Some Things I See Coming
Ever since I made my previous post about the U.S. horse economy veering toward uncharted territory with the moves to stop all routes to slaughter, I've been fixated on what may be coming next. So for what it's worth, here are some of the things I see coming as a new infrastructure is forced into being, to replace the one society now finds repugnant:
* An annual tax per head on every horse we own. This is how the government will seek to fund the equine holding facilities, "re-homing" operations, and disposal stations it will see a need to build as the unwanted-horse crisis continues to build. The Seattle Post Intelligencer just ran an editorial calling for this very sort of tax.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/347789_erbe18.html
* Mandatory microchipping of every horse. These ID chips will be used for multiple purposes, including ability to track down and fine/prosecute any owner who abandons a horse. As the rate of abandonment accelerates, this will come to pass sooner rather than later.
* Mandatory facilities registration, accompanied by inspections. Horse owners will pay fees toward these measures, too. This already has a name: NAIS, for National Animal Identification System. The general public will buy into this as a way to protect itself against a form of bioterrorism.
http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml
* Mandatory application for and payment of a "transport voucher," any time you wish to move a horse to or from your property. This will be used as a way of funding reinforcement of a federal ban against transporting a horse for the purpose of slaughter, once that's been made illegal.
* Federally built, regulated, and funded equine euthanasia/disposal stations (see my first point). Whether people care to acknowledge this or not, every horse eventually ends up as a half-ton carcass that needs to be disposed of somehow. If not turned into usable meat/hoof/hide byproducts, it becomes garbage--buried or composted on private property, incinerated, dumped in a landfill, or dragged off for wild animals to feast on. I just read a statistic, published in the New York Times, stating that 138,000 fewer horses were processed in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 2007 compared to 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/11horse.html
If all 138,000 head were "humanely put down" instead, that'd add up to around 75,000 tons of horse carcasses to be dealt with in some manner. Or, put another way, that's over 7 million cubic feet of dead-horse mass to be disposed of in some fashion. A year. How long do you suppose our "not in MY neighborhood!" society will put up with that before getting the government involved? Especially when you consider that the carcass of a horse killed with barbituates is considered to be toxic, and a threat to the environment?
* As an answer to the toxic-carcass problem, a new service provider will appear: The person willing and able to euthanize your horse by gunshot. In my area, such a service is already available, if you know the numbers to call. However, those who provide the service will be forced underground, once those in the general public get wind of it. The idea of horses being put down by gunshot, commercially, will be as repugnant as that of slaughter.
* Federal taxation on every breeding. I don't think I need to explain this one. Just see all the above.
posted by Juli Thorson @ 12:29 PM
33 comments
33 Comments:
I live in Wisconsin and I know that last year there was great opposition to the NAIS....I think Wisconsin adopted it, however, I'm not sure, but it means filing paperwork everytime you load a horse for the trail or a show or anytime you move the animal off your property. I foresee a huge problem and I think those that pushed the closing of the slaughter houses have very narrow eyesight. I believe that you are right. This is only the tip of the iceburg. Personally I find it very scarey. I have only two mares. I considered one more from adoption, but I think I'll just stick with my two girls. Talk about losing a basic right of freedom in the land of the free!
I just have to add that this is a brilliant post.
You were right in your "Stinking Thinking". Those against slaughter reacted emotionally without thought as to what their actions would bring the animal they were trying to "save".
Our three horses are already listed, and taxed, each year on our personal property taxes.
I have not heard much about NAIS in Missouri but as trail riders, filing paperwork every time we load the trailer will got old fast.
I can understand why people hate to see horses slaughtered like cattle. I don't think they understand, though, that even though they are stopping something that they find inhumane it is sometimes necessary to do. I too already have my two horses on my property tax and I really have no desire to pay anymore taxes on two horses that are purely for pleasure. And I too agree that it will be really inconvenient to have to fill out paperwork every time I want to take my horse to a playday, trail ride, or rodeo. Things like this could eventually force people like me who aren't in the big time horse business to eventually have to sell because it is too costly to maintain them.
