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Horse Rescue/Slaughter Archive

Thanks, Suffolk

Suffolk Downs takes a zero-tolerance stand on slaughter:

Sam Elliott, the track’s vice president for racing, has informed the leadership of the New England Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association that any trainer found to have sold a horse for slaughter will have his stalls revoked and be denied stalls in the future.

Horsemen are in support of the new policy: “There’s no reason why that should happen nowadays,” said New England HBPA president Al Balestra. “There shouldn’t be any horses going to killers” (ThoroTimes).

Related: Eliminating slaughter won’t solve the problem of the unwanted horses. Fran reports from a recent American Horse Council forum on the issue, which doesn’t get the attention of the emotionally-charged anti-slaughter movement, but is even more important.

6/28 additions: Here’s a story that illustrates too well the problem with unwanted horses. Fortunately, Getaway Hall — a harness racer with career earnings of more than $700,000 — was found by good people. And over on Blood-Horse, Alex Brown answers questions about horse rescue and welfare.

Posted in Horse Rescue/Slaughter, Suffolk Downs on June 27, 2008

Supporting Retired Horses

Here’s one idea to ensure secure retirements for racehorses:

As a solution to the funding problem, the TRF has proposed the creation of a social security trust fund for retired thoroughbreds. Money would be raised for the fund by deducting one-half of one percent (.005) from all purse monies. (At this rate, a modest $5 would be deducted for every $1,000 in earnings.) The fund would be managed by people within the industry, with money allocated to rescue organizations on a horse-by-horse basis. With total purses annually running over $1 billion, this method would raise over $5 million per year.

In the meantime, Woodford Reserve distillery will sell $1,000 mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby to support thoroughbred retirement groups.

Posted in Horse Rescue/Slaughter on April 11, 2006

Senate Passes Slaughter Amendment

By 68-29, the US Senate passed an agricultural appropriations bill amendment that would eliminate federal funding for USDA inspectors at the three remaining horse slaughterhouses in the country, a move that would shut those facilities down for the coming fiscal year (Thoroughbred Times). Bill H.R. 503, which would permanently end horse slaughter in the United States, was re-introduced in the House earlier this year and is pending before the Energy and Commerce Committee. Supporters are hopeful that Tuesday’s vote on the amendment will lead to a vote on H.R. 503 on the House floor soon.
Related: Pity the French butcher, deprived of American horse meat (Wall Street Journal — sub. req.):

A US ban would mean that Mr. Dhalluin would no longer be able to buy the meat that vaulted him to a gold medal in a recent culinary contest for “best sausage in the category of garlic.”

Yes, that would be a terrible shame. Surely we should continue to slaughter nearly 60,000 horses — including wild horses, quarter horses, and thoroughbreds — in the United States so that Mr. Dhalluin and his colleagues may continue to make sausage.

Posted in Horse Rescue/Slaughter on September 21, 2005

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