End of horse slaughter in U.S. increasing number of abandoned and starving horses, council says

The end of American horse slaughter for human consumption, through legislation and legal action, is sending horses to abbatoirs in Canada and Mexico, which ship horsemeat to other countries. It also has increased the problem of abandoned and starving horses, an American Horse Council official told Brownfield Network.

“Today we are facing over 212,000 documented, starving horses in the United States,” Dave Howell, chairman of the State Horse Council Advisory Committee, told Dave Russell. “We have cases where they have been turned loose in parks, they’ve been turned loose in coal-mine areas, they’ve been turned loose on private property, but until the public becomes aware we have a crisis I don’t think we’re going to get any reaction because most people feel like, 'Hey, this animal is a beautiful animal, it’s a pet and we need to protect it,' not realizing it weighs 1200 pounds, takes a bale of hay a day, takes and acre and a half per horse to feed, what are we gonna do with the unwanted horse, we don’t know, we don’t have an answer.”

The council has formed an Unwanted Horse Coalition to address the issue. "Too many owners are unaware of, or do not give enough thought to, the available options, services and assistance available in the industry to help them ensure that their horse has caring and humane support throughout its life," the coalition's Web site says. It also says, "No accurate figures document how many unwanted horses actually exist," but is certain of this: "The number of unwanted horses exceeds the resources currently available to accommodate them. The estimated cost of providing basic care for a horse ranges from $1,800 to $2,400 annually."

For Brownfield's story, click here. For audio of Russell's interview with Howell, click here.