A Question of Ethics
July 18, 2012 by shedrowconfessions
There’s certainly a lot to comment on this week with the slaughter issue with the recent revelations from The Equine Welfare Alliance (http://myemail.constantcontact.com/2012-07-17-Press-Release—Rockville–Another-Wallis-Misfire.html?soid=1103281455502&aid=6aj0XlyUgi0) regarding yet another bag of lies from Slaughterhouse Sue. I plan to summarize that in the next few days, but I thought it was time to talk about something I’ve been struggling with for a while. That would be the issue of rescues that support slaughter. Obviously, I have a huge problem with the entire concept, but I want some input from some other people on this. Just for review, here is the definition of `rescue’:
res·cue
[res-kyoo] Show IPA verb, res·cued, res·cu·ing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil.
2.Law . to liberate or take by forcible or illegal means from lawful custody.
It seems pretty straight forward although I have seen some PSA brain surgeons bastardize it to mean that people are going to come and steal their horses. I’ve already addressed all that, so today I want to talk about the first part, the delivering from violence, danger or evil part. Without a doubt, anybody that is against horse slaughter would agree that slaughter is violent and dangerous for horses. Many would even consider it evil. Sadly, it has come to light that not every rescue feels the same way.
In an earlier entry, I talked about my favorite faux christian, Theresa Manzella and her rescue, Willing Servants. Holy Theresa, is a very vocal advocate of slaughter and her rescue page is quite carefully worded but leaves no doubt what her idea of a `permanent home’ might mean. I have no doubt at all that should slaughter in the US re-open, she will a regular customer. Well, it seems that she has a kindred spirit in New Mexico. One of the readers of this blog left a link about Walkin’ N Circles Ranch in Edgewood, NM. It seems their executive director, Charles Graham is also a slaughter supporter.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abandoned-horses-20120717,0,541667.story. Walkin N Circles is listed as a 501c3 with guidestar.org and has been in operation for ten years. They have several horses listed as `non-rideable’ on their website and ask for sponsorship for them. They state that they have 94 horses currently at their ranch and they also seem to run a boarding business out of the same location. I have a huge problem with this. When you have listed your D20 status as Animal Protection and Welfare (includes Humane Societies and SPCAs), you probably shouldn’t be supporting slaughter. In fact, I think if you are running a rescue for the right reasons, and not as a tax scam to supplement your real business, you should probably be in fairly strong support against slaughter and working to bring about alternatives. The key to rescue is to deliver the animal FROM danger, abuse, etc. not hold it for further torture in a slaughter-house. I hereby declare Charles Graham as a complete jerkwad.
Now, less clear for me are two rescues I was made aware of in Minnesota. One of them is multi-species and the other appears to be mostly focussing on a certain type of horse. Both of these individual rescues have directors that would be considered pro-slaughter. One probably more so than the other. One of the directors has admitted to eating horse meat on at least one occasion. The other has links to anti-slaughter information and even has a `help a slaughter bound horse fund’. Both directors are regular commenters on pro-slaughter pages. I see nowhere on their guidestar pages or websites (well, one of them doesn’t appear to have a working website) that lists that they are in support of slaughter. Now, to be fair, I have seen each of them say that they feel it is a `necessary evil’ and they are in support of `humane’ slaughter but I’m not aware that they actually lobby really hard about it. The problem I have is that rather than spending what seems to be an inordinate amount of time sitting online kissing up to the PSAs and encouraging their lies and asshattery, why don’t they get off their asses and put that same effort into fixing this problem? Saying that you don’t see an alternative for it just doesn’t cut it. I am still very much on the fence about naming and shaming these two rescues, but I’m beyond pissed at the situation and still may choose to do so.
