Adventures With Indy
"The love for a horse is just as complicated as the love for another human being... If you never love a horse, you will never understand."
~ Author Unknown
Videos
3/16/08
The Gift
Matt is not only an excellent farrier, he's a great friend, and he only lives about ten minutes away. Over the years that he's taken care of my horses, we've come to know each other very well, and we discuss everything under the sun.
Friday we got talking about the whole slaughter/unwanted horses/owner responsibility thing. We agree that slaughter is not - or at least it shouldn't be - the answer to "unwanted" horses. We've both felt for a long time that owner responsibility - or the lack thereof - is the root cause of all these surplus horses, and that's what needs to be addressed. Owner education is the only real and humane solution.
Then Matt said something that I'll never forget. He said that we - that is, horse owners - seem to have forgotten what wonderful gifts our horses offer - the gift of riding them; the gift of working with them; the gift of just watching them; the gift of smelling their breath.
I think it was that last one that got to me the most, because it is a gift, just to smell their warm, sweet breath. I know many of you horse lovers know exactly what we mean.
What then is our responsibility to these unsurpassed creatures who give us so much? Is it - as Matt and I think - to keep our horses for the rest of their natural lives, or, failing that, make sure they go to a good home? At the end of their lives, is it our responsibility to ensure that they have a peaceful and painless exit from this world?
Or, is it okay to "dispose" of a horse that can't/won't fulfill the purpose we envisioned on purchase in any way available? Should we sell them to anyone who will meet our price without regard to what that person might have in mind for them? Should we send them to slaughter - with all it's attendant frightful possibilities - instead of providing them with euthanasia by a veterinarian? And, if slaughter is the best we feel we can do for our horses at the end of their "useful" lives, should we ever have owned them at all?
I've already stated my own opinions about these questions. I offer this post as food for thought.
2/27/08
Equine Protection Network - Horse Transport Information
www.EquineProtectio
February 26, 2008
Horse Transport Information:
http://www.equinepr
IL & MD Horse Transport Laws
The IL Horse Transport Law passed its first committee hearing on
Thursday, February 21, 2007 unanimously with the amendment removing
the language that would have created the same loophole that Arlow
Kiehl used in NY to avoid arrest and enter into plea agreements with
lower fines until NY closed the loophole.
Please send your support and appreciation to Representative JoAnn
Osmond, (R) for introducing this long overdue legislation that will
protect the first responders who had to enter that double deck
trailer to remove the horses, and the horses themselves who are
forced to travel in trailers that are not designed, safety tested or
manufactured to transport horses.
Rep JoAnn Osmond,201-N Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
************
Court Date for IL Horse Crash
Keith O. Tongen, 49, Minnesota is charged with four Class A
misdemeanor animal cruelty charges and one Class B misdemeanor animal
owner duties violation charge. With possible penalties of one year in
prison and $1,000 in fines. The animal owner duties violation carries
a penalty of six months in the Lake County Jail.
The accident occurred Oct. 27, 2006 when a double deck trailer
hauling 59 draft horses from Indiana through Wadsworth, Ill. to
Minnesota overturned. A total of 17 horses died, either on the scene
or within days of the event due to accident-related injuries. The
remaining surviving horses were adopted.
The EPN urges supporters to attend the court proceedings to
demonstrate support for the prosecution of those responsible for the
horses being transported in a trailer not designed or manufactured
for horses.
The EPN is aware of crashes involving doubles in Colorado,
Connecticut, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
and Canada. In at least one of the crashes, two people died as a
result of the crash. The common denominator is the fact that these
trailers are often overloaded and top heavy when carrying horses.
************
MD Horse Transport Law of 2006 Bans Double Deck Trailers- Cards
Available!
The MD Horse Transport Law of 2006 bans the use of double deck
trailers to transport horses and also specifies other safety
regulations regarding the transport of horses. The Equine Protection
Network has added MD Horse Transport Law Cards to our website in
addition to the NY, PA, and VT cards already available.
