Horses need help

[46zilzal]

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1809950,00.html?cnn=yes

[Shenanigans]

I guess starving to death is better than a quick bolt in the skull.:rolleyes: This "epidemic" isn't just in the west. The number of starving cases has skyrocketed where I live. It's all thanks to closing down the slaughterhouses. Horses are selling as low as $25 at the sale. To some people, it's not worthing spending $50+ in gas when you're only getting $25 for your horse. These people that pushed for the close of slaughterhouses didn't sit down first and figure out a plan for what to do with the unwanted, unsellable horses. It will only get worse.

[PaceAdvantage]

The number of horses being sent to slaughter has been on the decline for quite some time, and through all that, there wasn't any dramatic rise in abandoned or abused horses.

The TRF issued a paper in 2002 detailing all of this, and I quote now from that paper:

All available data refutes the first contention that eliminating the slaughter option for horse owners will increase abuse within a greatly increased population of unwanted horses. In fact, the number of horses slaughtered in the US has been steadily declining for over a decade - from nearly 350,000 in the late 1980s to about 60,000 in 2001 and approximately 40,000 in 2002. Yet despite this massive influx into the total horse population, no marked increase in cases of neglect or abuse has been observed by animal rights or humane monitoring organizations across the nation. (The federal government keeps no records of equine abuse.)

Given the above data, how can it be that NOW, all of a sudden, there is widespread neglect and abuse? It just doesn't make any sense given the MASSIVE decline in horse slaughter cited above.

http://www.awionline.org/legislation/pdf/TRF_WhitePaper.pdf (http://www.awionline.org/legislation/pdf/TRF_WhitePaper.pdf)

[Shenanigans]

Having worked with rescue groups, we, have seen an influx of neglect. Most of all the owners excuses are that they can't afford to care for them and can't afford to ship them to the auctions. Horses are actually being dumped into pastures. People are sneaking to farms at night and turning their unwanted horses into other peoples pastures. This NEVER was heard of until the slaughterhouses were closed. So what's to blame???
Not every horse owner is a smart, caring horse owner. Some get in over their heads and abandon the situation instead of being a responsible owner. Why do you think there are so many unwanted dogs and cats? The same kind of people own horses.

[PaceAdvantage]

Does it make sense to you that on the way down from 350,000 to 40,000, no noticeable increase in abuse or neglect was observed, but from 40,000 to 0 we see a dramatic change?

[Shenanigans]

Why does everything have to "make sense" to you? Do you really believe everything you read? Does it not make sense to you that humane groups wouldn't admit to something negative that they had a hand in doing??? I have witnessed more of abuse and neglect myself. I will believe what I see more than what I read from groups that can't admit they were a cause in something.

350,000 slaughtered horse didn't get the chance to be abused, because owners had an opportunity to make money on their unwanted horse. The reason the decline of horses going to slaughter is because of the action people started taking against it. Rescue groups really didn't start popping up until the late 90's. You can take that into consideration for the decline of the amount of horses being sent to slaughter, along with more awareness on the fact. For a long time, some unknowing horse owners were taking their unwanted horses to the auctions, getting $750-$1000 thinking their horse was going to a good home. Not the case.
The market for kill horses was much bigger back then. Kill buyers actually kept the prices at a fair to high. Now, the market has fallen out drastically due to slaughterhouse being closed, grain and hay is at an all time high and owners aren't able to make any money on their horses. Sure, anyone can say give them away, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Rescue groups are filled to the max and can only take in what they have room for. Rescue groups are even having a hard time finding homes for horses because of the rising price of feed. It all runs in the circle. Figure it out.

[PaceAdvantage]

Why does everything have to "make sense" to you? Read that statement you made again...doesn't it sound silly? Shouldn't one try to make sense of most things?

But, to try and answer your question, I don't take much at face value. And when I uncover stats that seem to contradict a given opinion, I present said stats in order to provoke a response. It makes for a more interesting learning experience for everyone involved.

You stated that you're seeing more starving cases where you live, and you blame this on the end of horse slaugher in America. I present stats that show a HUGE decline in the number of horses slaughtered over the past DECADE, with no appreciable increase in neglect or abuse, and you call into question the motivation behind such stats and the people making such claims, which is fair.

Now the question becomes, how accurate are the stats. If they are accurate, then how applicable is your anecdotal evidence to the rest of the country? Is the Time article just good copy, or is there really an epidemic out there?

The data presented by the TRF did cover the 2001 recession, so if you're blaming what you're seeing partly on the economy (you mention the price of grain and hay), why didn't we see any of this during the great slide from 350,000 to 40,000?

I am trying to "figure it out" which is why I reply to these threads.