For quite a while now I have been fighting to put an end to Horse Slaughter. I've been emailing every Senator I can think of. I've been on the phone speaking with many Congressmen and Senators pleading to them to co-sponsor the bill H.R.6598. And through it all, I didn't quite have the support from my husband, because he felt that there were more important things to fight for. You have to understand my husband, he is a fisherman and a deer hunter, but he has a love and respect for all animals. Up until today, he didn't know exactly how horses were slaughtered. He thought that they were slaughtered similar to cows, which he found out today that is not true. He now noticed how inhumane horse slaughter really is compared to cow slaughter houses. He found all this out by looking at the video I have published below on this blog. It takes a strong and loving person to view this video and finally see what's happening to these horses. He could have turned a blind eye and said, "I can't take looking at that kind of stuff." and then go on with his day not knowing exactly what happens to these horses. He probably would have continued to think that I should fight for something more important. But now that he has seen the slaughter video below, he totally supports what I'm doing. So if this blog only accomplishes one thing, and that is finally having my husband by myside in the fight, then it has accomplished enough to make my fight even stronger. To view the video below is not to upset anyone, it's only to inform people of what is really happening and how we should all fight to stop it. God didn't intend for his horses to be treated in such a cruel way. And he certainly didn't intend for us to eat them for food, you can read my blog below on "God's Wrath For His Horses". That will tell you just how strong God feels for his horses, and what price the human race will pay for mistreating them.
There was a time that my husband was skeptical if there even was a God. But when I asked him this, he started to transform his thinking, I asked him, "Would you rather go through life believing in God and having him in your life, and find out when you die there's nothing there. Or would you rather go through life not believing in God and find out when you die that the only place for you is hell?" I told him that he can feel however he wanted, but I'm taking the for sure route and I'm believing in God, and I'm going to try to follow his ways as much as I can. I truly believe that God wants his horses to stop being slaughtered, that is why I'm fighting so hard to stop it. It's also because I love horses and all animals with all my heart. I can't change how cruel this world is, but if I can touch one person's heart into fighting along with me, then I have accomplished something that no amount of money can buy. One by one, we can all make a change and make this world a better place for us to live in. And we can make this world a better place for our young children to live in when they become our age. These are just my thoughts for the day, I welcome anyone to make a comment and give me their thoughts, it's nice to hear from others out there.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
TO EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN ILLINOIS! PLEASE READ THIS!
Last year, Illinois banned the last operating horse slaughter plant in the U.S., where American horses were killed so their meat could be consumed by gourmands in Europe and Asia.
However, a bill has been amended (H.B. 4489) that would legalize horse slaughter again. This bill has already been heard in the Drivers Education and Safety Committee, where it failed to pass. Now, Rep. Jim Sacia is bringing up his bill again in the committee.
TAKE ACTION!! PLEASE!!
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your Illinois state representative and urge opposition to H.B. 4489 that would legalize horse slaughter. Go to this website to look up your state representative and the phone number:
https://community.hsus.org/humane/leg-lookup/search.html
After making your call, send an email to your state representative to oppose H.B. 4489 legalizing horse slaughter in Illinois. Remember to personalize the email message by expressing your opinion in your own words, it's much more effective.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. We have fought so hard to shut down horse slaughter plants in the United States and have managed to accomplish it. Now we need the people of Illinois to stand up once again and fight back with not allowing horse slaughter to exist in your state. Your Representative Jim Sacia, will do everything in his power to make sure his bill passes. It's up to us to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't pass. He's only one person, we are one of many!
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
However, a bill has been amended (H.B. 4489) that would legalize horse slaughter again. This bill has already been heard in the Drivers Education and Safety Committee, where it failed to pass. Now, Rep. Jim Sacia is bringing up his bill again in the committee.
TAKE ACTION!! PLEASE!!
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your Illinois state representative and urge opposition to H.B. 4489 that would legalize horse slaughter. Go to this website to look up your state representative and the phone number:
https://community.hsus.org/humane/leg-lookup/search.html
After making your call, send an email to your state representative to oppose H.B. 4489 legalizing horse slaughter in Illinois. Remember to personalize the email message by expressing your opinion in your own words, it's much more effective.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. We have fought so hard to shut down horse slaughter plants in the United States and have managed to accomplish it. Now we need the people of Illinois to stand up once again and fight back with not allowing horse slaughter to exist in your state. Your Representative Jim Sacia, will do everything in his power to make sure his bill passes. It's up to us to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't pass. He's only one person, we are one of many!
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE HORSES! PLEASE HELP!
This is an urgent blog to inform everyone that while our Congressmen
and Senators are out on break until after Labor Day, we need to call
them at their main branch and ask them to co-sponsor bill H.R.6598.
This is so important to do because once they get back from vacation
(their break) they are going to start having their meetings and voting
on bills that come to the floor of Congress and vote on them. So we
need to act fast and call them while we know they are in their home
town and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. This current bill is the
most recent bill in Committee right now, and with added pressure from
all of us, it will be put to a vote after Labor Day. So please read
the following:
TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your Representative to ask them to co-sponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.
