John B asked:
Idiotic California law says ‘cannot sell it for food’. Used to be at least good for pet food. Better than the poisoned pet food from China. They are too big to just bury. (What a waste of good protein). Too polluting and expensive to burn. Would some of these bleeding heart animal lovers like to take on the care and maintenance of these unwanted horses?
Many SPCA & humane societies will take in unwanted horses and help find them new homes (even if just as a pasture companion).
Comment by paintedrain2 — July 23, 2008 @ 11:12 am
Find a local rescue and I am more then sure they will take it. There were 3 slaughter houses in the USA but they at this moment are shut down. Look for a local rescue. If the horse is safe they can probably give it to someone who needs a good starter horse or a companion horse.
Good Luck.
Comment by ERICA-LYNN — July 26, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
Let it run free …………..to enjoy what life is left.
Comment by robert — July 27, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
I agree. Find a rescue. If that isn’t an option, have your vet euthanize humanely. Better than being unwanted with no place to go and dying a slow horrible death.
Comment by cms121979 — July 29, 2008 @ 1:22 am
i agree to the rescue….
Comment by Aliza D — August 1, 2008 @ 12:20 am
yes let it run free…..so it can starve to death, or dehyrate and die because it cant find a water source on its own because it has been domesticated so much that it depends on humans, or get hit by a truck or something… that is a freaking INTELIGENT IDEA!!…NOT! Since you cannot sell it for food, I’d say take it to an auction and sell it there, I’m sure somebody will want to buy it. If you take it to a rescue league or something they probably will take it, but just keep in mind the more unwanted horses that are around that cannot be slaughtered are going to cost us tax payers to keep their unwanted asses alive. I love horses and I have horses but I dont want to be paying for horses that arn’t mine.
Comment by wenchgirl04 — August 2, 2008 @ 5:57 am
Options:
1) If the horse is un-hurt (meaning: doesn’t need to be put down due to perm injury or disease) the horse should be given to a family (sold or for free) that would care for him or her. Whether that is a grandchild’s horse (if gentle), a working horse (for ranch for example) or a back yard horse (old age and has freedom of pasture).
2) If the horse is injured beyond hope (twisted gut or sever rotation/founder for example), best is to put the horse to sleep. Which majority of vets do cremation. Some by owners request, can gain a license or waiver to place horse in a pet cemetary or burrial (illegal or legally). Just need a backhoe pretty much.
Comment by Mutchkin — August 4, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
glue used to be an option, i dont know what they do now, but it takes a stupid person to not buy a horse for the long run, no pun intended, but what did they think was going to happen? they didnt think, so the horse suffers because of stupid people. they can also be used for glue.
Comment by chris l — August 5, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
You know, I may not have an answer, but I certainly do feel for you. The stupid “bleeding heart animal lovers,” who I might add, have accomplished f-ing up the horse-slaughter industry, should be the ones to pay for its new home. Take it to a sale barn if you can. Like has been said, I’ll be helping pay for your unwanted horse — and all the others in America — so do whatever you deem proper. Those unwanted horses are going to cost the taxpayers over $500million every year, if I remember right. Feel free to check with the AVMA or the USDA or the Animal Welfare Council. They’ll tell you. (below) Check your laws about euthanasia. A bullet will cost you about $0.45. A vet will cost you about $300. Good luck, but nobody can say we didn’t warn people about shutting down the slaughter industry. Now THAT was a bad idea.
Comment by David S — August 6, 2008 @ 3:51 am
Don’t complain to us- I completely agree with you. The majority of horse owners (the ones that have to pay for their horses that is) are completely for the slaughter houses- they suck, yes, but are an ugly truth that we need, or there will be feral horses running around in cities, half starved and diseased, passing it on to other neighboring healthy horses.
As for those who say euthanisia is always an option- no it isn’t. We just picked up some free horses because the owner did not have enough money to euthanize- and no one would take a free horse because they were not ridden for 3 yrs or so (she is a friend of the family, so we are taking them to our land and training them). It is roughly $200-400 to euthanize and get a horse picked up by the rendering truck. If someone fell on hard times, they can not afford the 400 per horse with 5 or 6 horses.
Comment by Danielle B — August 9, 2008 @ 9:01 am
Well I had to euthanize my horse two years ago. He had a horrible heart murmur and was 32 years old (ancient for a horse). To dispose of his body there is a woman in the area where I live who removes dead livestock and I am pretty sure they cremate them. Not a pretty process because they are so huge. I have worked with horses my whole life and I am a veterinary technician, going to school for my DVM or MD (undecided). There are plenty of horse refuges for old horses. Look online or go to Livestock feed stores or horse tack stores and put up posters to see if a family would want one for their little child. Depending on how old the horse is you could donate them to UC Davis. They have a physical therapy program that involves horses being used to help people with scoliosis, or other severe diseases to help them build muscle mass while riding! It’s an awesome program!:) I would leave putting them to sleep as a last resort since there are sooooo many people who would love to have an older horse, if they are old. But, definitely check out all of the programs, refuges, retirement pastures, and put up posters!:) Call your local Large Animal Vet, they will really now what to do with them. They have lots of connections with horse people
and sometimes they might take them off your hands. Do they have any health problems? Email me, and I can give you some names. Hope everything works out well for you and your horses:)
Comment by keely — August 12, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
There are several horse rescues that take in “unwanted” horses. A lot of times these animals are grand company for working horses, and often times make great pleasure riding animals.
Comment by aerosmithluvin — August 12, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
oh yer… y not kill the horse? kill an inocent little animal who has no voice to speak for itsself. NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! just keep it in ur paddock and every now and again just lead it for a trot around the paddock to excersise it. i dont no y anyone would even think of slaughtering their horses. just think about it… a horse is a walking, breathing, blinking animal just like you and me and i dont think people should have the right to kill 1, or any animal for that matter!!!and how would you like it when you grow old?how would you like it if people abandoned you? how would you lke it if someone killed you just because you were old???
PEOPLE SHOULD CLEAN UP THEIR ACT AND STOP SLAUGHTERING ANIMALS!!!!!AND THE BLOODY GOVERNMENT (I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA) SHOULD BAN IT TOTALLY!!!
well thats my say,
from a person who thinks people are stupid if they slaughter innocent animals!!:(
Comment by glenworth_horsegal — August 14, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
Horrid person. If you don’t want the animal, advertise it as a free horse to good home. Alot of people would want it and would give it a good home and not think of it as a thing to be discarded and killed when no longer wanted.
Comment by WENDY S — August 15, 2008 @ 2:05 pm