In reviewing
the position paper the American Association of
Equine Practitioners sent to members of Congress
regarding HR 857, The American Horse Slaughter
Protection Act, stating that horse slaughter was
"a necessary aspect of the equine industry," I
would ask that the organization's members
consider the following:
In 2003, the news of the untimely death of
Ferdinand in a Japanese slaughterhouse shook the
racing world to its very core. Cries of outrage
are still being heard wherever horse lovers
express their views, and the terror and
suffering Ferdinand undoubtedly endured in a
slaughterhouse sparked profound soul searching
throughout the racing community. Like Exceller
before him, Ferdinand's manner of death has
contributed tremendously to the growing
political momentum to protect all American
horses from such a fate. This could be
accomplished with the passage of HR 857.
If the AAEP believes the slaughter of horses
is humane you may ask why the manner in which
Ferdinand was put to death was so appalling to
the racing world. The answer is quite simple;
the American public understands implicitly that
humane euthanasia means death by lethal
injection and not being bludgeoned into
unconsciousness by a captive bolt in a
slaughterhouse.
The American public is not the least confused
about the consequences of administering these
two very different means of rendering death.
They understand that the horse, a highly
intelligent animal, dies fighting for his life
in the slaughterhouse instead of peacefully
passing by tranquilizers administered in a
stress-free environment. How the American
Association of Equine Practitioners, you who are
entrusted by the American public to protect the
welfare of horses, could fail to make this
distinction and equate death in a slaughterhouse
with humane euthanasia, is nothing short of
remarkable.
It is clear that the overwhelming majority of
Americans, whenever they have an opportunity to
express their preferences, choose euthanasia by
lethal injection as the only acceptable means of
death for the animal that has partnered with
them to build this country. No opinion poll has
ever shown evidence to the contrary. Horses are
raised solely for recreational and aesthetic
value in the United States, and to tolerate the
butchering of American horses for consumption in
foreign countries is a betrayal of our American
values.
I find the apology for horse slaughter put
forth in the AAEP position paper specious in
declaring that funding is not available for
placing all of the unwanted or confiscated
horses with rescue groups. No one could
responsibly suggest that all aged, unwanted, or
infirm horses should be cared for in sanctuaries
or should become charges of public money. The
benefit of HR 857 is not that all horses should
be cared for ad infinitum, but that their manner
of death should be swift and merciful.
It has been empirically demonstrated that in
California, where the transportation of horses
for slaughter has been outlawed since 1998, that
no loads of horses have been confiscated and
placed into protective custody. Should the
remaining slaughter facilities in Texas be
closed, the costly vaccinations, Coggins test,
and health certification legally required to
move horses over national boundaries would
effectively remove the marginal profits to be
made by smuggling horses into Canada or Mexico.
The specter raised by the AAEP of thousands
of neglected horses draining public funds simply
exceeds credulity. Slaughter statistics have
dropped from 360,000 annually in the late 1980s
to well below 50,000 today; all registry's foal
crops have remained relatively constant, and
humane complaints nationally have not risen.
By opposing HR 857 the AAEP has demonstrated
it is grossly out of touch with the demographics
of horse ownership as well as the ethics and
belief systems of its clientele and the American
public. Please uphold the faith entrusted in
your organization and come to the table to work
with responsible horse owners to truly protect
the welfare of the American horse by ending
slaughter in our nation.
PRISCILLA CLARK is the president of
Tranquility Farm, a California locale for
retired and adoptable Thoroughbreds.