MD Horse Transport Law:
http://www.equinepr
ml
(File ends in "html" Copy & paste entire link into your browser)
The EPN urges the public to download a card and carry it in your car
so that if you see a double deck trailer with horses inside you have
a place to write down the license plate, location of the trailer,
description of the trailer to provide to 911 operators.
Three Hills Rodeo, Bernard, Iowa has a rodeo scheduled in July at the
Cecil County Fairgrounds in Fair Hill, MD. This same company's
drivers pled guilty and paid $5000.00 in fines in 2005 for violating
the PA Horse Transport Law. The EPN hopes that Three Hills does not
plan on violating the MD Horse Transport Law.
The EPN is at the Reading Horse and Pet Expo March 14 – 16th at the
Greater Reading Expo Center. The EPN has hooded sweatshirts and
hoodies supporting HR 503 available along with Save America's Horses
License Plate Holders. See you at the Expo!
www.horseandpetexpo
###
Christine Berry
Equine Protection Network
www.SaveAmericasHor
www.HoofPAC.
2/24/08
The Reality of Horse Slaughter - Graphic Video!
NOT recommended for children
I have decided, after much debate, to put this video on my blog. I intend for this blog to be G rated, and this video is certainly not that. Actually, I've seen even more graphic videos of horses on the kill floor, but there's no way I can stand to post those. This one is quite enough to convince anyone that the captive bolt is not humane when used on horses.
Please use discretion.
2/8/08
STOLEN HORSE ALERTS
Butler County - Jan. 13, 2008
Gunnar was sold at the Rushville IN auction on Jan. 15, 2008, for
$475. Gunnar is TERRIFIED of arenas, but he's a great trail horse!
Also ... pic of brand
Download flyer and get more info here:
http://www.netposse
Debi Metcalfe
Stolen Horse International, Inc. www.netposse.
704-484-2165
reply: stolenhorse@
NetPosse.com Idaho Alert - GA - Missing Black TWH Mare - Bartow
County - Dec. 31, 2007
Missing Black TWH Mare New Year's Eve
POSSIBLY STOLEN - Did someone take Star New Year's Eve and is afraid
to return her? It happened to Empty Glass last year! Did someone find
her and not know where she belongs?
Print flyer and get more info here:
http://www.netposse
Don't forget to contact the owner to show your support...a few words
means more than you know.
Debi Metcalfe
Stolen Horse International, Inc. www.netposse.
704-484-2165
reply: stolenhorse@
NetPosse.com Idaho Alert - OK - STOLEN Arab & Morgan (preg) Mares -
Stillwater - 1/26/08
Woman desperately searches for her horses - A Payne County woman is
desperately searching for her beloved horses. She said they were
stolen right off her land, while she was in the hospital fighting the
battle of her life. Stolen from owner who was in hospital...fighting
cancer in her liver. Watch the video below and be sure to write to
her and let her know she has your support. She is emotionally
devastated!
Print flyer, Linda's contact info and get more pictures here:
http://www.netposse
TWO MORE STOLEN OKLAHOMA HORSES!Bay mare is PREGNANT! Due in March!
Maggie, a grey Arabian mare, and Dharma, a bay Morgan mare, were
stolen from their owner's pasture.
Channel 9 did a story on the early and late news Friday. Please take
a look quick as we are not sure how long the link below will be good.
You will not be able to forget this sweet woman.
http://www.news9.
clipId1=2155853&
orses&d1=121834&
=homepage&clipForma
3A//www.news9.
3D2155853%26at1%
3DWoman+desperately
3Dwww.news9.
26clipFormat%
Don't forget to email Linda, and let her know she has your support!
She really needs it.
Debi Metcalfe
Stolen Horse International, Inc. www.netposse.
704-484-2165
reply: stolenhorse@
NetPosse.com Idaho Alert - FL - Stolen Qrtr Horse & 4 Party Ponies
w/Trailer - Jan 10, 2008
Please forward if you know anyone in the lower states....these horses
could be anywhere.
This Dapple Grey gelding and 4 Party Ponies were stolen along with a
trailer on Jan. 10, 2008.
There has to be another vehicle involved, possible a tractor-trailer
rig, as the stolen trailer could not accommodate all these equines.
