I read the article about ending horse slaughter. The fact is that in the state of California there was no rise in abuse cases after they banned horse slaughter. Horse abuse actually declined. The other thing is there are approximately 1.5 million horses in the United States.

According to the American Veterinary Association, about 10 percent of those horses die per year. If 80,000 of them are getting slaughtered each year because they have to, then what is happening to the other 70,000 per year who aren’t being slaughtered?

They are properly euthanized by lethal injection, or die of natural causes, or are shot in the head by a properly placed bullet. There is no need for horse slaughter. If people can’t afford to euthanize their horse by a vet, then they shouldn’t have a horse. Many people need to have a license to own a horse and have money put away for its proper death!

We’ll always have abuse of animals on this earth, but to slaughter our pets here in the U.S. is wrong. We need to try to protect their welfare like we do our dogs and cats as much as we can and work on other ways to solve any abuse cases. One thing is for sure: horse slaughter is not needed or wanted in the United States of America by (last poll) 85 percent of people asked. Only people like the American Quarter Horse Association, the Texas Southwest Cattle Raiser’s Association and Texas A & M – who are all receiving money per slaughtered horse – want it to continue!

They’re lobbying to keep it going big time!

These horses do suffer horribly. Can you imagine being in a truck with your neck curved, unable to move for days with no food or water, getting bitten by other terrified horses? If you lay down you get trampled and usually die before you get to the slaughterhouse! Is this humane? NO! I live one hour from two of the Texas horse slaughterhouses and I can tell you the horses are terrified! That is a bunch of bullcrap that they aren’t!

They try to jump the fences and they scream like cougars inside while they are being pounded in the face or sledgehammered or hit with fiberglass poles while being screamed at by the workers. It’s not a calm place!

Most all of Congress agrees that horse slaughter must end. There are only three devils in congress that don’t: Bonilla, Goodlatte and Burns.

Everyone now knows what they’re up to and now we on the outside and those on the inside know our places and what to do. Game on!

Horses and the United States of America go hand in hand. We need to stop foreign interests from getting their hands on our precious horses anymore!

This must end! It’s not our culture and the French and Belgians and their three slaughterhouses must GO!!!

Pamela Bertsch

Frisco, Texas