slaughter issues, and a committee was to be formed
perhaps June 18 to look at the issue from a national
standpoint. There are hints that the U.S. hasn’t seen
the end of slaughter plants despite the developments
Merry Horses asked: “People tell me there are too many unwanted horses - what are the underlying causes?”
of the past two years. “A lot of people are beginning to
take a look at this with a realistic eye,” Stenholm said.
Tena B.
“(Slaughter) has been an acceptable practice in the
Iresponsible breeding and collectors with no money or
U.S. since we became a country. Only recently has this
time to actually take care of them.
become un-American. If we lose this one, it’s over.”
Rochelle W.
over breeding not enough homes over breeding no one
U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky was scheduled to
speak along with Stenholm, but moderator Richard
can afford them over breeding over breeding over breed-
Reynnells of the USDA announced Whitfield had a
ing
conflict that prevented him from attending his sched-
Teresa J.
uled 45-minute session. Whitfield’s wife, Connie, is
I agree, irresponsible breeding....bottom line. And people
director of development for the HSUS.
with lack of knowledge or just carelessness that put stal-
lions with mares. Exactly why I wont breed, there’s too
Working on solutions
many horses already...that’s why they end up at auctions,
Tom Persechino, senior director of marketing for
and more sadly slaughterhouses.
the American Quarter Horse Association, outlined
Tania B.
potential solutions and options, such as rescue and we get a lot of horses that are dumped because of fairly
retirement facilities, asking friends with acreage to simple issues. we just took in a 3rd level dressage horse
take horses, contacting colleges and universities that that requied 2 chior adjustments and a proper trim from
have equine programs, and using horses for the North
a farrier and he is good as new. while he was in rehab
American Riding for the Handicapped Association.
they were off to germany to purchase their next vic-
Persechino said it’s not practical to force breeders to
limit the number of horses they breed, but it is feasible
to educate them. He said the Unwanted Horse Coali-
tion “believes teaching people to own responsibly will
help lower the number of unwanted horses.”
View from a Broad
“The proposition that there are large numbers of un-
The web-based racing
wanted horses in this country in need of slaughter can
be answered with a resounding no,” said Hazard of the
radio talk show hosted by
HSUS. “There are many horses in need of the commit-
the world’s
ment of the people with a stake in the horse industry
to take responsibility for reducing the numbers that
most-opinionated woman.
are bred, educating novice horse owners about proper
care and training, creating new equestrian opportuni-
Horse-Driven Op/Ed
ties that allow more people to become a part of the
equine community, and calling for an end to the un-
Hot off the Press.
necessary brutality of slaughter.”
Karin Bump, a professor at Cazenovia College in up-
state New York, recommended a signal organization
be in charge of collecting and maintaining data so
there is no confusion. That, she said, would go a long
way toward unifying the disparate groups.
It’s generally believed all the groups in play on the
unwanted horse issue agree 90% of the time. It’s the
other 10% that puts the unwanted horse at the mercy
of politics.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thorough-
“I think five to 10 years from now we’ll have a pretty
bredwriterviewfromabroad
good grip on things, but it’s going to take some time,”
Lenz said.
Marion E. Altieri
gonzo racing essayist, advocate and
author of
36 Equine•Connections - the magazine for global equine stewar
“Mairzy Doats” on Saratoga.com
dship - www.equineconnection.org
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42