Gruesome Scene of Horse Suffering Uncovered

“Just three weeks ago, 25 thin and neglected foals, stallions and pregnant mares were removed from an isolated farm in Aberdeenshire. The semi feral horses had not been handled or received even the most basic of care for many months and were forced to wade through thick mud to reach what little grazing was available. They had been allowed to breed indiscriminately and the body of a still born foal had been left where it lay. A weak and collapsed filly was also found and had to be put to sleep.

The plight of the horses was discovered after a concerned member of the public called World Horse Welfares free UK Welfare Hotline. Field Officer Doug Howie was sent to investigate and was shocked at what he found. Doug knew that in order to get the horses signed over and ensure their safe removal, he would have to keep quiet about a terrible discovery he had made at the premises.”

Slaughterhouses: Where Racehorses Go To Retire

Every year, hundreds of thoroughbreds from the U.S. are sold to stables in Japan, where 90 percent of all horses end up in slaughterhouses. In most Japanese slaughterhouses, horses meet a frightening death. They are killed, cut apart, and end up as food for dogs and humans. Read more….PeTA Slaughterhouses: where racehorses go to retire

Please sign this petition – Don’t let the Gray family keep animals ever again!

Trader guilty of Britain’s worst animal cruelty case can still keep horses…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1179058/Trader-guilty-Britains-worst-animal-cruelty-case-horses.html

Please sign and forward far and wide. This cannot ever be allowed to happen again!!! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/794654813

Please help this starved horse

This is a plea from a dear friend of mine who is in the USA. She is in Liberty, South Carolina really needs a helping hand to pay for hay and feed to keep this horse alive!!!!

There is a paypal button on her site. Please go here: Starving horse in need  and donate a minimum of $2.00 if you can, please!….it’s not much to ask to help this beautiful horse who has suffered so much. She has a chance now, with my friend’s help. Please help her!!!!
Thank you so much
Last Angel Equine Defence

Horse Slaughter in an English Abattoir

Article from Animal Aid

Please go here: Animal Aid Stillmans

Horse slaughter in an English abattoir

To TAKE ACTION and for further information please visit here: TARA

Posted 18 September 2007

THE FOOTAGE

The enclosed footage was filmed covertly by Animal Aid at Potter’s abattoir, Taunton during August 2007. It shows a succession of apparently fit and healthy horses being shot in the head with a rifle and then butchered for human consumption. It is the first time that such scenes have been filmed in Britain and made public.

One of the horses arrived seriously injured and – after a long delay – was shot while lying in a yard. We will be calling on the Meat Hygiene Service to investigate this incident with a view to bringing a prosecution under cruelty legislation (see below). Another horse looked as though she could be pregnant. Among the slaughtered animals were children’s ponies and young healthy-looking Thoroughbred race horses.

THE ABATTOIR

Lawrence J Potter (South West) Ltd describes itself in the company’s latest annual report as being engaged in the ‘elective euthanasia of equines and export of horsemeat’. Stephen Potter, a director of the company, was reported in The Observer (1 October, 2006) as saying that his establishment killed ‘some 3,000 [horses] a year’. He added that ‘only 100 [horses] a year came from racing’. About 20 of the roughly 50 horses we filmed over just two days and one evening were Thoroughbreds.

BACKGROUND

For the past eight years, Animal Aid has investigated the horse racing industry, publishing a series of detailed reports exposing the oppressive regime to which Thoroughbreds are subjected. Hundreds of horses are raced to death every year and thousands of ‘surplus’ animals are slaughtered or otherwise destroyed.

While Thoroughbred bloodstock sales are an integral part of the multi-billion pound racing industry, there is also a lucrative private sales market in horses and ponies used for show jumping, dressage, cross-country, hunting and hacking, as well as those employed by riding schools. No matter what their background, there is always the likelihood that a horse will meet his or her end in a slaughterhouse, with the meat sold abroad for human consumption.

NOTES ON THE FOOTAGE

Injured mare on the ground

The severely injured chestnut mare, who is seen lying on the ground, arrived at Potter’s Abattoir at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 14th August 2007. This was likely to be after the killing line had been closed for the day. A considerable time elapsed before the horse was shot. Animal Aid has called on the Meat Hygiene Service to investigate whether the delay in putting her out of her misery was due to the time it took Potter’s employees to re-start the slaughterline, on which she could be promptly butchered after being shot. The law states that, for meat to be deemed fit for human consumption, an animal must be bled immediately after being shot or stunned. But there is also a statutory obligation to despatch a seriously injured animal without delay.