you say in Mo. you are being taxed for every horse on your property but that is a state Issue and no ways in regards to the NAIS which is a National Issue. Its whole purpose is to track down out breaks to the nearest 30ft of a farm that produces food for the public etc. Your Issue is with your state respresentives.There is no need to blame NAIS for that. I dont care for it because as the USDA is set up now they can have an outbreak and know where it is coming from but can allow it to be hidden from public eyes. This is only to really cover there end. Some countrys have converted to these ways and then some havent and dont even trust our own USDA. The lies and profit it makes is sickening. One that is that there feeding feedlot cattle chicken crap mixed in there normal food. Im now told Texas has started sending out mail that its a federal violation to not apply the info they request. Its sad and I dont feel small horse owners should have to comply since the big Ag's want more profits so they pass there expenses over to the consumer again. first its fuel then its drought now its NAIS expenses which should be with the Cattle,Pork Industries. There the ones hiring illegals for jobs that pay little to no tax for non homestead residents. There the Induestries that want horse slaughter in the US so they can profit too. I blame AVMA,AAEP because they took an Oath to protect horses and failed they also knew of Double Deckers being used inhumanely and ignored the ongoing abuse records.I blame AQHA and other overbreeders Assocaiation for profiting to promote newborn foals for papers from backyard breeders. aquiring more info visit www.SaveDaHorses.com see our taxes going to waste keeping ilegals out of American while local officals are told to back off.
Can I just say in defence of the AQHA, backyard breeders aren't bothering to pay the registration fees to AQHA for new foals and the BYB is part of the problem. There's no law saying they have to, so to say that the AQHA encourages that is not right.
This is definitely a huge looming issue, and I thank you Juli for putting it in realistic terms. The "hippie-tree hugger-pretty-lawn ornament-horsie" types are, unfortunately, the ones with time on their hands and thus they are becoming a driving voice in what happens when horses are no longer wanted, or die and need to be disposed of. Obviously they've never had to put down an animal and wonder how to move it (if you don't own a skidloader), or suffer the reality that an animal you care about is "down", and they are just too big to move and hoist and manipulate on your own. It is very frustrating, but VERY REAL. The REALITY is that, ALL LIVING THINGS DIE. Life isn't a fairy tale. You had better have a plan to deal with carcasses, because just closing down slaughterhouses isn't going to stop horses from dying. I am willing to bet that NONE of these crazy PETA-types that shoots off their mouth is willing to house thousands of extra, unwanted horses and feed them for the rest of their natural lives. (And, guess what? When they die a NATURAL death, you still have a giant carcass on your hands! Then what?!)
However, I do want to say that I personally have NO PROBLEM WITH NAIS. NONE. Horses (including mine) are recreational animals, and I would rather the US be able to track every irresponsible owner's animals, and stop disease outbreaks from coming near MY animals, than whine and moan about filing paperwork. You will probably be able to email a form....big deal. It's better than having my horses get infected by some a-hole's sick animals b/c they're too cheap to feed them right or vaccinate them, and then my horses have to die. Because that's what happens, folks. Doesn't matter that you feed your horses or cows organic feed---if your neighbor feeds something they shouldn't, i.e. animal by-products, and his animals get sick, if they live close enough, yours are going to get put down, too. THat's what happened in ENgland, and that's what would happen here. You wouldn't have a choice. Bam, that's the end of it. (Bet if that happens, you'll be wishing you'd been able to fill out a little paperwork to save your animals' lives, huh?)
There is no right or freedom in our country's laws that states we are entitled to a safe, cheap food supply as Americans.......yet everybody EXPECTS and DEMANDS that it be so. Well, guess what people...in order to have that, you must be able to track the supply. It's not rocket science. And no, it's not just the big, bad "Big Ag" companies that are in favor of it, airspace. You sound off about people being able to get away with feeding chicken manure, but you don't want those animals tracked by NAIS. Kind of like wanting to go to heaven but not wanting to die, huh?
THe bottom line is this: NAIS is a much bigger issue than us hobby horsemen being "inconveinenced" and having our "rights in the land of the free trampled upon"! It's way bigger than that, and I find that a very narrow-minded viewpoint. I am not making a living off my horses; it is RECREATION. And even if I was, I would be making a living off of other people's recreation. Therefore, it is a luxury and I don't feel that I am "owed" anything by anybody.
For what it's worth, we own cattle as well and though NAIS will be expensive for us to absorb, it is the cost of doing business and it's benefits outweigh the inconveinence. ANyone that is progressive is tracking their cattle electronically w/ tags and computers as it is, so it's not that big a deal.