I have to admit I was a bit taken back when I first heard of the concept of rescues being pro-slaughter. That quickly turned to outrage. It would seem to me that it is time to regulate rescues via an accreditation process; which would mean they need to meet certain criteria on an ongoing basis to maintain their non-profit status. While you can’t dictate beliefs to a person, I feel they have an ethical duty to be upfront about their stance on the issue. Imagine how you would feel if you donated money or time to such an organization only to find out they were supporting the inhumane treatment of the very animals they pretend to be rescuing. Imagine the devastation if you surrendered an animal to them in good faith, only to find out they had shipped it to slaughter. It is beyond duplicitous to accept donations to `rescue a horse from slaughter’ when you are spending your free time supporting it. I sure don’t want to have to read about another horse on an overturned slaughter truck or kill pen with paperwork tracing back to a self proclaimed rescue. I want to know how the rest of you feel about it because right now, I just want to kick a few people right where they pee……
Forgive my paint skills (laptop and paintshop do not mix). Should this rescue be revealed?
I agree 1000%! Any ”rescue” that promotes slaughter is not a “true” rescue in any sense of the word. I would not support any rescue unless I knew for sure they were 100% anti-slaughter.
It would seem that this is a question that people should be asking these days. I always assumed there as no way a rescue would be pro-slaughter….wrong again
The grounds to reviel these type rescues are, fraud. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fraud
I think any organization that is pro-slaughter AND that can use the law to take horses away from someone should never be allowed to support slaughter. In the wrong hands… that could be disasterous. And that is my opinion on that matter. Keep up the good work, SR.
Hang on, about to edit in a screen cap. If people howl about who this rescue is, I will reveal it. Still pondering myself, but I’m thisclose after reading this…
Yes, I think it should be revieled. ,If you are a non profit rescue, you recieve money to help the rescue, then you send the rescue to slaughter for profit, that to me is frauding people of their money, that they could have used for a rescue that wasnt going to be sold for profit, and killed anyway.
It’s a no brainer. Disclose the rescues. If the rescues in question are not transparent with their stance – are being duplicitious to others…let the chips fall where they may. Ripping off the government, pretending to be something that their not – if I donated to such a rescue and found out they were pro slaughter – I would be beside myself. I don’t have respect for the pro slaughter people based on their logic (lack of) and viewing horses as commodities – but this type of pro slaughter person – hiding under the guise of a rescue – morally and ethically bankrupt.
I agree, pro-slaughter rescues should be exposed as such.
Ok, the screen shot at the bottom is the words of the director of Save Our Souls Equine Rescue aka SOSER. The other rescue in question, although I’m not sure this director is 100% Pro, is Whipstaff Ranch and Rescue.
I think everyone should have access to the information as to whether a given “rescue” is pro-slaughter or not. For horse owners – well, most of us anyway – that is critical information if we are thinking about surrendering a horse to them.
If they believe what they’re doing is right, why hide it? Hiding such info is a HUGE red flag to me! I would NEVER give my horse to a pro-slaughter “rescue.” Besides, in my eyes, this isn’t even a rescue.
I agree and that is why I decided to go ahead and name them. The one in the screen shots, SOSER, is the worst offender in my opinion. She is actually laughing about being deceitful. While the Whipstaff one has a `save a horse from slaughter fund’, I’m not sure if that director is 100% Pro or just prefers to hang out on those types of pages. Either way, people deserve to know before they put time, money or effort into helping those places. There are plenty of good rescues that don’t support slaughter and that is probably what most people would choose to support.
There are many horse rescues that provide the need and help these wonderful animals deserve. The fact there are so called “rescues” that operate as rescues and yet believe in horse slaughter, is disgusting and frightening. All the more reason to check their background throughly.
I would honestly welcome either one of the mentioned rescues to either comment or email me if they feel they have been outed unfairly. I won’t be holding my breath….
I am the director of one of the rescues you have mentioned. Our rescue is not, has not, and never will be pro-slaughter. I have never and will never eat horse meat. I have never sold any horse to auction, I have purchased them from auctions, outbidding the meat man. I have not personally owned a horse myself in over 5 years after the humane euthanasia of my gelding due to his severe illness. Instead I have cared for, rehabilitated and rehomed 21 equines that otherwise would have been dead had they not come to our rescue. We have helped blind horses, deaf horses, lame horses, and those that simply needed another chance. Yes, we have a small fund set up to purchase slaughterbound horses that we can help.
