allthekingshorsesequinerescue.com
All The Kings Horses Equine Rescue
PO Box 88
Northford, CT 06472
Founded May 2010 by Mary Santagata
We dedicate this site to all who have loved and cared for God's most noble and beautiful creature; the horse.
“Rescue those who are being led away to death. Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter." --Proverbs 24:11
"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Sir Winston Churchill
"And god took a handful of southerly wind, blew his breath over it and created the horse." Bedouin Legend
"The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." Arabian Proverb
The bloody, panic-stricken environment of a slaughterhouse is no place for any horse to meet their end. But as long as horse slaughter is legal in the United States, this covert, predatory industry will have its buyers at American horse auctions, outbidding legitimate horse owners and funneling these animals off to foreign slaughterhouses to be sold as meat overseas. when the remaining 3 horse slaughter houses in the U.S. closed in 2007, they were owned by foreign companies, Dallas Crown, Inc.; Cavel International, Inc. and Beltex Corp., which now operates a horse slaughter house in Mexico, Empacadora de Carnes de Fresnillo.
The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, currently pending in Congress, would prevent any new horse slaughter plants from opening in the United States and as well as prohibit horses from being exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter for human consumption.
Facts:
I find the following testimonty by Dr. Patricia Hogan in 2006 amazing. She gave this Testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection July 25, 2006 in Support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
The full White Paper can be read at: http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/pdf/Hogan.pdf
In Part Dr. Hogan testified:
"I have personally been to a horse slaughterhouse as a surgery resident while in Texas and I found it to be a disgrace. I was not there on an "announced" visit as those who defend horse slaughter were - I was there to collect specimens for a research project. In my ignorance, I had actually never even thought much about slaughter before then. I was absolutely revolted at the way the horses were treated and the behavior of the people that were employed there. I have also been to a beef and a chicken slaughter plant too. The treatment of and reaction by the horses was very much in contrast to that of the other livestock I had observed.I believe there is some confusion regarding humane euthanasia and horse slaughter. We must remember that these are two distinctly different processes. Horse slaughter is NOT euthanasia by anyone’s definition. Euthanasia is a peaceful process that most commonly involves the overdose of an intravenous anesthetic drug administered by a veterinarian. The horses are not afraid and there is no fear of anticipation. In most cases, the animal is sedated and then euthanized in a familiar environment. Horse slaughter uses a method called the captive-bolt which involves aiming a bolt gun at the forehead of a partially-restrained horse in what is commonly termed the “kill pen”. This pen is at the end of an assembly line of horses that are fed through the plant. If the bolt is applied properly, the horse is rendered unconscious upon impact and drops to the
ground so that the carcass can then be bled out prior to death. There is a great deal of room for human and technical error with the captive bolt method and the recommendation for ‘adequate restraint’ is loosely defined and open for interpretation. If anyone on this subcommittee would like to see videos of each process I would be happy to provide them for you so that you may judge for yourself which is the ‘humane’ method. I am confident that the difference would be dramatic to you."
- Testimony of Dr. Nicholas Dodman DVM, Diplomate ACVA and ACVM before the House Judiciary Committee in support of H.R. 6598, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act on July 31, 2008.
"It is the united opinion of VEW (Veterinarians for Equine Welfare) that horse slaughter is inhumane, and that it is an unacceptable way to end a horse’s life under any circumstance. One need only observe horse slaughter to see that it is a far cry from genuine humane euthanasia. From the transport of horses on inappropriate conveyances for long periods of time without food, water of rest to the very ugly slaughter process in which horses react with pain and fear, no evidence exists to support the claim that horse slaughter is a form of humane euthanasia. Rather, it is a brutal process that results in very tangible and easily observable equine suffering.
It is worth noting that the suffering of horses in slaughter is accentuated by the very fact that they are not raised for slaughter. Horses going to slaughter have largely been accustomed to close human contact whether through racing, ranch work, pleasure riding, rodeo or any of the other ways in which horses are used in this country. While some are purposely sold into slaughter by their owners most end up at the abattoir through pure bad luck: they were sold at auction and the winning bidder was a ‘killer-buyer’ working for one of the slaughter plants. To suddenly be treated as pure livestock must be disorienting and frightful, and can only compound their suffering as they proceed to slaughter.
We believe that it is an unethical and dangerous practice for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to attempt to equate horse slaughter with humane euthanasia."
From "Horse Slaughter – Its Ethical Impact and Subsequent Response of the Veterinary Profession", by Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (2008)
