Pros and Cons of Slaughtering Horses in Oklahoma

I am deeply concerned as a citizen of the state of Oklahoma that the choice to slaughter horses in this state may indeed not be the best overall for our wild horses that were born and bred in the wild and road and traded once by our Native Americans. These horses originally came from Spain where the Spanish brought them by the way of the sea clear across the ocean to the new world. I would not like to find myself in the position of the governor's office of Oklahoma. The final vote may come today on whether to allow slaughterhouses for horses in this state. In thinking about the decisions here, then I would like to think and reflect on both sides to be fair. I am going to let you know right up front that I am going toward the facts within the cons on this article. My heart goes out to these animals.

Pros:

1. Someone is going to open slaughterhouses and sell their meat to Europe. That means profiting on killing animals. It is about making profits in an economy.

2. Some horses that might have been suffering or aging might be put out of their misery and hoping in a humane way.

3. In the times of drought that we have been experiencing, then you can see that animals may again be put down and not starving or dying of starvation. Lack of rain brings lack of crops that grow to feed them.

4. It could reduce a number of horses in this state so that some might survive.

Cons:

1. Do we really want to destroy these animals completely? We know once they start slaughtering they will want to destroy all of them. It makes me remember the movie that Frank Hopkins who was part Native American tried to help the wild mustangs to survive so that the army would not destroy them. They were turned loose on Black Jack Mountain in Oklahoma.
It is against the preservation of these wild mustangs of the Spanish lineage that were allowed to be part of the heritage of the state of Oklahoma.

2. This seems like a destruction of our state's legacy and that of the Native American tribes who once road them.

3. I see that someone is going to benefit from this, but who will get the money and the job of killing the animals. Then they are not being allowed to be sold as meat in the state but sent to Europe for food. What is wrong with this? What makes a difference between European and American consumers? Are money and higher export prices another form of making big profits of killing all horses?

4. What inspection will this meat get to be sent to Europe for human consumption?
I would worry that something might not be healthy or the slaughtering might not be done right with good health and inspection standards.

This whole thing leaves me with a really mixed emotion. I am a naturalist who believes in the preservation of our world. However I have in the past been in a position of protecting starving horses and getting them rescued for people who owned them dumped them on land without paying rent, and even baby horses were starving. There was no guarantee, when we got a large herd rescued that they would survive. Department of Agriculture did all they could to help them, and attempt to get these horses back in healthy conditions. This was not a drought situation, but one of the owners not feeding their horses and dumping them. No one asked for help. The horses busted out of their fencing, when we had to do something, because they were headed across a four-lane busy highway in another state. So one could have been killed by the horses causing a wreck or pile up. This I can understand not letting horses suffer.

Then I guess you can say that I do care about preserving our heritage, and how can we say that we allowed someone to come in and destroy them? There should be guidelines and control over this, but I know once that bill passes, then there will be none. I think of the men who shot the buffalo for nothing and destroyed the food and part of our heritage. Native Americans starved because of this slaughter. I think it would be nice to see the great animals still roaming around some areas. All I see now are statues of them, and pictures of them. I am not sure how you feel about all this, but I would love for you to share your thoughts on the matter.

I am reflecting in 2016 toward our future and the lives of all animals. I think back on times, when I went hunting with my husband, and we both now think of the extinction of the species of animals. It hurts to see white rhinos so rare killed, and elephants dying of unknown causes. Time calls for change, and I hope that everyone will consider the importance of not only the horses but all living creatures. It is my dream that we all as a world take care of these living things. In 2017, we are looking at destroying the Buffalo in our National Parks. I reflect back to the killing of Buffalo for the sheer sport of it. They never needed it for food. It is taking it out of an area, because the population has grown. Why cannot this group that believe in slaughtering animals think of relocating them? The list can go on about the species on this earth. We must take a stand against all this loss of life. Heritage is important, but species of animals should be worked with by environmentalist in order to make our world preserve all the heritage of the unique animals. Horses are but one of the problems existing in our world. You must think of the pros and cons before it is too late, and the horse species is gone forever from our lives. Once they were thought of for riding and for travel, and also for workhorses to plow fields. Now it is tractors, but do we really have to let go?

I also learned in 2016 about a family in our state that has taken the original herd of Spanish horses and tried to preserve them for posterity. This family made it their lifetime dedication to the preservation of this herd of horses. They take donations to help fund the cost of caring for them. The other wild horses that are not of this herd are considered for slaughtering. There are things in life and in this world that we must stand up for, or we will see them gone forever.

One of the greatest things that came forth from these horses is the need for our soldiers to adopt them, and this gives the horses and the soldiers something to live for. You have to remember many of them have lost their limbs, and many come back from war depressed and feeling down. Hats off to those that are helping both the horses and the soldiers to bond in this way. These horses have made a difference, and I am glad to see this happen. There is still hope that somehow that they can be relocated or given a special home with special people to love them. I ask that you make it your business to care about the wildlife in your own state. There are definitely other states that have the same type of problems with their horses.