Yes, I am on many horse related pages. I am on anti slaughter pages, pro slaughter pages, and just general horse pages. It is called “networking”. That said, I also have a life other than on the computer. I strongly suggest that rather than spend your days hiding behind a computer and making false accusations why don’t you go out and put your activism to work? Go save a horse. If you wish to contact me, you can email me at kisses4fluffies@yahoo.com. This is my personal email. I respectfully ask that you remove the rescue’s name that I volunteer my time for off this blog. I appreciate your efforts to spread the anti-slaughter message, and sincerely hope that if anyone should have questions or would like to discuss this further they feel comfortable speaking with me about it.
If you will notice, I did give you and your rescue the benefit of the doubt. The fact is that you are on the Pro pages and you have said you think slaughter is a necessary evil. Whether that means you would go that route or not, I can’t know that, but I do give you props for stating your position here and hope others will do the same. A page you are a member of spends a lot of time bashing and spamming rescues they don’t agree with. You may not participate in that end of things, but the sad fact of life is you are judged by the company you keep. To be very honest, it would give me great pause in supporting your rescue.
Now, you don’t know how I am or where I am, so please don’t make assumptions about me or what my involvement in the slaughter issue is or is not. You have no idea how I spend my days either. This is not a blog about me, which is why I leave the `me’ out of it. I did not name your rescue in the body of my blog entry nor will I in others. You got one mention in the comments with the qualifier that I was unsure of what your stance is. I’m still unsure as you only spoke for your rescue and not yourself.
Again, I thank you for your input and will leave your comments here for everybody to see and make their own mind up about.
First off, 501c3’s are not political entities not are they supposed to interact through lobbying and the like.
Meaning my belief on slaughter is irrelevent! I do clearly state I believe in saving horses who can be saved and assisting them in finding better lives through jobs!
No where have I ever stated I am anti-slaughter or pro-slaughter. If you get the eating horse story right by the way I was at a friends who didn’t tell me WHAT I was eating until I had eaten it. I am on the other hand VERY pro-people and horses not starving to death. You didn’t out me people here know full well I love horses and want to save those that can be. They also know I love people and have assisted starving families in euthanizing horses after months of calling hundreds of full rescues and having them on craigslist even for free. The choice was the children or the horses starve, i respect they didn’t send them to slaughter and asked a vet come out, not everyone can love their animal enough to allow them to not starve because they lost jobs, home car and the like.
I state quite a bit I wouldn’t call myself pro-slaughter but I am pro-logic and more humane lesser of two evils. Six months of starvation is horrible so is slaughter but it is quicker and a hell of a lot less painful.
The website is down by the way because I have no interest in assisting more people euthanize horses, that is what the majority of the rescue had become. We will always hold room for emergency but saveable cases but that part of the program is beyond expensive with little funding. I have seen three rescues IN PERSON in a desperate attempt to save horses from slaughter starve horses, I am kind enough to not name any of them, fortunately they all are closed. One of the remaining rescues by the way was from a valid 501c3 who saved to many from slaughter and starved over half for months…… that to me is a tragidy.
As for the website down that is on purpose we are restructuring for the Cancer kid programs and the service horse programs which is why this is now forwarded to a lawyer, the same one who pointed out publically attackign a rescue is one thing but you messed with kids recieving therapy…. please enjoy!
