Words from a Pro-Slaughter Horse Rescuer

Fates worse than slaughter await surplus horses
By MJ Clark


December 15, 2008 --
JAY EM — Helen Boreczky runs Wyoming Horse Rescue on 300 acres in Jay Em in eastern Wyoming. She only accepts horses from law enforcement, “because otherwise I’d have hundreds.” In the last few years, she’s seen an increase in the number of horses abused and abandoned.

“I’d say the abuse has increased because people aren’t selling them to slaughter,” she said. “I see so much brutality, they’re better off dead if they could euthanize them humanely.”

Historically, the ‘humane’ aspect was missing in the slaughterhouses. Boreczky refers to videos she’s seen in which horses were hung up and skinned while still alive. Because of protests, the last horse processing plant in the United States closed in 2007. But the issue of what to do with surplus horses didn’t go away.

Instead, many surplus animals are being purchased by agents for slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada, which Boreczky says are even worse.

As much as she loves horses, “I’m not so stupid as to think that all these horses can be saved,” she said. A slaughterhouse, she added, “would be a good thing if it was humane, and somebody was there to watch. Not PETA, but some other group who could make sure the process was humane.”

Boreczky may get her wish, and hopefully see a drop in demand for her services, thanks to action taken this weekend. A policy co-sponsored by Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis regarding the need for humane slaughterhouses in the U.S., was approved at the National Council of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) Fall Forum in Atlanta.

Wallis said that the bill received support “from literally every crook and cranny of this nation, and from all walks of life.” She listed letters of support from “horse rescue and recovery organizations who are over-whelmed and without options” as well as from horse councils, horse owners, breed registries, professional rodeo cowboys, and many others who are sincerely concerned about the fate of horses and the equine industry.

The Horse Industry Policy urges Congress to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses, to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States, and not to interfere with state efforts to establish facilities in the United States. The passage of the policy provides the authority for NCSL staff in Washington, D.C., to lobby on Capitol Hill as it effectively establishes the position of the states.

At Wyoming Horse Rescue, Boreczky continues to care for and place as many horses as she can. While she approves of humane slaughter, when the time comes to put one of her charges down, she hires a vet and then gives each a proper burial. For more information on Wyoming Horse Rescue, go to www.wyominghorserescue.com.



http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/article.asp?id=97681