The injured mare had been isolated from the rest of the horses in a separate horse trailer, which was towed by the larger wagon. On arrival at the yard, the trailer in which she was contained was unhooked and left standing close to the slaughter room doors. The wagon was then driven away and the horses were unloaded into the barn. After some time, the wagon returned and re-hooked the trailer containing the injured mare. At this point, the Animal Aid undercover team heard a commotion coming from the rear of the trailer as she was being unloaded. Some 10 minutes passed, during which time the trailer and wagon were moved out of view. Our undercover operator was now able to film the mare lying in the yard. The period of time from the trailer arriving at Potter’s to when we first filmed the mare on the yard floor is estimated to be 40 to 45 minutes.

The length of time she is captured on film before being killed is 7 minutes 11 seconds. This is in addition to the unrecorded 40-45 minutes when she was on the trailer or lying in the yard. After being shot, she was not inspected for signs of life. Instead, she was bulldozed by a JCB, then shackled and hauled into the bleeding and cutting building.

The wagon and trailer were driven by the man who was later seen shooting the horse. The second man in the sequence appears to be checking the horse’s passport for identification purposes. He could be a vet or a member of Potter’s staff.

The law governing horse slaughter

The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (WASK), requires that animals who have experienced pain or suffering during transport or following arrival at the slaughterhouse should be ‘slaughtered or killed immediately’ (WASK, Schedule 3, Part II, 4). Additionally, an animal who is unable to walk when he or she reaches the slaughteryard should not be ‘dragged to its place of slaughter or killing but (a) slaughtered where it lies; or (b) if it is possible, and to do so would not cause any unnecessary pain or suffering, transported on a trolley or moveable platform to a place of emergency slaughter or killing where it is then slaughtered or killed’ (WASK, Schedule 3, Part II, 5).

The Food Standards Agency’s Meat Industry Guide (2006) is more emphatic on this point: ‘For welfare reasons (e.g. injury or an animal unable to walk without pain or unassisted), it may become necessary to slaughter an animal immediately on arrival at a slaughterhouse, without unloading it from the means of transport.’

DEFRA further stipulates that, should Official Veterinarians ‘see animals arriving at a slaughterhouse which show evidence of welfare problems arising on farm or during transport, they will report the incident to the appropriate enforcement body which will take the necessary follow-up action’.

Mare who looked as though she could be pregnant

The mare identified as such in the film looks as though she could be pregnant. She arrived on a lorry with two other horses who were killed before her. Legislation states that heavily pregnant animals may not be transported.

The casual manner of the killing of the ‘pregnant’ horse is evident in the banter between the slaughterman and the horse handler. ‘Watch the racing yesterday? Authorised [Europe’s top race horse and the Derby winner] won. Frankie Dettori was on him’, the slaughterman says, while positioning the horse for the rifle shot to the head.

No obvious inspection followed to determine if the horse is dead, and we can see no vet on the scene, either.

‘Frankie won on him, on Authorised’, the slaughterman continues, as he removes the bridle from the head of the floored horse.

The mare is shackled for sticking (bleeding), at which time her hind legs are seen to jerk before she is hoisted across the floor and into the bleeding and sawing room to have her head severed and skinned.

Behind the closed door, what sounds like a second shot rings out. Was this the sound of an unborn foal being killed?

Notes on other horses

The breeds and types of horses at the abattoir barn waiting to be killed are mixed: The Piebald Cob – a typical riding school pony – stands beside a Chestnut Thoroughbred, while a number of former pet Welsh Ponies intermingle with Hunter types.

The small grey Welsh Section Pony – the most popular of all children’s ponies – is taken in a cold, calculated manner to her death. This is a typical example of abandonment of a pet whose useful days are over. It occurs when a child loses interest in riding or wants a bigger pony or horse.

The freeze-marked big black cob, also killed in the film, was typical of a riding school horse. He had, perhaps, given pleasure to hundreds of children and their proud parents over the years.

Animal Aid identified more than 20 Thoroughbred horses who were killed on those three dates in August. Only two appeared injured: one looked to have an off-fore tendon injury that was bandaged, and he carried a deep cut on his hindquarters. The other (details above) was the seriously ill horse who should not have been travelling in that condition. The remaining Thoroughbreds looked young, fit and healthy.