See pictures and print flyer and get more info here:
http://www.netposse
tm
Debi Metcalfe
Stolen Horse International, Inc. www.netposse.
704-484-2165
reply: stolenhorse@
NetPosse.com IDAHO Alert: 2 QH's Reported Stolen from Henry County VA
12/12/07 - AQHA Chestnut Gelding, Sonny, and Chestnut QH/Appaloosa
Mare
These horses could easily be in NC, VA, SC or WV.
Please send this to your friends and post a flyer everywhere you can.
Print Flyer/pictures/
http://www.netposse
Sue Harris needs your help. She is not presently in VA it is possible
her horses may not be either. Unfortunately the horses didn't choose
to leave. Perhaps you or someone you know unknowingly witnessed the
following. Please help Sue. Pass this on to your friends and ask them
to do the same. You can see from the pictures that these horses were
loved by those we love most...children.
Possible Lead: Two sightings of 1-2 young men walking horse(s) along
Highway 687 between 7:30-8 PM between Dillons Fork and Valley Drive,
and later between 9:30-10 PM between Orchard Drive and Stones Dairy.
Horses were walked out of property--only one entrance so they had to
have come down the driveway onto 609 and then gone left onto 687 at T-
intersection.
Reply to Owner: (on page link above) or email:
respondtous@
Reply to this email: stolenhorse@
NetPosse.com IDAHO ALERT: 3 AQHA Reining/team penning horses stolen
FL 12/12/07
Harley, Missy and Perky Reining ~ from Frostproof, FL
My grandson needs his horses back for Christmas. Can you help? Please
send this to your friends and post a flyer everywhere you can.
"My name is Perrin Ivey. My horses were stolen Wednesday 12/12/07.
Someone rode onto my property on another horse, got my 3 horses, cut
my fence at the back of my pasture, cut another fence and took them
about 1 ½ to 2 miles to the road and put them onto a trailer. My 10
y/o grandson who competed on and enjoyed these horses is devastated.
All three are finished Team Penning / Sorting horses that my 11 y/o
and I ride. Pleasepost and forward to anyone that may be able to
help. A reward is available for information leading to there return.
Thank you and God bless " -- Perrin Ivey
Flyer/pictures/
http://www.netposse
Reply to: Owner (on page link above) or stolenhorse@
Debi Metcalfe
Stolen Horse International, Inc.
PO Box 1341
Shelby, NC 28151
704-484-2165
www.netposse.
------------
NetPosse.com Stolen Horse Alerts for Stolen/Missing Horses and
more ...
A stolen horse could be a long distance in a short time period.
Please pass this to your associations, list groups, council members,
friends and ask them to do the same. If you put information on your
website please link the info to NetPosse.com. SHI will be updating
information and has the only flyer ready to print and post for those
who want to help. The Internet is great for spreading the word but
success stories show that most horse are found from a flyer. Thank
you very much for your generosity in helping these victims. -- Debi
Metcalfe , President--Stolen Horse International.
1/31/08
Tagged!
These are the rules – Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Post 7 random or weird facts about yourself on your blog. Then tag 7 people and link to them. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.
The problem is, I don't know 7 more bloggers! Here goes with the stuff about me anyway - that is if I can think of any thing interesting...
1. I'm left handed
2. I'm dyslexic
3. I was a Girl Scout
4. I had my right hip totally replaced in 1998
5. I've met James Garner
6. my favorite hobby after horses is computers
7. I wanted to be an astrophysicist but I'm not that good in math. I still love astronomy and cosmology though
Okay, that's the facts about me, but honest folks, I don't know anyone to tag. My online friends are mostly all in discussion groups, and they don't blog.
1/25/08
The Debate Rages On
Horse Slaughter
Prepared by
Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) is a group of veterinarians committed to equine welfare, and as such we support measures to end horse slaughter including passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503). We are concerned about misinformation being transmitted to Congress and the broader public regarding horse slaughter. VEW believes that certain veterinary professional associations that are actively promoting horse slaughter are undermining our profession's integrity and the welfare of the horses we care for. In so doing these organizations, of which many of us are members, erroneously purport to speak for our entire profession. Veterinarians should put animal welfare at the top of their list of priorities, not relegate it to an also-ran concern.