When you call, you will speak to a staff member who can pass your message along to your legislator. Please be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:
"Hello, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town]. As a constituent, I'm calling to urge Representative [Your Congressman Name] to co-sponsor H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, a new bill to prevent horses from being cruelly slaughtered for human consumption. Thank you."
After making your call, please send a follow-up email to your Representative in support of protecting horses from slaughter. And don't forget to tell your friends and family and inform them on how they can take action, too.
Thank you so much for all your support and for getting involved in the fight to end horse slaughter. Those little velvet nosed animals will thank you unconditionally. I truly hope you take 5 minutes out of your day to do this. It takes such little time, but it means the world to the horses who are being brutally killed and abused in these slaughter houses. Thanks again!
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
and Senators are out on break until after Labor Day, we need to call
them at their main branch and ask them to co-sponsor bill H.R.6598.
This is so important to do because once they get back from vacation
(their break) they are going to start having their meetings and voting
on bills that come to the floor of Congress and vote on them. So we
need to act fast and call them while we know they are in their home
town and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. This current bill is the
most recent bill in Committee right now, and with added pressure from
all of us, it will be put to a vote after Labor Day. So please read
the following:
TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your Representative to ask them to co-sponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.
When you call, you will speak to a staff member who can pass your message along to your legislator. Please be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:
"Hello, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town]. As a constituent, I'm calling to urge Representative [Your Congressman Name] to co-sponsor H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, a new bill to prevent horses from being cruelly slaughtered for human consumption. Thank you."
After making your call, please send a follow-up email to your Representative in support of protecting horses from slaughter. And don't forget to tell your friends and family and inform them on how they can take action, too.
Thank you so much for all your support and for getting involved in the fight to end horse slaughter. Those little velvet nosed animals will thank you unconditionally. I truly hope you take 5 minutes out of your day to do this. It takes such little time, but it means the world to the horses who are being brutally killed and abused in these slaughter houses. Thanks again!
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Home For Horses Coalition On Horse Slaughter! Also Read the next blog on Wyeth Pharmaceutical Company and what their doing to Horses!
Horse Slaughter - The Facts!
Background
Americans do not eat horses, nor do we raise them for food. Most Americans support a ban on horse slaughter. Yet more than 100,000 horses were killed in the U.S. in 2006 at three foreign-owned slaughterhouses and tens of thousands more were exported for slaughter abroad. The meat comes from pet horses, work horses, race horses and even wild horses and is sold for human consumption in Europe and Asia where it is considered a delicacy.
The Status of Horse Slaughter
Until recently, three horse slaughterhouses existed in the U.S., two in Texas and one and Illinois. All three were foreign owned, and the meat from the slaughtered horses was sent overseas. Impatient at the inability of the federal government to ban the industry, the Texas plants were effectively shuttered in 2007 when Texas began enforcing a 1949 state law prohibiting horse slaughter. Illinois passed a similar law in 2007 and the slaughter stopped there, too. The result was a steep decline in the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. in 2007 (just under 30,000). However, horses were and continue to be shipped out of the country for slaughter in Mexico, Canada and further abroad, in sharply increasing numbers, with more than 100,000 being brutally butchered last year.
Immense Cruelty
The suffering of horses in slaughter, whether here or abroad, is horrendous. But while the process in domestic slaughterhouse whereby horses were often hit in the head with the captive bolt gun multiple times before being strung up for bleeding out and quartering (sometimes while still conscious) the grisly scene in Mexican slaughterhouses is yet worse. A 2007 investigation by The Humane Society of the United States revealed that horses are literally stabbed to death in Mexican slaughterhouses. To view video footage of the treatment, go to http://www.hsus.org/horses_equines/mexico_slaughter_100407.html (warning: graphic content). The findings are echoed in a story by Lisa Sandberg that ran in the San Antonio News Express in October, 2007 in which she wrote:
"The American mare swung her head frantically when the door shut to the kill box, trapping her inside. A worker jabbed her in the back with a small knife – seven, eight, nine times. Eyes wild, she lowered her head and raised it as the blade punctured her body around the withers, again and again. At the 10th jab, she fell to the floor of this Mexican slaughterhouse, bloodied and paralyzed, but not yet dead. She would lay a good two minutes before being hoisted from a chained rear leg so her throat could be slit and she could bleed to death."
How Horses End Up at Slaughter
Most American horses going to slaughter, whether slaughtered here, in Mexico or elsewhere, arrive at the slaughterhouse via livestock auctions where they are bought by "killer-buyers" working for the slaughter plants. The killer-buyers travel from auction to auction to collect horses they can then sell to the slaughterhouses at a profit. These killer-buyers have a financial incentive to outbid other potential purchasers of the horse, and many individuals selling their horses at auction are unaware that they risk placing their horses in the hands of killer buyers simply by entering them into the auction ring. Few horse owners electively sell their horses to slaughter.