So yes read my guide star I do not say we are pro or against- the answer is neither. I am 100% people starving horses AND 100% against people starving to feed horses they spend more then three months trying to rehome for free…. and free horses often end up starving or scarier still end up in rescues that will starve them. Now would I send a horse to slaughter say I lost everything NO, I would after attemptign to place call the vet long before any starved– would I by choice eat horse…. absolutely not but I have traveled and I have interesting friends. So there is a minor change to the SOSER meanign as the rescue is not a main goal anymore, I did the math it is a drain that cannot be funded. I have never been decietful by the way, I have always been honest I am willing to understand both sides and discuss both sides, and publically I stand behind I SEE THE SLOW starvation as worse and I won’t even start on sent to mexico…. I mean seriously we went from inhumane but tollerable bolt gun to Long drives, and a kinife hoping to stab the right part of the spine…. Rescues since you research by the way cannot keep up…..
If you do find anythign remaining on Guidestar from the previous director (basically anything stating any opinion about slaughter) please let me know I missed it as things moved over. I have zero interest in stating my belief nationally with the rescue but everyone here knows full well where i stand.
The screen shot at the bottom of this article are the words of the `director’ of SOSER. They pretty much speak for themselves.
Horse slaughter is NOT a political issue. It is a moral issue. I would NEVER surrender a horse to you nor would I allow a friend to do so. You are NOT what I would call a “rescue.”
Also, our horses are going to the commercial slaughter plants in Mexico that are owned by the same people that owned the Texas plants and they are regulated by the same people as well – the European Union. They are ALL under the same set of rules. They use the captive-bolt which, by the way, I do NOT consider tolerable in any way.
I would shoot my horse myself before I would allow him to go to slaughter OR to you.
No, I do not know who you are that runs the blog. That puts people who are being falsely accused of something at a distinct disadvantage, don’t you agree?
My personal feelings on the issue- I will explain what happened to my last horse, and you can decide. He was a very loved animal and wanted for nothing. He received top notch vet care, on schedule vaccines.. and yet developed West Nile. He was 2300 lbs and we were lifting him up by hand and winch when he was unable to rise on his own. He slowly recovered with expert nursing care. About a year later he began stumbling. Not often, but it came more frequently. He was no longer ridden after his bout with illness as he never seemed up to par. He was just loved. With time our vet figured out he had developed muscular dystrophy because the virus was destroying the myelin sheath on his nerves.
Conventional medicine failed him, I tried holistic and herbal. It finally got to a point that he could not walk properly. He had the “old man shuffle”. To see my gentle friend go from an over a ton beast down to 1800 and then 1700 lbs broke my heart. He could no longer absorb his nutrients due to nerve death.
Horse “friends” told me, He’s worth 50 cents a pound, you’ll make some money if you sell him to the kill barn. I refused, and to this day 5 years later I still won’t speak to them. My gelding was humanely euthanized on September 12. This September will be 5 years. My vet euthanized him under his favorite tree. We buried him the next day with a rented digger. The money I spent for his euthanasia and burial were more than his weary old bones would have brought me at the kill barn.
His death was peaceful and quick and merciful. To this day, I can feel the ground shake as his body hit the ground. He was sedated heavily beforehand but just didn’t want to lie down, knowing it was hard to get back up again.
I have never found another horse that would ever fill his shoes. I never will. I don’t know if I can go through the heartbreak of seeing my best friend dead on the ground in front of me. But I know that his end was peaceful and he was not afraid. He was surrounded with love when he left this world. I wish that every horse in this world had someone that loved them so fiercely. It hurts my heart to know there are horses out there that are not loved. No, I will not send my friend to a place to be killed. No horse should ever suffer that.
If you were at a disadvantage, I would be moderating your comments. I reported on what I had seen and what was sent to me. . Period. Again, I give you respect for coming over here and stating your place and ask that others do the same. Personally, I don’t consort with pro slaughter people. period. It’s so far outside my belief system, that I don’t have time in my life to deal with that kind of evil or hypocrisy. I’ve said nothing about this issue for years until I finally had enough. The only thing I commented on THIS blog about you was that you and the other rescue were regular contributors to pro-slaughter page, which is true. I did not take the screen shot and it isn’t of anything you said anyhow. In fact, as far as your rescue goes, I did say I wasn’t sure if you were 100% pro or not. On issues like this, I tend to let people make up their own minds. You’ve filled in the gaps. the I think you give this blog more credit than it deserves. It isn’t exactly the NY Times….
