Have you ever driven down a country road and smiled at the sight of horses running through a field? These naturally majestic creatures inspire our love and respect. Unfortunately, many horses will not live out their golden years in green pastures with plenty of room to roam. Horse slaughter is still a reality in many parts of the world, and thousands of horses from the U.S. are being transported to slaughterhouses elsewhere.
While this may be troubling to read, it’s important to know how horses all too often meet their demise. Following are four troubling truths.
Why horses are slaughtered
Essentially, horses are slaughtered for human consumption. In the United States, most people don’t consider eating horsemeat to be ethical, and it is not considered a delicacy as it is in a few other cultures. No horse slaughter facilities are operating in the U.S. because the federal budget has purposefully denied funding for inspection of these facilities for several years.
However, there is significant demand for horsemeat in other countries that fuels the slaughterhouse industry. For many years, horses have been sold for slaughter to buyers in Canada and Mexico. Most of the meat is then shipped to foreign markets overseas where it may appear on the menu at expensive restaurants across Asia and Europe.
Any horsemeat sold in the United States is unsafe to eat, and may, in fact, be dangerous. That’s because there is no oversight of the industry such as there is in regulated food production. There is an appreciable risk that horsemeat may contain toxic substances that are harmful if consumed.
For example, there is no tracking of veterinary medicines these animals have received or other injectable substances they may have been given. This is one concern that led to the European Union suspending the import of horsemeat from Mexico.
How it happens
There are several ways that horses arrive at an abattoir. A small number may be sold off by owners who are irresponsible. But most are purchased at livestock auctions by individuals known as “kill buyers.” These people are actually middlemen who don’t openly admit that they are purchasing the animals for slaughter, often to sell them to facilities located elsewhere in North America.
What happens next to the acquired horses is deplorable. They are not assured a painless death and, in fact, generally endure considerable suffering while being transported. These horses can be in transit for over 24 hours, kept in overcrowded trucks without water, food, or rest. Many are seriously injured or die during the move.
At the slaughter site, they enter a noisy, frightening environment where they sense danger all around. Workers herd them through the plant, beating them with fiberglass rods to urge them forward into kill boxes. If they are not already injured, they may hurt themselves fighting to escape confinement.
The cruelty continues with a death that may start with stabbing or blows to subdue the animal and, hopefully, render it unconscious before they are dismembered. Sadly, some horses can be awake and will be in excruciating pain throughout the process. Their death is by no means humane.
By the numbers
In 2021 alone, some 23,000 horses were trucked out of the U.S. and taken to their deaths in Canadian and Mexican abattoirs. Prior to the budget restrictions that effectively ended horse slaughter on U.S. soil, thousands of horses were killed every year in America as well.
For instance, records from 2006 show that three slaughterhouses in Texas and Illinois killed over 104,000 animals that year alone before shipping their meat to overseas markets. Happily, these were the last three operations in the U.S. and they shut down in 2007.
Equine community impact
A number of people in the equine industry are preyed upon by the horse slaughter industry. At auctions, legitimate buyers are regularly outbid by unscrupulous individuals and kill buyers with deep pockets seeking to profit from the horsemeat production business. Horse owners, trainers, and adoption organizations who are able to offer animals good homes are forced to raise more money to have enough purchasing power at auction.
One positive note: there has been a downward trend in how many horses are shipped over U.S. borders to foreign abattoirs. The height of this tragedy in 2012 saw over 166,000 animals exported, but by 2021 this number fell to about 23,000. That said, there continues to be a need for ongoing education and awareness within the equine community.
The issue of slaughtering horses for food must be front and center in the minds of responsible owners and equine industry businesses so that they can be on the lookout. With improved knowledge they can rehome their animals with confidence and blow the whistle when they see something amiss in their community.
In closing
Although the federal budget has prevented horse slaughter facilities from operating in the U.S., there is still no permanent federal ban in place. The Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act was introduced in 2021. With support for this legislation slowly growing across political party lines, a long-term solution may be on the horizon. In the meantime, it is the responsibility of every horse-loving citizen to make their voices heard.