OTHER ISSUES

• The attitudes of both the Official Veterinarians and members of the workforce at the abattoir ranged from diffident to jocular.
• There appeared to be no systematic inspection of the shot horses, by a vet or any other employee, to see if they were dead prior to bleeding.
• There are alternatives to abattoir killing that all horse owners should be aware of: euthanasia by a vet; being killed by bullet in the horse’s paddock; sanctuary via a care centre with a loan programme; or committing to the welfare of a horse throughout his or her natural lifespan.

CONCLUSION

The horses shown being killed in the Animal Aid undercover footage came from owners who either dealt directly with the abattoir or who didn’t know or care that their animals would end up in that establishment. What all former owners have in common is the transient use of their animal. They feel that their responsibility is relinquished once the horse or pony is of no further use to them.

The fundamental problem at the heart of the horse slaughter scandal that we have uncovered is that these animals are bred to excess. They are produced for commercial reasons, by both the Thoroughbred racing industry and by those servicing the pet horse and pony market. When an animal is no longer useful, he or she is often simply disposed of. This is the fate of thousands of healthy horses and ponies every year.

The effects of bad horse dealers on young horses

Little Alfie has been busy for the past 6 weeks. He was ’started’ (‘broken in’ in old-fashioned horse speak, but we don’t want to use that!) before, about 18 months ago, we did some work with him then, but decided to leave it for a later date, to give him some time to have been introduced to it, but he didn’t seem ready. And the key with Alfie is to do things very slowly, with no pressure!

So, six weeks ago, I recruited the help of an excellent instructor, and we set about teaching Alfie how to be riding pony. Do I have to? is the question you get the feeling Alfie would ask if he could talk!

The first 3 weeks went well, with Alfie really taking to the process, BUT, there has always been a problem when first getting on him. We know there is nothing wrong with his back, or any other medical problem, so we wondered if he may just be cold-backed (some horses just are, and they don’t like it when a rider first gets on them, but ok once you are on) but it just seemed as though there was more to it than that.

We carried on, but tried different approaches to see if the problem would sort itself out. Nothing we did seemed to make a difference and the problem continued. Eventually though, (and I expect Alfie was completely fed up with us for not figuring it out before) we finally realised that Alfie’s problem was with working in the arena.

As soon as we took him out on the lanes and on bridlepaths, he suddenly totally relaxed and became a completely different pony, happy, relaxed and thoroughly enjoying himself.

My instructor, who is very experienced thinks that the person who I got Alfie from, the evil horse dealer I mentioned before (you know, the one who’s in prison for indecency to minors?!) had tried to start him before. But had done it in a way that was cruel, therefore leaving Alfie with a very negative association about being ridden. We both agree that it is SO easy to ruin a wonderful pony in this way, and make it impossible for a pony to have a secure future, UNLESS they are lucky enough to be found by someone who is prepared to work through the problems they have. Hence why so many go to slaughter every year.

It is a very sad fact, but one that is all too familiar. Alfie is just one more pony that has more than likely been put through totally unecessary and cruel methods of being started, and they are employed as a way of making the process quick, so that a dealer can sell the pony as quickly as possible and then just keep buying more and more and do the same thing again and again.

Don’t buy a horse from a dealer! And if you have a young horse or pony that is having problems being started, please please give the animal some time, and understanding. your horse or pony may be trying to tell you something….

Little Alfie with his tack on:

Last Angel Equine Defence

Animal Aid Exposes: Race Horse Vivisection

The racing industry’s horrific experiments on horses

Animal Aid report ‘A Dead Cert’

Over the last seven years, Animal Aid has produced a series of detailed reports exposing the major welfare problems associated with Thoroughbred breeding, racing, training and the disposal of commercially ‘unproductive’ horses.

Animals are highly in-bred for speed at the expense of skeletal strength and general robustness. Two-thirds of the 16,000 foals produced for racing every year are deemed unsuitable. Some go into other equestrian events but as many as 2,000 are sent for slaughter.

Click here to read Animal Aid report

Racing industry rejects accusations of ‘horrific’ experiments, The Guardian

Click here to read article Andrew Culf, sports correspondent
Wednesday May 16, 2007

This is no way to treat an angel~slideshow

Slideshow from Last Angel Equine Defence

The Laminitis Trust

Candy, the palomino mare Read more about Candy here is prone to laminitis. It’s a horrible disease, and very difficult to manage.