You see, I think that rather than supply funding to torture horses at slaughter, I’d rather see rescues regulated and gelding and euthanasia subsidized. I’d rather see animal cruelty laws enforced and prosecuted on a regular basis. To bring back slaughter is going to reopen the floodgates of neglect and abuse worse than ever before. NO solution will be 100% successful overnight, but you have to keep pushing forward towards what is right. Not, throw your hands up and pick the path of least resistance. You loved your horse, I get that. But every horse should get a dignified ending. It might not happen in my lifetime, but I’ll keep trying. If it’s not good enough for my horses, I don’t consider it good enough for any horse. It’s your rescue and your business what you think is right and it’s not up to me to tell you what to do. I just comment on what I see.
Thank you, SR, for shining the light on these evil creatures of the dark, the pro-slaughter monsters. PLEASE reveal all names, of rescues supporting slaughter and anyone else doing so. The public must know these truths, must know who is out to scam and make the blood money off these beautiful human oriented animals we call equine. I think the public and, in particular, strong anti-slaughter advocates need to know who is with us and who is against us and against the horse.
Another angle that many fail to consider is that there are all kinds of pro-slaughter trolls in the equine business segment – from clinicians, trainers, saddlemakers, feed dealers to realtors, trailer salesmen, insurance peddlers to artists, musicians and poets. Yes, it’s astounding (-ly stupid!) they advocate for cutting their own market via killing them. But the key point is that advocates need to be aware and then NOT patronize these creeps. They need to be boycotted voraciously. What is the quote: “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”
To buy from them is completely counter-intuitive, self-defeating and makes advocates look like idiots. To boycott them and do so loudly and proudly is nothing more than voting with your dollars, putting your money where your mouth is. Even though this seems as clear as crystal to me, there are a few clinicians and artists/musicians, especially, who seem to retain their popularity (“But he’s a great personality!”) with advocates even though they have made it clear they support slaughter. How stupid is that? Baxter Black is a perfect example of this kind of “cowboy worship” even when he is an evil pro slaughter troll. Sadly, he’s not the only one.
I hope you will continue with your great work here, telling the truth about the slaughter trolls and I hope that you will reveal every name that presents itself – it’s the right thing to do! If they are bold enough to claim it, they deserve it to be widely promoted for the ugliness of their sickening view in support of slaughter.
Footnote: My first comment here and just wanted to say thanks for the chuckles in so many of your posts (over the lunacy of the pro trolls) and for the real heart you share in others. I enjoy reading all of it and see many others do as well.
Frankly, I don’t see how anyone can stand Baxter Black no matter which side of the slaughter fence they’re on. UGH!
I’m not a fan either. It does seem to take a certain kind of mentality to support slaughter though….
KAT.very well said
shedrowconfessions,
Heres where I 100% agree with you, NOTHING leaves here not gelded, nothing here is bred, and mares get a marble that via contract CANNOT be removed. THere has been exception to that with a mare where it was more dangerous to marble her so a lawyer drew up contracts stating the could not breed the horses ever after the marble was removed. There is absolutely nothing that can be done about people who choose to breed the free horses they pick up other then speak to them on it (and I have and I do a lot). Any horse leaving here there is a say, no more breeds from those). The other would be euthananzia, but the numbers there are unbelievable in cost, still a lot better then the slow lingering months of starvation.
The consern is currently horses ship to Mexico which everyone knows is torture. Canada at least has some regulations. The US did have regulations. The numbers would take a while to reduce agreed but it has been slighly over five years and they haven’t even slowed down. My bigger consern is horses becoming huge cats and dogs…. where fifty years of “spay and Nueter” has not worked. It is going that way I can pay less for a registered horse then I could for a dog.
