The slaughter debate

People keep asking me ... Tess what do you think about horse slaughter? Recently a man said he wouldn't subscribe to my magazine unless I revealed my mystery opinion on the issue of slaughter.
My opinion is no mystery ... I hate the idea of killing a horse, any horse, in any way. Sometimes we have to "put down" our horses. I've lost two personally in the last 5 years. One we were able to have a vet give a shot and the other ... we couldn't get the vet out in time to ease suffering so we took care of it ourselves. Not me, my husband ended the life of our sweet Tosca with a single bullet to her head then he prompty threw up his lunch. It's not pretty, its not neat and you can't tie it with a bow ... EVER! Slaughter is an easy way out for some, not only will they get a little money for their horse but they can wash their hands of the situation. I guess some people can erase it from their minds too. I can't. I couldn't, I wouldn't.
So, is there a humane way to slaughter horses? ... probably. Are there other solutions? ... sure, why not.
Whether or not we have a slaughter house in the US won't matter to my horses. But it'll matter to a lot other horses that aren't just no-count old swaybacked nags. I don't take the position that any horse that doesn't have a good quality of life health wise should linger on year after year. In fact, we waited too long to have Rhett our TN Walker that came from Cheryl Flanagan's rescue Savethehorses.org put down. He was so arthritic he could barely walk and supplements were no longer helping him. Right before winter he laid down and wouldn't get up ... as if to say, I am done. I held his head in my lap, I sang to him and fed him sweet feed and sugar water in an effort to change his mind but he wouldn't get up. It was time for him to go.
Is slaughter a neccessary evil? I think it only seems like that now. I think when times are hard in the horse industry there are those that miss the easy money of the killer buyer. Granted, a lot of times that money went to buy feed for the other horses still at the barn. I think it's hard for folks to absorb the cost of disposing of a horse that they would have sold for slaughter - especially when they may need to spend that money on hay. Economically, it's easy to see why folks are upset! Ah, but people like me - we aren't being reasonable, right.
Generally I am pretty reasonable, ask anyone who knows me.
I don't picket for the feelings of fish and if someone wears fur, sorry it doesn't offend me. It doesn't make me jealous either. I just don't see a horse any different from a dog. I wouldn't take my dog to the slaughter house and sell her for a buck a pound (granted she only weighs 50lbs). I guess there are horses that I didn't bond with ... one that bit me a long time ago ... I try hard to be objective and think about a horse that I had no emotional attachment to. But my mind wont work that way ... I know that horse that bit me was sold to a lady and her little boy and he was loved and cared for.
So my opinion, I wouldn't slaughter my horse or sell it for slaughter. But I wouldn't take any of my horses to a sale either. But that's just me! Not everyone has the same resources and not everyone is so emotionally attached. I can live with that. But I can't condone the way horses where slaughtered in this country or any other. I honestly don't know if I can condone it at all.
That's my truth ...
I also think that a real solution has to be found if slaughter is resended it will not empty out the rescues. FOlks will go back to saving horses from slaughter ... those numbers will not change. A large part of this industry is based on profit and that's fine. We just have to get it all out on the table and figure out solutions for all the problems that plague this industry. We are so scattered and niched off we can't even agree on what type of saddle to use or what method of training works best ... perhaps it is wishful thinking to even state that we need to work together to solve this obvious problem.
But I don't think so. Maybe this is the issue that will finally unite horse owners - because I think the vast majority of us have a genuine love for the horse.

That's my 2 cents - no solution - just my scattered opinion (sorry for the rambling, I am taking some pain medication!)

Tess