All articles
January 22, 2014
Horse burial rules need to consider the horse, owner
Putting down a horse has to be one of the most difficult and expensive parts of owning a horse. Which is why a recent story out of Iowa is infuriating.
January 18, 2014
U.S. horse slaughter stopped for now
Federal and state officials dealt horse slaughter plants a one-two punch on Jan. 17, 2014, perhaps ending the latest move to butcher American horses for foreign consumption.
December 22, 2013
Horses with poor owners face increasing abuse
Horses unfortunate enough to have owners with empty pockets are seeing an alarming increase in abuse.
December 15, 2013
Whistle-blowers should name abusers in Tennessee Walking Horse industry
Shelbyville corporate attorney and horse owner Frank Eichler made an interesting statement in an article published in The Tennessean on Nov. 29, 2013, on the soring of Tennessee Walking Horses.
October 19, 2013
Animals are people, too
Brain scans of animals indicate they have emotions similar to those of people; this may help raise the status of animals in courts.
October 6, 2013
Where do large animals fit into a world without slaughter?
It’s unclear as I watch Andras Forgacs’ September 2013 presentation on the website of TED, a nonprofit devoted to spreading big ideas.
August 18, 2013
Slaughter plant owners will lose the war on horses in the end
As the fight over horse slaughter continues in the courts, I can’t help but wonder what slaughter plant owners are thinking.
July 5, 2013
USEF town hall meeting serves as warning to horse abusers
To those who think they can do whatever they want with a horse with no consequences, I would say: “Find a new sport. Your days in this one are over.”
June 21, 2013
What part of hunting a horse by helicopter is humane?
A resident of New Lambton in New South Wales, Australia, wrote a letter to the editor of the “Newcastle Herald” on June 9, 2013, decrying a planned horse cull by park officials in Kosciuszko National Park, southwest of Sydney. The National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) is calling for professional hunters to kill feral horses, or brumbies, in the park by helicopter.
June 15, 2013
BLM needs more brain, less brawn in caring for wild horses
An unflattering review of the Bureau of Land Management’s removal of wild horses from public land was released on June 5, 2013. It raises troubling questions about who has been running this agency.
June 5, 2013
Don’t use the past as an excuse for horse slaughter
A column on the website of the “Farmington Daily Times,” a website based in New Mexico, where a horse slaughter plant is poised to open, recently analyzed some of the arguments made by opponents to horse slaughter.
May 31, 2013
Horse tripping must come to an end
I try to look at situations from both sides and consider the motives behind activities that I don’t understand or like. Maybe there’s a family history behind someone being a hunter. Maybe there’s a hormonal component or stress behind someone lashing out at a horse in a moment of anger. But I am at a complete loss for what is going through the minds of people who enjoy horse tripping.
May 21, 2013
A pledge for horse lovers
I believe we should treat horses as we expect to be treated ourselves: with respect and dignity. Treating horses abusively should carry the same punishment as it would in the human world.
May 12, 2013
Horses are not stupid, and horse slaughter is not humane
The “Albuquerque Journal” recently toured the horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico that is awaiting a USDA permit to open. The reporter provided all the gory details in a story published May 9, 2013. I’m not even going to link to the story. The process is as bad as I suspected. And it wouldn’t need to be nearly that bad for me to consider it inhumane.
April 25, 2013
If horses don’t enjoy being ridden, then what?
Do horses share their rider’s enjoyment of sporting and recreational activities? It’s a question that was asked in February 2013 by Dr. Bidda Jones, chief scientist at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Australia.
April 21, 2013
Horse shooting posted on YouTube not illegal
The Associated Press reported in March 2013 that a meat company employee in New Mexico had videotaped himself shooting a horse in the head as he swore at animal activists who were harassing him at his job.
April 14, 2013
Obama’s move to end slaughter is good start
The Obama administration’s 2014 budget includes a proposal that would prevent money from being spent on the inspection of horse slaughtering facilities. In effect, this would ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption because facilities cannot operate without inspections. Needless to say, this was greeted with mixed enthusiasm.
March 30, 2013
Congressional bills that affect horses
The American Horse Council runs a program called Congressional Cavalry that sends emails on horse-related congressional action to people who want this information.
Unwanted horses do have a place to go
The Unwanted Horse Coalition, now a part of the American Horse Council, maintains a list of facilities that will take needy horses. The rescues are listed by state.