Much of the domestic transport of horses to slaughter is unregulated, with only the final leg of the journey to the slaughterhouse covered by federal regulations. This means that slaughter-bound horses continue to be moved on double-deck trailers designed for cattle and pigs in direct violation of Congressional intent. Not only are the conveyances dangerously top-heavy and have been the cause of multiple fatal accidents but they are fundamentally inhumane for transporting equine, forcing many horses to travel in a bent position. The portion of the journey to slaughter which is regulated by the government allows horses to be shipped for more than 24 hours at a time without food, water or rest. Foals, heavily pregnant mares, horses with broken legs and blind horses can be moved, under the regulations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now seeking to broaden the scope of its transport regulations to cover all segments of the journey to slaughter so as to finally ban the use of double-deckers but it is too little too late, particularly given that the domestic horse slaughter plants have been shut down. The United States government has no authority to regulate the treatment of horses once they cross the border and are outside of U.S. territory.
The Remedy – Passage of federal legislation
The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) prohibits the transport and sale of horses to slaughter for human consumption, effectively halting their slaughter here and export for slaughter abroad. First introduced in 2001 - AHSPA - (S. 311 in the Senate, H.R. 503 in the House) has steadily gained public and Congressional support with the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passing the bill in the 109th Congress. Related measures designed to stop horse slaughter have also received widespread Congressional support including a spending restriction to the FY 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill designed to stop slaughter by withdrawing federal funds for legally mandated inspections. It passed both the House and Senate by a landslide but was circumvented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A similar amendment is in the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
More recently, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 (PECA) was introduced in the House by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN). The bill (H.R. 6598) would ban horse slaughter by amending Title 18 of the US Code thus providing the federal government and law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to ensure that American horses are protected from the brutal practice of slaughter. The bill carries criminal penalties for the purchase, sale, delivery or export of horsemeat intended for human consumption.
Yet the slaughter continues in the absence of final passage of either federal bill, in large part because the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the foreign-owned slaughterhouses continue to defend slaughter in the face of public and professional opinion. The majority of Americans, the humane community, much of the equestrian community and dozens and dozens of celebrities and corporate leaders support passage of the bill, as does the majority of the United States Congress.
What You Can Do
* Contact your elected officials
Please call or email your elected officials and ask them to cosponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503) and the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act ( H.R. 6598). To send an e-letter, or to find out more about contacting your elected representatives, click on one or both of the links below.
AWI’s Compassion Index (go to) http://www.compassionindex.com
HSUS (go to) http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws
* Register your support for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
If you are with an equine rescue organization or work in the equestrian sector and wish to have your business or organization’s name added to the list of those supporting federal legislation to end horse slaughter, please send us an email, our email address is: info@homesforhorses.org
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Background
Americans do not eat horses, nor do we raise them for food. Most Americans support a ban on horse slaughter. Yet more than 100,000 horses were killed in the U.S. in 2006 at three foreign-owned slaughterhouses and tens of thousands more were exported for slaughter abroad. The meat comes from pet horses, work horses, race horses and even wild horses and is sold for human consumption in Europe and Asia where it is considered a delicacy.
The Status of Horse Slaughter
Until recently, three horse slaughterhouses existed in the U.S., two in Texas and one and Illinois. All three were foreign owned, and the meat from the slaughtered horses was sent overseas. Impatient at the inability of the federal government to ban the industry, the Texas plants were effectively shuttered in 2007 when Texas began enforcing a 1949 state law prohibiting horse slaughter. Illinois passed a similar law in 2007 and the slaughter stopped there, too. The result was a steep decline in the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. in 2007 (just under 30,000). However, horses were and continue to be shipped out of the country for slaughter in Mexico, Canada and further abroad, in sharply increasing numbers, with more than 100,000 being brutally butchered last year.
Immense Cruelty
The suffering of horses in slaughter, whether here or abroad, is horrendous. But while the process in domestic slaughterhouse whereby horses were often hit in the head with the captive bolt gun multiple times before being strung up for bleeding out and quartering (sometimes while still conscious) the grisly scene in Mexican slaughterhouses is yet worse. A 2007 investigation by The Humane Society of the United States revealed that horses are literally stabbed to death in Mexican slaughterhouses. To view video footage of the treatment, go to http://www.hsus.org/horses_equines/mexico_slaughter_100407.html (warning: graphic content). The findings are echoed in a story by Lisa Sandberg that ran in the San Antonio News Express in October, 2007 in which she wrote:
"The American mare swung her head frantically when the door shut to the kill box, trapping her inside. A worker jabbed her in the back with a small knife – seven, eight, nine times. Eyes wild, she lowered her head and raised it as the blade punctured her body around the withers, again and again. At the 10th jab, she fell to the floor of this Mexican slaughterhouse, bloodied and paralyzed, but not yet dead. She would lay a good two minutes before being hoisted from a chained rear leg so her throat could be slit and she could bleed to death."
How Horses End Up at Slaughter
Most American horses going to slaughter, whether slaughtered here, in Mexico or elsewhere, arrive at the slaughterhouse via livestock auctions where they are bought by "killer-buyers" working for the slaughter plants. The killer-buyers travel from auction to auction to collect horses they can then sell to the slaughterhouses at a profit. These killer-buyers have a financial incentive to outbid other potential purchasers of the horse, and many individuals selling their horses at auction are unaware that they risk placing their horses in the hands of killer buyers simply by entering them into the auction ring. Few horse owners electively sell their horses to slaughter.
