Context Statement 1

Horse Slaughter may have been banned in the U.S. back in 2007, but there are still people that are engaging in it. The horse meat is still desired in foreign countries and that is why the slaughter continues. It is an issue because a large amount of the horses that are shipped to the foreign countries are transported illegally from the U.S. to either Mexico or Canada for slaughter. This may not be an issue to many people but it can be for many others. Others have said that this is a horrible thing that is going on and I obviously agree strongly. No one really understands how these animals can be treated this badly but some may not realize that these are not the only animals that are slaughtered this way; they have just become more talked about. The biggest problem that I am seeing is the way that the horses are treated and I feel that it would make the event far less gruesome is they would humanely euthanize the horses and not treat them like dirt seeing as they can feel pain too. What is open to dispute is if they can make the event less tragic or just stop it all together. I do not have a complete thesis yet but my main goal is to find ways to improve slaughter or see if there are people that are getting close to ending it all together.

More Research..

I remembered to bring my articles with me today so that i could tell you a little more about my topic. One important article that i found was from the Animal Welfare institute. It is titled  Horse Slaughter Prevention and it informs the reader of just about everything they need to know concerning the topic. In the very first paragraph, it talks about the prevention of equine cruelty act which is aimed at the "end of horse slaughter of horses for human concumption and the domestic and international transport of live horses or horseflesh for human consumption". This was only introduced January 14, 2009 by two congressman and a second one had been introduced earlier that year on March 26, 2009 by two senators and a veterinarian. Although the act has not been put into full effect yet, horse slaughter has been banned in the U.S.  As almost everyone may know, horses have been a big part our history for many years and they play a big part in where we are today because they let us ride them here : ). They have not been seen as a delicacy in the U.S. but to the foreign countries they see them as some of the best meat. It was not until 2007 that the U.S. finally closed the last slaughter houses in Texas and Illinois and its sad that it took that long. Although they managed to close these, there are still people out there that go to auctions like the one in shipshewana and collect horses that they will later transport to Canada and Mexico where slaughter is still legal. The process by which these horses reach theses slaughter houses is often long and very painful to the animals. They are usually placed in double-decker trailers that are meant for cattle and smaller lifestock and are usually so packed in there that they can't move at all. These trailers are also dangerous because they have ceilings so low that the horses are forced to keep there heads in a very unnatural position. There has been a few cases in the past where trailers filled with these horses have crashed due to careless drivers. The more known one is called "Wadsworth Crash" and it occured in Illinois. Although some of the horses may be in pretty decent health, federal regulations allow the movement of blind horses, horses with broken legs and injuries, and sometimes heavily pregnant mares. Once the horses arrive at the slaughterhouses, they continue to suffer and are usually left for long periods in the trailers, are subjected the the harsh weather conditions, left without food or water of any kind, and sometimes downed horses are unable to rise and are stood on until the trailers are finally unloaded.
            "When the horses are hearded back through the plant to slaughter, callous workers use fiberglass       rods to poke and beat their faces, necks, backs and legs as the animals are shoved through the facility and into the kill box. Subjected to overcrowding, deafening sounds and teh smell of blood, the horses become more and more desperate, exhibiting fear typical of 'flight' behavior- pacing inprance-like movements with their ears pinned back against their heads and eyes wide open".
Another quote that i found to be somewhat graphic but tells it how it is is, "Footage obatined by the papers shows horses being stabbed repeatedly in the neck with these knives prior to slaughter. Such a barbaric practice simply paralyzes the animal. The horse is still fully conscious at the start of the slaughter process, during which he or she is hung by a hind leg, his or her throat slit and body butchered. Death, the final betrayal of these noble animals, is protracted and excruciating". Now if that doesn't make you feel bad at least a little for these animals, i don't know what to tell you. I think that the whole process could be made less tragic and painful to the horses if they just used lethal injection. Yes it may cost a little more and take more time, but the kill buyers are getting these horses for maybe a few humdred dollars and usually more than doubling their profit when they turn around and sell the meat to these high-end resturaunts. I guess maybe a little extra effort would change the outlook of the whole process a little.

General Findings

I have been concerned with this topic for a while now and I didn't have much trouble finding information about it. I do not have the names of the articles, but i was able to find very informative on equine veterinary sites. They would go into detail about the process and how the people went about getting these animals. I was also able to view some videos on youtube.com that gave me a glimpse into the world of slaughter and really showed how these horses were treated. With this research opportunity, i would like to focus mainly on the ways that the process can be improved and hopefully stopped one day. The treatment of the animals is terrible and that would be the largest problem that i am having with the issue.

Reflection to topic

Like i said in my personal bio, I have a passion for animals and they somewhat influence how i feel about some things in the world today. A big issue that i have been dealing with is Horse Slaughter and the illegal transport that still occurs across the United States. Some people might just say that it's the same as slaughtering cows, pigs, and other farm animals, but i'm pretty sure that there is a major difference. I have personally been to a horse auction where i just went to see what it was like, and i was shocked by the conditions of the horses there and the amount that were being loaded up and sent to Mexico and Canada. If you aren't familiar with the topic, horse slaughter houses have been banned in the U.S., which is a plus, but they are now being shipped out of the country. I'm sure that i won't be able to change this, being one person, but maybe I can make a little difference by informing people of the dangers and terrible nature of this.

Personal Bio

Hi my name is Kari and i am currently a Freshman at Purdue University North Central. I am studying Pre-Vet currently and i hope to transfer to Purdue University in a year or two so that I can pursue my career in Veterinary medicine. To most people, I come off as a quiet person but once you get to know me that changes. I do have a voice and i like to speak my mind if given the opportunity. I have lived in Indiana my whole life and was born in Mishawaka, Indiana. I currently have two horses, two dogs, and a hamster. My two horses have a very large impact on my choice of careers and are very important to me.