Slaughter Information
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- How many horses are slaughtered each year?
Each year nearly 100,000 horses are slaughtered in the United
States and processed for human consumption.
In addition, many thousands of live horses are transported
across the border to Canada for slaughter. After
these horses are killed, their flesh is shipped to Europe and
Asia for human consumption. Their owners are
often totally unaware of the pain, fear, and suffering their
horses endure before being slaughtered.
- Who eats horse meat?
Horse meat is not eaten in the United States; it is exported to
serve specialty markets overseas. The largest
markets are France, Belgium, Holland, Japan, and Italy. There
are no horse slaughter plants left in the United States. Horses
sold for slaughter are now shipped across US borders to
Mexico and Canada to face a grisly death.
- How do horses end up at slaughterhouses?How do
horses end up at slaughterhouses?
Most horses destined for slaughter are sold at livestock
auctions or sales. The cruelty of horse slaughter is not
limited to the act of killing the animals. Horses bound for
slaughter are shipped, frequently for long distances, in
a manner that fails to accommodate their unique temperaments.
They are usually not rested, fed, or watered
during travel. Economics, not humane considerations, dictate
the conditions, including crowding as many horses
into trucks as possible.
Often, terrified horses and ponies are crammed together and
transported to slaughter in double-deck trucks
designed for cattle and pigs. The truck ceilings are so low that
the horses are not able to hold their heads in a
normal, balanced position. They often have to ride with their
noses to the floor. Inappropriate floor surfaces lead to slips and
falls, and sometimes even trampling.
Some horses arrive at the slaughterhouse seriously injured or
dead. Although transportation accidents have
largely escaped public scrutiny, several tragic incidents
involving collapsed upper floors and overturned
double-deckers have caused human fatalities, as well as
suffering and death for the horses.
- How are the horses killed?
Under federal law, horses are required to be rendered
unconscious prior to slaughter, usually with a device
called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal rod into the
horse's brain. Some horses, however, are
improperly stunned and hit over and over again and are
conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their
throats cut.
In Mexico the horses are stabbed with knives in their withers to
try to paralyze them before they are hoisted up. They scream in
pain and fear and the workers laugh at them and make wagers
on their struggling. This has been witnessed with hidden video
by animal activists trying to make the general public aware of
the horrors the horses are put through.
- Which kinds of horses are affected?
Horses of virtually all ages and breeds are slaughtered, from
draft types to miniatures. Horses commonly
slaughtered include unsuccessful race horses, horses who are
lame or ill, family pets and surplus riding school and camp
horses.
Mares whose foals are not economically valuable, and foals
who are "byproducts" of the Pregnant Mare Urine
(PMU) industry, which produces the estrogen-replacement drug
Premarin®.
Ponies, mules, and donkeys are
slaughtered as well. Many of the horses that HSUS
investigators have seen purchased for slaughter were in
good health, and bought for only a few hundred dollars.
The Quarter Horse breed is the top breed to go to slaughter.
- What alternatives exist to slaughtering horses for
human consumption?
Several alternatives exist, such as humane euthanasia
performed by a veterinarian for horses that are unplaceable.
The bodies of euthanized horses can be picked up by
rendering plants for disposal. Horse owners can have their
animals euthanized and
bury them (where permissible) or have them cremated. Another
option is to donate the horse to an equine
rescue organization; some will take these horses and find them
good homes. The horse racing industry
recently initiated the Ferdinand Fee which will be used to fund
retirement homes for race horses to ensure that
no more racehorses like Ferdinand wind up at a
slaughterhouse.
- What can individuals do to lessen the suffering of
horses bound for slaughter?
Individuals can support organizations such as The HSUS that
work toward the goal of ending horse slaughter.
One of their goals is to reduce the callous overbreeding of both
sport horses and pleasure horses so that older,
injured or surplus animals will no longer be viewed as
expendable. A reduced number of surplus horses would
result in a sharp decline in the profits of the horse meat industry
because the cost of obtaining each horse would
rise due to decreased availability. This would force
slaughterhouses to scale down their operations and
eventually shut down. Horse owners should think carefully
before breeding a mare and consider adopting their
next horse from an equine rescue organization.
Horse owners can plan for their animal's eventual death by
setting aside funds for humane euthanasia by a
veterinarian, if it becomes necessary.
Menopausal women on hormone replacement therapy can ask
their doctors to prescribe one of the many safe and effective,
FDA-approved alternatives to Premarin®. (Contact
The HSUS for a free brochure detailing these alternatives.)
Finally, individuals can work within their home states
to pass laws that afford stronger protections for slaughter-
bound horses.
Click here to be a Citizen Co-Sponsor supporting Americas
horses. YOU can help Senator Mary Landrieu pass federal
legislation to make it illegal to ship horses out of the country to
slaughter for human consumption.
Do you know where you legislators stand on animal rights
issues? Go to www.compassionindex.org to learn more !
We support the pending Senate Bill S311
A bill to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the
shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving,
possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and
other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and
for other purposes.
A Gentle Giant....
Saved from
slaughter, Cloud
lived out the rest
of his years in
peace with his
adoptive family
and was
humanely
euthanized when
he had
complications
from old age.
| We support Veterinarians for Equine Welfare Click here to learn more about the ethical treatment of equines and alternatives to horse slaughter. |