Much of the domestic transport of horses to slaughter is unregulated, with only the final leg of the journey to the slaughterhouse covered by federal regulations. This means that slaughter-bound horses continue to be moved on double-deck trailers designed for cattle and pigs in direct violation of Congressional intent. Not only are the conveyances dangerously top-heavy and have been the cause of multiple fatal accidents but they are fundamentally inhumane for transporting equine, forcing many horses to travel in a bent position. The portion of the journey to slaughter which is regulated by the government allows horses to be shipped for more than 24 hours at a time without food, water or rest. Foals, heavily pregnant mares, horses with broken legs and blind horses can be moved, under the regulations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now seeking to broaden the scope of its transport regulations to cover all segments of the journey to slaughter so as to finally ban the use of double-deckers but it is too little too late, particularly given that the domestic horse slaughter plants have been shut down. The United States government has no authority to regulate the treatment of horses once they cross the border and are outside of U.S. territory.
The Remedy – Passage of federal legislation
The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) prohibits the transport and sale of horses to slaughter for human consumption, effectively halting their slaughter here and export for slaughter abroad. First introduced in 2001 - AHSPA - (S. 311 in the Senate, H.R. 503 in the House) has steadily gained public and Congressional support with the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passing the bill in the 109th Congress. Related measures designed to stop horse slaughter have also received widespread Congressional support including a spending restriction to the FY 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill designed to stop slaughter by withdrawing federal funds for legally mandated inspections. It passed both the House and Senate by a landslide but was circumvented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A similar amendment is in the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
More recently, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 (PECA) was introduced in the House by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN). The bill (H.R. 6598) would ban horse slaughter by amending Title 18 of the US Code thus providing the federal government and law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to ensure that American horses are protected from the brutal practice of slaughter. The bill carries criminal penalties for the purchase, sale, delivery or export of horsemeat intended for human consumption.
Yet the slaughter continues in the absence of final passage of either federal bill, in large part because the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the foreign-owned slaughterhouses continue to defend slaughter in the face of public and professional opinion. The majority of Americans, the humane community, much of the equestrian community and dozens and dozens of celebrities and corporate leaders support passage of the bill, as does the majority of the United States Congress.
What You Can Do
* Contact your elected officials
Please call or email your elected officials and ask them to cosponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503) and the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act ( H.R. 6598). To send an e-letter, or to find out more about contacting your elected representatives, click on one or both of the links below.
AWI’s Compassion Index (go to) http://www.compassionindex.com
HSUS (go to) http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws
* Register your support for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
If you are with an equine rescue organization or work in the equestrian sector and wish to have your business or organization’s name added to the list of those supporting federal legislation to end horse slaughter, please send us an email, our email address is: info@homesforhorses.org
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
New Information on Wyeth the Pharmaceutical Company and what their doing to Horses (Mares and Foals)
There is news that I just found out about what is happening
with this issue with PMU horses. It appears that the American
Welfare Institute has reported that the company known as
Wyeth, a company that produces vaccinations and pills for
people of all ages, is doing the unthinkable. There is a
drug out there called "Premarin" which the majority of it's
ingredients is "PMU" Pregnant Mare Urine. There are
approximately 60 farms in the US and 450 farms in Canada
that are working with this company "Wyeth" to produce the
Pregnant Mare Urine. These mares are going through extreme
pain and are being bred strictly for their urine. After
the foal is born, they are sent to the slaughter houses at
the age of 2 to 5 Months old for their meat. Then, once
the mare can no longer be of any use to these farms in
breeding them, they are also sent off to the slaughter houses.
Now, I found out through AWI (Animal Welfare Institute) that
since there is no longer a high demand for this "Premarin" drug,
because it was causing death to women and also causing strokes.
The Wyeth company's are telling these farms to continue breeding
these mares so they can make money on sending the foals to
slaughter. I've been told that the Government can't do anything
about this Wyeth Company doing this because they are not
controlled by the government. So this Wyeth company is threatening
these PMU farms that if they don't keep producing foals, that they
will no longer do business with them. So once again, it's all
about the money and not the welfare of the Mares and foals.
Something needs to be done about this immediately! Now you can
see how important it is to end horse slaughter in the United
States and around the world. By ending the transportation of
our horses going to horse slaughter and making horse slaughter
permenantly illegal in the United States, it will stop a lot of
these type of issues with our horses and will start changing
things for the better in this country. Please Read the
"Unwanted Horse Myth" on my blog list. It will tell you how
closing down horse slaughter in the US has stopped abandoned and
neglected horses by a considerable percentage amount. It also
helped decrease horse left by a good percentage. So by horse
slaughter no longer being an easy outlet for horse owners and
these money making horse slaughter companies, then I truly believe
that horses will be able to be adopted by others from owners that
no longer want them or can care for them. They can also go to
these Horse Rescue farms who can also help adopt out horses.
