The horse industry has an annual economic impact around $300 billion dollars, 4.0 million horses, and 1.6 million full-time jobs. The industry is always changing in some fashion to keep up with the forever changing industry. Some of the biggest challenges facing the future of the equine industry are as followed, 1) Horse slaughter, 2) Horse Health, 3) Cost and unwanted horses. There are approximately 9.2 million horses in the United States, according to the American Horse Council, and each year a percentage of these horses become unwanted. Each year about 1% of horses are sent to slaughter (Unwanted Horse, 2008), while others indicate it is closer to 1.5%. Until recently, the vast majority of unwanted horses were slaughtered here in the …show more content…
to Mexico for slaughter. With the closure of slaughter plants, the number of unwanted horses has increased at an alarming rate each year. According to the Animal Welfare Council, the cost for caring for unwanted horses will be around $220 million dollars each year, based on 2005 statistics. Bob Goodlatte who represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia in the House of Representatives has projected that this number will increase to over $530 million by 2016. Horses can live well into their thirties and, according to the Unwanted Horse Coalition, the low end of the price scale for care of a horse is $1,800 annually. Breaking this down to a daily cost, without any veterinary expenses, it is estimated to be about $5 per day according to American Association of Equine Practitioners. The American Horse Council estimates that the average horse owner owns a horse for about 4.5 years. Many people view horses as they do their dog or cats: a companion animal. When people buy a dog or cat, they keep them for the life of that animal and don’t sell them every four …show more content…
By educating potential and current owners, fewer horses will become unwanted because people will better understand the issues that surround ownership (Persechino AQHA). One of the other ways to solve the unwanted horses is to help find a new purpose for aging horses. Just because they aren’t performing at their peak doesn’t mean their life is over. A lot of retired horses will be donated to different therapeutic riding centers, as long as they are of sound health and mind. This is a great chance for an aging horse to bond with disabled individuals. I was lucky enough to be a part of the riding center at Texas Tech University, which is the elite of the therapeutic riding center. I really enjoyed the hours that I helped out at the center and it was such a joy to see the smile on the faces of the people getting the chance to ride horses. Another way to help change this problem is by donating horses to different colleges. Many colleges will use horses for different programs or for different research ventures. Another option for the horse to have a new career in public service. Several horses are used a police mounts, U.S Border Patrol, park units, prisons and as search-and-rescue
Brosnahan MM, Paradis MR. Assessment of clinical characteristics, management practices, and activities of geriatric horses. JAVMA 2003; 223(1): 99-103
Depression has a major effect on a person life. The accumulation of hidden emotion could cause difficulty in life. The consequences could be irrational thinking, suffering in ceased emotion or lead to a total disaster. In “Horses of the night” by Margaret Laurence and “ Paul’s case” by Willa Cather, both authors introduce the concept of depression. Although both selections offer interesting differences, it is the similarities that are significant.
The use of horses for human consumption dates back to the earliest use of animals for human consumption. Horses are used for food in many counties but are also considered inhumane in other countries. In the United States specifically, horsemeat is not the norm for consumed meat. There seems to be a problem that has arisen. It is suspected that horses being slaughtered at horse slaughtering factories are not the most up to date, pain free for the horse, and human as people suspect them to be like beef kill floors.
In reading “All the pretty horses” by Cormac McCarthy, we are introduced to the protagonist John Grady Cole. At the beginning of the story, John Grady is attending his grandfathers funeral in the ranch that he now shares with his mother. John Grady Cole, grew up in world where being a cowboy meant freedom and a ever growing relationship with the one thing he cared about more than anything… horses. The story seems to unravel in the early 1950s when the old west began to evolve to the new ways of the west and the definition of what made a man a cowboy increasingly blurred. As the story evolves, it becomes evident that the selling of his grandfather’s ranch leaves Grady feeling adrift and incomplete. Henceforth, he deicides to set foot on his own and find a new place to call his home. We see that the loss of his grandfathers ranch and the passing of the old west he knew, serves as a reflection of how John Grady’s character attempts to maintain this cowboy lifestyle that he witnessed growing up . John Grady Cole’s character tough young, serves as a hero in his journey of becoming a man. Combined with his passion and idealistic mentality, his love for horses and the open plains of Texas/Mexico sets him off into new adventures. Realizing that each scenario encountered paves the way towards a journey of harsh reality, this story serves as one of growth and the passionate search of the old cowboy life. Grady sets out on a journey to Mexico with his comrade Rawlins riding off into the sun with hopes of finding a new home; they rode in hopes of regaining their sense of beloning.
