Facebook footage of welsh stud delivering youngstock to abattoir

[Frumpoon]

Did any one else see this?

It was on the BSJA page until it was pulled

I will admit to being very, very disturbed...?

 

[Polos Mum]

I can only assume there was more to the story (maybe injured / sick in some way the video doesn't show). The horse market is still strong I'm surprised that a stud couldn't get more for them than the abattoir would pay

 

[ester]

It was on one of the dodgy dealer pages too.
I was mostly just amazed how many people didn't seem to know this happened.

 

[Goldenstar]

Over breeding .... what do people think happens to them .

 

[shortstuff99]

I believe from what I had read that it was surplus stock, and happens reasonably regularly I don't know if that's true however.

As someone who doesn't eat meat, I don't get why this is a tragedy and killing lambs is not?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

There are a number of studs who will send colts to be despatched if they havent placed them, not everyone can keep or wants to keep colts on.
I did see the clip. The women screeching who were filming were very aggressive.

 

[TheMule]

Some people honestly believe the alternative of a life of passing through low end dealers/ sales is better. Life at any cost.
I don’t like it when such young ones go through, but these ponies were in good condition, have clearly had a nice start and have had a very quick end. They are the lucky ones IMO

 

[windand rain]

Zoo meat foals I expect. It is so sad and even bin end markets are not running never mind the good ones so it is awful the stud name is section a so guess not much market for under 12hh at maturity pony foals colts selling for £5 are better off in the lion than in someones garden or garage. Shame is there are not a lot more local abbatoirs. Free gelding might help but I doubt it

 

[ester]

Oh also I enjoyed 'they've probably rented the mares out for orphaned foals'
orphaned foals, at the end of October, yup seems likely (section As of course being an ideal size as fosters. . . )

 

[Polos Mum]

I am definitely in the naïve camp then if this is an every year occurrence for some studs. I'm surprised it makes economic sense to keep the mare and provide even basic care through pregnancy just to get meat money if they are colts.
It's not a tragedy and it certainly isn't the worst that could happen - it just seems all a little pointless. If they couldn't sell them this year - when horses are in such demand, then why breed at all?

 

[sharni]

what I disagree with is them being sent to the slaughter house instead of being PTS at home.

 

[ester]

I think more normally they hit the sales and go for whatever, but as they aren't happening the process is more direct.

While ridden horses are in demand this year I am not sure untrained section A youngsters are in more demand than normal?

 

[Lammy]

I am definitely in the naïve camp then if this is an every year occurrence for some studs. I'm surprised it makes economic sense to keep the mare and provide even basic care through pregnancy just to get meat money if they are colts.
It's not a tragedy and it certainly isn't the worst that could happen - it just seems all a little pointless. If they couldn't sell them this year - when horses are in such demand, then why breed at all?

I’m in the same boat as you. I can understand this year being especially hard financially and could see that this is at least a secure end for them and the owner gets a bit of money for them.

But if this is happening year on year then people shouldn’t be breeding. We bemoan travellers doing the same thing, overbreeding to waste and while these people may be seeing it through to the end it really is no better. And if the issue is that they’re colts...well. If you can’t afford to geld after weaning then you definitely shouldn’t be breeding.

And as much as logically it’s the better place for them to end up than knee deep in filth or abandoned half dead, it is still emotive to see foals end up at an abattoir.

 

[cumbriamax]

A few years ago a friend of mine got some section A fillies at a local horse sale, they had been bred in Wales brought to Cumbria for auction. She got them as they didn't sell in auction and the sellers had left them and were halfway back home and weren't coming back for them. So being taken to slaughter house saves them from this fate, friend was able to take them home keep them and handle and eventually start them before selling them but I wonder who ended up with the rest.

 

[Nasicus]

what I disagree with is them being sent to the slaughter house instead of being PTS at home.

Forgive me for putting my logical hat on for a moment here, it's a very emotive subject and I don't mean to dismiss that.
However, assuming they're going for meat, you want them to be processed as soon as possible after death. Bodies tend to get mank pretty quickly if not quickly processed or put into cold storage. I can imagine having them shot at home would mean the meat might not be usable by the time it's made it's way to the abattoir. At that point, the breeder would be paying to have them put down and hauled off for disposal, as opposed to getting a least something back in the form of meat money.

 

[Spottyappy]

what I disagree with is them being sent to the slaughter house instead of being PTS at home.

Sadly, this is not an economical option. The cost of pts by injection plus carcass removal will be in excess of £1000. The knackerman is about £100 here, but I imagine sending to slaughter means the dealer either doesn’t pay or doesn’t pay that much. In days gone by, you would be paid by the slaughter house but I don’t think that happens now a days for horses.

 

[cumbriamax]

I’m in the same boat as you. I can understand this year being especially hard financially and could see that this is at least a secure end for them and the owner gets a bit of money for them.

But if this is happening year on year then people shouldn’t be breeding. We bemoan travellers doing the same thing, overbreeding to waste and while these people may be seeing it through to the end it really is no better. And if the issue is that they’re colts...well. If you can’t afford to geld after weaning then you definitely shouldn’t be breeding.

And as much as logically it’s the better place for them to end up than knee deep in filth or abandoned half dead, it is still emotive to see foals end up at an abattoir.

Absolutely this. There is so much press about cobs being over bred. Wonder if there's any way that WPCS could reduce the number being bred, inspect mares and only breed from premium mares or something, would be night on impossible though I think.
I know a few old school breeders who bred right through the years where demand was low, it seems ingrained in some people that the mares must be breeding every year.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

These ponies mothers were out in foal a year before Covid hit. I see no reason for the hate this video has produced. They are going for meat, better that than starving, being abused, passed from pillar to post etc. There are no sales For these Ponies to go to this year, many studs are running at a loss, haven’t put their stallions back in or are selling off their stock as gone bust.