Or, if they are ill or have any medical issues, there is the option
of humanely euthanizing them by a legal vet. Euthanasia is so much
more humane and not so horrifying as the process of horse slaughter.
These horses need to start being respected and loved, like God
intended them to be. Please read my Bible passage at the end
of this page at the bottom. This is why I can't give up the fight
for stopping horse slaughter and the cruel treatment to horses.
There are so many horse rescue farms out there that are able to
take or adopt out many horses that are unwanted, so please don't
fall for the myth of the unwanted horse. It's these slaughter
company's that are benefiting from that story only to make
money, they can care less about the horses or their welfare.
Please visit Habitat For Horses website at:
"www.habitatforhorses.org" and click on "Join Campaigns" at the
top. Then click on "PMU", please read this story on what is
happening to the PMU Mares and their foals. Educating yourself
on this is crucial in putting an end to horse slaughter and the
horrifying treatment these mares are going through. Maybe this
story will give you the passion to fight for these horses like
it did me. The fight can be won if we use our voices and voice
our opinions to the right people, like our Congressmen and
Senators. Please make your voices heard! Speak for the horses
who can't speak for themselves.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
with this issue with PMU horses. It appears that the American
Welfare Institute has reported that the company known as
Wyeth, a company that produces vaccinations and pills for
people of all ages, is doing the unthinkable. There is a
drug out there called "Premarin" which the majority of it's
ingredients is "PMU" Pregnant Mare Urine. There are
approximately 60 farms in the US and 450 farms in Canada
that are working with this company "Wyeth" to produce the
Pregnant Mare Urine. These mares are going through extreme
pain and are being bred strictly for their urine. After
the foal is born, they are sent to the slaughter houses at
the age of 2 to 5 Months old for their meat. Then, once
the mare can no longer be of any use to these farms in
breeding them, they are also sent off to the slaughter houses.
Now, I found out through AWI (Animal Welfare Institute) that
since there is no longer a high demand for this "Premarin" drug,
because it was causing death to women and also causing strokes.
The Wyeth company's are telling these farms to continue breeding
these mares so they can make money on sending the foals to
slaughter. I've been told that the Government can't do anything
about this Wyeth Company doing this because they are not
controlled by the government. So this Wyeth company is threatening
these PMU farms that if they don't keep producing foals, that they
will no longer do business with them. So once again, it's all
about the money and not the welfare of the Mares and foals.
Something needs to be done about this immediately! Now you can
see how important it is to end horse slaughter in the United
States and around the world. By ending the transportation of
our horses going to horse slaughter and making horse slaughter
permenantly illegal in the United States, it will stop a lot of
these type of issues with our horses and will start changing
things for the better in this country. Please Read the
"Unwanted Horse Myth" on my blog list. It will tell you how
closing down horse slaughter in the US has stopped abandoned and
neglected horses by a considerable percentage amount. It also
helped decrease horse left by a good percentage. So by horse
slaughter no longer being an easy outlet for horse owners and
these money making horse slaughter companies, then I truly believe
that horses will be able to be adopted by others from owners that
no longer want them or can care for them. They can also go to
these Horse Rescue farms who can also help adopt out horses.
Or, if they are ill or have any medical issues, there is the option
of humanely euthanizing them by a legal vet. Euthanasia is so much
more humane and not so horrifying as the process of horse slaughter.
These horses need to start being respected and loved, like God
intended them to be. Please read my Bible passage at the end
of this page at the bottom. This is why I can't give up the fight
for stopping horse slaughter and the cruel treatment to horses.
There are so many horse rescue farms out there that are able to
take or adopt out many horses that are unwanted, so please don't
fall for the myth of the unwanted horse. It's these slaughter
company's that are benefiting from that story only to make
money, they can care less about the horses or their welfare.
Please visit Habitat For Horses website at:
"www.habitatforhorses.org" and click on "Join Campaigns" at the
top. Then click on "PMU", please read this story on what is
happening to the PMU Mares and their foals. Educating yourself
on this is crucial in putting an end to horse slaughter and the
horrifying treatment these mares are going through. Maybe this
story will give you the passion to fight for these horses like
it did me. The fight can be won if we use our voices and voice
our opinions to the right people, like our Congressmen and
Senators. Please make your voices heard! Speak for the horses
who can't speak for themselves.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Animal Welfare Institute Testifies Before Congress
Animal Welfare Institute Testifies Before Congress in Favor of New Bill Containing Criminal Penalties for Horse Slaughter
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2008) – “Every five minutes an American horse is slaughtered to fill the demand of high-end European and Asian diners,” Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) federal policy advisor Liz Ross said today, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security in support of a new bill to end the cruel transport and slaughter of America’s horses.
The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008, H.R. 6598, carries criminal penalties for the purchase, sale, delivery or export of horsemeat intended for human consumption including fines and prison time. Introduced on July 24, 2008 by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), the bill would amend Title 18 of the US Code, providing US government officials and law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to ensure that American horses are protected from the brutal trade for their meat.
