Local Horse Angels Save 3 Slaughter Bound Horses

Q&A with a Horse Angel

Q. What made you take the plunge to save a horse from going to slaughter the day she was scheduled to ship?

A. If you ask anyone who knows me, I’ll save anything! In this case, She was the only listed pregnant mare on the lot, and I have a weak spot for pregnant mares and foals. Double S posted that the horses were loaded in the trailer, and it was the last chance to save them. I couldn’t let her go to slaughter knowing she was pregnant. So, I paid her bail.

Q. We understand you can’t fundraise to “buy” them from a Kill Lot. What steps did you have to take to save her?

A. Yes, you cannot “fundraise” per the rules of the kill pen. After I paid her bail, I kinda had an “oh crap, my fiancé is going to kill me” moment. So, I posted on the page that I would donate her bail, or if anyone felt compelled to help, to message me directly. That’s how we connected. They donated her medical, her shipping and helped network for donations. It was seriously a God thing, how it all came together so quickly.

Q. What was the most shocking thing you learned about the Kill Buying Business?

A. I’ve been in the horse world, specifically the rodeo world, for about 23 years and I was SO naive to the slaughter of horses. I was only introduced to the kill pens for a week before I saved this mare. The most shocking is the fact that there are people out there that specially breed mares, simply because they’ll weigh more. They’re sold by the pound, so when they’re pregnant. They bring more money. It’s disgusting.

Q. Was there a redeeming quality about this particular Kill Lot?

A. Redeeming? I don’t think that’s possible in these situations. How do you redeem yourself after knowingly killing thousands of horses? I do hear that this kill pen is easier to deal with than the others. But I haven’t dealt with the other pens so I can’t verify that to be true or not.

Q. Was it very difficult to finalize the purchase?

A. The purchase was pretty easy to finalize. It’s all the unknown things afterwards that getcha. The vet is only there on Wednesdays, and you have to use their vet at this lot. So it makes it impossible to get the horse out ASAP. Also, No one ever seemed to be on the same page. Being out of state, it made it very confusing having to rely on the very people who were sending the horse to slaughter to begin with, to also help keep her safe until you got her home.

Q. In your own words, what did you take away from this overwhelming experience?

A. Overwhelming is an understatement. There were quite a few times where I didn’t think I was going to be able to pull it off. Horse slaughter is bigger than I ever imagined it could be, and it’s heartbreaking to know you can’t save them all. It takes an army to save just one slaughter bound horse. But I’d do it a thousand times over if I could! The relief in her eyes when she arrived at her new home and realized she was loved again - that made the stress all worth it.

Q. Were you able to discern if the horses bound for slaughter were cared for in a humane way at this feed lot?

A. I had absolutely no way of knowing she was being cared for humanly. I only had seen 1-2 pictures of her before I saved her, after that, the pictures were removed and I was left only to pray she would make it until the hauler could pick her up. I knew nothing about her safety, her condition, or the conditions she was living in after purchasing her.