Writing Projects
Welsh pony size comparison to other breeds
Written by Zoey Vlake on April 18, 2024
An Argument For a New Solution to the United States Unwanted Horse Problem
There are over 200 horse breeds in the world today. They do not play as big of a role in today’s world as they once did, even so, each breed has a unique specialty that we can still appreciate and utilize for all sorts of jobs and activities. While shadowing a volunteer at Children's TherAplay for example I learned about Welsh ponies. Welsh Ponies are small and strong. They are known to be friendly and easy to manage, which makes them perfect for new riders and children. Even though we still use horses for things like Hippotherapy, racing, and farming, their uses have been largely taken over by the advancements in technology. This has led to a severe decrease in the number of horses our society needs to function. There are not as many horse owners in today’s time, but there are still just as many horses.
The domesticated horses that do not have homes were deemed unwanted horses in 2005 and have been an ongoing problem for even longer. None of the current solutions being used to deal with these unwanted horses are sufficient to solve the overpopulation problem that plagues the entire trade. Society needs to revise the way it looks at and deals with unwanted horses, not only because our inefficient efforts are unfair to the horses, but also because they have a negative impact on the economy as a whole.
Jump racing considered to be the most dangerous form of horse racing
“Generally, they race for 2-5 years before retiring” (Gulfam).
One of the biggest producers of unwanted horses is the racing industry. In the past horses have been used for transportation, farming, carrying heavy loads, and even military power. However, with the rise of farming machinery during the agricultural revolution, horses took a back seat and were almost exclusively used for recreation. One such recreation is racing. Horses have been bred for racing since 16 BC and the sport gained popularity in the United States in the 1800’s thanks to British influences.
“Generally, they [Thoroughbreds] race for 2-5 years [13-23 human years] before retiring” (Gulfam). The horse racing industry is extremely competitive, and this number can be even shorter if the horse does not meet certain standards leading to an early retirement where they are either neglected or put down prematurely. Horses that do meet the industries harsh standards do not have it any better. Compared to their average life span of 25-30 years, 5 years is very minimal. This pattern of short careers leads to overbreeding to keep up with the constant cycle of new horses racing every year. There are never enough homes to take care of the retired horses and with over 20 years left of their lives they are often sent to slaughterhouses or neglected the same way “defective” horses are.
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Racing may be the largest contributor to unwanted horses, but it is not the only industry that is guilty of wasteful practices. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) estimates that it costs about $2340 per year to maintain a single horse. When considering the average lifespan of 25-30 years a horse can cost a total of $58,500 to $70,200 to maintain properly.
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Human to horse years chart
The University of Minnesota estimates that there are approximately 170,000 unwanted horses in the United States each year. That means that the United States wastes about 9 billion dollars on unwanted horses every year. This may seem like an outrageous number, but it is not as impactful when considering that the horse industry still “contributes $122 billion annually to the US economy” (Mallory). It is still a huge waste of money that could be improved, but the lack of urgency to solve this problem makes sense once the numbers are compared side by side. The more debated problem with unwanted horses is their treatment.
Casual riding and equine therapy are two other large industries that involve horses. These two industries are far less cruel with horses than racing, but they still have their fair share of flaws. Horses used for casual riding and therapy have far longer careers that are also less taxing on their bodies. For casual riding horses, their career typically ends at the age of 20, which is about 60 years old in human years.
Equine therapy horses can work for as long as they are healthy and doing well. Many foundations that provide horse therapy such as Children's TherAplay, take in horses that have gotten too old to continue their past career, but are not yet ready to retire. On the surface it may seem like this is the perfect solution for retired racehorses and overpopulation, but there is an issue when it comes to the lack of tolerance for mistakes.
“Are they going to put him down?” ...“I don’t know.”
While researching for this assignment my English professor described a time when she experienced this harsh reality in person. She had arrived at a children's birthday party to see a spooked horse flailing his back side around. The horse threw a kid, and some doctors were checking to see if they were alright. When the horse finally calmed down, the horse handler was in tears.
“This horse is done, he will never work again” she said. My professor asked, “Are they going to put him down?” “I don’t know.” The handler responded. This is just one example of how horses can be thrown away quickly after just one mistake. The reasoning behind this line of thought is that the rider's safety comes first. However, there are ways to keep riders safe through extra training and being more selective about what horses are consistently a danger and which ones are just having an off day.
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Unwanted horses are not dealt with properly in the United States. Unwanted horses can be disowned for reasons such as age, performance, behavior, or even coloring. The problem is that despite the horses not being used, they still cost resources and money to maintain. More often than not these horses do not have the best quality of life and the issue of ethics arises. According to the former president of the AAEP, Tom Lenz, “the reality for many unwanted horses is that they become a burden and are abused or neglected.
Malnourished horses at a slaughter house
For those responsible horse owners who do not want to burden others with the disposition of a horse that is old, lame or no longer useful, the option of euthanasia and carcass disposal is available.” Going the euthanasia or slaughter route is a viable solution that solves a lot of problems; however, it is not a perfect option either and a lot of other issues arise. The United States Humane Society does not agree that slaughter is a good option. According to their website "the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] documented that 92.3 % of horses sent to slaughter are in good condition and are able to live out a productive life." Along with this, horse meat is not not as nutritious as beef and there is no way to guarantee its quality.
The United States does not regulate horse meat, which means that there is always the possibility that it contains multiple different toxic substances. The cost of everything is also a highly debated topic. Putting a horse down is significantly cheaper than caring for it throughout its entire life, but some believe that the costs still far out weight the benefits of slaughter houses. According to an article by NBC, horse meat tends to sell for 40% less than beef does. The argument most people make in favor of ending horse slaughter practices is that it is not a safe or sought after resource in the United States. It has been valuable during times of war, but any time a better option is available, horse meat popularity falls back down.
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Total number of horses slaughtered each year for human consumption in the United States
The problem with euthanasia does not lie in the action itself, but the circumstances surrounding it. Due to over breeding it is far too common of a practice and the Humane Society is concerned about how the horses are treated leading up to death. Greater breeding and slaughter regulations would help lower the number of unwanted horses, but it does not solve the problem entirely either. There is no way to guarantee that horse In order to put a dent in the 170, 000 unwanted horses in the United States, we not only need better regulations, but also responsible owners who are willing to put the time and resources into training the vast majority of perfectly functional unwanted horses that were never given a chance.
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The most common reasons horses become unwanted in the Unites States
The United States Humane society is just one of many organizations fighting to make a difference. Slaughtering horses for human consumption has been on the decline for a long time in the United States, but there are still unwanted horses that are being neglected, wasted, and killed for every year. Well the humane society works to end horse slaughtering it fails to propose another viable solution. The AAEP on the other hand is working to make rescue horses more adaptable by taking better care of unwanted horses and providing equine vaccines. By joining the unwanted horse veterinary campaign people can make a real difference and help horse rescues in all sorts of ways. A survey done in 2009 by the unwanted horse coalition concluded that the most common reason for a horse becoming unwanted is that the owner could no longer afford it. With the AAEP's approach of reducing costs through support and education the organization has a real chance at reducing the number of unwanted horses in the United States with a solution that is both ethical and cost effective.