Horses Rescued from Kill Lots -
And the fate that would await the animals otherwise
A few days ago I had a conversation with a friend that turned into an argument. When I told him about some people I had just met who rescue horses and care for them, making them healthy and happy again, he objected to the term “kill lot”, which is commonly used for the auction centers where some of the horses came from. “It sounds like social media hype; do you know what percentage of horses get rescued compared to those that are killed?” he wanted to know. He is a fellow vegan, so he knows that almost ALL the animals that are auctioned off end up being killed – cows, sheep, pigs… That’s why I could be certain that he’s on my side, as far as animal welfare is concerned. He challenged me because he felt that I’d read something and then unquestioningly repeated it, without doing the necessary research to verify the assertions. People can claim all kinds of stuff on the internet – but is it true? Turns out my friend was partly correct – but just a small part, because I DO research.
So here is the problem. Unwanted horses end up at auction places, which are indeed known as “kill pens” or “kill lots”, not just on social media. That’s where they’re auctioned off, and people can bid for them. Unlike cows or pigs, horses can’t be slaughtered in the United States, so they get crammed onto livestock trailers and are shipped to Canada and Mexico to be butchered for human consumption overseas. Although the number has declined in recent years, tens of thousands of horses end up like this.
What Kind of Horses:
A large number of horses from the racing industry get discarded when they’re no longer useful. In fact, that’s how I first learned about this gruesome business: I visited the Horseshoe Canyon Rescue Ranch which opened up in my neighborhood a few years ago, and that’s where I met Arrow and heard his story. He was a thoroughbred racing horse who had won numerous races. But they had started racing him when he was three years old which is way too young. He developed a little bone spur because of that, was deemed useless for making more money, and was sent off to slaughter. And this is not an isolated anecdote; a USA TODAY article details the “from the racetrack to a dinner plate” conveyor belt. Mind you, the numbers are better these days; from the 57,000 horses in 2019 (when the article was written) the total had declined to about 20,000 in 2022 – due to the European Union ban of the import of horse meat in 2014. Still, those numbers are unacceptable.
Besides those being used for racing, the horses ending up in kill lots can come from show rings, work for police or on farms, and even were companion animals; they can be castoffs from breeders, or formerly wild horses removed from their western rangeland homes.
Why There Are No Horse Slaughter Facilities in the United States:
Unlike chickens or cows for example, horses are not raised for human consumption. There are no restrictions for drugs that can be administered to horses; racehorses in particular get all kinds of pharmaceuticals, some illegal, that are known to be dangerous to human health (and to that of horses too, of course). One of them is an anti-inflammatory drug called phenylbutazone, or “bute”—a known carcinogen in humans that can cause bone-marrow toxicity and even death.1 They also get muscle relaxants, drugs to speed up metabolism, even snake venom…2 In 2006, Congress passed a bill that prohibited the U.S.D.A. from using taxpayer money for the inspection of horse meat, and in 2007 the last U.S.-based horse slaughter plant closed. However, they CAN be slaughtered in Canada (!) and Mexico; and that’s when the real horror starts for the horses. They have to be driven to Canada or Mexico.
The Transport Nightmare:
Some of the livestock auction centers also serve as feedlots where the horses have to wait until they get loaded onto a truck. Whether they get fed there or get water is by no means guaranteed; the operators of the kill lot industry care only about money. Close to 40 horses are crammed into a transport rig, often one that’s built for cows which means that the animals can’t keep their heads up. They’re terrified and often suffer injuries from kicking against the walls of the truck or from biting each other. They won’t get any food or water or rest on the long journey. Sometimes they’re transported in open roof trailers without any protection from the elements. These transports violate almost every animal cruelty law but there is hardly any oversight. Unless members of animal welfare organizations do their own investigations, often risking personal safety, the trafficking of horses for food consumption happens largely under the radar of law enforcement agencies.
Slaughter Plants:
I’ll spare you a detailed description; suffice it to say that the conditions are gruesome and heartbreaking. You can find more information on page 26 of the investigative report: Horse Slaughter in North America: U.S. Live Exports Fade as Foreign Demand Abates. The report
followed the trail of doomed horses being transported from kill pens, slaughter auctions, and other sale points to temporary holding pens, before shipping to their final destinations across our southern and northern borders… Based on our investigation, we can hardly imagine a worse fate for horses than to be funneled into a ruthless, uncaring slaughter pipeline.
Kill pen bail-out operations:
Because of less demand for horse meat (due to the ban in Europe, for example) the greedy kill-lot operators came up with a new get-rich scheme: they pose as scam rescues. They acquire horses and then market them as emergencies: if they’re not “bailed out” by a certain date, the poor animal will be sent off for slaughter. The fees for the “bail-outs” are much higher than the cost of the horse would be if the sale had been handled ethically. A sick or injured animal won’t receive any veterinary care because it will receive more compassion from unsuspecting buyers when they see the suffering. The ASPCA strongly advises against falling for these “bail out” scams and offers resources and partner organizations for horse adoptions. It’s possible that my friend meant these “bail outs” when he talked about social media hype.
SAFE Act:
Maybe by now you’re wondering what you could possibly do, or if there even is anything you can do. You may have heard of the SAFE Act: the Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act, H.R. 3355/S. 2732, federal legislation to permanently prohibit the slaughter of American horses for human consumption. It passed the House of Representatives in July of 2021 but has stalled since then. However, PETA just announced that on June 28, 2023 a bipartisan group of U.S. senators reintroduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act. You can encourage your Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the bill via a Humane Society petition, and/or the one provided by the ASPCA. Let’s stop these horrifying horse transports once and for all.
You're brave to do the research to expose these crimes. Humanity's worth is measured by the way we treat our fellow earthlings. Our score is dismal. Rescue work is imperative. Great horse rescue in NM at Tamaya Resort, started by lady in San Ysidro where she keeps a pen at her feed store. Great no kill animal rescue in Rio Rancho called Watermelon Mountain Ranch, with adoption centers in their thrift stores. If anyone does know of a dog/cat rescue group in NE TEXAS I'm in need of some volunteer work! Trying to make the best of living here.😊😞❤️ Are you still in Coyote? Hope so. Keep smiling 😁 and writing here. Luv LUV luv from your friend.
just the other day my neighbor called me and asked if i could sponsor 2 dogs that had been abandoned / someone called them in to animal control and they picked them up but were going to euthanize them if nobody adopted them / she ended up caring for them herself but it's a big problem / other organizations have a no kill policy but not the city apparently