The bill has already garnered tremendous bipartisan support. “This issue has been vetted in Congress on multiple occasions and every time any measure to prohibit or restrict horse slaughter comes up for a vote the tally is overwhelming in favor of ending this form of animal cruelty,” Ross stated in her testimony.
“I am proud to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 6598,” said lead co-sponsor Representative Burton. “We must treat these magnificent animals with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Not only is there legislative precedence for taking the Judiciary route to address the issue of horse slaughter – via an earlier incarnation of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act that allowed for penalties to be assessed under Title 18 – but horse slaughter, in every respect, is a form of animal cruelty and ought to be recognized and treated as such, Ross explained.
“We thank Representatives Conyers and Burton, who have afforded the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 a fair opportunity to proceed, as well as Chairman Bobby Scott for his co-sponsorship and commitment to moving this important bill,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for AWI. “Now that H.R. 6598 has moved from subcommittee, we hope the Speaker and the Senate will provide similarly swift consideration for a policy that is supported by the vast majority of Americans.”
Testifying before the Subcommittee in favor of H.R. 6598 were, in addition to Liz Ross; Dr. John Boyd, President of the National Black Farmers Association; Wayne Pacelle President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and Dr. Nick Dodman of co-founder of Veterinarians for Equine Welfare. The full text of their statements is available as a PDF by clicking on their names above.
To view the hearing please visit the Subcommittee website at: http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_073108.html
H.R. 6598 is still in Committee, and with everyone's help in voicing to their Congressmen and Senator's that they demand this be passed and be afforded due process, this bill has a very good chance of passing.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2008) – “Every five minutes an American horse is slaughtered to fill the demand of high-end European and Asian diners,” Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) federal policy advisor Liz Ross said today, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security in support of a new bill to end the cruel transport and slaughter of America’s horses.
The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008, H.R. 6598, carries criminal penalties for the purchase, sale, delivery or export of horsemeat intended for human consumption including fines and prison time. Introduced on July 24, 2008 by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), the bill would amend Title 18 of the US Code, providing US government officials and law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to ensure that American horses are protected from the brutal trade for their meat.
The bill has already garnered tremendous bipartisan support. “This issue has been vetted in Congress on multiple occasions and every time any measure to prohibit or restrict horse slaughter comes up for a vote the tally is overwhelming in favor of ending this form of animal cruelty,” Ross stated in her testimony.
“I am proud to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 6598,” said lead co-sponsor Representative Burton. “We must treat these magnificent animals with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Not only is there legislative precedence for taking the Judiciary route to address the issue of horse slaughter – via an earlier incarnation of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act that allowed for penalties to be assessed under Title 18 – but horse slaughter, in every respect, is a form of animal cruelty and ought to be recognized and treated as such, Ross explained.
“We thank Representatives Conyers and Burton, who have afforded the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 a fair opportunity to proceed, as well as Chairman Bobby Scott for his co-sponsorship and commitment to moving this important bill,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for AWI. “Now that H.R. 6598 has moved from subcommittee, we hope the Speaker and the Senate will provide similarly swift consideration for a policy that is supported by the vast majority of Americans.”
Testifying before the Subcommittee in favor of H.R. 6598 were, in addition to Liz Ross; Dr. John Boyd, President of the National Black Farmers Association; Wayne Pacelle President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and Dr. Nick Dodman of co-founder of Veterinarians for Equine Welfare. The full text of their statements is available as a PDF by clicking on their names above.
To view the hearing please visit the Subcommittee website at: http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_073108.html
H.R. 6598 is still in Committee, and with everyone's help in voicing to their Congressmen and Senator's that they demand this be passed and be afforded due process, this bill has a very good chance of passing.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Congress Takes Horse Cruelty Head On!
For seven years now, people have fought hard to protect America’s horses from the cruel and preventable practice of horse slaughter. Sadly, the few individuals profiting from this industry have spent vast sums of money to mislead some in the horse industry and US Congress. They have turned a serious animal cruelty issue into a political game. Despite all of this, support continues to grow for a ban because no false stories or fabricated tales of “unwanted horses” can derail the simple truth – horse slaughter is cruel.
As of today (July 24, 2008), House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) have taken up the reins of this cause and committed themselves to ending horse slaughter by sponsoring H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". This bill directly addresses the cruelty of horse slaughter – a consequence of the industry that even opponents of ending horse slaughter admit exists. This legislation is not new, as the original bill introduced in 2002 to end horse slaughter included enforcement language from Title 18 of the US Criminal Code for those found guilty of breaking the law. Chairman Conyers has simply removed the unnecessary language from the earlier versions to specifically target those causing the cruelty to horses.
Every five minutes, an American horse is brutally slaughtered for human consumption in plants in Mexico and Canada. Ironically, industry lobbyists admit to Congress that the foreign horse slaughter plants are cruel, yet the companies the lobbyists represent also own and operate these very plants across the border! Despite unsubstantiated claims of “unwanted” and “abandoned” horses, these foreign-owned plants and their killer-buyers continue to buy horses from all over America at an alarming rate to meet the demand for the animals’ flesh in fancy European restaurants.
