From the childhood fascination of "Black Beauty" to the romantic appeal of "The Horse Whisperer", horses are widely regarded as symbols of beauty and pride. Unbeknownst to many Americans however, "Each year, more than 60,000 horses are slaughtered nationwide for human consumption in countries such as France, Belgium, Japan, Italy, and Switzerland."(Osdol) Kill buyers buy horses of all types and ages for this purpose. The treatment of these horses during transportation and slaughter is cruel and inhumane. Many alternatives exist for disposing of these unwanted horses; slaughter is not the only option. I believe that the slaughter of equines for human consumption abroad should be banned in the U.S.
             So what kinds of horses go to slaughter anyway? Are they all old and crippled? Have they all been problem horses that were dangerous to work around? Not so, according to the Equine Protection Network, "Horses of all ages and sex are slaughtered including pregnant mares and foals. Former racehorses, show horses, pleasure horses, carriage horses, Amish work and buggy horses, summer riding camp horses, police horses, former therapeutic and handicapped riding horses, lesson horses, rodeo horses, wild mustangs, broodmares, mares used in the production of Premarin and the foals that are the byproduct of the production, and companion horses have all been purchases and sent to slaughter." (Equine Protection Network) Not even the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand and the Hall of Famer Exceller were spared from this undignified end.
             There are currently two slaughterhouses operating in the U.S. today. Both are foreign owned. They are the Beltex Corporation in Ft. Worth, Texas and Dallas Crown in Kaufman, Texas. In addition to the horses that are killed at these two sites, thousands more are shipped across our borders to our neighbors Mexico and Canada for the same purpose. Transportation to these sites i...