SOrry to sound off, but I think that horsepeople get tunnel-vision when it comes to NAIS and think it's time for a civil rights march. THey never consider how priviledged they are that the food they purchase in the SUpermarket is safe 99.9% of the time, thanks to tracking and hard work from the USDA and others. I'm not saying the proposal is perfect; like anything else it will need some ironing out. But people really need to open up their eyes to the real issue. Filing some measly paperwork to go on a trail ride is nothing compared to what my in-laws will have to pay to have over 100 cows ID'd, when they're barely scraping by financially. But, they'll do it so some schmuck won't ruin their herd.
Wake up, people!!!
Juli, I have made the comments I am going to make here to my Congresswoman, Senator and Governor about horse slaughter. There are many people in the horse industry who are pro-slaughter. If this is allowed, I think the government should insure and enforce the humane transport and humane slaughter of horses. I think slaughter should be conducted similar to how animals are slaughtered in a Kosher Slaughterhouse. The cost to support this should be the burden of the countries where horse meat is shipped. I also think slaughter house agents should be banned from horse sale barns. Horses meant for slaughter should only be sold in livestock sale barns. Any one at a normal horse sale who purchases a horse to broker for slaughter, should be fined and imprisoned. I do not raise horses to be sent to slaughter. I have seen horses bought for slaughter and have in the past outbid a slaughter agent for a horse. I have also seen a person who wants a horse outbid by an agent. I would rather sell a horse for $300 to someone who wants it, than for a $1000 to a slaughter agent. I think middle ground could be reached in this. If horses were slaughtered humanely and the kosher way is humane, I don't think there would be such opposition. What is wrong with slaughter echoes from the incident with the Bureau of Land Management selling some wild horses to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, only to have them show up at a slaughter house. They were not sold to the tribe for that purpose. All the things wrong with this controversy is caused by low scruples and greed. Transporting horses in double deck trailers. Look at some of the videos on U-tube showing horses drug by cables into the places of slaughter. All of this other regulation is bad for the industry and will drive a lot of people out. Let the lovers of horse meat pay for regulation that should be done.
Good points Pam.....so I think that brings us back to are horses pets or livestock and if they are not in the food chain.......
Callie, I agree....I think that IS the root of it. I believe they are livestock from the standpoint of, they're large and can spread disease of other livestock (i.e. cattle). However, the industry itself has a large recreational component (and obviously we all love our horses), so I think that's where the "Don't slaughter Fluffy!" protests come from.
I agree with you, horseybill. There is no reason why the slaughter cannot be done with the utmost humane conditions, and the purchasers of the meat can pick up the tab (as much as possible). But taking away the market for this is only going to create a larger problem.
I would never eat horsemeat. Personal preference. I also never eat Brussel Sprouts, again personal preference. That doesn't mean that I want to stop farmers from growing and harvesting Brussel Sprouts.
What would be really nice is if there were no unwanted horses, ever. If people would breed responsibly and take care of their own. But people in this country throw their children away.....what makes anyone think there would ever be unwanted horses? Stopping slaughter is not the answer----it's a much bigger problem.
Edit my last comment to say, "...what makes anyone think that the problem of unwanted horses is going to go away?" :-)
Unfortunately, Pam, you are right...it's not going to go away
Juli,
I believe your reports are VERY insightful and will come to pass if the slaughter houses are not reopened in the US. Being a horse lover, I hate the thought of them, but they are necessary.
Please keep spreading the word...maybe folks will see and understand what you are saying and will take action to stop this chain of events before it's too late.
Lisa in Omaha,TX
Slaughter is not the answer. It hasn’t been the answer for over 20 years. According to the state agencies that report the data, the cases of abuse and neglect are no higher than when the kill houses were open. People that abuse and neglect their animals were not taking their horses to slaughter and they’re not taking them now. Slaughter is not gone, it has only moved over the borders. Abuse and neglect are criminal acts so are you saying that horse owners will become criminals? Did it ever occur to you that perhaps much of what you are seeing is due to the hay shortage and high cost of what is available? Surely you can’t be basing your comments on the ridiculous pro articles that have been circulating? They have been investigated and according to state authorities and welfare organizations there wasn’t any truth to the claims.
Slaughter is for food animals. Horses are not part of our food chain. They are not raised or bred as food animals. Pretty sad that you want to subject horses to the terror of slaughter for something that may or may not happen.
