Explaining Just How "The Truck is Coming!"

First we need to thank the individuals employed by the USDA who took the time to walk us through the process and answer our questions. We will talk with them again and they remain concerned, as do other federal agencies, about the potential for abuse of the shipping system by all individuals contributing to it.

This information was readily found on the USDA-APHIS website concerning shipping of horses to slaughter by Brian Moore in 2010:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/foia/foia_requests//2011/Veterinary%20Services%20%28VS%29/11-020%20-%20Owner%20Shipper%20Papers%20for%20Horses%20Shipped%20to%20Slaughter%20by%20or%20for%20Brian%20Moore/11-020%20Records.pdf

Accessing the above link will show you the two forms we refer to below, the VS 17 140 and the VS 10 13.

Almost without change it is 30 head of horses being shipped.  Only on 4/22 were 21 horses shipped.

No grays or ponies shipped to slaughter according to these federal forms.  Few horses over the age of 18 are documented.

The data is from 1/11/2010 through 8/2/2010.  38 loads are documented.

Of the 1131 horses documented, 31 were stallions.  That equates to 3%.

On 3/8, of the 30 horses nearly all of them were listed as bays, and most were mares (22).  There were also 7 geldings and one stallion.  Race horses, perhaps?

According to the USDA, the way the process works is the kill buyer acquires horses for meat and creates a load.  Then a USDA Accredited Veterinarian examines the load and signs off on the VS 17 140 form.  The vet must go through an accreditation process which is renewed every three years and involves continuing education credits.  The USDA Accredited Vet is not compensated by the USDA.  One would logically assume however, that a veterinarian would not go through this process unless he/she was getting paid, so we’ll figure the kill buyer is charged for this inspection.

After the VS 17 140 is issued and signed by the accredited vet – in this case Dr. James Holt for all 38 loads – the original form must be inspected by a USDA compensated AVIC veterinarian.  Again, according to one of our contacts at the USDA there is an AVIC area office in nearly every state.  There is one located in the capital city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which is approximately 45 minutes from New Holland or Jonestown, where Moore’s farm is located.  Note the original form must be stamped and signed, so it cannot be faxed or emailed.

There are field vets for the USDA, as was explained to us, that often sign off on and stamp the VS 17 140 form in order for the kill buyer to have their documentation in place to ship the load of horses to slaughter without visiting an AVIC office.  The kill buyers have 30 days from the endorsement date to ship the horses.

We were also told by the USDA that a “contract” between a slaughter house and kill buyer can be as simple as a handshake or may actually exist as a formal contract.  One individual told us he spent years at the Cavel plant in Illinois supervising the off loading of slaughter horses.  He inspected 800-1500 horses per week, and only ever saw one mini come through.  The mini was rejected and not slaughtered. 

In every example shown Dr. Holt issues the 17 140 one day and the USDA Vet stamps and signs the form the following day.  This belies the story that horses loaded Monday night at New Holland are shipped overnight to Canada, at least during the time period that these documents were issued.

Keep in mind the kill buyer fills out the form VS 10-13 which includes the USFA hip tag number.  You often see horses in the broker programs with these tags on them.  This is not a sure indication that the horse is going to ship to slaughter.  The horse may have been tagged but rejected by one of the veterinarians and the tag simply wasn’t removed.  Additionally, if horses are bought at auction in NY or another state, tagged and brought back to PA as meat horses, the buyer eludes having to get a negative coggins test on those horses, saving him a significant amount of money.  Lastly, those USDA hip tags might just be used as a marketing ploy.

We are fortunate to have the Freedom Of Information Act to request information like this.  If the same information is requested by more than one individual it is required to be placed on the federal agency’s website: “The FOIA also requires that agencies automatically disclose certain information, including frequently requested records.”  Clearly that is what occurred with this request, since it was found on the APHIS website. 

