let them know that you support passage of the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which is expected to move quickly this Congress. The bill will prohibit the slaughter of American horses throughout the United States as well as their export abroad for the same purpose.

Agriculture & Conservation Committee - Members 96th General Assembly

Chairperson: Brandon W. Phelps

Vice-Chairperson :Patrick J Verschoore

Republican Spokesperson: Jim Sacia

Member: John D. Cavaletto

Member: Shane Cultra

Member: Lisa M. Dugan

Member: Robert F. Flider

Member: Mary E. Flowers

Member: Julie Hamos

Member: Donald L. Moffitt

Member: Richard P. Myers

Member: David Reis

Member: Dan Reitz

The hearing for Rep. Sacia’s bill is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24th. Please call every committee member and make sure they are aware of the facts on each bill.

Be sure to bookmark http://www.awionline.org/legislation/horse_slaughter/whats_new.htm updates on this hearing and other horse slaughter campaign information.Please share this eAlert with friends, family and coworkers, and urge them to weigh in with the Illinois state legislature to ensure that horses continue to receive the protection they deserve. As always, thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Chris Heyde

Deputy Director of Government and Legal Affairs

www.awionline.org www.compassionindex.org

It's Fiscally Irresponsible to Even Study the Feasibility of a Horse Slaughter Plant

2009-02-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

In a time of severe economic difficulties, North Dakota apparently has money to burn. They have decided to pursue a $50,000 feasibility study for a horse slaughter plant.

This decision is fiscally irresponsible. Legislation is pending in the House of Representatives that will ban slaughter of American horses in this country and ban the transport of them out of the country for the same. All over America, constituents are voicing their objection to this grisley practice. The average horse enthusiast views their horse as a companion animal, like a dog or cat, and certainly doesn't want it to end up in a slaughterhouse. Even the FDA calls horses companion animals. See the second paragraph at this FDA link:

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/CVM_Updates/DraftGFIAnesthetics.htm

Knowing that the legislation is pending, and that America as a majority is opposed to horses being slaughtered, why would you throw $50,000 out the window? Obviously, the public sentiment that this journalist refers to is not of importance to the legislation of North Dakota.

And isn't it interesting that the sponsor of the study, Representative Froelich, is a quarterhorse breeder. Check out his website:

http://www.froelichranch.com/

Here's the dozens and dozens of horses he sold last September. Now where do you suppose all these horses went?

http://www.froelichranch.com/FROELICH5.htm

It will come as no surpise to you that the breed of horse most often found at the slaughterhouse is the Quarter horse. More Quarter horses are registered each year, keeping the The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) in business through registration fees. The AQHA is in favor of horse slaughter.

And now we have Quarter horse breeders in power, advocating for slaughter plants.

####

Study of Horse Slaughter Plant Gets ND House Nod

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=27150

2/18/2009

North Dakota lawmakers have agreed to set aside $50,000 for a possible study of a horse slaughter plant.

New laws and public sentiment against horse processing have resulted in the recent closure of U.S. plants.

Selfridge Rep. Rod Froelich says that makes it difficult for ranchers to dispose of horses that are old or injured. He says North Dakota should try to solve the problem.

Representatives voted 89-5 on Wednesday to set aside money for a study. The state`s Agricultural Products Utilization Commission would have to approve the project.

The bill says state money for the study would have to be matched by private industry.

The legislation now goes to the North Dakota Senate.

The bill is HB1496.

Horse Slaughter Promoted by State Representative Who Is Also an AQHA Breeder...Coincidence? I think not...

2009-02-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

Horse Slaughter - Not the Answer to Overbreeding

http://www.equestrianmag.com/news/horse-slaughter-overbreeding-02-09.html

February 3, 2009 -- Loxahatchee, FL -- It hasn't even been two weeks since
the inauguration of President Obama, and it seems as if some of our elected
representatives have missed the forward movement of transparency and
accountability regarding lobbyists and ethics. Maybe that is where the rub is: it's
not a lobbyist who is attempting to steer taxpayers' dollars for a personal
agenda, it is a state representative who touts an elected seat.

