- Willie Nelson via last.fm
Press Release from the Equine Welfare Alliance
Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood, Pat Parelli, Sheryl Crow, Vigo Mortensen, Barbie Twins, USEF, Humane Society, PETA Under Attack From Obscure Animal Agriculture Group
CHICAGO, (EWA), – Some of America’s most prominent horse lovers were verbally assaulted and accused of malfeasance today for exercising their right of free speech over the ongoing decimation of the wild horse herds and their opposition to horse slaughter. The unprecedented attack came in a release issued today by little known Wyoming State Representative, Sue Wallis of United Organizations of the Horse (UOH), and left many in the horse industry scratching their heads.
The rambling diatribe called for a boycott of the respected United States Equestrian Federation, legendary horse trainer Pat Parelli, Willie Nelson and others for speaking up for the humane treatment of horses and protection of Mustangs. The release accused them of taking “dirty money” and selling out to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), but offered no specifics or proof.
Wyoming Rep. "Slaughterhouse" Sue Wallis
The attack comes on the heels of a week of growing press coverage of nationwide demonstrations against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its removal of wild horse herds from the American West. In an earlier release, Wallis praised the BLM’s actions in removing the horses and she has suggested they be slaughtered and fed to the world’s hungry. Currently, horse meat sells for $30 per pound in Europe, making such a humanitarian offering unlikely.
Curiously, neither the USEF, PETA, nor the HSUS, has taken part in the recent demonstrations or law suits against the removal of mustangs in the Calico complex of Nevada. Notably missing from the list of organizations attacked in the release were those who actually did participate, including In Defense of Animals, The Cloud Foundation, the Equine Welfare Alliance and numerous other groups. Over 200 organizations, dignitaries and celebrities as well as over six thousand individuals have signed-on to a Unified Call for a moratorium on round-ups.
EWA’s John Holland explains, “I suspect this attack has more to do with hyping State Representative Wallis’ own campaign contributions than anything else. They love to use the PETA/HSUS boogieman to coax money out of their base. “Even so” continued Holland, “such an attack has the unmistakable aroma of desperation about it.”
Disguised as a plea to come to the aide of animal agriculture, the demand for a boycott attacks one of the farmer’s and rancher’s most consistent humanitarians. Singer Willie Nelson has raised millions for farmers and stockmen facing foreclosure during hard times.
It also attacked Parelli, a former champion rodeo cowboy who went from riding bucking horses to pioneering a more gentle and cerebral form of horsemanship. Parelli clinics fill coliseums from coast to coast and abroad with horse lovers intent on learning to think like a horse,
The tax status of Wallis’ organization is under a cloud. Donations are funneled through a questionable tax deductible 501(c)(3) charitable group. Such groups are legally limited to the amount of its income (15-20%) that can be used for lobbying. To date, all UOH efforts appear to be related to lobbying for horse slaughter and against wild horse protection.
“If this is the way they are going to raise money” offered Holland, “I would suggest they squirrel away most of the proceeds in a legal contingency fund.”
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 90 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Stupid, SUe, REALLY stupid. I think you’ve gone after the wrong people this time,
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Thanks for this R T, yes the desperation is setting in it seams, it can only get more desperate for her and her supporters, she is digging her own grave, My heart bleeds for hers and her husbands poor animals.
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By now we all know that the GAO study on the results of closing the slaughter plants in the USA will be out in March 2010.
Don’t leave the anti-slaughter message on the back burner while BLM’s got everybody riled up over Calico and others.
In my opinion, Alex Brown has a worthy article here (proposes dialog; solutions and how to implement)
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-152.shtml
As I have read on these blogs over time: numerous organizations have taken pro-slaughter stance; many states are “on record” in Washington, D.C. as pro-horse slaughter, including my state, and “studies” are being promoted that conclude that “only non-horse owners and rescue groups are against horse slaughter” while promoting “stakeholders” as the only ones the legislators need listen to on the issue. The Wildlife Society is pro-slaughter. There are others and you can’t tell by their names — you can’t assume even veterinary groups are anti-slaughter! I don’t know how the new UE regulations will affect the argument, but fear that hysteria will rule. And Slaughter Sue seems to by hysteria’s bed-fellow!