We are also thankful that the FBI, USDA and PSP (Pennsylvania State Police) are monitoring this ongoing situation with brokers and broker programs.  Government cannot legislate a moral compass, but they can regulate and enforce laws being broken by those dancing too close too the edge.

We will leave you with the faces of those that were lost; the ones that could not be saved.  Most of these pictures come from Washington State and Montana.  Heartwrenching, as you note how fat and healthy they are.  Rest in Peace, Dear Ones.  May you not have died in vain.

More Horses That Were Very Likely Not Going to Ship To Slaughter

Stallions are an issue.  According to APHIS they need to be treated differently:

• Separate stallions and other aggressive horses from the rest of the shipment.

(  http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/horses/horse_transport.shtml )

Factor in the fact that he's only 15 hands and quite thin as well, and you've got a prime candidate for a broker program.  Grimly, if butchered this horse would not yield a lot of meat.  Sorry, but that's the painful, brutal reality.

Then there's this tiny, skinny mini.  Pulled from the kill pen, not.  But the dealer was smart enough to buy her knowing someone would buy the story.

We're happy these horses are out of the auction pipeline (at least for now) but come on, rescue horses that are really in danger of shipping, please!

Miniature Horses Rescued From Kill Buyers. Seriously?

In a recent interview with a USDA-APHIS office, we had the opportunity to speak with an employee who was on site at the DeKalb, Illinois horse slaughter house.  He assured us that in all his years of overseeing the horses delivered to the slaughter plant, he only witnessed one mini brought in for slaughter, and noted it was turned away as unfit for killing.

He went on to explain that it is an arduous task to butcher an animal, be it “horse or cow.”  That’s not difficult to understand.  He went on to say that it simply isn’t feasible to butcher minis; there would be no profit in it.

(Stay tuned for a full write-up on the interviews with the APHIS employees.  It will be quite educational!  We are following up with local USDA offices for additional information that pertains to New Holland area kill buyers and their activities.  As soon as we have all the research we will share.)

Minis are cute and the babies are so adorable.  But when these folks tell you they are rescuing them from the kill buyers, they are sadly twisting the truth.  If a kill buyer was truly bidding on these minis, it was so he and his partners could profit off of them through their own broker owned program.

Note the comment:

"Kill buyers are businessmen, ladies"

Yep, they sure are and they recognize there's a sucker born every second.

This Horse Was Never Going to Ship to Slaughter

Just look at this poor horse and your heart bleeds.  Then you read further and find out his eye and penis are both cancerous.  The prognosis is grim.  The eye and penis problem were obvious from the moment the rescuer's laid eyes on him.  (see pics and commentary below)

We are happy he is in better hands than he was.  They say they will euthanize him before his pain is unbearable.

They "bailed" this horse from Bruce Rotz.

Yes, Bruce who always used to buy meat horses.  Waayall, as they say down south, this ain't no meat horse. And the eye and penis issue was obvious to Rotz from the minute he laid eyes on him, too.

Bruce saw an opportunity.  

As For The Love Of Sophie notes, neither of Rotz's other two "programs" was interested in helping this horse.

The bottom line is once again, Rotzy gets the last laugh.  He just sold an unsellable horse.

Animals Angels Helps Reveal the Vicious Cycle of Auction to Broker

We are so appreciative of the work Animals Angels does.  In February they did an undercover investigation of Mel Hoover's auction on a very cold day.

Bruce Rotz was there as well as Chuck Beam, who purchases horse for Brian Moore.  And we know all too well the "rescues" who are marketing Moore and Rotz's horses.

http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horse-investigations/494-hoovers-horse-sale-new-holland-pa-2213.html

Read it and weep.  This is what horses who end up in the auction house are subjected to time and time again.

Again, we ask, where are the authorities when this is going on?  Why isn't someone enforcing the PA Anti-cruelty laws?  Here's a horse with open strangles which is a highly contagious disease (and can be fatal) standing in a barn full of other horses that were dispersed to points unknown.  The horse is  in distress and needs antibiotics at a minimum.

