This may be a little disapointing, but I don't have a deep, politically charged rant today.
This is largely due to the fact that I'm black and blue from the waist down after riding a freaking behemoth of a horse all yesterday afternoon. All I can think about is climbing into a warm bath and forgetting about these muscles I didn't know existed yesterday and I'll be happy to forget exist tomorrow.
Okay, I exagerate. But it was large and I do hurt.
My brother owns a farm in Quebec and is in the habit of rescuing horses at auction who would otherwise go to slaughter. See, this is something that I wasn't even aware happened until we sat on his porch and he began telling me about it. There are regulations in the states against the slaughter of horses. They passed in a bill in 2006 "outlawing the sale and transport of horses for slaughter for human consumption" and are working on getting it from bill status into law.
We don't have that law up here in Canada. So horses from the States migrate either down south to Mexico or up here to Canada, in illegally cramped double-deck trailers (which are those box like trailers used to transport pigs) that don't allow the horses to stand naturally, instead cramping their head down low.
We've all watched cowboy movies and developed this trans-species bond with horses. Between Black Beauty and The Littlest Hobo, I had quite the nomadic life picked out for myself when I was younger and stupid. It's as disturbing to think of horses being slaughtered for consumpution as it is to consider dogs or cats being cooked and eaten. But we are omnivores, we eat meat, and I know people have developed the same close bond with cows and lambs, which I happily consume whenever the mood strikes me.
(Side Note: My brother used to have sheep, and to propogate the heard you breed them, keep the girls, and sell the boy lambs to slaughter. Suffice it to say, he no longer has any but two very old sheep. Fell in love with the lambs and couldn't do it anymore.)
What disturbs me the most, I think, is that I've seen some of the horses my brother has brought back from slaughter auctions. They're gorgeous! The big elephant I was on yesterday is named Bella. She's a 20 year old draft horse who was going to slaughter, but like most large horses is a totally calm, easy ride, if a bit stubborn at times. She must have been about 18-20 hands tall (conservatively... I'd like to say she was 25 hands but I think that was just my biased perception being on the ground and wondering how in the hell I was going to get into the saddle. The answer? Ungracefully.)
He recently bought a 5 year old painted, absolutely gorgeous girl, unbroke and going to food. A day later he had her broke, and she came riding with us and with her new owner on her back yesteray. She was marvellous! When my giant white elephant (which I'm thinking of renaming Beluga) decided she was done with walking and I had to fight her from turning back and going home, this paint (re-named Pheonix by my romantically inclined sibling) happily trotted along, through fields and bogs and knee deep water.
I have a point in all of this.
We have strict regulations governing the transportation, slaughter and sale of the meat we consume. Why does horse meat fly under the radar, ignored and left to the realm of scandal?
There are tons of worthwhile organizations trying to save horses from slaughter (my brother isn't an organization, just a softy for big sad eyes) and organizations trying to bring awareness to mal-practice in regards to horses.
Owning a horse is a lot of money, I'm not saying go out and buy one right now to save it. I'm just saying we ignore so many issues that are happening under our noses, like prostitution or a dictatorial House of Commons. Or horse slaughter. Sometimes just being aware, and spreading that awareness, is enough.
(The above title was provided by my hubby, who decided to rename his horse. His horse's actual name was Jackie, and she remains Jackie despite his helpful suggestions)
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