Horse slaughter has never been considered by veterinary professionals to be a form of euthanasia. Congress and the general public must hear from veterinarians that horse slaughter is not and should not be equated with humane euthanasia. Rather, the slaughtering of horses is a brutal and predatory business that promotes cruelty and neglect and which claimed the lives of more than 100,000 American horses in 2007.
Given that the debate on horse slaughter is at a crucial juncture with the recent closure of the remaining domestic horse slaughter plants under state law, the surge in horses going to a grisly death in Canada and Mexico, and the opportunity currently before Congress to end the suffering of America's horses through speedy passage of the federal American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, VEW is compelled to inject its expertise into the arena. This White Paper will, from a professional veterinary perspective, address key points on the issue of horse slaughter and in so doing will lend further credence to calls for a rapid end to this wholly brutal and un-American trade.
1. Horse Slaughter is not humane euthanasia
It is the united opinion of VEW that horse slaughter is inhumane, and that it is an unacceptable way to end a horse's life under any circumstance. One need only observe horse slaughter to see that it is a far cry from genuine humane euthanasia. From the transport of horses on inappropriate conveyances for long periods of time without food, water or rest to the very ugly slaughter process in which horses react with pain and fear, no evidence exists to support the claim that horse slaughter is a form of humane euthanasia. Rather, it is a brutal process that results in very tangible and easily observable equine suffering.
It is worth noting that the suffering of horses in slaughter is accentuated by the very fact that they are not raised for slaughter. Horses going to slaughter have largely been accustomed to close human contact whether through racing, ranch work, pleasure riding, rodeo or any of the other ways in which horses are used in this country. While some are purposely sold into slaughter by their owners most end up at the abattoir through pure bad luck: they were sold at auction and the winning bidder was a �killer-buyer� working for one of the slaughter plants. To suddenly be treated as pure livestock must be disorienting and frightful, and can only compound their suffering as they proceed to slaughter.
We believe that it is an unethical and dangerous practice for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to attempt to equate horse slaughter with humane euthanasia.
2. Transport of horses to slaughter compounds equine suffering
Despite the presence of federal regulations governing the transport of horses to slaughter,[1] horses continue to suffer immeasurably en route to slaughter. Current regulations are paltry, allowing for horses to be transported for more than 24 hours without food, water or rest. Heavily pregnant mares can be moved to slaughter, as can horses with broken limbs or who are blind in one eye. Further, the regulations only cover the final leg of the journey, so slaughter-bound horses moved from auction to feedlot, for instance, are not covered by the rule.
The much touted (by the U.S. Department of Agriculture) ban on the use of double-decker vehicles to haul horses to slaughter only came into effect in December of 2006, despite pressure from welfare advocates to implement the ban with the final rule, which went into effect in early 2002 (the "double-decker ban" was phased in so as not to unduly impact the slaughter industry financially). Further and most significantly, because the ban only applies to the final leg of the journey to slaughter as previously mentioned, haulers can still move slaughter-bound horses across the country on double-deck conveyances designed for cattle and pigs and need only switch to single-deck trailers before arriving at the slaughter plant. Loading and unloading onto the rigs is stressful and injurious as horses must immediately go either up or down a relatively steep ramp to access one of the two floors. Because the trailers are divided into two levels and thus have low ceilings, many horses are unable to stand fully upright and are forced to travel in a bent position.
Not only are double-deck trailers inhumane, they are dangerous due to their high center of gravity. Numerous heart-wrenching and lethal accidents have occurred in recent years in which double-deck trailers were carrying horses to a middle-point along the route to slaughter. The results were grisly and absolutely avoidable.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now seeking to broaden the scope of the transport regulations to cover all legs of the journey to slaughter but it is too little too late, particularly given that the domestic horse slaughter plants have been shuttered.