Horse slaughter is a brutal process from beginning to end. Killer-buyers have no regard for the horses’ welfare, they just need to find as many of the animals as possible in order to fill a quota. Because the horses’ final destination is slaughter, no concern is paid to their treatment when they are collected, during transport, or in the slaughterhouse. A former equine investigator for the Pennsylvania state police summed this industry up perfectly when she said, “… horses were deprived of food and water because they were going to slaughter anyway. My conclusion is that the slaughter option encourages neglect…Money is the only objective of selling horses to slaughter. Those of us in the trenches have seen enough.”
Constituents concerned about the welfare of America’s horses must use this opportunity to speak up to their Members of Congress. The slaughterhouses, their lobbyists and the few pro-horse slaughter groups will be on Capitol Hill screaming loudly because they know support for ending horse slaughter is already strong. They know that if this issue is given a fair hearing and a fair vote, horse slaughter will end immediately.
Even though this fight has gone on for years, we must never forget that until Congress acts and passes a federal ban, horses are being hauled across the United States before being sent to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered under even worse conditions. The slaughterhouses and their supporters hope to wear down horse advocates by stalling the political process. We must send a message that we will not stop until ALL horses are protected from slaughter.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please call, write or email your Representative today, urging him or her to support H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". Chairman Conyers and Congressman Burton intend to do everything in their power to move this measure through Congress as soon as possible. Be sure to mention the facts above.
Many Members of Congress have already supported a similar measure, so this is not a new proposal; Find out if your Representative is on the Judiciary Committee, please urge him or her to attend any upcoming hearing and speak out on this important legislation as well.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
As of today (July 24, 2008), House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) have taken up the reins of this cause and committed themselves to ending horse slaughter by sponsoring H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". This bill directly addresses the cruelty of horse slaughter – a consequence of the industry that even opponents of ending horse slaughter admit exists. This legislation is not new, as the original bill introduced in 2002 to end horse slaughter included enforcement language from Title 18 of the US Criminal Code for those found guilty of breaking the law. Chairman Conyers has simply removed the unnecessary language from the earlier versions to specifically target those causing the cruelty to horses.
Every five minutes, an American horse is brutally slaughtered for human consumption in plants in Mexico and Canada. Ironically, industry lobbyists admit to Congress that the foreign horse slaughter plants are cruel, yet the companies the lobbyists represent also own and operate these very plants across the border! Despite unsubstantiated claims of “unwanted” and “abandoned” horses, these foreign-owned plants and their killer-buyers continue to buy horses from all over America at an alarming rate to meet the demand for the animals’ flesh in fancy European restaurants.
Horse slaughter is a brutal process from beginning to end. Killer-buyers have no regard for the horses’ welfare, they just need to find as many of the animals as possible in order to fill a quota. Because the horses’ final destination is slaughter, no concern is paid to their treatment when they are collected, during transport, or in the slaughterhouse. A former equine investigator for the Pennsylvania state police summed this industry up perfectly when she said, “… horses were deprived of food and water because they were going to slaughter anyway. My conclusion is that the slaughter option encourages neglect…Money is the only objective of selling horses to slaughter. Those of us in the trenches have seen enough.”
Constituents concerned about the welfare of America’s horses must use this opportunity to speak up to their Members of Congress. The slaughterhouses, their lobbyists and the few pro-horse slaughter groups will be on Capitol Hill screaming loudly because they know support for ending horse slaughter is already strong. They know that if this issue is given a fair hearing and a fair vote, horse slaughter will end immediately.
Even though this fight has gone on for years, we must never forget that until Congress acts and passes a federal ban, horses are being hauled across the United States before being sent to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered under even worse conditions. The slaughterhouses and their supporters hope to wear down horse advocates by stalling the political process. We must send a message that we will not stop until ALL horses are protected from slaughter.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please call, write or email your Representative today, urging him or her to support H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". Chairman Conyers and Congressman Burton intend to do everything in their power to move this measure through Congress as soon as possible. Be sure to mention the facts above.
Many Members of Congress have already supported a similar measure, so this is not a new proposal; Find out if your Representative is on the Judiciary Committee, please urge him or her to attend any upcoming hearing and speak out on this important legislation as well.
Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Unwanted Horse Myth
Debunking the "Unwanted Horse" Myth*
In recent years some industry groups and other supporters of horse slaughter which consistently fight passage of theAmerican Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) have claimed that there exists a huge “unwanted horse” population in the United States.These organizations, which include the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Quarter Horse Association, have been lobbying Congress to block passage of the AHSPA on the premise that slaughter offers a humane way to dispose of these animals, a necessary evil without which horses would be subjected to neglect, abandonment and abuse. In short, they argue that horse slaughter improves horse welfare. Ironically, these groups were largely silent on issues of equine welfare prior to introduction of the AHSPA. Yet now that the horse slaughter industry is seriously threatened the coalition’s partners are citing animal welfareas the basis for their pro-slaughter stance. The truth is that, no hard data exists on an "unwanted horse" population. The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s own website
states: "No accurate figures document how many unwanted horses actually exist, their age and sex, the breeds represented, how many are purebred versus grade, their most recent use, their value or what happens to them in the long run. Tens of thousands of horses that could be classified as unwanted are being sent to processing facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico each year." In short, the coalition has absolutely no evidence to support its claim that horses going to slaughter are "unwanted". What is clear is that killer buyers working for the slaughterhouses are outbidding other buyers at auction because they have a financial incentive to do so. The market for slaughter horses is set by the international demand for their meat in other countries, not by the number of "unwanted horses".
