🐴 Save The Horses

Pasture

I grew up in a small town in rural Alberta. A short distance away, my grandpa and step-grandma owned a quarter section of land, and leased several other quarters for pasture. During summer holidays I would sometimes stay with them, helping with the many chores.

They primarily raised show horses. In 2002 I helped photograph them all. There must have been nearly 100, and my grandpa knew every one by name. Not that I ever saw them all at once, of course. They had plenty of pasture to roam.

This is how I’d like to imagine all horses are raised in Canada. Sadly it’s not the case.

Industry

There is an industry in Canada that would likely have my grandpa rolling over in his grave. An industry that raises horses for the purpose of slaughter.

“Canada is among the leading exporters of horsemeat in the world.” – CBC

Canadian Horse Defence Coalition investigations reveal photos of horses on feedlots. It’s what you might expect if you’ve seen photos of CAFOs for cattle.

There are several problems:

• Horses living on feedlots (factory farming)
• Horses are being raised specifically to be slaughtered for horsemeat
• Horses are being slaughtered in Canada, regardless of how they are raised
• The export of live horses for slaughter

Surveys indicate that the majority of Canadians, when asked, are against the slaughter of horses for human consumption. But the majority of Canadians are unaware that it’s happening.

Activism

This past week I participated in a rally alongside Animal Justice, Humane World for Animals, Canadian Horse Defence Coalition and other concerned citizens.¹

We set out to remind the federal government of Bill C-355 to ban the export of live horses for slaughter. Small cages, a lack of food or water, the risk of injury, etc.

The goal isn’t for the industry to “onshore” more slaughterhouses.

Banning live exports focuses on one problem. It’s a small step that could spare thousands of horses the additional stress of being loaded up on a plane, and send a message to the industry.

About 50 people turned out for the rally on a weekday, and a handful of MPs stopped by to chat.

One MP commented on the nature of our activism, being both peaceful and respectful. That’s something I also appreciated.

Let’s hope it makes a difference. 🤞🏻