3. Use of Captive-Bolt in Horse Slaughter Wholly Unacceptable
The use of the captive-bolt gun, which is commonly used in the slaughter of livestock (including horses), has been a point of great contention in the debate on horse slaughter. Because it can theoretically be used by a veterinarian - in specific circumstances � to euthanize horses, the AVMA has tried to equate its use in the slaughterhouse with humane euthanasia. To clarify, the captive-bolt gun is a mechanical method by which, in ideal circumstances, animals can be rendered immediately unconscious (not killed) through a quick blow to the brain by a metal bolt prior to actual slaughter. However, in order for the method to work as intended, the captive bolt must be administered properly. According to the AVMA's own guidelines, the head of the animal to which the captive bolt is being applied must be restrained[2] or still and a highly skilled individual ought to administer the fatal blow. In the slaughterhouse none of these best case scenarios are in place: the horse is most likely panicked, its head is unrestrained, and the person administering the captive bolt is a low-paid worker who is expected to move horses through the kill line at high speed. Herein lays the controversy surrounding the use of the captive bolt in horse slaughter.
In its 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia, the AVMA rates the use of the captive bolt to euthanize horses as �acceptable�. However, it is the opinion of VEW professionals that this categorization was based on studies conducted on species other than equine. No studies are cited in the 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia that any scientific research has ever been conducted to determine the humaneness or efficacy of the captive bolt gun for use specifically on horses.
Further review finds that within the 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia denoted reference #112-- Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), Guidelines for Humane Slaughter and Euthanasia. Australian Veterinary Journal 1987:64:4-7 is contradictory to the opinion of the AVA reference itself.
The Australian Veterinary Association clearly states the following:
Horses:
Abattoirs--- "An adequate caliber firearm or a humane killer may be used to render the horse unconscious for bleeding. The captive bolt pistol is not satisfactory for horses since firm pressure on the forehead is essential for its effective use and this tends to be resisted by the horse. This problem applies to a lesser extent with the humane killer".
Therefore, it is the united conclusion of VEW professionals that the captive bolt should be deemed "conditionally acceptable" and used only in emergency (non-slaughter) situations where no other option exists to humanely end a horse�s suffering or when advanced circulatory dysfunction might diminish the efficiency of chemical euthanasia. Even then it must be administered properly. When used in the slaughter context it is not equitable with humane euthanasia.
4. Horses stabbed to death in Mexican slaughter plants
Recent investigations by the San Antonio News-Express[3] reveal that the use of the "puntilla knife" on horses prior to slaughter is common practice in Mexican slaughter plants. Footage shows horses being repeatedly stabbed in the neck with these knives prior to slaughter. Such a barbaric practice does not render the horse unconscious, it simply paralyzes the animal. The horse is still fully conscious at the start of the slaughter process during which the animal is hung by a hind leg, its throat slit and its body butchered.
5. Unfounded claims that banning horse slaughter will lead to an increase in equine abandonment and neglect
No increase in the abandonment or neglect of horses has been documented since the closure of the three domestic slaughter plants in the earlier part of 2007. This is not unsurprising. The horse slaughter business is not providing a service for the disposal of �unwanted� horses, but rather is preying on largely healthy, marketable horses[4] that might otherwise be used for more productive purposes. Several "news" reports surfaced in late 2007 claiming to show an increase in abandonment, but all have proven false. In fact, an article in the Oregonian quotes a local law enforcement officer regarding nine new cases of abandonment. When contacted the officer has denied any knowledge of the claims. A similar story in Kentucky was exposed as a hoax[5].
In fact, when the number of horses going to slaughter declined by nearly 90 percent between the early 1990s and the early 2000s there was no correlating increase in abandoned or neglected horses.[6] To the contrary, the temporary closure of the Cavel plant in Illinois between 2002 and 2004 resulted in a decline in equine abuse and neglect cases.[7]
6. Horse slaughter does not provide a humane service for "unwanted" horses
The entire argument that horses that go to slaughter are unwanted is unfounded. Instead, the horse slaughter industry exists solely because a profit stands to be made in fulfilling gourmet demand in foreign countries for horseflesh. Where there is a market demand it will be supplied by market forces, in this case by unscrupulous companies and individuals who stand to profit off the slaughter of American horses. For example, when the three remaining horse slaughter plants were operating in the US, Cavel International imported horses from Canada for slaughter in order to fill their demand.