Here are the facts: Horse slaughter is a brutal, predatory business that purposely seeks out healthy, marketable horses. A U.S. Department of Agriculture study revealed that more than 92% of horses going to slaughter are in good condition. The notion that without horse slaughter there will be flood of abandoned horses is simply unfounded. When the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. fell by approximately 90% between the early 1990s and the early 2000s there was no correlating increase in abandoned, neglected and abused horses. Likewise, equine cruelty investigators in Illinois report that horse abandonment and abuse cases actually dropped during the temporary closure of the Cavel slaughter plant in the early 2000s (the plant is now permanently shut under state law). In California, not only was there no increase in horse abuse and neglect cases following passage of the state’s stringent anti-horse slaughter law in 1998, but there was a 34% drop in horse theft. Horse slaughter actually encourages abuse and neglect. Unscrupulous owners who tire of caring for their horses have the easy outlet of dumping their horses into slaughter. Cruelty investigators report multiple instances where owners stop feeding or providing veterinary care for their horses prior to selling them to slaughter. Such neglect is illegal. There is no statistical evidence to support claims that more horses are being abandoned following closure of the domestic horse slaughter plants. Abandonment is illegal and any instances of abandoned equines (or other animals) should be reported and prosecuted. Ultimately, those supporting horse slaughter – allegedly in the name of equine welfare - suggest that the horse slaughter industry provides a service for the humane disposal of unwanted horses.
Nothing could be further truth. While there may not be a home for every horse, horse slaughter
has no place in a society that cares for its horses. Responsible breeding and ownership, coupled with veterinarian-administered euthanasia when necessary, are the answer; not slaughter.
In recent years some industry groups and other supporters of horse slaughter which consistently fight passage of theAmerican Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) have claimed that there exists a huge “unwanted horse” population in the United States.These organizations, which include the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Quarter Horse Association, have been lobbying Congress to block passage of the AHSPA on the premise that slaughter offers a humane way to dispose of these animals, a necessary evil without which horses would be subjected to neglect, abandonment and abuse. In short, they argue that horse slaughter improves horse welfare. Ironically, these groups were largely silent on issues of equine welfare prior to introduction of the AHSPA. Yet now that the horse slaughter industry is seriously threatened the coalition’s partners are citing animal welfareas the basis for their pro-slaughter stance. The truth is that, no hard data exists on an "unwanted horse" population. The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s own website
states: "No accurate figures document how many unwanted horses actually exist, their age and sex, the breeds represented, how many are purebred versus grade, their most recent use, their value or what happens to them in the long run. Tens of thousands of horses that could be classified as unwanted are being sent to processing facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico each year." In short, the coalition has absolutely no evidence to support its claim that horses going to slaughter are "unwanted". What is clear is that killer buyers working for the slaughterhouses are outbidding other buyers at auction because they have a financial incentive to do so. The market for slaughter horses is set by the international demand for their meat in other countries, not by the number of "unwanted horses".
Here are the facts: Horse slaughter is a brutal, predatory business that purposely seeks out healthy, marketable horses. A U.S. Department of Agriculture study revealed that more than 92% of horses going to slaughter are in good condition. The notion that without horse slaughter there will be flood of abandoned horses is simply unfounded. When the number of horses slaughtered in the U.S. fell by approximately 90% between the early 1990s and the early 2000s there was no correlating increase in abandoned, neglected and abused horses. Likewise, equine cruelty investigators in Illinois report that horse abandonment and abuse cases actually dropped during the temporary closure of the Cavel slaughter plant in the early 2000s (the plant is now permanently shut under state law). In California, not only was there no increase in horse abuse and neglect cases following passage of the state’s stringent anti-horse slaughter law in 1998, but there was a 34% drop in horse theft. Horse slaughter actually encourages abuse and neglect. Unscrupulous owners who tire of caring for their horses have the easy outlet of dumping their horses into slaughter. Cruelty investigators report multiple instances where owners stop feeding or providing veterinary care for their horses prior to selling them to slaughter. Such neglect is illegal. There is no statistical evidence to support claims that more horses are being abandoned following closure of the domestic horse slaughter plants. Abandonment is illegal and any instances of abandoned equines (or other animals) should be reported and prosecuted. Ultimately, those supporting horse slaughter – allegedly in the name of equine welfare - suggest that the horse slaughter industry provides a service for the humane disposal of unwanted horses.
Nothing could be further truth. While there may not be a home for every horse, horse slaughter
has no place in a society that cares for its horses. Responsible breeding and ownership, coupled with veterinarian-administered euthanasia when necessary, are the answer; not slaughter.
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