Horses Won the West but are losing the war against slaughter

LAS VEGAS - Aug. 13, 2013 - PRLog --  

Recently, during a drive from Las Vegas to Missouri, through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, I was struck by the fact that early pioneers, men, women and children, crossed this same route on horseback, in covered wagons and by stagecoach.  With kids today that can't spend 30 minutes away from their Smart Phones and Tablets, how in the world was the West ever Won!  I have to believe that if today's generation had to endure the same method of travel and hardship, we would all still be living east of the Mississippi!

All of us who live in the West are well aware that none of us would be here today, were it not for horses!  For hundreds of years, horses have been our transportation, our farm hands, our livelihood.  One thing horses were not, in those days, was food.  Farmers had chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cattle, but their horses were for other, higher purposes.  Four-legged Horse Power won wars, got kids to school, took family's to church and town for supplies and fellowship.  The Pony Express was the only way we had to communicate across country and, well, we know that Paul Revere used horses to tell us the "British were coming."  (Sorry, no texting or Facebook in 18th Century America.) 

So when you hear stories of county boards considering the cruel "sport" of horse tripping (it's popular in Mexico) and see daily Facebook posts about hard-working, well-meaning Americans using their life savings to save horses from the cruel fate of slaughter, you have to wonder if we've lost our minds or at least lost our way.

Sadly, it seems today more and more of us are looking for an easy way out of their problems.  Have too many horses?  Sell them to Kill Sales (auctions where Feed Lot owners buy horses for slaughter).  By the way, Kill Buyers like nice young, healthy, fat horses.  No old or skinny horses for these folks.  The price per pound is higher for fat ones! 

On August 17, in Northern Nevada, 407 (or more) Federally protected wild horses from the Paiute-Shoshone Reservation near McDermitt, Nevada, including mares, stallions, babies and young horses, will go through a Kill Sale.  The deck is stacked against these horses because they will be sold in lots, not as individuals.  This makes it more difficult on rescues to cull the herd and buy individual horses.

According to sources familiar with this round-up and sale, the Tribe says there is no other way to cut down on the numbers of horses they have let breed on their reservation.  However, it seems they are using the free disposal system that is horse slaughter for horses they don't want or can't keep because of the drought plaguing many of the western states.  Or, some suspect, they are actually breeding them to be sent to slaughter.  That would a shame and violation of the public trust placed in these Tribes.

Yes, there are too many horses, and dogs and cats, too.  The American Horse Council estimates there are more than 180,000 unwanted horses in this country.  Hundreds of horses are sent to slaughter houses in Canada and Mexico every week.  The slaughter issue is difficult and emotional.  Advocates argue that horses are being let go, killed by cars, left to starve in dried up pastures and that slaughter is a more humane approach.  Sure, no one wants to see horses starving and left to wander.  But slaughter as an end-of-life option cannot even be discussed; it is animal cruelty, pure and simple.  (And, important to note, horses are not bred, fed or medicated to be food, but for the work they do.)

The same argument could be made for dogs and cats; instead of euthanizing thousands of unwanted dogs and cats, why aren't they being sent in mass to slaughter houses.  I'm sure dog meat and cat meat could be used for some food or by-product.  Why, indeed?  Because the public outcry would be deafening!

What are the solutions?  Let's start with responsible breeding, education about the responsibility and expense of horse ownership and support programs, like Horses4Heroes, that teach kids, teens and adults about horses, horse care and horsemanship. 

Since the Revolutionary War, the American Military has used horses in battle, to carry soldiers in and take the wounded out, to pull supply wagons and munitions.  They were even used on 9/11 and are used in mounted patrols still.  Today, however, they are helping fight an even more important battle:  the battle on the home front to re-integrate our soldiers into their families, help win the war against PTSD and suicide, comfort grieving families and heal our Wounded Warriors.  Horses can and do help heal the wounds of war and separation!

Horses Won the West and have won many epic military battles; now they need our help to win the biggest battle of all, to live and die with respect. 

For more information about the August 17 sale and this issue, contact:

Laura Bell, The Starlight Sanctuary, 775-223-9620 or thestarlightsanctuary@gmail.com,, visit www.thestarlightsanctuary.org (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestarl...), or via private message (PM) at The Starlight Sanctuary on Facebook.  Laura has been involved in the horse industry for over 40 years, and is involved as a wild horse and burro advocate for over 20 years on the issue of horse slaughter and why it needs to be banned entirely, and also who benefits from the eradication of our wild horses and burros, both federal and state, off of federal and state PUBLIC land.

Sydney Knott, Horses4Heroes, 702.645.8446 or vegasprgroup@gmail.com  Horses4Heroes is the only Las Vegas-based, national non-profit that owns its own horses and uses those horses, including donated and Feed Lot rescues, every day in programs that serve local heroes and the community.  The organization's large and growing national network of equestrian centers in 44 states and Canada offer affordable, sometimes free, recreational, instructional and health and wellness programs.  In Las Vegas, our free programs include Operation Free Ride and Operation Free Ride Rodeo, Back in the Saddle, Ladies Unbridled, and 8.9.10: Ride to Win!

This article is the opinion of Sydney Knott, the president and founder of Horses4Heroes, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to using horses to empower, engage and inspire our nation's heroes and their families, including active duty military personnel, veterans, First Responders, as well as at-risk youth, foster children and teens, and victims of domestic abuse and violence.