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Serious words of wisdom .
Thank you,Janet!
Sent from R.T.’s iPhone
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Thank you, this is such a good article. I don’t understand why the ‘horse industry’ doesn’t take these ideas and suggestions and come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with “unwanted” horses?
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Because of this pending study we all do need to get our side out and be sure that they know that many of us are horse people and there are many of us and we are not going to be ignored. Mar
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Great post, Janet. In fact, all the major veterinary organizations are pro-slaughter except the Veterinarians for Equine Welfare group. This doesn’t mean all the members are pro-slaughter, but the “official” stance is. I can’t imagine why. Must be a payoff somewhere.
I think it’s worthwhile to continually distance ourselves from PETA especially. As you say, the pro-slaughter folks would like to say that WE are against any kind of animal use. As we’ve discussed here before, there is a vast difference between animal “rights” and animal “welfare.”
I have a sinking feeling that the GAO study is going to endorse the ridiculous idea that slaughter is necessary for the welfare of our horses. :o(
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Well, Ms. Wallis, perhaps it’s time for a boycott of Wyoming beef. And a boycott of tourism.
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Perhaps it’s time for a BOYCOTT of the numerous organizations that have gone on the record as opposing H.R. 503 and S. 727! The list is long and I imagine most of us have some association one way or the other with many of them. I want to write to the groups from my home state of Ohio. Why would the Ohio Farm Bureau be pro-slaughter? I know (some) breeders are pro-slaughter so they can continue to produce excess horses themselves, because they might get that “perfect” specimen someday.
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I’m in Indiana, and the Indiana Horse Council is a member of UOH. My farrier and I were discussing it this very afternoon. He said he suspected UOH was not what it pretended and I verified that for him.
He said he was at a meeting with some Horse Council officers, and he said they were “very evasive” when he brought up their membership in UOH. I’ll BET they were!
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Suzanne- Excellent! We need to educate if nothing else. I plan to attend a Greene County chapter Ohio Horsemens council meeting if I can. Otherwise I’ll try to call some members to see what they think about UOH. I’ll try to report back.
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I am a horse owner and lover and am passionately against horse slaughter!
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I have been on the UOH site this AM. Under the tab “Ban Opposition” the list of organizations disturbs me. For example The Arabian Horse Association. The Ohio Horsemen’s Council is also listed. On the OHC site is ‘Arabian Rescue Midwest’.
How can a rescue group dedicated to saving unwanted horses from slaughter on one page be pro lifting the slaughter ban on another page? I only use the Arab rescue and Arab association as an example. I haven’t “drilled down” through links and FAQs of all of them. It appears to me some of these (and I quote UHC)
“Entities that are on record as opposing H.R. 503 and S. 727—the prevention of cruelty to equines bills that make it a felony to market, transport, consume or use of horses for human food.”
do not know what they (or their parent organizations) are supporting. I hope I’ve made this clear, I am so furious.
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I still think we ought to be investigating that list and seeing if these groups even know they are on it! mar
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mar- I agree, I’m starting with Ohio associations and branching outward. We need a database? Is anybody else interested in researching these UOH “affiliations”?
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Tell Sue to get a life and stop make unwarranted attacks on people who love horses and see the way the government is treating some of God’s most beautiful creatures. If we in this country can no longer speak out their opposition to this method of corraling these animals of freedom, then we are in a sorry state in the U.S. Anyone has the right to express an opinion as guaranteed by the constitution, as long as they are not violating the rights of others. Do we really need another Angus Burger, Bic Mac, Quarter Pounder, Half Pound Burger? Aren’t we as Americans overweight enough? Aren’t our arteries clogged enough from eating pumped up red meat with all the additives? I don’t eat red meat and very little meat all, but many in American could do with a little less red meat. Ship that overseas and sell it to Europe and other places. In this day of refrigerated containers and jet flights, maybe the overseas market could benefit from our red meat.
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Great article and great comments all.
But don’t be furious with Sue, send her flowers and tell her MORE, MORE!
This is the best thing she could have ever done for us.
