An increasingly serious problem is that western rangelands are being overrun by wild horses, who reproduce unimpeded. The liberal press is wringing their hands and scratching their heads, and implying that man must be the problem.
The competition with cattle, sheep and wildlife for the limited grass on the range is a costly problem for the meat industry, which can be managed, but animal rights loonies and environmentalists won't allow it to be.
Glamorized by Hollywood as "mustangs" and "stags," wild horses are off limits. You can slaughter and eat cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys, etc. but horses are pets and must be protected, in their lexicon. Even dogs and cats can be euthanized as a last resort, but horses are sacrosanct.
We only make petfood out of horsemeat in the U.S., but it is considered a delicacy in France and much of Europe and other countries around the globe. For years, the U.S. had an active industry to round up wild horses, slaughter them, and export the meat to countries that were eager to receive it.
But loa and behold, eastern congressmen and big city congressmen finally succeeded in outlawing horse slaughter in the U.S., falling into the "horses as pets" syndrome and the last U.S. plant went out of business in 2004. Now the horses must be exported to Canada or Mexico to be slaughtered and the same extremists are moving in on the border patrol to prevent the export of horses. We can't control our borders for people, but horses? You bet!
That's why wild horses are backing up on western ranges. It is a man-caused problem all right, but not the usual suspects the left likes to rail against. They need only look in the mirror.
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It would be nice if you had a few actual facts in this article. Surely you don’t expect us to believe that a few thousand horses are doing more damage than 6 million cattle? Horsemeat hasn’t been used in pet food for years. Where have you been? The US didn’t have any such industry. France and Belgium did. They gave the sell-outs $200 for their horse and made millions. All three kill houses could have stayed open to slaughter for non-human consumption but there wasn’t enough profit to keep operating.
You are correct. It is a man made problem. A problem created by owners that won’t take responsibility for their animals. The sad thing is we let the predators from France and Belgium wreak havoc on the horse industry by paying people to be irresponsible to keep overbreeding to keep the horses coming. The kill buyers days are numbered and I hope the only employment they find is mucking out stalls.
This article is breathtaking in its hyperbole. Even if you believe the BLM estimate that there are still 32,000 horses in the allotment areas, that is only one horse per 700 acres!
Why not claim that bald eagles are blocking our airline travel causing all the flight delays? You are on a roll, go for it!
Vicki--you miss the point. Horses are beasts of burden, used for years by man to plow fields, power stage coaches and provide transportation until the "iron horse" came along. Ranchers and farmers recognize the value of horses, and still use to herd cattle and sheep and provide recreation. They care for them humanely. It is the wild horses that do not receive this treatment that we are talking about.
John--you're the one with blinders on. This is a serious problem, and if you're only a big city pet lover, rather than someone making a living off the soil and providing food for America's table--you don't understand. You ought to actually go to the land and see.
--Dan
Dan, sending a horse to slaughter is not treating them humanely. The wild horses were doing just fine until the BLM started managing them. The only reason they are a problem is because the cattle ranchers want the land for their cattle. It has nothing to do with horses ruining the land. If the BLM didn’t round up the horses, they wouldn’t be in the mess they’re in. The wild Mustangs are part of our heritage and were on that land long before the cattle ranchers. The BLM needs managing, not the horses!
LOL! You don’t know who John Holland is? Try googling him. You’ll be surprised. He is very knowledgeable and I encourage you to read his articles. He is about as far from a big city pet lover as you can get.
Dan - You appear to have done about as much research on me as you have on the issue. "Big city pet lover"???
I own a small farm and have raised and ridden horses for over forty years. I grow corn and vegetables as well. In recent years we have rescued, adopted and rehabilitated six horses in addition to our own.
More to the point, I have spent countless hours studying this issue and gathering data and analyzing it. I suggest you google
"john holland" "horse slaughter"
BTW, you still have not addressed the central question. How can wild horses be "ravaging" the western ranges when they are outnumbered by 200-300 to 1 by private cattle (not to mention goats and sheep). The greed of the corporate cattle ranchers that are squatting on federal lands is appalling and the fees are a joke!
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