Community Corner

Hope for Horses Slated for Slaughter

There are several ways a horse can end up in the slaughter house, and just as many ways to rescue them.

Robyn Dolby, of Woodbury, adopted a horse through a rescue program seven years ago. Her horse, Tytus, is an enormous black percheron that weighs 1,400 pounds and 18 "hands" high. A “hand” is the standard method of measuring a horse and equals 4 inches.

Tytus came from Equine Angels Rescue, E.A.R., of New Milford, which has rescued 100s of PMU foals over the last 11 years. Premarin, or PMU, stands for pregnant mare urine.

Dolby said Tytus is a wonderful riding horse. “When we went to get him there were about a dozen foals there. They were shy with humans, and they would only let you get a little close before they would run away,” she said.

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 “He was scared at first, but he didn't suffer before we got him. They ween the foals too early, but when Frank gets them, the farmers will let them stay with their mother longer,” Dolby said, speaking of Frank Weller, founder of the non-profit organization, Equine Angels Rescue, E.A.R.

Weller's first experience working with the foals affected him deeply. “We took two hours to feed 240 of the foals and I stayed overnight with them.  The energy that came off of them was very intense, very inspiring. The foals hadn't had the benefit of being around people or other horses so they are very innocent. The people who adopt them get maximum connection.”

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Weller obtains funding, $300 per foal, to purchase and rescue them. The money is raised by schools, individuals, and groups.

Percherons and other large horses are used by the drug manufacturers because they produce greater quantities of urine, according to Weller, who also said that in one town that hosted a Premarin facility, 11 million gallons of horse urine was dumped in the sewer system, which leached into the groundwater and caused environmental havoc.

At the height of the Premarin market, there were 450 farms, and each had 100 mares, according to Weller. “There were a total of 50,000 mares in production, with the same amount of foals,” Weller said. “The rescues would take 5,000, and about 35,000 plus were going to slaughter. Premarin became the most prescribed drug in United States for a chunk of time, but that changed six years ago when Premarin was proven to cause heart disease and stroke.”

Premarin use has been greatly reduced but is still in production, Weller said. “We raised awareness of the effects of the drug and the Premarin farms went down from 500 to 66, and we are hoping they will go down to 56 this year, and then down to 24. The recent count of 66 farms still have 100 mares each and they still produce 100 foals. That fulfils the amount of horses that could be absorbed by the recreation market.”

Reckless Breeding of Thorougbreds

There are other methods of breeding horses for slaughter besides those used  in the production of Premarin.

Race horses are bred to strict standards resulting in many going to auction and slaughter, Weller said.

 "The horses have had their career, they have raced or shown, and about 60-70 percent of race horses end up on the meat hook," Nicholas Dodman, BVMS MRCVS,  Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Professor, Program Director, Animal Behavior Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine NorthGrafton, Mass., said in a telephone interview.

Pat Gregory, of the in Newtown, has a thoroughbred mare that will be shown as a children's jumper. "I purchased her from Second Chance stables in upstate New York. She was very nervous when we first brought her here, but the longer we kept training her, she calmed down," Gregory said. "She was seven when we got her, and she had never raced. She was used as a broodmare because of her blood lines.” 

Broodmares are horses that are bred for their athletic abilities, attributes or bloodlines, and according to internationally renowned horse trainer and whisperer, the racing industry is well known to abuse the system.

 “I have one that raced,” Gregory said about a horse she bought at auction. She gave the horse six months off and retrained it to be a riding horse. “There are websites for horses going to slaughter, and there are auctions. But now that it's legal again in this country, there will be a whole host of other problems,” she said. A language change in Agricultural Appropriations bill, HR  now which opens the door for the reopening of slaughterhouses across the country.

 “Allowing the slaughterhouses to produce horsemeat for consumption is going to push the price of rescuing a horse up, because you will be bidding at auction against the feedlots. This whole slaughterhouse thing goes way beyond, 'Ew, they are going to eat them.' That is just one of the problems,” Gregory said sadly.

 In Southbury, Maggie Buck, owner of Kettledrum Farm, has purchased many horses from auctions and taken in rescues as well. “Horses needing homes was not so common seven years ago.”

There are a number of things a person can do to rescue a horse, Buck said. “You should never buy a horse over the Internet," Buck said. "There are a number of things that can go wrong. There are a lot of 501 C3 non profits that work with rescue horses, and you should spend time there, get to know the owners, the horses, and see what kind of a place it is. There can be problems, like with any other charity.” 

Buck said rescue horses need help, but you should not feel obligated to buy a horse just to save it. "Work at the barn and learn how to take care of a horse. The horse must be perfectly suited to the rider or it will be a disaster.”

Regardless of the challenges, Buck said there are many good reasons to go to a rescue organization to obtain a horse. “The best reason to get a horse from a charity is that they will continue to assume some responsibility for the horse.”

 Trainer Twinney has touching videos of working with the Premarin foals, some of which are quarter horse mixes or draft horses. After working with them for just a few days, the foals come to trust and respond to gentleness and respect. “I have seen them, and some are getting ready for the saddle now. They are in great homes and are phenomenal horses.”


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