Proposed horse slaughterhouse sparks debate

Sixteen-year-old Jaycee Gallegos loves her horse Thorr. She's grown up in the rodeo, winning her first saddle when she was five, and helps care for the four horses her family owns.

Her bond with Thorr was evident as she rode atop him Friday afternoon, hair tossed back in the wind, galloping, then making sharp turns around barrels in an arena west of Portales.

She, along with other horse owners, knows that her horse won't be around forever, and the answer of how to dispose of one is rarely easy.

"When you get your horse, one day you know you're going to have to give them up," Gallegos said. "Honestly, I'd rather put him down myself then watch him suffer."

Recently, a Roswell meat company is planning to open the first U.S. slaughterhouse for horses since 2007 and they have put in a request to the Department of Agriculture for inspections that would allow it to operate.

The possibility of a slaughterhouse in Roswell has caused outcry from politicians and animal activists. Gallegos and others who share an expertise on horses say there is no good answer, but a slaughterhouse should be an option for owners to dispose of horses.

"If there's a horse that needs to be put down, (the slaughterhouse) is a good thing," Gallegos said. "It's better than having them suffer."

Wendy Toombs, founder of the Abrazos Adventure, a Horse Connection riding school in Portales, says there is no right or pleasant answer when it comes to the death of horses.

"This has been a polarizing issue for a long time," Toombs said. "It has a lot to do with our culture and the vocalization from animal rights groups."

Toombs said that people tend to romanticize the relationship between horses and people, which can cause them to take a stance based on their emotions. The reality is with the current state of the economy, it is becoming more expensive to keep a horse.

Often times, owners will abandon horses when they can no longer keep them, according to Toombs.

"There is a term called 'unwanted horse,'" Toombs said. "People who are anti-slaughter say there is no such thing as an unwanted horse. Truth is, people want horses, but are they able to responsibly care for these animals?"

Toombs said that today there is not a good market for horses and people can make money in hand by sending their horses off to be slaughtered, usually in Mexico.

Toombs has had to euthanize quite a few of her horses and she says it can be costly.

She tries to see both sides of the issue, and even subscribes to horse rescue newsletters, but she concluded that the answer is just not that simple.

"I don't feel there is a perfect answer, when I look at the information I see, I guess I feel (a slaughterhouse) needs to be one of the choices out there," Toombs said. "Sad as it is, there are people who can't afford to euthanize their horse. This is not an easy yes or no question."

Roosevelt County Agricultural Extension Agent Patrick Kircher says the opposition against the slaughterhouse leaves him puzzled.

"The controversy arises in that horses have gained some mythical celebrity status that I think is unrealistic," Kircher said. "The facts are when the animal has lived past its useful life, there has to be a means to an end."

Kircher believes a horse is better off humanely euthanized than left to starve, and considering that a good amount of the world's population consumes their protein from horses, the meat can provide sustenance to someone who needs it.

Kircher says he also supports what the meat company is trying to do.

"This is an American businessman trying to keep his business alive and employ the local economy," Kircher said. "People aren't looking at it factually anymore. People are too emotionally involved."