Wonder how many horses that poor horse infected?  Because anyone who touched that horse, or touched anything he touched, walked through his dripping pus could so easily have passed it on to other horses in that barn or taken it home to their own horses.  Anyone who does proper quarantine knows the importance of biosecurity in barns where horses are brought together from many different places.  Do you think the barn was properly sanitized after the sale?  Do you think any of these barns practice biosecurity measures?

Here is another investigation of Mel's auction from last summer.  More of the same ugliness:

http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horse-investigations/432-hoover-horse-auction-new-holland-pa-7712.html

No consideration for any of the horses or other animals involved.  It's so painful to contemplate.

Two investigations into New Holland Sales Stable last summer.  Same players, add Jesse Austin (Cedar Ridge) to the mix.

http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horse-investigations/428-new-holland-auction-pa-62512.html

http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horse-investigations/430-new-holland-horse-auction-pa-7712.html

This is a vicious circle for the animals caught up in it.  They are treated like trash in these auction houses.  The meat men circle like vultures and buy the cheap and healthy horses they can turn into meat and look for horses their marketers can sell that aren't worthy of shipping to slaughter.  The opportunistic "rescues" post out the horses designated for them to resell.

It would be hoped that you will think long and hard about supporting the people who are part of this process that so cruelly and compassionlessly exploits our horses.

You Be The Judge - Camp Horses or Meat Horses?

Is it Possible that Camp Horses Are Being Sold as Horses Going to Slaughter?

In view of certain commenters, to include Renee Koroly of EOTL Horse Placement (and her ardent supporters), who claims to purchase horses directly from the KB, let’s explore the very murky waters of horse rescues and brokers and their relationships. 

We’ve all heard the obvious “The truck is coming!” “This horse is going to slaughter!” “He’s owned by a KB and needs to fill his load!” which of course creates the drama and scrambling to open the pocketbooks in the name of the big “save.” And all of us are aware of the fact that any horse could end up at auction, including champions, a fact that this page will not dispute. But let’s just say that the person on whose property the horses are featured, who owns a large amount of horses and continues to keep buying for the purposes of their business—which is NOT horse slaughter—and then disposes of them after use to whomever will buy them, who may or may not be the KB—doesn’t that make them a dealer, rather than the true “killbuyer?” And if so, wouldn’t that make the broker claiming to rescue them actually dealing from a dealer, rather than the KB they claim to be supporting in order to save the horses? 

Let’s take a look at the name of Rebecca Caye, who in a 2002 online was cited for having two horses several hundred pounds underweight in what the Humane Officer called the “worst case of neglect I have ever seen.” 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=20020925&id=anAvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LdsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3064%2C6524076

 Caye is the co-owner of a place called Pleasant Valley Stables, and claims to rehabilitate horses and sell them after “saving them from slaughter.” (There’s that damned catchphrase again.) The other 45 horses on that 88 acres were in relatively good shape, and the two cases of neglect were boarded at a place in Cranberry Township called Paradise Equine Rescue and Youth Ministry, which at some point in time appeared to be called Garden of Eden Stables. Please keep in mind that Rebecca’s practices are not in question here—rather, it is the rather questionable claims of a certain broker in PA (EOTL) who claims to be purchasing directly from the KB.

Looking up Rebecca’s locations where she does business include 564 Barkley Rd, Harmony, Pa (since these are businesses, their locations are easily found on Google and a matter of public record, for those of you who seek to report this article.) She is also the founder of a company called Moraine Trails LLC , and the address is listed 1796 Barkley Rd Portersville, Pa. (Funnily enough, Moraine State Park’s address is 225 Pleasant Valley Rd, and the listing address is of Moraine Traills, LLC is 1796 Barkley Rd, strikingly similar to the Barkley Rd address offered up by Pleasant Valley stables. She is also the owner/operator of Pleasant Valley Stables, where she offers guided trail rides. Ads on her page state “Camp horses will be back this weekend 70+ to choose from for sale or free lease prices start at $200! Dont forget to ask about our lease with option to buy program, also have several available for adoption!!!!!!! Pictures coming soon!!!!!!!!!!” So now we have connections to both Cranberry Township and Harmony/Portersville, Pa. Keep those locations in mind, because they will prove important. 