Attack Willie Nelson – “Farm Aide ” hero, the music worlds bridge between country & pop & rock and roll, knows no age or gender gap in popularity, INTERNATINALLY revered! Carrie Underwood – Americas’ country western sweetheart, just won Peoples Choice Award, for how many times now? And how many Grammies – I don’t even like country western, but I like her! Sheryl Crow – one of Pop Musics greatest artists, INTERNATINALLY popular, again no age demographic popularity contest there, also multi Peoples Choice and Grammies winner! Viggo Mortenson – INTERNATIONALLY popular movie star and I suspect posted on the walls of many young peoples bedrooms around the world! Barbie Twins – more than enough said – we all know where those pictures are posted!
Sue Wallis has just, in effect, attacked Hugh Hefner and not just Playboy, but that whole crowd sticks together (historical fact!). Just a guess on my part – thier dependence on a few Wyomining and/or other pro slaughter readers will not even cause a ripple in their WORLD WIDE production! Think about that!
Sue Wallis you just made our days! And too late to retract it now! Hey all pro wild horse, anti slaughter folks – Lets all go on vacation for the rest of the weekend and just let her alienate the ENTIRE WORLD against her!
I’m definitaly having adult beverages tonight – in celebration – I will raise a glass to toast Sue Wallis!
Wyoming friends – hope you can do something about this – as it stands, my long heart yearned trip through your lovely country side is off my tourism itinerary – I’m actually quite afraid to cross into your borders, even with a group of friends, let alone a sole wanderer! You might drop a few lines to your tourism boards.
I do aplogize for my current state of sarcasim, I have lost control (temporarily I hope) of myself with this new push to intentionally go after OUR wild horses for THIER meat slaughter profits.
Cheryl, Hey there, I resemble them remarks! You a right on though. I go a step further – let them raise thier own meat, whatever it is, if they must, until wild horses are completely off the table! Anyway according to USGA, most of the beef we eat here in USA is imported, cheap stuff, we export a huge amount in comparison, all the good stuff. I’ll not boycott beef, but I’ll tell other countries to pay more for it and leave the Wild Horses alone and I’ll boycott those countries that eat horse meat.
Janet, I’m all over the horse slaughter YouTubes weekly trying to get support for our wild horses, thumbs up an all anti slaughter, thumbs down on all pro sluaghteres. I’ll never give up!
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PS – where can I find her assault?
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Roxy- FYI- For Your Enjoyment 😉
http://www.unitedorgsofthehorse.org/index_files/pressreleases.htm
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I’m hoping that Willie takes her up on her dare to go out and see the land, and say unequivocally that the horses are NOT destroying the range; she is a piece of work,
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I am not a fan of Saturday Night Live on NBC, but I have seen a segment a few times called Weekend Report with 2 of the main characters as news anchors. They do a 2 or 3 minute bit called “Really”. This latest Sue Wallis antic would great fodder for “Really”. The stupidity of Sue Wallis’ words are a thin veil for her own trouble brewing under the surface. She is pointing towards the respected with wild accusations in hopes of detracting from her own illegal activities soon to be investigated. Willie Nelson? Come on Sue! Remember Farm Aide?
No one who has any common sense on the current Mustang, wild Burro or domestic horse slaughter issues will take Sue or her cohorts seriously. I continue to believe that Sue Wallis is a front man soon too be thrown under a bus speeding out of control over a big cliff of disaster.
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OK, went to may favorite starting place, found knackers/knockers. Also copied a few paragraphs about slaughter in general here – must read the whole Wikepedia article to put this in perspective, as they are exported out of diferent sections (lots of other reference materials at the end).
I have a qeustion about the USDA opposition to current laws making the animial “unconciouse” – what are they saying exactly? That they want the animal dead for sure so they don’t have to stop the line so prefer gun shot, or they don’t want to enforce stopping the line to repeat making the animal unconscious – just send them on through?
The first paragraph to answer the continual message of creating jobs – really how many workers really are employed in horse slaughter in North America? This is not an economic make it or break it scenario.
Sue Wallis – pay particular attention please to the last items.
Americans, in general, Mexico, Canada, or USA are just greedy – that causes the abuse.