Rescue wise our restructer is simple and has nothign to do with slaughter issues and has everything to do with sheer numbers and humans caught in the middle. As people lose jobs and houses and can’t get rid of horses (it is easier to sell a 500,000 house up here then it is to give away a horse) the only option is put them on craigslist where you risk someone who will starve them taking them, send them to an auction or euthanize them. The other two programs we run stay, we will take Humane Agent cases only rescue wise but we are closed to private owners and dump off (the horses getting dumped in the yard will simply be sheriff department responibility) when I can’t find a resce. Middle ground is interesting with the exception of believing after slaughter ended horse welfare has declined, horribly. Something has to give, even more then yes I belive horses do not deserve salughter they absolutely do not deserve the following deaths and near deaths.
After the show horses reduced value in the current market two horses here were picked up in knee high manure, in a dark barn, starved with 2plus foot long feet. For the poor bay filly her first trip outside in sunlight scared her half to death, the mare seemed relieved.
Two horses found finally by law enforcement AFTER they had staved to the point of beign down 48 hours. One died before the vet got there the other euthanized because the vet said he’s never get back up again.
A horse left in so much filth it’s skin had started to rot……
I never said I agreed or though slaughter was great what I will say is the above is torture that shouldn’t exist or at least shouldn’t be increasing. But I 100% stand behind anything is more humane then the above and if slaughter reduces the above issues it si a necessary evil. Go look at the numbers and do all the math the euthanzia plan would cost millions and government grants already don’t exist for horses.
As for rescue I can’t deal with the numbers at all, not can the board with the waiting list and preventing horses from staving through euthanizing. As I said we are closing to all but Humane Agent emergencies period, and working on the vaible programs that make a difference.
I don’t doubt what you say is true. Where I strongly disagree with you is the reason why. It is not because slaughter was taken away. The same numbers of horses still ship to slaughter every year. They just ship further in some cases. The reason horses are in trouble is the economy crashed just like it did in the dirty 30’s. Go look that up and see what shape a lot of people’s animals were in. It’s horrible, but slaughter didn’t cause this and it’s not going to fix it either.
The Mexican AND Canadian slaughter plants are owned and regulated by the SAME people that owned and regulated our domestic plants. They are run under the SAME rules. All just alike. Ours were just as abominable as the ones in Mexico and Canada – just the same, in fact. I was in Texas at the time we had TWO of them. I saw for myself. Have YOU ever seen a horse slaughter plant at work?
There has been no lack for slaughter for the last 30 years, and still you say the numbers of “starving” horses are going up. I have seen nothing like that in my area, but, even if it IS happening where you are, it has nothing at all to do with slaughter.
Do you know what will happen to any starved horse you manage to get a killer to buy? The slaughter plant will reject the horse – they do NOT use old, sick, crippled or starved horses for human consumption. The plant won’t take this poor horse, so the killers will take him to a remote stretch of road and dump him off to die alone. This is “better” than what? Personally, I think all of you could do better than this. Where are the authorities where people are starving all these horses? Better to hit them in the head with a sledge hammer then what you’re doing.
As for hiding itm a rescue is a business my belief on slaughter has nothing to do with the organization. 501c3 are not owned by individuals but a governing board of directors (who know my beliefs). I can’t promote or unpromote slaughter when what I want is an actual solution….. SO show me a working solution outside of slaughter and I would actually consider it.
Keep in mind I think geldign education is a great idea BUT cross compared to two species where it has been tried over 50 years…… the numbers there do not slow down. It isn’t one that will work.
Mass euthanizing horses yearly was projected in the billions if the Canadian and Mexican border close. I want the Mexican border closed like 30 years ago…. the largest numbers of horses from the US go to Mexico- hours from the Canadian border horses from up here get shipped there….
So, giev me a workign viable solution I want to hear it. Oen that accounts in numbers and the cats and dogs euthanized yearly, the cost and the fact the government does not help with horse related stuff.