I don't know, I think the NY Times article is not based on pro-slaughter. Have you read it? It's very insightful to what is currently happening. It's simply a factual article.
Viki, I used to believe much as you do, but after seeing some of these things come to pass, call me paranoid, but those agencies you think so highly of may NOT be telling the whole truth or even any truth....so I repeat what I said previously.....maybe folks will see and understand what Juli is saying and will take action to stop these chain of events before it's too late.
Juli:
You've delivered some well thought out points.....
I'm just sorry those who voted for horse canner shutdowns aren't the ones out in the woods looking for abandoned horses tied to a tree to starve to death.
I think if the slaughter of horses (and any animal for that matter) was done in a humane manner, this would not have even become an issue. But the sad fact is the abuse and utter terror that goes on in slaughter houses is unacceptable and that is what has led to this issue. The wrong problem was targeted. I am of the opinion that if you have an animal, you take care of that animal for life. When my show horse got too old to show, did I send him off to slaughter? No, he is still happily living under my care and will be until he dies a natural death. I believe that is our responsibility.
Juli, as always your writing is wonderful. You do a great job of putting the real issues out for people to see.
Dana
There are many things I could post, but they have already been well said by horsybill, vicki and Dana. And also in this white paper from the Veterinarians For Equine Welfare site: www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/white_paper.php
But I just had to reply to Pam's statements about us "hippie-tree hugger-pretty-lawn ornament-horsie" types. Pam, what makes you think I've never had a horse put down? How dare you. It seems only yesterday that I lost my beloved companion of 20 years, and you say I don't know that HORSES DIE?
I dealt with the "carcass" too. Painful as it was, it was nothing compared to what it would have been like watching my beloved DJ ride off in a truck bound for slaughter!
I've owned horses for 30 years, and during that time I've owned exactly four horses - and that includes the two I own now. The first two stayed with me for their entire natural lives, and so will these two. I kept the first two for a year or more after they became unrideable, even though that meant I didn't have a horse to ride. I will happily do the same again if it comes to it.
And for God's sake, do not ever refer to those of us who are devoted to the welfare of all animals as "crazy PETA-types." You obviously know nothing about PETA or you would never have posted such a thing in the first place. You better learn the difference between animal "welfare" and animal "rights" before someone who is not as polite as I am explains it to you.
We all have a right to our opinions, but please, there is no need to insult people because they disagree with yours.
Suzanne, I'm not sure what you meant by the PETA comment, but just in case you are a supporter, you might be interested in looking over this article....I was stunned to say the least!
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,254006.shtml
Lisa, What ever was there, isn't there anymore. I just went to read.
To everyone ~ If you don't know enough about PETA to know that they are an animal rights organization and actually oppose animal welfare.
I care about animal welfare, so that should tell you where I stand. People support PETA and/or accuse others of supporting them without knowing what they are implying. This is one of the many online resources regarding what PETA is really all about.
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
Knowledge is power.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An official report from People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), submitted nine months after a Virginia government agency's deadline, shows that the animal rights group put to death more than 97 percent of the dogs, cats, and other pets it took in for adoption in 2006. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 12 pets. The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is calling on PETA to either end its hypocritical angel-of-death program, or stop its senseless condemnation of Americans who believe it's perfectly ethical to use animals for food, clothing, and critical medical research.
Not counting animals PETA held only temporarily in its spay-neuter program, the organization took in 3,061 "companion animals" in 2006, of which it killed 2,981. According to Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in the state was just 34.7 percent in 2006. PETA killed 97.4 percent of the animals it took in. The organization filed its 2006 report this month, nine months after the VDACS deadline of March 31, 2007.
"Pet lovers should be outraged," said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. "There are thousands of worthwhile animal shelters that deserve Americans' support. PETA is not one of them."
In courtroom testimony last year, a PETA manager acknowledged that her organization maintains a large walk-in freezer for storing dead animals, and that PETA contracts with a Virginia cremation service to dispose of the bodies. In that trial, two PETA employees were convicted of dumping dead animals in a rural North Carolina trash dumpster.
Today in Southampton County, Virginia, another PETA employee will face felony charges in a dog-napping case. Andrea Florence Benoit Harris was arrested in late 2006 for allegedly abducting a hunting dog and attempting to transport it to PETA's Norfolk headquarters.