I think we are very hypocritical in this country, we eat beef, lamb, chicken etc but the thought of a horse going for meat is horrendous. People have no right to be assaulting studs for actually being responsible and disposing of excess stock.

This post won’t make me popular but the reality of the situation is if they cannot sell them and they cannot feed them then what else are they supposed to do with them? Covid has a lot to answer for this year.

 

[maggie62]

I just find the situation heartless.....Well known breeder nuturing her stock, how can you just treat them like trash because they are the wrong sex. I may be an old sentimental fool but this disturbs me.

 

[Mule]

It is interesting that the travellers get all the flack when studs are at the same thing. People love to complain about them.

 

[windand rain]

Thing is it is pretty much an annual occurence happens after all moorland drifts the land needs the ponies but the ponies are pretty worthless. Mares are kept pregnant as the herds are established. Think a lot of effort has gone into trying to improve the quality but without the market for meat it would be a welfare nightmare. Good sales held sales with minimum prices but that didnt help much as the ones not reaching minimum were unsold and sent home or sent to slaughter. If we valued horsemeat more their value would increase and cobs and drift ponies alike could give a return so not end up starved to death at the side of the road

 

[Ceriann]

This is an emotive subject. Appreciating there may well be a fate worse than a quick despatch at a properly run slaughterhouse, these horses are not bred for this. These foals are a by product of a commercial enterprise that treats animals as commodities. The fact it happens in farming etc doesn’t make this (in my view) acceptable. Rationalising this on the basis that there are people out there that would treat them very badly if they weren’t dealt with in this way says a lot about how we value animals. It happens but that doesn’t make it right.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

There are fates worse than death BUT

What right did this woman have filming them? Screaching at them and now creating a hate campaign against them!? They will be hard put by to sell next years stock now as everyone knows the stud name and won't touch them - or it will go the other way and everyone will snap them up for the next couple of years to "save them".

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

So for all of those saying that they shouldn’t be sent for slaughter the question is what to do with them?

Outwith the statement of shouldn’t been bred at all etc, that ship has sailed, they are here now. What does the breeder do with them? Can’t keep them, can’t run them on, perhaps can’t sell them/give them away, vet dispatch is very costly (I know I’ve done it) , So what to do with them?

 

[Cloball]

I think more normally they hit the sales and go for whatever, but as they aren't happening the process is more direct.

While ridden horses are in demand this year I am not sure untrained section A youngsters are in more demand than normal?

There are Welsh sales happening online I have seen at least 4 so far and one WPCS sale last weekend I think a Brecon sale next week. They do seem to have been cobbled together quite quickly and will require people to supply videos etc. So maybe that has put people off.

 

[Lammy]

Thing is it is pretty much an annual occurence happens after all moorland drifts the land needs the ponies but the ponies are pretty worthless. Mares are kept pregnant as the herds are established. Think a lot of effort has gone into trying to improve the quality but without the market for meat it would be a welfare nightmare. Good sales held sales with minimum prices but that didnt help much as the ones not reaching minimum were unsold and sent home or sent to slaughter. If we valued horsemeat more their value would increase and cobs and drift ponies alike could give a return so not end up starved to death at the side of the road

I do think the moorland ponies are slightly different as they are there mainly for an environmental purpose nobody is really trying to make money off of them through breeding. However, I think if they really wanted to reduce the number of youngstock coming off the moors then there are ways they could do that.

Also I don’t really think creating a market for horse meat is a viable or sustainable option either. We’re already globally reducing the amount of meat we as a species consume and that amount will keep falling. Creating another source is not the answer. Overbreeding is the problem and not just for horses. But tackling that problem costs money and a lot of organisations just won’t or can’t afford to even start to address the issues.

 

[honetpot]

These ponies looking at the trailer came from the,http://www.springbourne-blanche.com/frameset.html, looking at the web address on the trailer.
The normal outlet for the foals are the WPCS, sales that were cancelled. They are better off killed quickly, but a business model that has ponies as a crop, the Welsh breeders have been doing for years erks me, too many ponies bred, which are often not suited as childrens riding ponies.
Lets hope the mares have not run with the stallion this year, but it's saved them their keep, and the passport fee, at least they are not dumped on the Welsh commons.

Its all over FB, and the M&M people know. A lot of M&M breeders cut down about four years ago and as a result the prices for youngstock of other breeds are really good, often sold without advertising.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

The foals are registered I do believe and have been advertised for sale through out summer from about 2 months old but clearly there was no market for them else they would have been bought already.

 

[Equi]

The difference between the studs and the travellers is the studs actually do care where they end up and would not want them standing in a field wasting away (literally) because they didn’t have a home to go to, then dumping the bodies. In a fluffy world they would all have a little girl to love them after she’s saved all her pocket money for the sales, but this is reality.

Yes it’s sad, yes we don’t want to see horses in these situations because we are horse lovers, but the bigger picture is that they won’t have a life of suffering. They haven’t just sent them off cause that’s where the money is, it’s definitely not and they’ve likely made a massive loss in each of these animals - but this is the only way (after failing to sell at sales etc) they can garunteed not have a bad future. if studs kept every foal that didn’t sell they wouldn’t have the money to breed any more and then the breed would eventually die out. Much like the Suffolk and shires etc who simply don’t have a job (there for a market) anymore so barely anyone breeds them.

 

[luckyoldme]

This is where my brain and heart fall out with each other.
I know its the only way but it makes me so sad.
The other morning when i was refuelling I saw a cattle wagon. I tried to force myself not to look but in the end I made eye contact. It makes me so sad. Still not sad enough to go vegetarian though.