Unwanted Horses Are an Overlooked Problem in the US
Most of us are acutely aware that millions of unwanted dogs and cats face euthanasia each year in the United States. I was surprised, however, to find out that unwanted horses are alarmingly common as well.
I first became aware of the problem in 2006 when a representative from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) sent me a preposterous e-mail. The message urged me to oppose legislation that would close horse slaughterhouses in the United States. The quote below is from the e-mail.
Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) today will offer an amendment . . . that will drastically harm the welfare of horses . . . [t]hese changes will affectively [sic] shutdown [sic] the horse slaughter plants and will force the estimated 70,000 unwanted horses to find a new home.
I had to read that e-mail four or five times before I could believe it. The AVMA was claiming that, if you are a horse, it is better to be slaughtered than to find a new home. I was furious. To me it looked like a leading organization, with a mission to protect the interests of veterinarians and animals in the USA, was shilling to industry.
I still believe that the AVMA was pandering to the horse slaughter industry when its representative sent that e-mail. Despite the AVMA’s opposition, a ban on horse slaughter in the USA was enacted.
And, alarmingly, it turns out that horse welfare may have been adversely affected by the ban.
The AVMA reported on January 15, 2008, that horse slaughter is now being outsourced to Mexico. The number of horses sent to Mexico for slaughter each year has increased from approximately 11,000 before the US slaughterhouses were closed to approximately 44,500 after. And, it is suspected that many horses that are sent to Mexico for “breeding” or “recreation” are also ending up in slaughterhouses. The conditions inside the slaughterhouses are not known. Most of the meat is exported to Europe.
I suspect that the problem of unwanted horses will be as intractable as that of unwanted dogs and cats. But I am not convinced that re-opening the American slaughterhouses is the solution.
You have questions. 
Your post is very true. The AVMA has failed to point out during this entire debate that they are part of a coalition headed by the slaughterhouses themselves. The same slaughterhouses currently buying horses in the US and shipping them to their plants in Canada and Mexico. Their lobbyist Charlie Stenholm and his PR firm are the ones spreading the mistruths about horse slaughter so they can keep it going. The AVMA is part of this cruel industry. Here is an article pointing that out and showing the connection: http://www.awionline.org/news/2008/avma_hurting_horses.htm
To counter the lies a humane group of veterinarians came together to help inform the public and Congress about horse slaughter and equine welfare. Veterinarians for Equine Welfare is an excellent source of information: http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org.
Slaughter is a preditory business that has no connection to any of the lies being spread to keep it alive. These same plants are still killing the same number of horses they killed last year. How then can anyone say abandonment has increased? The numbers and facts alone disprove that argument.
Sorry, I forgot one important point that further dismisses the AVMA claims. There is no federal ban in the US. Horse slaughter is still legal in the US, two of the three former operating US plants are buying at the same level as last year. Since this is true, how can a ban have any adverse impact? It can’t. One more pro-horse slaughter myth to scare the public and our elected officials.
Excellent blog. You are absolutely correct. The AVMA and AQHA support the kill house owners, not the welfare of horses. Research PAC donations and you’ll see every pro senator received $ from the AVMA and AQHA. The AVMA is quite coy. Most of their donations are for $9k, just below the 10K gift limit. The pro groups are flooding the internet with false articles portraying abandoned and neglected horses; all resulting from the kill houses being shut down. What they won’t address is how they can conceivably blame any horse woes on slaughter being gone. Slaughter is still very much available through the same channels as before. There were just as many cases of abandonment & neglect when the kill houses were open. When you ask them to explain, they change the subject or never respond. If you go back to when the articles started flooding the net, you’ll note familiar themes. When one doesn’t work, they try another. The latest is starting the articles with owner responsibility, the hay shortage and the economy. About half way through the articles, they slip in horse slaughter and from there on, closing the domestic kill houses becomes the sole reason. Do they really think the American public is that stupid and can’t see through their guise?
Thank you Dr. Barchas, for letting the public know that all veterinarians do not blindly follow the sell-out position that the AMVA takes is regards to the horse industry and horse slaughter.
(BTW – there isn’t a federal ban yet … many Americans are working tirelessly, though, to see that one is passed. Its very discouraging when the average person cares more about the welfare of horses than the AMVA does.)
Excellent article and it is wonderful to see that not all vets will buy in to the utter garbage provided by the Board of the AVMA. The AVMA classifies horses as ‘companion animals’ on their web site, not livestock. We do not send companion animals to slaughter. This is NOT Korea or China.
I believe the vets that treat all equids should provide the euthanization service pro bono and write it off their income tax as a charitable deduction. The drugs are not expensive, and if people want to get rid or their horse, it should be done by a veterinarian.
Also, breeding of ALL species should be regulated. I rescue Quarterhorses, Thoroughbreds, Paints, Arabians and I free lease them to qualified homes. Every horse I rescue is safe with my organization because I do not adopt them or sell them, and I will always take a horse back no questions asked. This has never happened. The vets could do a tremendous amount of good by offering their euthanization service pro bono. Everyone needs a tax write off!
Thank you Dr. Barchas for giving an honest and heartfelt appraisal of the actions of the AVMA with regard to horse slaughter. Not only have they tacitly supported the industry, they have hired a powerful lobby and PR firm to defend the slaughter industry.
Happily, there is a very distinct difference between the over production of horses and that of cats and dogs. For the most part, horses are intentionally bred. That means that their production is subject to the laws of supply and demand.
In the past, reductions in slaughter have not resulted in overpopulation issues. At this time, the pro-slaughter camp is working hard to claim that we are experiencing that problem because of the closings of the slaughter houses last year, but with slaughter at the same level as 2006, it is impossible to attribute anything to the simple moving of the slaughter beyond our borders.
But why is the AVMA so clearly shilling for this industry that Americans find so repugnant?
i am from India where horses are never slaughtered although the “Horse Breeding Industry” is huge and a number of yearlings are produced each year by various “Stud Farms” for the “Racing Industry”.I always wondered as to the fate of “unaffordable race-horses” or “Geldings” after their racing career since maitainance of a horse is not equivalent to a house-hold pet.
Euthanasia by a “Veterinarian” seems to be the unofficial answer since i am sure that all the racing retirees or laggards would not be able to be absorbed by the “Riding Clubs” or maintained by their owners as “Pets”.
This article was definitely an “Eye-Opener”.
[...] in the United States. I have had my differences with the AVMA, particularly in the debate over horse slaughter. However, I owe it to the AVMA to acknowledge that they, in the long run, have done an incredible [...]
That makes me so sad. I live on 10 acres and have become the person our local animal shelter calls when they raid horse farms where the animals are starved and unwanted. I have been party to 22 rescued horses in the past 10 years of living in North Carolina. I wish that people would learn and understand their limitations, if you can’t afford it don’t adopt it. I understand you have a big heart and want to help, but it leaves regular folks like me to sweep up the messes since they didn’t think through the cost of owning large animals.