I’ve come to the conlcusion that we are just another China of sorts – Belgium wants to slaughter and eat horse, but to do it there would require humane treatment, which would cost a little more, so they want to open their plant in USA – WHY? Because, even with transport to Belgium, its done cheaper in USA (and we have overbreeding here also – I wonder what breeding regulations exist in Belgium, France, and elswhere?) = Thought for the day.
excerpts from WIKEPEDIA – looks like they could use some updating – please go there and read the whole thing – Caution last two items I’ve pasted here may be disturbing:
In the United States, around ten billion animals are slaughtered every year in 5,700 slaughterhouses and processing plants employing 527,000 workers;[1] in 2007, 28.1 billion pounds of beef were consumed in the U.S. alone.[2] In Canada, 650 million are killed annually.[3] In the European Union, the annual figure is 300 million cattle, sheep, and pigs, and four billion chickens.[4]
Grandin’s primary objective was to reduce the stress and suffering of animals being led to slaughter. In particular she applied an intuitive understanding of animal psychology to design pens and corrals which funnel a herd of animals arriving at a slaughterhouse into a single file ready for slaughter. Her corrals employ long sweeping curves so that each animal is prevented from seeing what lies ahead and just concentrates on the hind quarters of the animal in front of it. This design also attempts to override the animal’s survival instincts and prevent them from reversing direction.
Grandin now claims to have designed over 54% of the slaughterhouses in the United States as well as many other slaughterhouses around the world.
Several U.S. states have banned the slaughter and consumption of dogs. The sale and consumption of horse meat is illegal in The United States,[11][dead link] although horses are slaughtered for meat export to Europe and Japan for human consumption and for the U.S. pet food market.
Most countries have laws in regard to the treatment of animals at slaughterhouses. In the United States, there is the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958, a law requiring that all swine, sheep, cattle, and horses be stunned unconscious with just one application of a stunning device by a trained person before being shackled and hoisted up on the line (chickens are exempt from this Act). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is opposed to the Humane Slaughter Act, and violations of the Act carry no penalties. Since stopping the line to re-knock conscious animals causes “down time” and results in fewer profits, the Humane Slaughter Act is usually bypassed and ignored by USDA supervisors (Eiznitz 1997). There is some debate over the enforcement of this act.
For her book Slaughterhouse, Gail Eisnitz, chief investigator for the Humane Farming Association (HFA), interviewed slaughterhouse workers in the U.S. who say that, because of the speed with which they are required to work, animals are routinely skinned while apparently alive, and still blinking, kicking, and shrieking. Eisnitz argues that this is not only cruel to the animals, but also dangerous for the human workers, as cows weighing several thousands of pounds thrashing around in pain are likely to kick out and debilitate anyone working near them.[12]
According to the HFA, Eiznitz interviewed slaughterhouse workers representing over two million hours of experience, who, without exception, told her that they have beaten, strangled, boiled, and dismembered animals alive, or have failed to report those who do. The workers described the effects the violence has had on their personal lives, with several admitting to being physically abusive or taking to alcohol and other drugs.[13
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Yes, it must be a VERY unpleasant job, working in a slaughterhouse. The thing about horses and the captive-bolt is that it was designed for cattle – as was the entire process in the US – and it doesn’t work well for horses.
Slaughterhouse Sue likes to state that the the AAEP and other veterinary associations give their blessing to captive-bolt. Here’s what AAEP REALLY says: “The AAEP, in regard to the captive bolt states, that the animal must be calm, sedated or humanely restrained” – none of which occurs at a slaughter plant. So, given that horses throw their heads around, especially when a stranger approaches from the front toward their “blind spot” AND the horse has a recessed brain, it’s virtually impossible to stun them properly with one shot. I saw one mare get hit FOUR times and she was still fighting. I’ve seen horses regain consciousness while strung up by one hind leg waiting for their jugular to be cut so they can “bleed out.” I read one employee talking about listening to the horses drowning in their own blood.
And Sweet Sue calls THIS “humane”?
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I read some comments about men laughing at a struggling horse yelling “look at him go!” Those men are disgusting creatures… if only women ruled the world….
(sorry to those of the opsex who are kind and compassionate)
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