AR-News: (US IL) Ten letters against the slaughter of Joe, the workhorse

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

The Illinois Leader

Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Trent Loos writes in his guest opinion "Out to greener pastures," May 18: 
"Joe was my first working cow horse and he was awesome. I sold him when he 
was 22 and every time I saddle up to work cattle I think about how much I miss 
him. One of my fondest memories was returning home to a message on the 
answering machine that my bull was out with a neighbor's cows. 
I rode the 640-acre pasture, sorted the bull from 150 cow/calf pairs and 
drove him a half-mile home within 45 minutes. Riding a horse that knows how, where 
and when to work cattle is a feeling that is hard to describe but wonderful 
to experience. 
I clearly recall my final months with Joe. I was reluctant to part company 
with him. In the final year, I didn't dare saddle him because of the stiffness 
in his legs. Age and dedication to his mission had taken their toll on him. 
I finally bit the bullet and sold him for a whopping $280. (Apparently and 
proudly to the slaughter plant)...Most importantly, no one is mandating how your 
horse leaves this life so why should you tell me how mine should be allowed 
to die?"
So, let me see if I understand you, Mr. Loos. Joe was an awesome horse. You 
loved him enough not to try to ride him the last year because he was too stiff 
and sore. In addition, you acknowledge that he had worn himself out dedicating 
himself to the mission of supporting you. Therefore, in gratitude, you sold 
that poor, pain-filled horse for a "whopping $280" to a killer buyer. 
Your horse got forced up a slippery metal ramp into the bowels of a 
double-decker truck and had to crouch on stiff, pain-racked legs, crammed in with other 
horses on a long, thirsty ride to a slaughter plant and off-loaded in agony. 
Looking for you, he saw only strangers that forced him down a chute into a 
box and left him swaying on those same, stiff legs until they shot a bolt into 
his head enough times for him to fall down and wait to be hoisted by a leg and 
have his throat slit. 
The only thing I can say is that I'm sure glad you don't love me! Your 
sentence about "Horses, like man, will die and death with a purpose gives full 
meaning to life", scares me half to death. I'd hate to be your worn out mother, 
grown old in dedication to my mission of raising you. 
Carol M Chapman
Hitchcock, TX 
****** 
I have been involved in thoroughbred racing over 30 years. I fully support 
the ending of this torture to horses. Horses that have learned to trust and 
depend on you and who run their heart out for you at the races. 

full story:
 http://www.illinoisleader.com/letters/lettersview.asp?c=14993 

______________________________________________________________________ 
for the news items that Animalconcerns 
volunteers have entered on the site
go to the Animalconcerns.org main page 
and click on "More News Headlines."

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````------

    "The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those 
rights which never could have been withholden from them but by the hand of
tyranny. - Jeremy Bentham 1748 - 1832 
The question is not can they REASON, nor can they TALK, but can they SUFFER?" 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20040519/8b50f244/attachment.html