The next big hit:
Written by the reporter who covered the Ramey wreck back in 2004. I think she did an excellent job reporting the issue of double decker hauling. Please crosspost and share if you feel the same.
This article was printed in the Register Publications' newspapers in Southern Indiana and later picked up and posted on http://www.fund4horses.org:
www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17536136&BRD=2076&PAG=461&dept_id=384100&rfi=6New horse rescue group
starts after carnage on Ind. 1
By Chandra L. Mattingly, Staff Reporter12/01/2006
The horrendous aftermath of a wreck near Lawrenceburg of a double decker cattle truck loaded with 51 horses may result in better circumstances for many horses in the future via a new non-profit organization.
The wreck brought together three animal welfare advocates, one of whom lived on Ind. 1 near Guilford at the time.
The women initially met each other through the Internet as they exchanged concerns over the fate of the 26 horses which survived the 2004 wreck.
All but one were hauled away by the owner, their fate uncertain. One remains in Dearborn County, bought by a resident near the wreck site.
Now the trio of women have founded Speak Up For Horses, Inc., a registered non-profit equine rescue and education organization.
Among their goals are outlawing the use of double deckers for horse transport, and passage of the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, currently awaiting action by the US Senate after an overwhelming vote of approval by the House of Representatives in September.
Lifelong horse enthusiasts and owners, former Dearborn resident Shelly Price, Falmouth, Ky., Paula Drake, Cincinnati, and Ginger Rood, Union, Ky., have each worked for a variety of animal welfare causes, they said.
“That wreck was for Shelly and me kind of a turning point in our lives with animals. We had no idea horses were hauled in double deckers before that wreck,” said Drake.
The three began with Register Publications’ stories about the double decker overturning that September, she said.
“Your coverage of that horse wreck was the most complete coverage,” said Drake. The news stories led the women to questions about how horses are hauled, which led them to information about the horse slaughter industry, she said.
“Horse slaughter is one of America’s dirty little secrets. It knows no state boundaries,” said Price.
“Every week healthy horses are inhumanely hauled across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana highways in double decker cattle trucks to the three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses: two in Texas and one in Illinois.
“These horses, many former family pets, some race horses, broodmares, work horses, and even horses stolen out of pastures, are slaughtered so foreigners can dine on American horse steaks in gourmet restaurants overseas. The story of the old horse being turned into glue or dog food is a myth,” said Price.
Last year over 90,000 horses were slaughtered in the United States. Thousands of these horses came from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, she said.
The three states are hubs of horse ownership, said Drake. Indiana, with nearly 203,000 horses, is 15th in horse population in the United States, according to a 2005 study by the American Horse Council. Kentucky ranked fifth with 320,000 and Ohio sixth with 307,000, she said.
The vast majority of the animals are family pets, she said.
Yet these animals can be packed into double decker trailers, with ceilings too low for the horses to lift their heads, and animals on lower decks subject to the feces and urine from the animals above, said Drake.
In its Safe Transport to Slaughter, federal guidelines say hauling horses in double deckers is neither safe nor humane, she said.
“Yet people continue to haul in double deckers,” she said.
Similar wreck, different end:
This September, an accident similar to the 2004 accident on Ind. 1 occurred in Franklin County, Missouri, but the results were quite different, said Drake.
The wreck, which also involved an overturned double decker, happened in an area where local law enforcement agencies, the local humane society, the local veterinarians and the community had planned and practiced for such accidents, she said.
As a result, the surviving 24 of 42 horses bound for slaughter were cared for by a team of veterinarians and other emergency workers at the scene, then stabilized animals were transported by trailers to a nearby saddle club for triage and follow-up care.
Eventually, the survivors were signed over to the Humane Society of Missouri in lieu of the bill for their care.
By contrast, Dearborn County, didn’t seem to have practiced for or expected such an accident, said Drake.
“The only way to stop it from happening is to stop the hauling of horses in double deckers,” she said.
Federal regulations passed five years ago will outlaw hauling horses directly to slaughterhouses in double deckers as of Thursday, Dec. 7, said Drake.
But the rule applies only to direct hauling to slaughter. Meat dealers legally will be able to haul horses in double deckers to holding pens not far from the slaughterhouses, as long as the animals’ last trip is in single deck trailers, she said.
Meanwhile, a bill to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption has passed the United States House but also must pass the U.S. Senate before year’s end or backers will have to start all over, said Drake.
While surveys have shown the majority of U.S. citizens do not support horse slaughter, meat industry lobbyists have successfully worked against anti-slaughter bills in the past, she said.
Indiana, however, has at least one U.S. Congressman on the horses’ side.
“Sen. (Evan) Bayh has been an avid supporter of bills to stop horse slaughter,” said Drake.
Bayh co-sponsored Senate Bill 1915 which would ban the practice. She suggested Hoosiers call or write Bayh and Sen. Richard Lugar “and implore them to get this bill to the floor for a vote.”
Rescue and education:
Rescuing discarded horses that would otherwise be slaughtered is part of the mission of Speak Up for Horses, said Price.
But just as important, if not more important, is teaching area young people and their parents the importance of responsible ownership, she said.
“Our work is driven by the belief that education seeds compassion, a lifelong commitment to our horses and a respect for life – not just for the lives of these magnificent animals, but also a respect for all life,” said Drake.
The trio’s goal is to acquire a historic farm in the Tri-State to serve as an equine education center and rescue facility where the community can experience horses through a variety of hands-on horse events.
The center will host field trips for area schools, scouts, and church groups; and educational seminars on topics such as horse ownership, horse training, horse care, and how to buy the right horse.
Horse breed organizations and recognized horse professionals will be invited to hold shows, training classes and exhibitions; and a therapeutic riding program for both children and adults will be developed, said Drake.
The center also will support local law enforcement in neglect and abuse cases involving horses, she said.
“We are available to speak to both youth and adult organizations about horse slaughter, horse rescue and responsible horse ownership. We also are collecting horse books like Black Beauty and Seabiscuit, which speak to responsible ownership, for donation to public and school libraries,” explained Drake.
According to the American Horse Council there are 9 million horses in the United States, a $40 billion direct economic impact industry. Out of the national total of 9 million, over 6 million horses are used recreationally as companions and show horses.
“We have a responsibility to speak up for horses. They have carried us into battle, worked our fields, pulled our wagons westward, and now thrill us in competitions, pull carriages, provide invaluable therapy to special needs children and adults, pose for pictures with our children at birthday parties, and show us the beauty of nature on trail rides,” said Rood.
“Don’t we owe our American horses a respectful quality of life for all they do for us?” she asked.
For more information on Speak Up For Horses, go to
www.speakupforhorses.org.
Tax deductible contributions can be mailed to Speak Up For Horses, Inc., P.O. Box 434, Falmouth, Ky., 41040.
Contributions also can be made through PayPal or the American Express Giving Program.