"PETA raised over $30 million last year," Martosko added, "and it's using that money to kill the only flesh-and-blood animals its employees actually see. The scale of PETA's hypocrisy is simply staggering."
To speak with a spokesman contact Tim Miller at 202-463-7112.
For more information about PETA's massive euthanasia program, visit http://www.petakillsanimals.com/.
Center for Consumer Freedom
Great post, Lisa. What worries me is that so few people know all this that they back PETA, thinking they're helping animals, and their funds go for this.
PETA's ultimate goal is the extinction of all domesticated animals, and after achieving that goal, having humans and animals have very little or no contact.
Unfortunately, the HSUS has become another PETA. I was shocked, but that's what's happening. Animal rights and animal welfare have become opposites. These people don't want humane treatment, they want NO treatment.
Beware.
"Slaughter is for food animals. Horses are not part of our food chain. They are not raised or bred as food animals"
__________
So because americans raise cows for good - it's OK to treat cattle that way? Its OK to treat chickens, pigs, goats, turkeys, ducks and sheep that way?
Vicki I understand you are posting with your heart but there is no point saying that its OK to treat certain animals poorly at the end of their life "just not horses" because americans don't eat them.
Its not OK to treat any animal poorly at the end of its life - that's why we need industry regulation NOT elimination.
_______________
Let me try this argument: I am an organ donor. When i pass on, parts of me will hopefully go on to help other people. I will be serving some purpose after I pass on other than taking up space in the ground or on someone's shelf.
There is a little Zoo here locally that specializes in the Big Cats. They operate as a kind of rescue facility handling cats that people get as pets and then turn lose or throw away. They also have a couple of endangered White Tigers that they are successfully breeding. One of few facilities that has successfully done so with a return to the wild program in mind.
When a person has a horse or other type of livestock that has come to the end of its life cycle you can donate the horse to the zoo. It has to be free of illness and be able enough to make the trip to to zoo. Once there a trained Vet tech handles dispatching of the horse in a quick, stress-free and humane manner, out-of-sight from any onlookers. Whole thing takes a few minutes. The zoo then uses the meat to feed the Big Cats.
If it weren't for people donating livestock to the zoo in that manner they wouldn't be able to stay open. The costs of operating are just too high. They operate off of Grants, Donations and basically the kindness of others.
Horse owners are spared the expense of dispatching their horse and disposing of a body. Plus the horse goes on to serve a higher good. Because of those donations the facility continues to be open and continues its efforts to help all kinds of Unwanted and Endangered Big Cats. Rather than sitting in the ground that horse can help other animals.
I would rather see animals serve some higher purpose than to just sit in the ground upon their passing. As a horse owner I don't feel I should have to bury each one of my horses on my property, especially when someone or something could make better use of the body.
I realize many people want and need to have their animals buried on their place so I am not passing judgement on anyone. This is just the way I look at it, if my horse can help someone or something else, and if it could be done in a humane way, why not?
I don't think horse slaughter is going away. I just received an email from the Humane Society that there is a bill pending in my state of South Dakota to fund $1,000,000 for the construction of a horse slaughter facility. I know my Governor will support this because he sent me a letter telling me that he considers horses as livestock and should be used for any purpose.
Horsebill,
That is sad, yet promising news.
I look at my horses and I see my cherished ones and would never willingly allow them to go to such an end and I've seen several that have posted here that love their horses the same way.
However, not everyone thinks this way. I've been to sale barns and seen the horrible damage done by riding/training horses at too young an age. Blown knees & tendons, swayed backs, etc...etc.....and it's THOSE FOLKS that I blame for the slaughter market being such a necessary evil. They start them out too young, use them up by the age of 5 yrs old and throw them away and get or breed another.....most of what I've seen are grade QH bred and Paint breeds (I live in NE TX and in an area where those are the horse majority).
Also, a friend of mine owns about 450 acres and over the past year, has acquired about 25 head of horses that are NOT his, folks have just slipped onto his land and abandoned them....he has no idea what to do with them as all the rescue places here are over flowing and begging for hay/land/money to help the ones they have....it's just terrible down here.
Juli, I stumbled across your blog last nite, Thank you for opening up peoples eyes on all of these issues, Great work !! ALL of these comments need to heard, its a chance that we can do some much needed educating and maybe help make some changes !!
Don't worry, Lisa, if slaughter comes back, stealing horses will be profitable again and those "unwanted" horses will disappear like magic.
