The Other Side Of The Story: Grooming A Dead Horse

An article written by Paul W. Jackson entitled, Grooming A Dead Horse published in Michigan Farm News was recently brought to my attention by sports blog The Hills Are Alive.

The article addresses the rapid decline of the horse racing industry in Michigan highlighting the closure of Jackson Harness Raceway and the shaky future of Sports Creek Raceway as a warning beacon. The article points at the passing of Proposal 1 by Michigan voters as the point where control of racing's future was handed over to casino owners who, by passing of Proposal 1, no longer require voter approval for gaming expansion. In short, Michigan racetracks cannot compete with casinos for the diminishing gaming market.

The following passage from Jackson's piece articulately explains the issue via a quote from Ernie Birchmeier,a livestock specialist with the Michigan Farm Bureau:

"The legislature had the opportunity to fix this problem when House Bill 4610 was introduced in 2004," Birchmeier said. "But they blew it."

Known as the Agricultural Enhancement bill, the legislation would have allowed Michigan's racetracks to add video lottery terminals, and thus compete, if only in a small way, with casinos. Proponents said the bills would have added $300 million in new revenue for Michigan. Both the House and Senate passed such a package, but it stalled in conference committee, and ultimately died.

The issue of a "racino" trying to compete with the multiple gaming interests provided by other casinos and Internet gambling is not a new one to those of us familiar with the situation at Fort Erie Racetrack here in Ontario.

What is disturbing about the story though is the final paragraphs that spin a story which should revolve around lack of government planning and support into a twisted attempt at advocating horse slaughter.

The following two quotes hit a sore spot. First, a quote from Val Vail-Shirley, executive director of the Michigan Equine Partnership:

"We're having issues with trails closing to horseback riders, the total ban on horse slaughter in the United States, and now, U.S. Rep. Conyers of Michigan will likely reintroduce a bill that would prosecute people who transport horses to slaughter houses in Canada or Mexico. So here you have the bottom dropping out of the racing industry, the higher cost of feed and unwanted horses, and people are just walking away. It's hard to stay upbeat about the industry when the Humane Society of the United States is making the decision that horse slaughter is immoral. Without the slaughter option, people are just leaving them to starve."

The second quote belongs to Birchmeier:


"The Hollywood celebrity money behind the bans may be a great way for some people to salve their consciences and get some publicity out of their flavor of the month, but it is agriculture and taxpayers that will have to deal with the unintended consequences," he said. "What many of these people don't seem to understand - and maybe they can't because they have no idea what responsible animal ownership is all about - is that there are fates worse than death, and death is a part of life."

Are Vail-Shirley and Birchmeier suggesting that slaughtering horses would provide the necessary income to resurrect the horse industry in Michigan?

Based on current pricing at the Olex auction in Kitchener, horses for slaughter are fetching abut $0.20 - $0.40 per pound. This is not at all comparable to the lucrative stallion business that a thriving racing industry provides. More information on slaughter pricing and rescue can be found on the Horsemen For Humanity Blog.

Birchmeier's comments on responsible animal ownership require him to look in the mirror and perhaps issue a statement to the horse owner's themselves rather than blaming "Hollywood" or the horse for the faults of others.

For further clarification and perspective on the rather sensational quotes, I spoke to Alex Brown, a champion of the cause to end horse slaughter who has assisted the rescue of some 2600+ horses and raised funds in excess of $1M.

Brown stated, "this is typical pro slaughter rhetoric and only holds up IF you assume that all horses slaughtered would be abused and neglected. The data does not support this and actually we have not seen any more cases of abuse and neglect with the closing of US slaughter houses. Of course, horses are shipping to Canada and Mexico but the number of horses abused and neglected is minuscule relative to the number of horses slaughtered, so to suggest we need to slaughter more to rid us of abuse and neglect is like saying we need to lock up an entire town because we know there is a thief among them."

While my heart goes out to the horsemen in Michigan, I seriously doubt their salvation lies in killing more horses. The political vehicle they should be driving is one that will allow them to control more of the gaming money within the state of Michigan.