| The phone rings and Shelly Price, a director of the | | | | of the closing in January of the two Texas horse |
| nonprofit rescue and educational organization Speak | | | | slaughter plants. He quotes Tony Mann, owner of |
| Up For Horses Inc. answers. It is yet another person | | | | Lubbock Stockyards (an opponent of banning |
| wanting to know how they can help with the | | | | slaughter), on the price of loose horses saying, "I didn't |
| unwanted horse crisis in Kentucky. The call is in | | | | have any idea it would be this good. We might have |
| response to an AP story, written by Jeffrey | | | | been $50 to $100 cheaper per head, but I didn't see |
| McMurray, that has reached as far as Taiwan with | | | | anything down too much. It was pretty good on the |
| sensational headlines like "Kentucky, land of the | | | | riding horses." The article, in the enthusiastically |
| thoroughbred, swamped with unwanted horses" and | | | | pro-slaughter trade journal, went on to quote other |
| "Drop in slaughter leads to too many horses". | | | | sources as saying the price of saddle horses was |
| Shelly patiently explains that she spent days with the | | | | basically unchanged. |
| reporter but that the story reflects none of the facts | | | | When contacted for confirmation about the story of |
| she provided. "He told me that he had already spoken | | | | horses running loose in the land, Lt. Phil Crumpton, the |
| with proslaughter sources and asked me about all the | | | | Commander of Kentucky State Police Media Relations |
| horses being turned out because people could not | | | | Branch, laughed saying, "You must be joking?" When |
| afford to feed them. I told him that I had never seen an | | | | he realized the question was serious, he said that he |
| abandoned horse in Kentucky and warned him to | | | | had no such reports to either their headquarters or to |
| validate that story." | | | | any of the Regional Posts. |
| The article begins "The bidding for the black pony | | | | McMurray goes on "Some people who live near the |
| started at $500, then took a nosedive, there were no | | | | strip mines in the mountains of impoverished eastern |
| takers at $300, $200, even $100." McMurray then goes | | | | Kentucky say that while horses have long been left to |
| on to talk about horses being turned loose in Kentucky | | | | roam free there, the number now may be in the |
| in the hundreds or thousands to starve to death, and | | | | thousands, and they are seeing herds three times |
| blames the problem on a growing movement to stop | | | | bigger than they did just five years ago." The |
| horse slaughter. | | | | explanation for these reports took only a quick google |
| Unfortunately, the premise ignores both the fact that | | | | search. It is ironically from a mid-February AP story! |
| ponies are rarely purchased for slaughter because of | | | | It is the tragic story of two teenage boys charged with |
| their small size, and the fact that a horse turned loose | | | | shooting and killing several of the horses belonging to |
| in the Bluegrass State would be the equivalent of a | | | | Trish Hayes who owns the animals and operates |
| person being turned loose to starve in an all-you-can | | | | Breaks Stables in Breaks, Virginia. The horses were |
| eat buffet! "I know of a horse that escaped its pasture | | | | used for trail riding in warm months at the Breaks |
| near here," says Price. It took them 9 months to catch | | | | Interstate Park. They wintered in the area of an |
| it, and it was in great flesh when they did." But these | | | | abandoned coal mine in Eastern Kentucky. The area is |
| are only two of many of McMurray's statements that | | | | so safe and sparsely populated that there is no need |
| left experienced horse people scratching their heads. | | | | to fence them. Hays was quoted as saying "You've |
| "I was with Jeffrey at the Shepherdsville auction and | | | | got miles and miles of flat land where these horses |
| discussed prices with him afterward", states Annie | | | | graze and just stay. When they're up there, they look |
| Haag, another horse advocate, who agreed to help | | | | like a band of wild horses, but when you drive up, they'll |
| McMurray gather information for his story from the | | | | come right up to your window." The story can still be |
| anti-slaughter perspective. But after the auction she | | | | found online at the equine veterinary magazine The |
| says "Jeffrey just wanted to know about the one that | | | | Horse. |
| sold for $75. I was confused and did not realize that | | | | The situation was fully investigated by the Kentucky |
| he was talking about a pony. I told him I didn't see any | | | | State Veterinarian's office at the time and the horses |
| horses selling under the $400 range. I told Jeffrey that | | | | were found to be well cared for and that there were |
