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We Must Protect the Noble Horse 
from Unimaginable Horror

By Debbie J. Evans, © 2001

Horses are beautiful, magnificent animals that are a vital and proud part of our country's heritage. Today, they are partners in work and play, as well as much-loved members of millions of families. Yet, every year over 100,000 of them go to an American slaughterhouse. Many are bought at public auction. Most people selling their horses at auction believe their horses are going to new homes--they have no idea of their fate.

The method used to kill horses at the slaughterhouses is unimaginably cruel. Eyewitness accounts from slaughter house workers themselves tell of the horrors. As the horses leave the trailers, they are hit between the eyes with a retractable bolt in an attempt to stun them. The aim of the bolt is not to kill the horse, but rather to immobilize the animal with the force of the blow. The horse collapses either on the first, second or third blow. But, often, even that torturous procedure does not leave them unconscious. Horses that are supposed to be unconscious at slaughter can be seen writhing - fully conscious - in terror as the horse falls onto a conveyer belt, where one hind leg is entrapped in a device that lifts the horse in the air upside down, still alive!!! The horse is hung by this device, it's head dangling toward the floor, still alive, and then it's throat is cut open, so the blood will drain out until the animal's heart beats for the last time. They bleed to death, which is what is required for the horse meat to be certified for human consumption. Unborn foals growing in their mother's wombs die when the mare is gutted, and are put in dumpsters with the rest of the slaughter waste.

The manner in which the horses die is mandated by our federal law.

Contrary to popular belief, the flesh of the slaughtered horses is not used to feed starving people in third world countries, nor is it used to make dog food. Rather, it is a delicacy in Europe (particularly France, Belgium, Germany, and Italy) where it sells for more than $20 per pound. 

America's forefathers gave the horse a special status in our culture. That is why we do not eat horse meat in this country. That is why we should not slaughter our country's horses to feed the rich of another country.

The majority of the slaughter horses are picked up at auctions all over the country, where killer buyers purchase horses to transport to the four large United States horse slaughterhouses. These horses don't ride in comfort in the type horse trailers normally used for horses, but are packed into trucks, sometimes double-decker cattle trailers, as tightly as possible. The larger the load, the more cost effective the trip. In one notorious case, more than 80 horses were found packed in a double-decker cattle trailer intended to carry only 35 cattle. Some of the horses were dead when the truck was stopped. Others were so weak that they collapsed in the snow on the side of the highway when taken off the truck.

Witnesses report that stallions are often castrated before being loaded on the trucks, without benefit of anesthetic or proper surgical procedure. They are then left to bleed unattended. Unruly horses may have their eyes taped, or even be deliberately blinded before transport. Mares about to give birth may drop their foal in the trailer, where it is trampled to death, as are horses that go down in the trailer during transport. As one former killer buyer reports, they know how to pack them in so the ones who die in transit can be pulled off the trailer with a chain when they reach their destination.

Some of these horses are old, sick, or crippled. Owners believe they are doing what is best for the horse by 'putting it down.' These owners would no doubt be shocked to learn of the inhumane way these horses are treated in their final days. 

Many of these horses are healthy, strong, and have long lives ahead of them. They have been beloved members of someone's family. These owners sell their horses for whatever reason, believing that they will go on to new homes. However, horses sold at public auction are often bought by people whose only intention is to sell them to the slaughterhouses. What would these horses' owners think if they knew the true fate of their beloved horses?

Horses are the true symbol of our nation. They are our best and most faithful public servants. All Americans owe them a debt that can never be repaid. Horses enabled the Westward Expansion of our nation; they ruled the Old West; they fed us; they assisted in multiple agricultural pursuits; they transport us; they carried the mails; they fought in battle from the days of Alexander the Great until WWII; they provide valuable and unique assistance to law enforcement; they entertain us in a myriad of ways; they provide therapies to the physically disabled; they compete in many Olympic events; they take Presidents and the famous to their final rest; they have made many financially rich; and they bestow a spiritual richness on all who know them.

Horse slaughter is a horrifying fact of American life. Many are unaware of it. Many close their eyes to the truth of it. The following organizations are working hard to stop this tragic abuse of a beloved symbol of our country: the noble horse. Please visit the sites below and see how you might be able to help!

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