Next came the video leaked of horses at the Red Lion slaughterhouse in Cheshire. Again the horsey public was horrified, many said they simply couldn't watch it, others said they were physically sick or couldn't sleep after seeing it. Lots of people signed a petition for CCTV in slaughterhouses but perhaps we need to consider another thought (it links to the burgers, bare with me I'm getting there slowly!)...
If you are buying a youngster from a stud ask what their policy is on their older stock. We are certainly happy to show off retired (slightly senile) old horses or tell you why and how, when the time comes, we put horses down here. If you have live stock, you have dead stock, that's just a fact of keeping animals but our oldies are put down at home by Mark (legally) if retirement is no longer an option for them. Quite simply, that costs money. Disposal alone is £180 and, as a business, those costs do have to be reflected in the price of youngsters. If people want to continue "rescuing" poorly conformed stock from the sales or the slightly dodgy local breeder because they are cheap they have to accept that these breeders are sending old mares to sales and to slaughter. Most people would now be horrified if they thought they had bought from a puppy mill but they still want a cheap horse.
A good horse is never cheap.
A cheap horse costs the same to keep, the expensive bit is never buying it! Break the cost down into each ride over a horses lifetime and the good horse costs only pennies more.
If your horse does the job its meant to and it brings you pleasure it wasn't expensive.
5 comments:
Laura, I couldn't agree more! I really do hope people take note, as like you, I will keep my older horses in happy retirement until life is no longer happy for them. I will always have them put to sleep, with me with them, at home. People should be supporting breeders who care about their horses in this way as let's face it, it also means we have taken good care of the youngsters they would be buying from us. Lynne x
Agree.
As someone who has had to see her old horses put down, but who also approves of humane slaughter... this was a well-written piece. I'll remember that when pony-shopping this spring.
A really well written and honest post, thank you for sharing, hope the horse owning public stop hiding their heads in the sand about so many of these issues.
Fantastic I do love common sense. I am not against eating horses though it does make me a little squeamish what all need is a good life even if short and humane death. Food should be bought at the price it costs to produce plus a small profit.
As for buying horses the buying public( I was one of them) need to take responsibility for their actions buy quality only and eventually the proportion of quality will increase. Most rescuing can be more people pleasing than horse protecting.
Not as eloquent as yourself I am afraid!
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