But apart from a very low grade laminitis last summer, which didn’t worsen, she has been clear on the whole for a long time. Although managing her paddock has been a task!

The best advice about Laminitis comes from The Laminitis Trust. I know that probably everyone who has a horse with laminitis is aware of the trust, but I just wanted to post their information here as it is so valuable.

UK:

The Laminitis Trust

Useful Resource-USA

No hoof-No horse

Animal Aid-Reports: Victory! Horse Slaughter Rules Tightened-Ascot

Animal Aid and the Daily Express have forced the Ascot horse sales to change its rules. The move follows a joint undercover investigation – as a result of which, a race horse who was destined for the abattoir was given a secure future at the Midland Racehorse Care Centre. The Ascot horse sales, shocked by the public exposure, have tightened their regulations so that any horses sold in future will be “used for equine disciplines and not for slaughter” .This represents one more important step in an ongoing Animal Aid campaign to end the exploitation of Thoroughbred horses by the racing industry.

From Animal Aid

http://www.animalaid.org.uk

Gordon Ramsey’s F word misleads viewers on horse meat trade

From The ILPH International League for the Protection of Horses

A leading horse charity, the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), has branded Gordon Ramsay’s F word programme irresponsible for promoting an unrealistically rosy picture of the horse meat trade.

Jo White, ILPH Head of Campaigns and European Affairs commented: “While the ILPH finds the consumption of horse meat distasteful we accept that in some cultures it is a meat animal. Our concern is how a horse gets onto the plate.

“Last night’s programme was very shallow and did not reflect the reality of the trade.

We were in discussion with their researchers in advance of the programme but their interest was only in focussing on an idyllic horse farm in France. The reality is that the long distance transport of the living animal for slaughter as opposed to a carcase trade accounts for nearly half of all horse meat compared to one in five cows, one in six sheep, one in eight chickens and one in ten pigs.

“100,000 horses every year have had to endure a journey over a thousand miles and many days from Eastern Europe where the supply is cheap to Italy where the demand is great. The programme did not want to know.

“By encouraging people to eat more horsemeat while glossing over the realities of the trade the Gordon Ramsey programme is actually encouraging an increase in the totally unnecessary and cruel long distance transport of horses for slaughter which the ILPH is working hard to eliminate.”

Ten facts about the horsemeat trade:

1. Approximately 100,000 horses per year are currently being transported long-distances live for slaughter within Europe, which is totally unnecessary and inhumane and should be replaced with a carcase only trade.

2. Journey times are excessively long, with horses travelling 1,000’s of miles for days on end only to be slaughtered when they arrive at the destination. Journeys in extreme weather conditions of around 1,380 miles taking three days from Poland to Southern Italy are not uncommon and some are even longer.

3. Proportionately more horses are transported live for slaughter or further fattening than any other meat species, by a very large margin. Research indicates that 46% of the equine trade were transported live for slaughter or further fattening compared to 19.8% of the bovine (cattle) trade, 15.9% of ovine (sheep) trade, 13.3% of poultry trade and 10.3% of pig trade.

4. Due to inhumane conditions during transportation, some serious injuries occur and sadly horses still die in transit.

5. Demand for horse meat is highest in Italy, with 84% of live horses destined for slaughter entering into and moving across EU Member States travelling to Italy (by comparison 7% go to France and 5% to Belgium).

6. The countries supplying the most horse meat are Poland, Romania and Spain, with Lithuania, Belarus and Serbia also being involved in the trade.

7. There are currently no EU regulations about the labelling of horse meat as packaging indicates the location of slaughter, not source. Therefore consumers are unaware of the origin of the meat and are therefore unable to make welfare friendly choices.

8. Although the EU Transport Regulation has been updated this year the key issue remains, as before, that insufficient resources are allocated to enforcement within the Member States. There is evidence that in some Member States enforcement is extremely poor.

9. One of the greatest concerns to the ILPH is inadequate provision of food, water or rest and the fact that there is no overall limit to journey times.

10. There is a general decrease in the trade of horses for meat. Since in 2001 the number of horses transported live for slaughter in the EU has decreased from 165,000 to around 100,000. Do we want to see these statistics rise again by creating a demand in the UK?

Until they are safe-people against horse slaughter-USA

To join People Against Horse Slaughter at Care2:

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/PAHS

To download the poster, say NO to horse slaughter, and for more information:

http://horses.generitek.com/