I am in a unique position having been a drug rep that sells euthanasia solution to drs. I have worked closely with the veterinary community for 18 yrs. I worked on the horse park in 96, and most major 3 day events.I have been active horse owner and most reciently a PMU foal adopter. The horse slaughter industry is nothing more than subsidized bad management. It is an "Enabler" to poor choices and acountability. We don't get to take our unwanted puppies to the pound and get paid by the weight to process and euthanize them. They are not eaten as a delicacy afterwards. One pro slaughter listed horse meat as a necessary food source, but everone calls it a delicacy that is very expensive. I can honesty tell you that euthanasia solution costs less than a meal for 2 at a chain restaurant. The syringe costs.50cents. If you have been a good customer of your vet he should do the euthanasia for ariund $125 Just so you know, he may be more nervous about this than you are. From the pharmaceutical point of view. I know what drugs are being put into horses and it should never go for human cosumption. Look up the side effects on Isoxsuprine, clinbuterol, trimethsulfa, gentocin, lasix,acepromazine, xylazine,dormosedan,bannamine, omiprazole,dexamethasone,antihistamines.These are all found in quanity in a lot of the racing stock, tihs is just the legal stuff, then there is the compounded stuff like erythro hip, copper something, iron something the list goes on, I wonder what the shippers give them to get them to the processing plants in 1 piece? Horses needing these drugs are usuually on there last leggs and off to the meat packer the next week. Where is the drug testing of the meat in any of this? Except for the lable that says not for human consumption or intended for slaughter is this issue addressed. If I were a European I wouldn't touch the stuff. American beef is much safer than horse meat. I truly believe that if horse slaughter was banned then horse hoarding may go away. When ranchers who breed horses like cows can no longer get .50cents a pound they will start breeding responsibly. The horse market may drop out for a while but then it should come back with better quality and a better market based on sound investment of knowledgeable breeding and care. Why should anyone get paid to ruin and neglect a horse? I have contacted both my senators and I believe they are on board. My congresman is unfortunatley behind the times but was up for re-elction and I did not vote for him. I have 4 arabians from top producing American and Polish sires. They were cast offs of a bad market. I have a breeding to a top 10 stallion I can use. I will not. There are plenty of good horses needing homes. The most shocking thing I have read lately was here about the girl who took her barrel horse to slaughter. I hope she stood there and looked him in the eye. 2 years ago I lost a good mare to a freak lightning storm. The other horses were devastated. I let them say goodbye. One older gelding would not even enter the pasture where she lay. He was terrified and sniffing the air from 200 feet away. He winnied, bolted sideways, ran in circles and we took him back to the barn. It was right then that I knew how incredibly cognative horses really are. I can't even begin to emagine him in a processing plant. He would have killed himself. Those horses that do go all the way have incredible dignity and trust of people. To bury the mare it cost me $70.00. many people who own heavy equipment are sympathetic to the problem and will do it for very little cost. I am wondering when and why news stations will ever show the actual process of euthanasia of animals, and horses in a processing plant how fast all of this would come to an end. My mother could not even watch the video of the Pmu mares in the barns wearing their urine collection devises. I will be happy to aswer any question if I can.

What exactly is "horse hoarding"?

I have just read Wendy's post from November - Bravo Wendy. I have 8 rescues (including 6 PMU's and 2 Mustangs) as well as 10 Quarter Horses that I have raised and love each and every one of them. I recently met a vet who used to be a rep for Wyeth - he became a vet because of the PMU industry. Hopefully we will see the end of the slaughter industry this year.