7. The promotion of genuine humane euthanasia for "unwanted" horses is absent from the repertoire of the pro-horse slaughter lobby
Proponents of horse slaughter paint the industry as a humane service by which "unwanted" horses can be disposed of. It is hard to believe that most veterinarians faced with a client who has a horse that is old, sick or otherwise no longer wanted would suggest that the horse in question should be stuck on a truck and hauled thousands of miles to slaughter. Instead, the veterinarian would most likely suggest truly humane euthanasia via chemical injection, after which the carcass can be buried, incinerated, sent to landfill or rendered.[8] The absolute absence of the subject of actual humane euthanasia from the agenda of the pro-horse slaughter lobby on Capitol Hill, including the AVMA, is stunning and telling.
Yet while the AVMA's contention that horse slaughter is a form of humane euthanasia is used on Capitol Hill by slaughter proponents to block passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, the AVMA does not even advocate slaughter as a form of euthanasia to the general public. To point, the association�s brochure on equine euthanasia, ("How do I know it is time?: Equine Euthanasia"), speaks only of veterinarian-administered euthanasia, not slaughter, and states:
"Perhaps the kindest thing you can do for a horse that is extremely ill, severely injured, lame, or dangerous is to have your veterinarian induce its death quickly and humanely through euthanasia. Your decision to have your horse euthanatized is a serious one, and is seldom easy to make." [9]
The AVMA and other pro-horse slaughter advocates appear to be advancing a dual message: to their clients the use of chemical euthanasia as the only option, but on Capitol Hill they advocate captive bolt as the preferred method of "euthanasia."
8. Cost of euthanasia
The average cost of having a horse humanely euthanized by a veterinarian and their body disposed of is approximately $225, a relative drop in the bucket compared to the monthly and overall cost of keeping a horse. It is VEW's contention that this expense is simply a part of responsible horse ownership and one that most horse owners already bear without any reluctance.
9. Proper disposal of horse carcasses no longer slaughtered
Pro-horse slaughter organizations have argued that an end to horse slaughter and the supposed need to dispose of an estimated 100,000 horses each year will result in environmental damage. This argument is flawed on two fronts.
First, it is assumed that all horses currently going to slaughter would need to be disposed of by some other method if horse slaughter were prohibited. As stated earlier most horses going to slaughter are in good condition and are marketable for other purposes[10]. Even assuming all horses currently going to slaughter would need to be mortally disposed of, the impact would be insignificant. A generally accepted rate of mortality among livestock in a given year is 5 - 10%. Therefore, based on the 9.2 million horses currently in the US, 460,000 - 920,000 die naturally or are euthanized each year without notable impact. On the face of this situation, another 1 or 100,000 horses will make no significant impact.
Secondly and an even more compelling in dismissing this argument is the fact that in the overall picture of livestock disposal, horses aren't even a blip on the screen. According to a study commissioned by the National Renderers Association[11] in which no mention of horses was made, almost 3.5 billion pounds of livestock and poultry mortalities were reported in 2000. During that same year, the US based horse slaughter facilities slaughtered 47,134 horses. Had all of these horses been disposed of by non-slaughter methods resulting in the need to dispose of approximately 47,134,000 pounds of matter (based on an average weight per horse of 1,000 pounds), this would have represented a measly 1.3% increase in the total livestock and poultry mortalities that year.
Conclusion
Horse slaughter is not a form of humane euthanasia, nor is it a "necessary evil." The horse slaughter industry is a predatory one that exists only because there is a profit to be made by fulfilling consumer demand in overseas markets for horse flesh. Rather than aiding horse welfare, as slaughter proponents contend, horse slaughter results in very tangible animal cruelty and suffering while engendering abuse and neglect. Currently, horse owners have a choice of what to do at the end of their horse's life - pay to do the right thing or be paid to do the wrong thing. In promoting horse slaughter as a form of humane euthanasia, professional veterinary associations do a disservice to the animals they are meant to care for. For these reasons, VEW supports an end to horse slaughter and advocates quick passage of The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503).
Updated January 2008