Ban the slaughter of horses

The Gazette editorial (“A humane option,” Aug. 11) says, “horses will be euthanized using a penetrating bolt, which causes immediate brain death”. The “immediate brain death” comment is false. The system was designed for use in cattle and that statement is not even true for cattle. Many cattle are conscious as they move down the line and are “processed” piece by piece (read http://tinyurl.com/m5kbkvn) so the penetrating bolt system is not euthanasia. There is also the grueling, terrifying transport of the horses and fear and trauma when being forced into the stun box.

Horses are much different from cattle. They have longer heads and necks and are more mobile. It is very hard to get a good shot with the bolt. It often takes several attempts, causing great pain and suffering.

Proponents of horse slaughter say that we need it to “help” older horses and neglected horses. The truth is that most of the horses slaughtered are young and healthy. For example, more than 10,000 U.S. healthy race horses are slaughtered each year. Having a market for slaughter of horses allows the owners to continue to over breed and to be irresponsible. They send thousands of horses to kill. To learn more, read this Forbes article: http://tinyurl.com/cjzsg6d.

The majority of Americans do not want to eat horse meat and they oppose the slaughter of horses. We need to pass the S.A.F.E. act and ban slaughter in the U.S. and ban transport to other countries.

Lynn Gallagher

Solon