Hi to all,

I am Gina, Founder of Spring Hill Horse Rescue. Both Rich and his wife Karen adopted two QH geldings from us recently. Both horses were purchased at an auction and directly outbid from the meat buyer. These two horses were seriously malnourished and overworked at a riding camp or stable where after their months of service were discarded like a piece of trash. No animal or human should be treated in such a way. Horses have served this country in so many capacities over the years - war, transportation, working the land and now they are our entertainment, pets and companions. I am not an extremist but I have to agree with Rich, it is certainly a cultural thing where most Americans do not eat horse meat. I do agree that something has to be done about the true problem of what to do with these tens of thousands of horses if horse slaughter is banned in the US. Euthanisia is certainly an option but why not consider the source of mass horse production (ie race horse industry, PMU farms) and make them be responsible for their part of the problem and the 'cure' for it? After years of serving their owners or producing a profit to a horse business or owner these horses deserve better treatment than the fate of horse slaughter where they are transported hundreds of miles, starved, dehydrated, kicked and trampled by other frantic horses and physically abused. No animal deserves this fate - not even the horses that are deemed dangerous or crazy...these horses are at the mercy of whoever raises them and most bad vices or behaviors are man made due to ignorance and abusive training tactics. Instead of talking about ways of killing them and why lets talk about ways of detering the births of the tens of thousands that are born every year &/or making those responsible for bringing so many horses into this world responsible for their fate??
Again, I am not an extremist - just a voice on behalf of these horses. I applaud Rich and Karen in their efforts in adopting these horses and giving them a second chance a good life they deserve. We cannot save them all but to save one is a miracle in itself;-)