Slaughtering horses is a topic that offers a no-win situation for a journalist; you’re going to upset someone if you just bring up the topic. So why did The Horse decide to look into this issue? Because horse owners in this country deserve a first-hand account of the process from someone with no vested interest. That way, each owner can make up his or her own mind on the issue. We aren’t on the side of the animal rights activists, and we aren’t on the side of the slaughter-houses. We are on the side of the horses.

I think all horse owners agree that if there were a universal alternative to slaughter that was humane and affordable, we would support it wholeheartedly. However, in the real world, there are people who don’t take good care of horses. There are horses which need to be euthanized for physical or mental problems. There are oversupplying and casting off of horses in sports, and funding isn’t available to buy all the unwanted horses and give them good homes. For these reasons, there has to be an outlet for those unwanted, neglected, or abused animals. (Abuse includes underfeeding and lack of proper veterinary and farrier care.)

Banning horse slaughter isn’t the solution. It merely re-routes the problem in a different—and potentially worse—direction