Slaughter isn’t a working solution! It’s NOT working now is it? What is wrong with you? Slaughter won’t solve the problem if it hasn’t after 30 years! STOP even thinking about slaughter and maybe you could come up with something. Actually, people HAVE come up with other solutions – when you take slaughter completely off the table, there’s room in your mind for other things.
White Paper on Slaughter Alternatives: http://www.box.com/s/67a22403323dd820a2cc
You DO know don’t you that after July 31 or next year, the EU will stop accepting our horses for slaughter if we’re not on a passport system of our own. They’re getting a bit weary of getting out toxic horses you see. THEN what? If everyone had been thinking of other solutions instead of being fixated on slaughter, slaughter, slaughter, we would be ready for this.
Pet rescues would never consider gassing or heart-sticking their old and sick animals and would never consider having them butchered for food. Why should horse rescue groups be any different from dog and pet rescue groups?
The rescues that are pro-slaughter should be revealed. I donate and would be horrified if I donated to one that was in fact pro-slaughter. I need to know. Please name them. They have slit there own throat, not you.
they have both commented on here and made their statements so you can decide for yourself.
OK, I read the comments. Thank you for naming the rescues that commented. I am glad I have never donated to either one, nor will I ever. I appreciate the good they have done but there are a lot more rescues out there that need help and I prefer to keep my hard earned money with like minds. I would not be slumming and chumming on the all pro-slaughter pages and I demand that of any rescue I help, if they want my money. I work too dang hard for my money and for our equines.
Like I said before they slit their own throat. They have absolutely no room to complain. You did nothing wrong. And everything right!
Our rescue was falsely accused of being pro-slaughter. Your blog owner even said they didn’t know for sure what our position was, but felt free to “name names”. I was alerted to this possible case of libel, and I came here and addressed what was being said. I gave my personal email address so that people could contact me if they had questions. I think our track record speaks for itself.
Yes, I personally- NOT our rescue- I personally am on pro, anti, and other horse groups and blogs. There is nothing wrong with that. I want to see what the other side is “up to”. I want to network with other horse people to work to find viable, humane solutions to the problems facing equines today and tomorrow. I do not feel that killing unwanted animals is the solution, because there will never be an end to the flow if we don’t slow down breeding. We need free gelding clinics and we need effective, cheap methods of sterilizing mares. In our area it costs over 1000.00 to sterilize a mare, which is out of reach for most horse owners.
You can donate to whomever you choose ridernthestorm. I’m not asking you to donate to us. I would prefer that you keep your hard earned money and use it to pamper your own equines.
How much does it cost to place a marble in that mare? That would do about the same and most backyard breeders aren’t going to know enough or bother to find out whey the mare can’t conceive. It’s a pretty simple alternative to spaying a mare.
I also think you need to read what I wrote fairly carefully. I stated more than once I was unsure if you were truly 100% Pro, but that you did spend the majority of your time on those pages, which is true. I have never seen you comment on the anti pages at all. Like I said, you give this blog way too much credit as far as influence goes. I’m not the NY Times.
Trying to get the “slaughter is inhumane and evil” point across to some people is like pounding sand. It still amazes me how a rescue can reconcile in their mind that slaughter is a necessary evil. To me, their point is no different than people who convince themselves that the skeletons in their barn are being taken care of even though they never buy feed.
I for one would appreciate knowing if a rescue was pro slaughter. I do horse rescue myself and have for many years. I send donations to other rescues when I can and would never send one penny to a rescue who supported slaughter
I wouldn’t either. With more and more popping out of the woodwork, people need to ask these questions before they support them. The vast majority of rescue do not support slaughter and the more support we can give them, the better.
Oh my I just shared. I am positively irate!
No horse “rescue” should support horse slaughter, period. They exist as an alternative to slaughter which is why they are advertised and supported as such. To have the best interest in mind of the horse is their mission statement and slaughter is never a “best” anything. Any organization claiming to be a reputable rescue; that runs as a “non-profit” and offers to provide services funded by donations is expected to be anti-slaughter or people would not support them if they found out to the contrary.