Equine Protection Network
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com
November 28, 2007

Remember to Shop at IGive.com & Support the EPN this Holiday Season!
We have one horse in the EPN Sanctuary Program, a former public
servant. Hay is up to $5.50 a bale & rising due to higher fuel
prices. The EPN needs a $150.00 a month for hay; $45.00 every 8 weeks
for Hoof Trimming. Please remember & Shop at IGive.com this Holiday
Season!

The EPN's Christine Berry often recieves correspondence from horse
owners who are pro slaughter. Often they ask the question of what are
we going to do with all these horses. Sometimes they mention how they
have asked this question of rescues and never receive an answer. The
EPN's response provides an answer, and also asks the question of
taxation and horses- no horse owner should have to pay state sales
tax on any horse or horse related service or item if horses are food
animals. The EPN of course never receives an answer to that statement.

Last week Christine Berry recieved an inquiry from a horse owner who
was pro slaughter. Below is his original e-mail and the EPN's
response followed by his amazing response and after reading the EPN
White Paper on Unwanted Horses, his even more amazing response and
intentions of supporting the EPN and championing our message.

I urge everyone reading this to read the entire message, and to keep
emotions in check. I guarnatee you that the rescues will not like
what is stated.

The point is that a pro slaughter person has now done an about face
on this issue due to the EPN White Paper on Unwanted Horses and
remarks in the EPN's e-mails.


Here is an excerpt from their e-mail after reading the EPN White
Paper:

"this has changed my opinion on this issue 150%, I was angry when I
sent you the message the other night now I am energized to help your
goal. I lashed out at what I thought was a rescuer and you have
enlightened me and I now understand the difference and what it will
take to make a difference. How can I help? I have a lot of friends
that are blind like I was and I want to help champion your efforts.
As I stated in the beginning I am very hard headed and have never
been turned around this quick"

The EPN White Paper published in 2005 can be found here(link ends in
pdf):

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/presentations/UnwantedHorseMay2
005.pdf


The person's name & e-mail have been removed to protect their privacy.

Christine Berry
EPN

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "MG" <@iscarmetals.com>

How are we going to control the overpopulation of horses…the market
has been killed because of people like you. We deer hunt for a
reason.

EPN RESPONSE:


Dear Mr. G,


The slaughter issue is one of disposal. Period.


Are we going to dispose of them via slaughter, which is against
American Culture, or are we going to euthanise which is in line with
American Culture.


It is not about rescue. It is not about cruelty. It is not about
animal rights. It is about how are we going to dispose of horses in
the United States of America. Americans do not eat horses. Passage of
this legislation is in line with American Culture. I am opposed to
slaughter of horses because I am an American.


Slaughter encourages irresponsibility, overbreeding, and the
crippling of our horses in their prime.


What are we doing as an industry that is causing horses to be sent to
slaughter at the average age of 7-11? (USDA figures)


When owners have to hold their horse when it hits the ground for the
last time & watch it die, or pay for the horse's retirement at an
early age due to crippling from oveuse or lameness due to breeding
for fashion instead of soundness, THEN people will change the
behavior that is causing horses to be fodder for slaughter in the
prime of their lives.


Slaughter allows people to dump the horses they have crippled due to
overuse, the horses lamed by poor conformation, the excess horses
bred by people who have no business breeding horses, and to destroy
the evidence of cruelty and neglect.


Rescue has done nothing more than move the trash can from the
auctions to the rescues.


Slaughter has done nothing to control the overpopulation of horses,
it is a method of killing horses, one that is offensive to the
majority of Americans. If a breeder has to pay to dispose of the
horse he created, if they have to watch them die, or pay for the care
of that horse until it dies, that is a financial incentive to NOT
breed more horses.

That is simple human behavior. A negative consequence for an action.

Your overpopulation argument is not valid.

According to your argument we have an overpopulation of horses. To
correct the problem, people are given money, (slaughter) to dispose
of the excess horses. At the same time, people are given money to
breed more horses. (Incentive funds, breeder programs, etc)

That makes no sense at all! Any time there is an overpopulation
problem, the goal is to reduce the population by controlling births.
Financial incentives are given to those who DO NOT breed more.
(horses) The creation, maintainence, & destruction of more horses
should cost people money, not reward them with money when they kill
them. Then people will stop breeding.

If a breeder had to pay to put down their excess horses, they would
think twice before breeding. As long as they can take the excess
horses they created to the sale & get money to remove the excess
horses, where is the incentive to stop breeding?

I challenge you to present your overpopulation control method to
experts in the field of population control, sociology, and human
behavior. I doubt that they would agree your method would work.

As for your deer argument, it has nothing to do with the slaughter of
American Horses.

Christine Berry
EPN

Mr. G's RESPONSE:

I have to admit I am a really hard headed person but you have made me
really stop and look at this a different way….you make a good case
and I will have to study this more. Don't tell my wife I admitted I
might be wrong.

Respectfully

M.


EPN RESPONSE:

You have made my day because you are now looking at this issue a
different way! I urge people to look at the big picture, not the
quick fix. Sadly most people do not want to research, to go in depth.
It is the 5 second sound bite.

Rescues have done more harm than good. They are missing the point.
But because the national animal welfare groups see this issue as a
way to fund raise, & people listen to them, it is hard to get people
to stop & look at the facts.

Remove the emotion. Look at this issue from human behavior & what can
we do to solve the problem. Not put a band aid on it.

Rescues for the most part refuse to cooperate with law enforcement &
hold people accountable for their bad behavior. Well, how are we ever
going to change bad behavior, if there is not a negative consequence?

How is rescue changing what the racing industry is doing that is
leaving 2-4 year olds crippled? Putting them out to pasture is not
the answer.There are not enough water buckets in the barn if we do
not turn off the faucet.

You have made my day because I have gotten you to think.

I tell people we may not agree on the slaughter issue, but I think we
can all agree that people who neglect or abuse horses should be held
accountable for their actions and we can ALL work together to see
that happen.

In the meantime please read the EPN White Paper on the Unwanted
Horse. Hopefully it will give you more to think about.

Christine Berry


Mr. G RESPONSES:


I hope I can make your week, this has changed my opinion on this
issue 150%, I was angry when I sent you the message the other night
now I am energized to help your goal. I lashed out at what I thought
was a rescuer and you have enlightened me and I now understand the
difference and what it will take to make a difference. How can I
help? I have a lot of friends that are blind like I was and I want to
help champion your efforts. As I stated in the beginning I am very
hard headed and have never been turned around this quick.


Thank you and I hope I can help you, I do se the big picture now.

M


As Antoinette stated in a post a few weeks ago my posts have given
her some thing to think about. I hope this series of e-mails and the
EPN White Paper does the same.

Christine Berry
EPN