Horse for a Chicken

[AnnieOakley]

Just got this e-mail from a CSA member

2) FARM NEWS
Horse for a Chicken
Levi went to the weekly farm auction this past weekend and saw something that 20 years ago he would never have imagined ever happening. The auction sells farm animals, vegetables, equipment, etc. They didn't used to sell horses very often at the auction. But this past weekend he saw horses being sold for the same price as a chicken. It seems that people who are not using horses to make an income are finding them to be unaffordable to keep and feed; park workers are finding stray horses that are being turned loose in the parks, too.

[Free To Be Me]

20 years ago we had processing plants in this country that would take in horses USDA Approved and ship the meat over seas.
Since the good people of the animals rights and peta flavor stepped in and closed all processing plants THIS is what is happening today. Dern sad now isn't it.?

[Summerthyme]

Shocking and amazing isn't it! Unintended consequences of more busy bodies who "love" horses, but don't understand that not all of them are Black Beauty or the Black Stallion. Some of them are insane, dangerous, or just so unsound that they can't even live painfree in a pasture- if someone could afford the cost of keeping them.

I'm currently the beneficiary of this madness, with a lovely Appaloosa large pony mare whom I'm training... was GIVEN her free last fall, by a desperate owner who didn't want to see her get into the wrong hands, but couldn't possibly afford to feed all the animals she had.

And yes, when that verdamdt "anti horse slaughter" bill passed I predicted every bit of this, including the insane number of reports of animals being found starved, and turned loose to be hit by cars or to starve.

As I said in another thread here quite some time ago, there are "city horses" and "country horses". The vast majority of pet or riding horses are absolute city horses, and have no more chance of surviving turned loose than the homies from New York or Los Angeles would.

The worst I've seen recently is the owner/trainer of a Kentucky Derby favorite only 4 years ago was hauled off in handcuffs, charged with starving over 40 Thoroughbreds, including mares in foal, and even some previous winners.

Summerthyme

[Belle]

They're edible.

[Summerthyme]

Not according to PETA and the US congress!

THAT's the problem. I LOVE horses...no idea where it came from (adopted, no family history, and my adoptive parents were animal- tolerators, at best). Always have... mom swears my second word was "horse".

But how much better-off are they now, where their only sale outlet involves taking them from the auction to MEXICO???? Yeah, I'm sure the Mexicans enforce the highest standards in terms of cruelty and substandard facilities and respectful slaughter!!! And that's AFTER a multi-thousand mile journey- and trucking was one of THE biggest causes for the injuries, etc, in the slaughter trail.

I personally choose to keep my horses for life, with the rare exception of one I'll sell to someone whom they are better suited for (my Haflinger mare, whom I had to sell to make room for my lovely little "freebie", went to a fellow who does renactment wagon trains, and she's happily working every day... I couldn't ride her because her gaits hurt too much, and had no wagons, etc to work her in).

BUT... they are LIVESTOCK!!! And if we can turn them into "pets" (with all the restrictions the PETA idiots have managed to sneak in )... what's next? Cows? Believe me, my Dexter cattle are at least as smart as the dumbest horse.. and smarter than most. Maybe smarter than ANY horse, because they are the only livestock I've seen who will NOT eat themselves to death. They'll wander around, opening grain cans with their horns (they are tool users!) and "sampling" each.. but never gorge.

So... we can't slaughter even the old, crippled and unsafe horses because they are "too beautiful". Obviously dogs and cats are out; they have loyalty and values. Yeah.. lambs are WAY too cute, cows are too smart, pigs can be housetrained.

Heck the only thing left will be PETA members!

Summerthyme

[just living]

AMEN to everything Summer said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WarHall]

It was long ago, in Germany, and although I don't recall the flavor, I certainly wasn't traumatized by it.