Photo: Kim Jack Riley
If you think caring for a dog or cat during a recession is financially challenging, try owning a horse. Home foreclosures and the escalating costs of equine veterinary care, transport, and feed have driven many horse owners to abandon their beloved animals, or even sell them for cash.
According to a recent survey published by the Unwanted Horses Coalition, over 100,000 horses -- unwanted because of age, injury, sickness or financial strain -- are being sent to processing facilities in the US, Canada, and Mexico each year. The horses are slaughtered and their meat is used in a variety of ways, including human consumption in countries like France, Italy, Belgium and Japan.
The study also found that financial burden is the most commonly cited reason for horse unloading. But selling a horse for meat isn't the only option for cash-strapped owners.
Karen Johnson, owner of One Horse Farm in Texas, tells Paw Nation that "maintenance of a family horse will average $200 a month if it's on your own property. If you have plentiful pasture, you save a ton, but you will still have veterinary maintenance, not to mention the emergencies, wear on the land, etc. If you board, expect it to average about $400 a month."
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) states that horse auctions are held in virtually every state and there are hundreds of horse auctions each year. "Out of desperation, owners are sending horses off to sales where they are in danger of being snapped up by 'kill' buyers," says horse lover and animal rights activist, Jo Singer. "While horse meat for human consumption in the U.S. is banned, slaughter continues offshore. Many horses end up in foreign slaughter houses after horrific and inhumane shipping."
People like Jo Deibel of Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue in Glenville, PA have chosen to fight back. Diebel attends horse sales regularly, outbidding kill buyers and taking them back to her rescue facility where she then finds new loving homes for these displaced horses. All rescued horses are screened and treated by a veterinarian, farrier and dentist before being made available for adoption. The person adopting the horse must agree not to sell the horse without first contacting Angel Acres.
Those looking to surrender a horse for financial relief should consider donating the animal to a non-profit. "You can get a tax deduction if you donate your horse to an equine-based organization such as North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA ), the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) or the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) program," says Lisa Wysocky, a registered NARHA instructor. The catch: the program needs to keep the horse for at least 24 months before the tax deduction is given.
"Since the recession," notes Wysocky, "many programs have received more interest from people wanting to donate horses and this can be a wonderful way to give back to the community and help people with disabilities at the same time!"
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This is against what we mean as humane. Horses are not food.
Amazing article! It highlights so many humane options for these gentle animals. Horse owners really need to be educated on these options and ensure that the horse they can no longer care for ends up in a nurturing environment and not on a plate in a fancy European restaurant.
This is awful. Having a pet, big or small is a huge responsibility. There are tons of rescue leagues out there- everything from rats to birds - more people need to get involved.
What we need is a euthanasia program -- partially subsidized for owners who can't afford it -- so that horses can be put to rest humanely, and remove the cash element out of horse killing.
Great article. I feel enlightened about this sad situation, a terrible plight indeed.
Well said and glad to know there are those out there who are finding other habitats for these animals. The programs that North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA ), the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) and the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) are touted and accepted in the special needs community of adults and children. Too bad those who need to unload their expensive pets don't contact them first! Hopefully, the owners who donate these animals for a better cause will also give their equipment as well, ie. trailers, saddles, etc.
This is a well written article and brought to light a very serious issue that no one seems to be talking about in the media. People should be exposed for such cruelty. Thank you for writing this article and bringing the information out so more people are aware.
Yes, this is terrible and sad, but the ray of hope here is that people can get a tax deduction if they donate their horses to a nonprofit. This is certainly a better outcome for all concerned, as I imagine some horse owners feel really bad about having to let go of the horse because they can no longer afford to care for it.
It would be great if more articles like this were published and promoted so that horse owners know about the donation option.
Thank you. This is a very real problem for so many people. And it should concern all of us. We are a throw away society and have to re-learn to re-use and recycle. Giving your horse to a non-profit where it may become a therapy horse or somebodys dream come true - way to go!
There is only one hitch - the old ones that have given their owners their best years and should now be in worryfree retirement. If the non-profits don't watch out they will turn into horse retirement villages. I have a housefull of old pets and let me asure you, they don't come cheap. And the bigger the pet - the bigger the vetbill.
How many horses can the rescue organisations save? 100,000 horses slaughtered / year is a lot. Also if horses are slaughtered for pet food in the US are they slaughtered humanely? Older horses going to a garbage dump doesn't seem wonderful.
Hi,
These horses are slaughtered for human consumption, not pet food. They are young, sound and healthy, for the most part (at least in my area of rescue)...there only crime...not being fast enough to earn their keep.
At the VERY least, a horse who has given his life for his owner and been a trusted companion, mount, and friend, should be given the peace and dignity of a humane ending.
Jo Deibel
Glad that this article gets the word out that there are options other than euthenasia... and options that have many benefits at that!
Kudos to Jo Diebel at Angel Acres. Thank God there are people in the world who care for precious animals.
Thank you Vickie...you are much too kind!
Have a great day!
Jo :o)
In addition to the organizations mentioned, let's hope the recession inspires more creativity in benefiting a safe haven for these beautiful creatures!
Thanks to Kim Jack-Riley for this article: I have a friend who has rescued a handful of "cast-off" horses that she tends on her farm so they can live out their lives in comfort and safety. It's good to know that there are organized efforts on a national scale to protect these noble animals who are totally dependent on humans, and who have performed such valuable services for to their human masters.
With so many animals suffering in the economic downturn, it's heartening to know there are compassionate individuals and organizations working to find happy endings for these gentle creatures.
Very sad...Its always the least able to look after themselves who suffer most at these times...
I'm glad there are options for people who just can't afford to maintain such an expensive pet and friend. Horses have such a special place in our hearts, I can't understand why somebody would care to eat one. Thank you to all the rescue organizations out there for helping out.
While donating a fit and able horse to any of the various handicap and mentoring programs is an ideal venue, an additional difficulty, aside from an animals age or health, is its training. I know locally for me programs only want bombproof horses that are trained to the hilt, and those are the same equines that people are actually purchasing. We, as a country, truly need funding to go to our DVMs to help with the proper euthanisation and burial/cremation of animals in general, that our veterinarian has decided, are no longer capable of a quality life, whether due to age, illness, or defect. I know that the last time we had to lay one of our horses to rest, it was $300.00 for the injection, $65.00 for the farm call (and we live about 5 miles down the road form the vet office) and we buried them on our property, but had to pay someone else to do it since I certainly couldn't bring myself to, and that was another $175.00. So, $540.00 dollars later, we were able to lay a twenty-four year old rescue to rest. If vets were able to provide these services without charge, then that money saved would have purchased 2 pasture blocks of alfalfa, totalling in around 2.8k pounds...