End Horse Slaughter in Canada Now

Many people are unaware of what goes on inside the slaughter house. The Paragraphs that follow may be disturbing to some readers, so if you are weak of stomach then I suggest you stop here.

During transport Horses are crammed into trailers which are usually meant for pigs and cattle, most of which have two levels. These horses do not have enough room to hold thir heads as they normally would. Frightened horses often trample oneanother as well. During these trips, horses are neither fed nor watered nor excercised.

Once they have finally reached their destination, horses can smell death in the air. You can probably just immagine how they must feel by this point.

When each horse's time comes they are lowered by their hind legs down a chute which is referred to as the "kill box." First, a spike is swiftly driven through the top of the skull and into the brain. very seldom does this kill the horse, it just paralyzes them. Then, the throat is slit and they are hung to bleed. The horse usually does not die for an agonizing ten minutes. After what they have been through to get there, at this point it's a blessing. The horses are then dropped onto a conveyer belt and cut into peices.

Hundreds of thousands of horses are sent off to the "packer's" each year. Horses are here as companion animals and were never intended for this purpose. The manner in which these animals are killed is extremely barbaric and inhumane. Horses end up in slaughter for several different reasons. The most common reason for horses ending up in slaughter houses are race tracks.

Most race horses are roughly the age of two, the yearling stage. At this early stage in their lives their bones have not yet been fully developed. When ridden or pushed too hard, injuries will most likely leave the horse rendered unsound and permanently dammaged.

Sometimes these race horses have nothing wrong with them but are just too slow or are not living up to the owner's expectations. Owners feel that they do not have the time to find a buyer other than the meat market. What a waste.

Another common reason for horses ending up here are auctions. Sometimes horse owners figure they can make a quick few bucks by auctioning off their horses, but this is a huge gamble. More often then not horses end up with the wrong buyers.

If an owner really cares enough for their horse they will take the time to ensure that they find a buyer with good intentions. Even if there is nothing else which can be done, horses should be euthanized rather than die a slow and painful death. We owe them this.

Horses have been giving us their loyalty and respect since our earliest days on this planet. Is this how we repay them? My goal is to put an end to this all over the world, starting here in Canada. Horses are not food. Thank you for taking your time to read this.

Shana-Lee Virgin