North Dakota State Representative Rod Froelich and State Senator Joe Miller
have introduced a bill to the state's legislative assembly proposing to
spend $100,000 on a study to determine the feasibility of a horse slaughter house
in North Dakota. There are some startling coincidences worthy of mention.
Representative Froelich's family are longtime quarterhorse breeders, and
according to their website at www.froelichranch.com they specialize
in breeding horses of outstanding color and disposition.

Quote from the site: "Welcome to our 38th annual production sale. The five
Froelich brothers, along with our mother, Barbara, and our nephew, Lance, are
excited to again bring you a consistent group of foals with 'disposition,
color, & conformation ranch-raised in big country'."

Whether Representative Froelich has sent horses to slaughter is a question
only he can answer. Unfortunately, in our country, breeders send horses to
slaughter because of their color; yes, this does exist. For example, two QH
babies named Abercrombie and Fitch arrived at Pure Thoughts Horse & Foal Rescue.
They came with AQHA papers so we called the previous owner, a breeder in
Minnesota who selects for color: "palomino to be exact." According to the
breeder, the two babies were sold to Simon Horse Company in Minnesota owned by
Joe and Ryon Simon who are known killbuyers for horse slaughter. Both horses
were sold because they were red in color, and Fitch's mother was sent to
slaughter because that was her third red baby. This almost takes us back many
years ago to a situation which was referred to as "cleansing."

How many times are we going to look into the pro-slaughter bowl of cherries
and see that the pit is usually someone who stands to gain personally or
financially, whether on the sale of horsemeat or the act of slaughter itself?

Here is an idea for Rep. Froelich: rather than ask the taxpayers to pay for
a study on the feasibility of opening a slaughterhouse in North Dakota
(creating a dumping ground for quarterhorses that do not have the most perfect
conformation, sought after color or greatest disposition), ask the AQHA to
designate funds for genetic studies and education. Even the horse novice
understands the homozygous genes and the possibilities of perfecting color choices.
Another thought would be to take that $100,000 and donate it to a rescue that
saves slaughter-bound horses, and we will take all your not-so-perfect babies
and mares that do not produce foals of the "right" color and place them in
loving homes. It is so redundant to have yet another attempt at promoting
horse slaughter stem from the AQHA arena.

How unfortunate that the AQHA is one of the wealthiest equine organizations
in the US and yet continues to support horse slaughter. Even while the
thoroughbred associations are stepping up to develop solutions to help our equine
athletes retire safely and with dignity, the AQHA (with four times the annual
foal registration of the TB industry) refuses to present and incorporate a
plan for their horses. In addition, the AQHA allows for artificial
insemination, embryo transplant and cloning (their latest endeavor) while the
thoroughbred industry requires live cover. As stated earlier, a major consideration
should be researching methods of successfully producing the most sought-after
foals.

Consider these numbers related to the AQHA (2007 US data):

* Quarter horse population: 2,859,851 (Estimated 2007 all-breed
population: 9.2 million)

* AQHA new foals/registrations: 117,830

* AQHA membership: 305,000

* Total owners: 902,453

* AQHA total assets: $111,154,925

* Revenues from registrations, transfers, membership, breeding fees:
$19,288,000

* AQHA 2008 new foals/registrations: 140,000 (this should be 140,000,
right?)

These revenues and assets are not comparable with any other breed
association, The AQHA charges owners for foal registrations and annual dues. The
majority of QH owners do register their horses as it adds market value to the
horse, and it's required in order to enter the horse in AQHA-sanctioned racing,
shows and events. More foals equal more revenue for the AQHA.

These figures show that annual breeding means huge financial gain for the
AQHA. Excess stock would negatively impact market values, so unsalable quarter
horses go to slaughter to make room on farms for next year's foals. The AQHA
also contributed $9,000 to Senator Larry Craig, who filed a notice of intent
to object on a federal bill aimed towards ending horse slaughter;
subsequently, the bill saw no action in the Senate.

