VICTORY for Wild Horses!

[doodadem]

From the Humane Society Action Alert:

I'm so pleased to tell you that last night, thanks to your action, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in a landslide -- 249-159 -- to ban the sale of wild horses for slaughter! Americans were outraged last December when a secret rider in a budget bill gutted the federal protections afforded to wild horses for 34 years, an action that allowed "killer buyers" last month to ship 41 mustangs to an Illinois slaughterhouse, which quickly killed these majestic animals so they could be served up on dinner plates in Europe and Asia.

U.S. Representatives Nick Rahall (D-WV), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), John Sweeney (R-NY), and John Spratt (D-SC) have led the charge to end horse slaughter. As Congressman Rahall stated after last night's victory, "The very notion that wild American horses would be slaughtered as a food source for foreign consumption abroad has struck a chord with the American people. Tonight, the people's House of Representatives acted on the will of its constituents."

Congressional offices told us they were flooded with phone calls and emails all week asking them to support the Rahall-Whitfield Amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill, and I can assure you that your participation carried the day in this decisive victory for horses.
To find out how your Representative voted, go here:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/Mpqqn8d1nRef/

[katinmn]

1. Well, that's one bright spot . :-)

It should never have been added to the budget bill in the first place.

I wish they would do away with junk bills. The creepiest things get tacked on in a committee and the legislators don't know what they're voting on.

[bunkerbuster1]

2. Let me guess--the Reeps finally figured out it'd be Frenchies

dining on the horsemeat?

[CottonBear]

3. That is fantastic news.

I hope the Republicans who sponsored the original legislation which allowed the sale for slaughter will burn in hell. They deserve it.

[damntexdem]

4. Will they now show their ...

wild oats?

[TX-RAT]

5. Mixed emotions

As long as i can remember, I've been around horses. My dad raised and rode them, and so do i. I still have 4, mostly their just getting fat. Fence riding and grand entry's is about the most they see.
Here's my problem
Horses are very good at protecting their young, I've never lost a fole due to predation. Over grazing is the worst thing that can happen to a herd, disease sets in, water gets short. You can loose a whole herd in a matter of months. If the land can only support x amount of horses, anything beyond that puts the whole herd at risk.

The obvious answer is to control the population. The problem with that is, nobody wants adult wild horses, their almost impossible to train or ride. So what are we to do with them, if we leave them alone they will most certainly over consume their resources. If we try to maintain a healthy controlled population through sales of older horses, we're considered butchers, or worse.

[cestpaspossible]

6. The Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act passed unanimously in 71

and it seems to have worked just fine until Conrad Burns inserted his rider into the budget bill...

[TX-RAT]

7. And thats suppose to mean what?

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TX-RAT]

11. So you have no answer, that's what i thought.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cestpaspossible]

14. I'll respond to any post I care to, even if it means you will insult me.

[cestpaspossible]

17. It means that

The Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act passed unanimously in 71
and it seems to have worked just fine until Conrad Burns inserted his rider into the budget bill...


I guess I don't understand your question. This is a pretty straightforward English sentence, so I don't really know how to respond when you ask what it means.

[doodadem]

15. Well, a couple of things

I have not heard of overgrazing being a problem for these animals, except in areas where they are duking it out with cattle. The cattlemen want the mustangs eliminated because they have grazing permits for the public lands, and see the horses as competition. Unfortunately, they have huge political clout, which is how this horrendous bill got introduced to begin with.
Adult wild horses and burros are not impossible to train/ride. I have several friends that have adopted them. It does take a large amount of patience and know how though--not something for the neophyte.
The sale of these horses must be closely monitored and regulated however. That's how the last group got sent to the slaughterhouse. The BLM thought they were going to legitimate adoption situations, and instead, they went to the slaughterhouse.

[demodonkey]

16. There's more to consider. Horse Owners look at this...

... what happens when horses become "meat" animals in the "New" America:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3267550#3268026

And look at the response from a person in Europe:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3267550#3270832