Katharen

by Kathare
(Lake Leelanau, MI)

I own 5 horses currently and have had horses my whole life. Six years ago we started a horse rescue in Northern Michigan. Sixty animals were seized from an individual. From that point on I have been active in the rescue area. We are currently still looking for homes for some of these horses.

I have struggled with the slaughter houses in the US and have come to the conclusion that they are a necessary evil. They need to be monitored and the horses must be treated humanly and separated. I have seen horses staved to death because owners cannot afford them and just turn them out back to die or worse they just let them go an together.
There are just not enough rescues to deal with the over abundance of horses.

Until we can stop the irresponsible backyard breeders and the practices of the race tracks we will always have an abundance of horses. Horses should be bread for a specific market or new owner. We need to stop breading horses that are substandard with bad traits both physically and mentally, or just to experience the birthing of a horse in the backyard for the kids to see. I would rather the horses be slaughtered in this country under our vigilant eye. I believe that to be more humane than the horses getting shipped to Mexico and Canada.

We cannot stop the slaughter, but what we can do is control it and give our dear friends the dignity they deserve.