Pony burgers at farmers market

[tristar]

oh sorry just read its three year olds going to be slaughtered.

would`nt that mean they would be even bigger stronger wilder, how exactly do you restrain them?

 

[be positive]

oh flippin heck i must be a racist!

to date no one HAS EXPLAINED HOW TO SLAUGHTER A WILD FOAL HUMANELY

i could not have any respect for any breeding program which incorporates slaughter as a policy, its a cop out for incompetence, lack of foresight and knowledge carried out by people who should keep well away from equines of any kind, who have no real feeling for other living creatures.

if you can`t breed good ponies in the first place don`t breed at all !

They "plan" on keeping them until they are 3 before sending a limited number for meat, the statement copied below gives details of the rather badly thought out plan, they are going to put 200 fillies back each year into the "breeding herd" in the hope that they behave themselves and don't get in foal until they are 3, whichever way you look at it the figures don't add up as 200 extra fillies every year will increase the numbers year on year, 900 will become 1100, 1300, 1500, then the first lot will have another 200 foals in 2020, by 2025 the numbers will be even more out of control than they are now, sending 100 for meat each year will have no impact on the numbers or the value, they need to reduce the quantity and improve the quality if the "breed" is to increase in value.

They want to reduce the number of older breeding mares and no mention of how they plan to do that.

Copied from the website.

This year
300 foals are homed with a hope they will become riding driving companions or for become part of conservation grazing herds.
50 foals go back onto the moor to join the grazing herds of approx. 900 ponies.
In excess of 400 foals are shot.
This is not acceptable.

The Solution
Breed Less/management to create age strata of the herd to add value to the ponies, giving confidence by ensuring an end use.
Use contraception on mares.
Reduce number of breeding mares, but keep the numbers the same by introducing young ponies.
By increasing the number of young female stock returned to the moor who will not breed until they are three and using contraception on the older mares.
3 year old ponies will have a value they are the correct age to train or go for meat.
- maintaining the correct number of ponies recommended by Natural England.

RESULT
So in Future Years, foal crop reduced, pony numbers maintained.
100 foals are homed with a hope they will become riding driving companions or become part of conservation grazing herds.
200 filly foals go back onto the moor to join the herd of approx. into the herd of approx. 900 ponies.
100 Three year old ponies for training or meat.
The ponies do not enter the food chain until they reach three. This gives the foals currently shot before they are 1yr, 3 summers running free on the moor.

 

[cobgoblin]

I can't make any sense of that ^^^^

There is no mention of gelding, how many stallions will be on the moor?

Why won't the young mares breed until they are three?

 

[conniegirl]

oh flippin heck i must be a racist!

to date no one HAS EXPLAINED HOW TO SLAUGHTER A WILD FOAL HUMANELY

i could not have any respect for any breeding program which incorporates slaughter as a policy, its a cop out for incompetence, lack of foresight and knowledge carried out by people who should keep well away from equines of any kind, who have no real feeling for other living creatures.

if you can`t breed good ponies in the first place don`t breed at all !

They do not slaughter the foals, it is the 3 yr olds and older that they slaughter. by that point they have generaly had a bit of human contact and the ponies are generaly of a fairly docile temperament anyway.

 

[be positive]

I can't make any sense of that ^^^^

There is no mention of gelding, how many stallions will be on the moor?

Why won't the young mares breed until they are three?

It doesn't make sense, there will be loads of colts running out with the extra fillies so numbers will increase as most fillies will get in foal at 2, whoever thinks they will wait really has no idea, possibly late in the year so foaling going into winter, the quality will drop as there is no way of restricting which ones breed, also every chance of inbreeding as they are not recorded, it is no way to improve the life of the ponies to do that they would need to take off the stallions and colts, start up some form of breeding record and run a much tighter ship as the NF has done.

 

[cobgoblin]

It doesn't make sense, there will be loads of colts running out with the extra fillies so numbers will increase as most fillies will get in foal at 2, whoever thinks they will wait really has no idea, possibly late in the year so foaling going into winter, the quality will drop as there is no way of restricting which ones breed, also every chance of inbreeding as they are not recorded, it is no way to improve the life of the ponies to do that they would need to take off the stallions and colts, start up some form of breeding record and run a much tighter ship as the NF has done.

Or are they eliminating all the colt foals by selling or culling ( but not mentioning it) and creating one big meat farm rather than a conservation herd....how long before the ponies are selected for quantity of meat rather than type?

 

[paddy555]

They do not slaughter the foals, it is the 3 yr olds and older that they slaughter. by that point they have generaly had a bit of human contact and the ponies are generaly of a fairly docile temperament anyway.

the excess foals are currently slaughtered at 5/6 months and have been for years.

There will not be lots of young colts running around, they are either shot, gelded (and maybe put out again) or sold.

The "they" that everyone refers to is not this lady. She is simply one of the bodies trying to do something be it right or wrong. (and there is a lot of controversy over it) The ponies are owned by individuals who have grazing rights and have been keeping ponies on the common for generations. I live in the middle of it and some of the logic does escape me.

 

[tristar]

fillies can get in foal as yearlings

 

[honetpot]

There is a hormone contraceptive injection that could be given to the mares. Perhaps their energies would be better spent getting sponsors to prevent the pregnancies, then they can dump as many colts as they want. (sick joke).
I foals are better off dead at six months rather than being left to starve fending for themselves over the winter dragging the mare down or being injured in fights in the spring when more than one colt is trying to cover its dam. Some of the injuries are appalling.
There must be some money in breeding them, making them in to burgers will just encourage them to breed more.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

There is a hormone contraceptive injection that could be given to the mares. Perhaps their energies would be better spent getting sponsors to prevent the pregnancies,. (sick joke).
.

This should apply to the human race as well, too many being born and this country being stretched to the limit. Specially these families breeding in excess of 6 children to get benefit, whoops i think I opened a can of worms here.

 

[Ranyhyn]

As long as it is raised and slaughtered ethically I have no issue with eating horse meat. But the crux of it is there are more ponies being bred than there are homes for. So to me the obvious solution is to breed less - eat the less good examples (!!) and keep the good ones for future generations.

This.