Just be sure it's not your beloved horses that disappear with them.
When I was living in Dallas in the 1980s and we had two slaughter plants going, horses were disappearing everywhere you looked - including three in the same boarding barn with mine.
Unfortunately, my friends wanted their horses and nearly went crazy looking for them - along with thousands of others in the area.
Oh well, I guess that's better than going all out together to find better answers even if it's hard at first.
'Bye, y'all. I've said everything I have to say. You Texans just be sure to brand your horses - that's the only thing that saved mine.
Steph, I agree with your comment but this discussion is about horses. I’m not posting with my heart. I find it mind boggling that an animal that Americans do not view as food, that cannot be bought or sold legally in US, is being slaughtered as food animals. All three kill houses were foreign owned and did not pay federal tax, unless you consider the $5.00 that Dallas Crown paid one year. This was a multi-million dollar industry that laughed at us all the way to the bank. They violated every regulation that existed. The USDA did nothing. Every time a line is stopped, that’s lost revenue and since the kill houses were paying for the inspections, they turned their heads. As an example, Cavel had two foals born on the kill house floor within one month. Since late term pregnant mares are prohibited from being sent to slaughter, can you explain that? If you FOIA Cavel, the incidents weren’t reported or ever written up. There was a double decker trailer accident in front of the plant. This was several months after double deckers were banned. Again, there is no mention of this in the records. The plant was spewing pollution for years. I attended the sanitary district hearings and they gave the most pathetic arguments I have ever heard from a lawyer. They dragged it out as long as they could and then finally settled on a reduced fine.
The recent bill that was introduced in South Dakota was killed immediately. The bill in SD would have been for an American owned kill house. It’s evident, that the foreign aspect is not the only driver. Americans do not want our horses slaughtered whether it’s US owned or foreign owned.
For those of you that keep bring PETA into this, for once and for all, PETA is NOT involved in the anti slaughter efforts. They have been silent on the issue. The pro slaughter groups have been feverishly trying to associate us with PETA. While this is a good move on their part because of PETAs reputation, you will note, all the court battles were fought by HSUS and AWI. All the press releases have been issued by HSUS and AWI. Nowhere will you see PETA – other than in the dribble from pro slaughter groups.
Silverncrystal, more abandoned horses, huh? Please let me know what state and where these horses were sighted so we can call the state authorities and agencies to verify this. Or is this one of those, I read, I heard or someone told me stories but I can’t remember where????
You know a lot of people are going to struggle even more in the future trying to feed their animals. Farmers are planting more corn than beans and horse hay because they get more money from the corn for ethanol and etc. It happened in Iowa in 2007 where more fields were planted with corn than ever before. There is now a shortage of horse hay because of that and the price of hay that is for sale has skyrocket in price. All this affects things. The chain is out of balance now and to top it off there are too many horses being bred still in the USA. The economy is going to crap and out of all of this that I mentioned it is just going to get worse. I don't ever want to breed horses again and I want to limit myself on how many horses I will own from today on.
Here in KY the guy that USED to buy killer horses had to start locking his gates. Why? It was getting too expensive and time consuming to run the backhoe to bury 10 or more horse a week. Yes it was a back road pasture with no nearby homes but... As for double decker trucks- generally only idiots use them and they should be illegal. They are unsafe for the horses and people on the road. Most people have never seen how much damage a load of horses does to a livestock trailer. I've seen it. Horses can total a semi trailer with one trip.
And too, I just went to an auction a few weeks ago. A very reputable one, and watched mares due to foal in March & April- proven mares with top 10 AQHA & APHA bloodlines sell for less than 1/3 the stud fee for the foal they carried.
As for taxes- I already pay them on every horse item I buy. If I buy hay I have to either pay tax on it to the farmer or remit a form to the state. Now if it is cow hay it is tax free. If I ride in Illinois I have to have my vet call and give the date and location of each location I ride. It is a pain but I do it.
I'm not opposed to microchipped stock. I'm just not sure who is going to enforce it or how the government will pay inspectors.
NAIS is not about animal disease. NAIS was developed as a market plan solely for the benefit of corporate Ag. But they wrote it that WE have to do all the work and foot the bill by chipping and filing movement reports on every single animal we own, but they get only one lot number for each of their groups of animals. Any animal in that lot could be diseased and who would know?
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