Peter and Caroline have been taking riding lessons for a couple of months, and both are enjoying the experience.  I’ve lately been thinking about getting a horse, even though I know I’m not quite ready to embark on a commitment of that magnitude just yet.  Horses are expensive, not to mention time-consuming, and I want to make sure the kids are really interested in riding before I seriously pursue the idea of horse ownership.  In the meantime, though, I can still dream!   

As I was surfing the Internet the other day, I inadvertently ran across some articles on horse slaughter.  I guess I’d never really thought about what happens to older horses, ones who are no longer wanted as family pets or show horses, injured racehorses, or even young, healthy horses that don’t make the cut in racing.  What I learned was truly gruesome, and I can’t believe our government isn’t doing something to stop it ASAP.     

Although the remaining three horse slaughterhouses in the United States (two in Texas, one in Illinois) are now closed, mostly due to public outrage that resulted in legislative action, thousands of horses continue to be sold to “kill buyers” at livestock auctions for outrageously low prices ($100 to $500), and they are then shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter under truly appalling and primitive conditions.  The horsemeat is then sold in countries like Belgium, France, and Japan, where diners pay as much as $20 per pound for what they consider a “delicacy.” 

Horse rescue organizations throughout the United States are working on shoestring budgets to outbid the kill buyers at livestock auctions and rescue as many horses as they can from this horrible fate.  Since many of the horses that wind up in slaughterhouses are ex-racehorses, my search on the Internet led me to several organizations that offer retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses for adoption.  One place, which has two locations in Ohio, is called New Vocations.  Another, located right here in West Virginia, is called Crossed Sabers. 

Now I’m thinking that if we get a horse someday, I would really like to consider a Standardbred ex-racehorse.  In the meantime, I’ve been busying myself looking at the photos and reading the profiles of horses they have available.