HOW U.S. RACE HORSES END UP ON DINNER PLATES

The global pipeline begins at poorly regulated U.S. auctions. Once a horse is marked for death, advocates say, “any concern for its welfare goes out the window.”

So-called “kill buyers” come to horse auctions like this one, in Bowie, Texas, buy unwanted horses, and then sell them at a profit to foreign slaughterhouses. The auction-to-slaughterhouse pipeline is filled with suffering, animal welfare advocates say. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY BALAZS GARDI, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

At a feedlot in Alberta, Canada, up to 10,000 horses await their death. In the winter, when temperatures can drop to -30 degrees Fahrenheit, the snow-covered equines huddle together for warmth.

On multiple occasions, only a handful of employees were around to check on the animals, and scavengers have picked over neglected carcasses. In 2019, a dead newborn foal was found frozen to the ground.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/how-us-racehorses-end-up-on-dinner-plates?rid=2CCB0D43CED84D11EFB242B70366A08D&cmpid=org%3Dngp%3A%3Amc%3Dcrm-email%3A%3Asrc%3Dngp%3A%3Acmp%3Deditorial%3A%3Aadd%3DDaily_NL_Saturday_Photography_20230311&fbclid=IwAR3E9cE4w_4Qyoz4CyJjmyXxGaMpNmDOYMkXcDXKp7jQc8lbEtH1Ok1wnOI