No other breed of horse is sent more frequently to slaughter than the
American Quarterhorse, the real victims of greed in the American horse industry.

If we trace the historical path of this issue in the political arena, the
continuation of horse slaughter has always stemmed from personal agendas or
personal gain. This year, let's try to have humanity as the agenda, do what is
right, and represent the voice of the people.

Author
Pure Thoughts Inc.
National Horse Welfare Organization
Jennifer Swanson
Cheryl Hanna
www.PTHR.org

There Is NO Ban on Horse Slaughter In America

2009-02-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/more_horses_left_behind_blame_the_economy/7920/

Guest Commentary: Lori Hackman

More Horses Left Behind: Blame the Economy

By Lori Hackman , 01-30-09

I read, “As Costs of Ownership Rise, More Horses Left Behind,” by Dan Testa in the Flathead Beacon printed on Jan. 14, 2009. The article points out that the three people who were interviewed say that, although the abandoned horse story is widely reported, it isn’t something that they’ve seen. Calls of “abandonment” lead to no such horses found. “Unfed” horse calls lead to hay just being covered up by the snow. The horses’ weight is fine. So I’m thinking … Where is the story? Why report on this? Then I see the underlying story. Horse slaughter.

I see article after article pointing to “end of horse slaughter in the U.S.” as being the cause of neglected and abandoned horses. The problem is that is absolutely false. Not only is horse slaughter for human consumption alive and well, but even more American horses were slaughtered in 2008 than when the three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses were operating in the U.S. So much for the “lack of horse slaughter” theory.

So what is causing the “horses to be left behind?” Well, like the article correctly states, it is the economy. Hay (if you can even find it) is at an all-time high price, diesel fuel, grain, shavings – are all significantly more expensive. On top of that people are losing their jobs and their homes. Horses are expensive to maintain to begin with, but add on all these other expenses and, yes, you’re going to have people who are unable to afford their horses. If you can’t afford to humanely euthanize your horse by a vet (which costs less than a month’s board) you can contact your local rescue. Many are setting up low cost/no cost euthanasia options. Some are also setting up low cost/no cost hay distribution for hardship situations.

So what is wrong with horse slaughter anyway?

Well, for one, horses are not raised nor regulated as food animals in the U.S. They routinely receive medications that are banned from food animals such as Phenybutazone or "bute,” the aspirin of the horse world. In fact, more than 70 percent of legal horse medications are either illegal in food animals or have never been tested for human consumption and are simply labeled, “Not intended for use in horses, intended for food.”

If you’ve read any of the articles about U.S. horse racing lately, you know how many drugs are in their systems. Steroids, lasix, etc. … With the slaughterhouses’ own slogan, “Seven days from stable to table,” you can see that no withdrawal times are being observed (note: there is no acceptable withdrawal time for “bute” according to U.S. and European Union laws).

Secondly, it is un-American. There are/were no American-owned horse slaughter houses. They are a predatory industry that feeds on our over breeding practices and cheap horses. There is no market for horse meat in America. Horse slaughter is in no way humane nor a "disposal" service. These foreign companies are in the business of producing meat for fancy European dinners. They are not a charity. They’ll take any horse with meat on its bones that is cheap enough for them to make money. They don’t want diseased horses, skinny horses, hurt horses that can’t make the trip, ill-tempered horses that will injure the others, etc. These foreign slaughterhouses are in it for one reason: money. And they’ll get our US horses to the slaughterhouse in any way they can (gouge their eyes out if the horse won’t go), using the cheapest methods (double-deckers). See for yourself: at http://www.kaufmanzoning.net (all 900+ pages).

American horsemeat is often marketed in foreign countries as if it were organic – free-range and grass-fed. In reality, the customers are getting quite the opposite – meat from horses that are traumatized, often inhumanely killed, ex-pets, ex-work horses, ex-race horses, all states of pregnancy, regardless of care, regardless of feeding practices (or lack thereof), regardless of health, regardless of transport practices, regardless of medications.