To keep mustangs from over populating Conrad Burns has made it his goal to not let wild mustangs starve to death. Cattle ranchers says the wild horses mess with their operations on public land they lease (Lum). We only have a few ways to control the horse population and horse slaughter is a big one, and if we don't new problems could come up. From the article Activists Fight Horse Slaughter because of low economy and a raise in feed cost prices for the cheapest horses at auctions dropped 21%. This has be found to be a contributor to the raise is abuse and horse neglect as well as abandonment (Dorell). Ending horse slaughter could lead to more horse abuse, but what is the positives of ending horse
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy may seem like an ordinary tale of a young man and his heroic Western journey but in reality, it is a complex web of the actions and reactions of characters, specifically the actions of the women in John Grady Cole’s life and his reactions to them. His actions can be directly tied to a decision that one of the female characters in the story has made. Their roles directly affected the path he took throughout the story, suggesting that this is not just a coincidence but moreover a correlating sequence of events. As a Western novel, the plot development that women principally dictate John Grady’s fate is unusual, yet important to his character and the story’s events.
Young, Rhoria Lee, and Maggie Bracher. "Horsemastership part 2: Physical, psychological, educational and social benefits." International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation 12.3 (2005): 120-125. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.
For centuries people have enjoyed horses in various ways. From racing Thoroughbreds to western pleasure, the equine sport can be observed around the world. But, behind the glitz and glamour of horse shows, there is also a dark side. Nowadays, some horse people will use harmful shortcuts to get a leg up in competition. “ Pushed beyond their limits, most horses are subjected to cocktails of legal and illegal drugs intended to mask injuries and artificially enhance performance.” (PETA). Many trainers will use extreme, abusive techniques in the name of competition.
With over nine million types of horses in the United States, the need for quality health care for the horses has never been stronger. It’s certain that more equine veterinarians than ever before will be needed in the years to come to provide the care that owners want for their horses. According to the American Association of equine practitioners (AAEP), nearly half of the equine veterinarians are involved with performance horses(44.8%). The AVMA’S most recent employment survey of 2016 indicated that there were about 3,874 veterinarians in exclusively equine practice, with and additional 4,177 involved in mixed practices.
There was a year spent volunteering at Edelweiss Equine Assisted Therapy Group Inc. During the year of 2008 there were several duties performed at the outdoor facility that housed Edleweiss. While working at Edelweiss three were several activities that took place. The starting position was to help those who came for les...
The lack of awareness programs attributes to animal hoarding greatly. The Robinson Rescue is an organization that “educate[s] pet owners about the importance of spay/neuter as a means of ending pet overpopulation.” ( ). This organization shows children how they should think of animals so that they do not abuse their animals like a case in which the defendants argued “that pets are classified as personal property…” and that they have feelings too (Donaghey 2011) (Gunnarson). Few people realize that 354 animals are eutha...
Rodeo is a sport with long American traditions and loved by many spectators and participants. Past history has shown that rodeo needed to make way for a new era of riders and trainers with a larger emphasis on the welfare of the animals and not be discontinued or banned entirely. Today’s rodeos do not present a danger to the animals because the animals are well-cared for and protected, rodeos have strict rules and the stock are treated as prized animals.
For as long as there have been horse slaughterhouses in the United States, they have been an issue of controversy (Associated Press State and Local Wire, 8/7/01). Currently, only two slaughterhouses that produce horse meat intended...
Ray, Margaret. "Advertising and Pricing Policies in the Equine Breeding Industry or Sex and the Single Stallion."Applied Economics. 23.4 (1991): 755-762. Print.
The Cow and Calf division of the Animal Health segment markets its products direct to cattle ranchers. Such products include vaccines, medications, and antibiotics to support healthy and consistent herds of beef producing cattle. It segmented the market into three distinct categories. Hobbyists herd less than 100 cows; Traditionalists commonly carry between 100 to 499, and Businesses are working with 500 or more. (Mohr, 1999) Time spent in the field with the ranchers was allocated based on the volume of product purchased by each individual. Those that spent higher dollar amounts received the most attention (in the form of personal visits, seminar offerings, and trial product samples).