As a hay farmer in western Colorado, I am concerned about the efforts of animal rights organizations to ban the sale of horses for slaughter for more than one reason. I believe a ban such as the one proposed in H.R. 503 and S.311 will put an increased time and financial burden on ranchers, lead to the cruel treatment of horses, and set a very dangerous precedent.

Living in a part of the country where the landscape is dominated by 10 acre parcels with 3-5 horses each, it is not hard to imagine the consequences of a ban on horse slaughter. With the closure of many of the horse slaughter facilities in the U.S., it has become increasingly difficult for horse owners to find willing buyers for unwanted horses. Last year we became the recipient of one such horse. The horse “showed up” in our hay field with a flock of our sheep early one morning. Apparently the owner didn’t know what to do with a horse which was lame in one hind leg so decided that it would be well fed on our ranch. While we were able to turn the horse over to the state brand inspector, it took a month and a half in which we were forced to expend time and feed in caring for the horse. If such an outright ban on the sale of horses for slaughter is enacted, it is only a matter of time before many more infirm and aged horses end up on our ranches. Who will pay for this? WE WILL!

It is also my belief that a ban on horse slaughter would lead to the cruel treatment of many horses. What will happen to horses when they reach the end of their lives if there is no avenue available for the sale of such horses? Some of these horses will be put down by veterinarians, but it is my belief that many more will be allowed to suffer. Many horse owners will not be able to afford the high costs of euthanasia and disposal or the high veterinary bills that come with old age. As a result many horse will be forced to live out their lives with infirmities and in ill health.

Perhaps the most alarming of all is the precedent that an outright ban on horse slaughter would set in regards to the livestock industry. What’s next pork, cattle, poultry, lamb, or as the Humane Society of the United States would like to see, a ban on livestock as a source of human food. Who are we to say what another individual can or can not eat? Do we not live in the most free society on the planet? Maybe not!