Horse slaughter for human consumption is against the morals of Americans. Contact your representative today and ask them to support HR 503, the bill that will ban horseslaughter for human consumption.

Lori Hackman lives in Geneva, Ill. She is a horse owner and advocates on behalf of horse welfare. She is not affiliated with any groups.

Horse Slaughter - Another Piece of Journalism Loaded with Fallacies

2009-01-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Editor,

I read the below article with a great deal of disappointment over the “journalism.” I had to pen a response, and I couldn’t hold it to 250 words. There was too much content to be dealt with.

In response to "Bear Market for Horse Sales:"

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/01/bear_market_for_horse_sales.html

This article is full of fallacies that need to be corrected. First and foremost, there is no federal ban on horse slaughter in the US. There were two states with horse slaughter plants until recently, in Texas and Illinois. It was state legislation that closed those slaughterhouses, not federal.

Second, owning a horse has always been a luxury. Horses cost an average of $350 a month to keep – including food, farrier and veterinarian care. The poor economy has had an effect on horse owners. Hay is very expensive in many places. Families are losing their homes to job loss and foreclosure and the pets are often sacrificed as a result of it. If you check the local cat and dog shelters, you'll see they too are being inundated as a result of the economy. It's no different with horses.

The writer states "Previously, horse owners could sell their sick old animals for slaughter. Federal law now prohibits that." Again, simply not true. The horse slaughter industry is still very much alive and quite frankly, thriving in the US. Take a trip to the New Holland (Lancaster County, PA) Livestock auction. You see a large majority of horses being bought for slaughter there each and every Monday. The US Department of Agriculture reports that over 92% of the horses that go to slaughter are not old, sick, mean or untrainable. 92% are young and healthy, and could have a future. What a disturbing percentage. Yet, the "kill buyers" who buy at New Holland and livestock auctions like it have contracts in Canada and Mexico, and they want the beefiest, biggest, healthiest horses they can get to take to slaughter. It makes sense...who wants to eat meat from an old or sick animal? The kill buyers often get paid by the pound.

Over breeding is one of the biggest causes of the lucrative slaughter market. Second only to Paint horses (APHA) , The American Quarterhorse is the most killed breed of American horses. The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has no ethical statement against over breeding and slaughter. Many breeders "cull" their less than satisfactory foals by sending them to the slaughter house. They get paid a couple of hundred bucks and the horse travels for thousands of miles and dies an inhumane death all in the name of breeding as many foals as possible in order to get a few good foals.

Gary Grovers of the USDA, admittedly owns 17 Belgians, and is probably a breeder as well. He says "But what if the horse can't stand and graze?” As an employee of the USDA, Mr. Grovers should know that if a horse cannot stand, it cannot be run through an auction house or transported for slaughter (horses must be able to bear weight on all four legs to be sold at auction). The humane thing to do at that point is to have the horse euthanized. It costs about $350 to have a horse humanely put to rest, and have the body removed. If you can afford to keep your horse for one month, you can also afford to have it humanely euthanized. It frightens me that this man is working for the USDA and asking this question....

The slaughter industry is thriving so thoroughly at this point that more American horses went to slaughter in 2008 than in previous years. Manny Phelps, well known kill-buyer in California, states that January will be a banner month for him. He is quite literally, making a killing. (See Jan 5^th post: http://synthia1.proboards99.com/index.cgi?action=recent)

Patty Demond is quoted in this article as saying This is the most expensive hobby I ever had." Yes, Patty, it is expensive. Horses are expensive. Yet many breeders continue to breed and take no responsibility for the lives they've created.

It's time to step and take responsibility for the horses. These are not animals raised to be food. They are animals we partner with, compete with, and love and enjoy just as we do our cats and dogs. If their time here on earth is coming to an end, we owe them a painless and fear-free death. Step up, America. Start taking responsibility.

Another "Stand-Up" Woman Saves Horses From Slaughter

2009-01-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20247421&BRD=1655&PAG=461&dept_id=13091&rfi=6




	Kate Thurlow of Roxbury with two friends. Photograph by Laurie Gaboardi