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Campaigns Many Injured Horses Still Sent to Slaughterhouses From the ABC NEWS website, May 23, 2006
www.abcnews.com : Even Thoroughbreds With Relatively Minor Injuries Sometimes End Up in the
Meat Grinder By LESLIE YERANSIAN May 23, 2006 � - Tens of thousands of thoroughbred horses are sent to
slaughterhouses each year after suffering from injuries far less serious
than Barbaro's fractured ankle, according to the Humane Society. About 15 percent of the slaughtered horses are thoroughbreds, and many
end up as meat for human consumption in other countries, including France,
Belgium, Holland, Japan and Italy. Animal rights activists and horse lovers say those horses don't have to
be killed, instead they should be rehabilitated. Kentucky Derby winner
Barbaro injured his right hind leg during Saturday's Preakness Stakes.
Doctors say that Barbaro's condition is getting better, and that he is
eating well and taking his first steps after the surgery. "Horses that end up in slaughterhouses have very little wrong with them.
Typically they can be rehabilitated and the horse can be useful as a show
horse or a riding horse. These are 2- or 3-year-old horses," said Priscilla
Clark, general manager of Tranquility Farm in Tehachapi, Calif., a 40-acre
farm that rehabilitates injured horses and finds them homes. Clark says the main reason thoroughbreds are killed is because people
don't want to pay to have their horse go into rehab and wait for someone to
adopt it. She says it's time for the government to address the issue. California passed a law in 1988 that made it illegal to slaughter horses
for meat, but the law hasn't been enforced. Clark is hoping the American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, currently in the House and Senate, will pass
and finally make it illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption
nationwide. Some injured horses are transported from the United States to
slaughterhouses in Japan, Canada and Mexico. Clark says the trauma and
cruelty to the animals aren't worth it. "It's $6 million a year. That's it.
A small blip," she said. Not Just Thoroughbreds Clark would also like to see the slaughter of broodmares come to an end.
Some broodmares, horses used specifically for breeding, are sent to
slaughterhouses after producing pedigree that isn't considered "good"
quality. "It's unconscionable, but it happens all the time," she said. It doesn't just stop there. Laurie Lane, president of Rerun, a nonprofit
operating out of New York, New Jersey and Kentucky that helps give former
racehorses adoptive homes, doesn't like what's happening to many standard
breeds. Tranquility Farm is now trying to address the business-minded horse
owner, who just cares mainly about the bottom line. About three times a
year, the farm sends a representative out to a major breeding sale and
offers thoroughbred owners a tax deduction if they sell the horse to
Tranquility Farm. "When people are in business, sometimes they don't see it as an ethical
decision. They look at their horses as overhead, production and value. We
take the horse and give the seller a tax deduction," Clark said. Meanwhile, Lane is putting together an accreditation list for rescue
organizations. "Nonprofit status takes nothing to get it and the government
doesn't even check on you. They just make sure you aren't stealing from
Uncle Sam, but no one looks at how the organization is treating the horses,"
Lane said. She said even if horses weren't sent to a slaughterhouse, owners could be
unwittingly sending their horse to an abusive environment. "Make sure you know where your horse is going," she said. "Sometimes
people think they're giving their horse to a nonprofit, but that 'nonprofit'
is really just posing and they turn the horse around at an auction for 27
cents a pound. That's the going rate now, so they end up getting $300 of the
horse." Clark and Lane said people who were concerned about the fate of injured
horses could volunteer for programs that rehabilitated them or donate money
to organizations. "It's amazing to me that this is still happening," Clark said. "American
people hold horses so dear in their hearts. It's just unimaginable to
slaughter horses for meat. We won't even put it in our dog meat." The only way Clark and Lane say change will happen is if the doors of
these slaughterhouses slam shut. Copyright � 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures Fair Use Notice: This document may contain
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