[jameslindsay]

A friend of mine who keeps horses told me last night that there is apparantly a 3 month waiting list at the slughter house for horses. She claims that the top breeders keep breeding in the hope of delivering the new "Shergar" and if the horse does not come upto their needs they are simply sent off for slaughter. If this is true can you imagine the conditions these horses live in while waiting for "the end", has anyone else heard of this?

[HappyHippy]

I didn't realise that they just send them off to slaughter if they don't make the grade - I suppose in my naivity I thought they'd just sell/rehome them 
Obviously though, they'll not be at the slaughter house for that time and I'd imagine that the breeders would still be prone to welfare checks etc so hopefully the conditions wouldn't be so bad 
Not having any experience of racehorses though - maybe I'm just kidding myself.

[BadgerFace]

I currently have two Ex racehorses and have re-homed many out of training over the years.

The official figures are approx 3,000 horses come out of training each year, of which 2,000 or so are re-homed to private homes, polo yards and hunting. This of course does not take into account the number of horses that don't even make it into training !! I would hate to guess how high that number could be. A lot of horses find themselves going back through the sales rings, and the ones with serious injury are often sent straight to the hunt kennels or Potters (one of only two horse abattoirs in England)or PTS by a vet. I think the figure you have been quoted of three months 'waiting' possibly relates to the current economic problems where private horse owners are unable to afford the upkeep of their 'pets' and due to the Animal Rescue centre's being full to bursting, are having no choice but to have their horses PTS.  It's very expensive to have a horse PTS by a vet and disposed of by cremation. I'm sure many people would choose this route, but just cannot afford it, hence the increase in turnover at the abattoirs ??. Horses/ponies are not keep waiting at the abattoir, you would have to call and book them in just like you do with lambs/pigs/cattle. 

I was talking to our Huntsman last week about the number of horses they have had in this winter, they normally have a 'flush' of elderly horses when the bad weather kicks in, but this year he has had a steady stream of 5/6 horses a week and they are still coming.

Back to the racehorses, I have to agree there's far too much indiscriminate breeding in this country. At least Thoroughbred Studs, like Darley are taking responsibly and have set up a re-homing program for the horses they breed. There's a lot of things I don't agree with in the Racing industry though, like the backing of yearlings and racing of two year olds - far to young in my opinion.    Either way it's all very sad 

[Rosemary]

There's huge amount of neglect of horses. It's really sad.

[daniellestocks]

I have 2 ex-racers, they are brilliant horses tbreds so versitle! Its such a shame that lots of them do get put down for nothing! But horse racing is bigtime an large trainers/breeders can afford (staff and breeding etc) to do this! 
I got my filly last year as a 3yr old she'd ran 6 races and was no good apparantly? So i turned her out while i was pregnant and let her grow and be a horse! The reason she was not performing in racing was due to having an underlying abcess in her front foot! which came out when i let her appauling feet grow! now she is so well an rather full of it! and having a fab life relaxing as a very pampered brood mare!
I believe they dont give them half the chance to perform, usually its a small problem the trainers cant be bothered with or dont take the time to notice! My friend works at a large reputable trainers nearby (which makes me gasp the stories she tells me!) and we try our best to find homes for loads!

[jameslindsay]

Sadly people are allowed to keep animals too easily and that is when the neglect starts. Last year I rescued 2 old dairy goats. The vet said they were here to die as they were in such poor condition. You know what 9 months later these goats are unrecognisable. We spent a lot pf money with the vet to get them better but the simplest thing they needed was shelter, food and love - just the basics! These 2 are Rosie and Toggi and they are happy, healthy and spoilt wrotten and the vets are amazed that they are still living today. 9 weeks ago we added 2 Toggenburg kids to keep the old dears company and that too has helped boost their lifestyle and now they act like mum and dad to the boys and all 4 are a tight family unit now - this is reward enough for us!

[MrRee]

My aunt was a trainer at Sevenoaks,my uncle a jockey,and yes,unfortunately,this has been going on for years and years. Exports of horses have gone up and up to France and other "horse-eating" countries. I'm not sentimental,so it doesn't really upset me. The French have a different attitude to animals than the British and so humane treatment levels are somewhat lower,generally. This,I do object to....... Ree

[Rosemary]

I wouldn't (knowingly) eat horsemeat but I have no objection to other folk doing it (odd, though it is) but I do think that horses suffer terribly in travelling to BE slaughtered. There is far too much indiscriminate breeding of horses - only the best mares shoudl be bred from, not the ones that their owners can do nothing with so decide to take a  foal off them. But then there's too much indiscriminate breeding of dogs and people too.

[Castle Farm]

It's not only thoroughbreds that are slaughtered.I have been to sales and section A colts are totally unsaleable.
I was at one a few months ago and a chap went up to the auctioneers mike and said 'I have 24 yearling colts sec A in the lorry help yourself'
They are to small to be worth anything at slaughter as bigger horses carry more meat..I have heard that owners are shooting them and burying them.

[sabrina]

Thats just terrible, he should stop breeding.

[MiriMaran]

Backing yearlings and racing 2 year olds should be banned - I find it utterly outrageous and very upsetting that its allowed to continue.

As for the slaughter of horses some zoos have a keeper who is trained to PTS and they will take the carcass away for free to feed to the big cats.

[smiffy]

it is sad, however its the times we live in............

i know  race horse trainer who used to sell his horses if they did not make the grade, around 10 years ago he was taken to court for selling a dangerous animal, and lost his case.
since then he has put them down, he cn not afford another court case.

[Roxy]

I get upset at any form or cruelty or neglect, and with the credit crunch people are trying to sell all sorts of horses and livestock, and no one can afford to buy them.  I have horses at my farm which are rescued - for example a little driving pony and a big ID, which came to me because the owners had to rehome them.  No money changed hands.  At the moment I have people begging me to take in their goats as they can no longer keep them.  As winter approaches I expect to have more animals on my doorstep - a lot of it comes down to money, and the cost of keeping a horses or whatever.

[jameslindsay]

Roxy it seems that almost every couple of days I read in the paper a case of animal cruelty. There is no need to abandon animals and leave them for dead when there are so many rescue shelters that will take the animals. Last year I rescued 2 goats, 1 was 9 year old and the other was 11. One of the conditions I was given them was that the owners had to have access to see them whenever they wished. Well, they came twice and have not been seen at all this year. Not surprising really when you saw the state their 2 goats were in, my vet said they should have been prosecuted! Even keeping something as cheap as a goldfish costs you money to look after, sadly all too often people seem to forget this.

[Rosemary]

The problem is that there are too few prosecutions and those that go ahead don't have severe enough penalties. We had a local one where some idiot female allowed her stafie dog and bitch to mate, then sold three of the six puppies for £160 each but starved the remaining three. She was admonished but not banned from keeping animals. It's far too easy to get animals and keep them in poor conditions.

A fried of mine ahs a horse at another stables to me and a girl there rescued a Shetland pony. It had been bought as a companion for a horse, which had been destroyed. The girl had been keeping an eye on it for months; when it wasn't there one day, she went looking for it, it was shut in a stable, both doors closed with no ffod or water. The owners seemed to have decided to starve it to death. She didn't report it just took away the pony, whihc now has a home for life. I supect the interventions of like minded people reduce the casualties but also the prosecutions.