| prices were up almost $100 on most horses." Haag | | | | no breeding (un-gelded) males. |
| continued, "I would have told him that $75 is not a bad | | | | The McMurray story continues, "There have been |
| price for a pony! He really didn't know much about | | | | reports of horses chained up in eastern Kentucky and |
| horses." | | | | left for days without food or water. " But this tale |
| Tamie Semler, of Angel Horse Rescue in Mannford, | | | | appears to have been borrowed from another of |
| Oklahoma challenged McMurray's premise that | | | | McMurray's sources, Kathy Schwartz of Days End |
| slaughter buyers help remove the unwanted horses | | | | Farm Horse Rescue. It is the story of a horse named |
| from the auction. She told of a reverse Darwinian | | | | Beetle Bailey who was found chained to a tree. But |
| world where the rule is survival of the most unfit. To | | | | the Days End Farm is in Maryland, not Kentucky. |
| prove this, Semler keeps meticulous records of who | | | | Beetle Bailey's story has no connection whatsoever to |
| buys which horses at the big Mid America auction in | | | | horse slaughter or the current situation. Beetle Bailey |
| Bristow, Oklahoma. "At the auction last week," says | | | | was adopted out of the rescue in the Winter of 2004! |
| Semler "all 30 of the loose horses that were over | | | | The discrepancies in McMurray's AP story do not end |
| 1,000 pounds went to slaughter. They brought an | | | | there, but its sensational shrillness (astonishing coming |
| average of $510 each, while the thin horses all went to | | | | from the institutionally careful Associated Press) has |
| individual buyers and dealers and averaged only $193." | | | | had the effect of creating a fire storm of unwarranted |
| A "loose horse" is one run through the auction ring | | | | concern across the mainstream media, the internet, |
| without a rider while horses ridden into the ring under | | | | and even the talk show circuit. In yet another irony, one |
| saddle are called "saddle horses". Although many loose | | | | of the facts that McMurray did get right makes this |
| horses are saddle broke they sell for less than saddle | | | | very serious. |
| horses and are thus the favorites of the kill buyers. "So | | | | The US Congress, Kentucky, New York, and Illinois are |
| how exactly does it help with the problem of | | | | all considering legislation to ban horse slaughter, and |
| unwanted horses when they take the best?" Semler | | | | Texas is considering legislation that would nullify its |
| asks, "I just could not afford to outbid the killers. It is a | | | | 1949 law against slaughtering horses for human |
| shame too because with a little training here and there | | | | consumption which was only recently upheld by the |
| we could have placed those healthy horses so | | | | 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. All this pending legislation |
| quickly." | | | | raises the issue to a level of significance that demands |
| McMurray's article goes on to quote a number of | | | | responsible journalism. |
| horse breeders complaining about horse prices, but | | | | In light of this, a few questions must be asked. Who |
| many of the quotes make no sense to most | | | | assigned McMurray, a young sports writer with no |
| experienced horse people. For example McMurray | | | | knowledge of the horse industry, to this story? Why |
| quotes a breeder named Nelson Francis saying "You | | | | did McMurray work so desperately to weave |
| try to hang on until the price changes, but it looks like | | | | disconnected, unsubstantiated and unrelated scraps of |
| it's not going to change. What do I do? I've got good | | | | information into a largely incoherent argument in favor |
| quality horses I can't market because of the has-been | | | | of horse slaughter? |
| horse." While almost all horse people agree that there | | | | And why did the Associated Press, a respected news |
| is far too much backyard breeding of horses, it makes | | | | outlet, allow such a sensationalized and distorted story |
| no sense to complain that "has-been" horses would | | | | to get out? I call upon the Associated Press to do the |
| push good riding horses out of the market, and that | | | | right thing and set the record straight by retracting this |
| somehow a lack of slaughter is to blame. The | | | | ridiculous story and I ask that all the publications that |
| complaint that "good saddle horses" are being pushed | | | | printed it inform their readers of its inaccuracy. |
| out of the market by "has-been" horses does not | | | | We as Americans need to know that we can trust |
| agree with other assessments. | | | | our most cherished guardian of truth, the free press, |
| Jim Bradshaw, in a recent column in the Live Stock | | | | and its traditionally most responsible messenger, the |
| Weekly out of Lubbock Texas discussed the effect | | | | cherished Associated Press. |