Interesting ad that I just found while googling the phone number of Pleasant Valley Stables...The ad has since been deleted so posting it is irrelevant. Placed August 12, 2012. CAMP HORSES

Date: August 16, 2012
Location: Portersville,  Pittsburgh , 

Phone: (724) 368-3917

Flag this Posting
They are back! Still about 50 to pick from, mares, geldings, all makes and models. Prices start at $300.00. We also offer a free lease program-take the horse home now and if you decide you like him pay for him in April! Please call for details and to make an appointment at (724)368-3917 Googling that number leads back to an Albert Caye.

A photo on Renee Koroly’s Fb page:

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2061158324036&set=pb.1097029340.-2207520000.1346961372&type=1&theater

 

This is an ad for Chandler whose name, it turns out, was listed on another page as Harry, whom Renee states is located in Portersville, Pa –and then states that he is going to auction next Friday, which would sort of be odd if the horse were definitely bound for slaughter, wouldn’t it? How is this any different from Christy’s “resale,” pen or Camelot’s? Other interesting comments on the page include where someone questions Harry’s name, stating that they saw him on another page under another name. One of the former admins/founders of the EOTL page, Nicole Velin Shaw, confirms that is indeed the same horse as Harry, but with no explanation why the horse was listed on a different site under a different name.

Take a look at this picturesque photo on the Pleasant Valley Stables page, with the kudzu lovingly adorning the back end of that building wall. Also note the surrounding countryside, with the dirt roads and the fenceline. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=384249144968476&set=pb.196970930362966.-2207520000.1368740488.&type=3&theater

Now take a look at these pictures, one from the EOTL placement page with the caption, “SHIPS MONDAY !! 18-20yr old 15.1 hand Qh type gelding , quiet- neck reins seems sound, he is a dream to ride fee is $175.00 Please help this boy get his forever home.” 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=136167006520434&set=pb.100003814076158.-2207520000.1368740236.&type=3&theater

 

As well as this cute mare. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=482710788424934&set=a.478601998835813.122084.476612785701401&type=1&theater

 

The buildings looks strikingly similar, don’t they, complete to the ivy/kudzu growing at the back of the building?  I note this disclaimer about even if they are not shipping direct then they came from auction, it’s a killbuyer’s holding pen, yada yada yada…all the typical fare that gets the horse angels salivating to open up their pocketbooks. 

But is it really a kill buyer’s holding pen, or is this a woman (who is not listed on any killbuyer’s site, interestingly enough) who uses these horses in a business and then resells them through a horse broker claiming to buy directly from a kill buyer? 

You be the judge. Enjoy taking a step into the murky world of brokers who claim to be buying from killbuyers and maybe you can understand the questions that arise.

The Grim Facts – Horsemeat and What It’s Worth

It’s hard to think about as a horse owner  –  your own beloved animal as slabs of meat.

Yet, it’s the grim reality for many horses.  America exported 176,000+ last year who suffered a heinous death and became “what’s for dinner” in Europe and Asia.

We contacted a well respected horse advocate who has connections in Canada and asked what horse meat is actually selling for.  In a nutshell, this is what we learned.

There are different qualities of horse meat.  A #1 meat horse is about 1300 to 1500 lbs, and looks like a warmblood.  A #1 is in very good flesh.  Drafts don’t fit the bill for a #1 because they carry too much weight in bone.  If a horse weighs less than 1000 pounds they sell for less money even if they are in good flesh.  There’s less “yield” (usable meat) to skinny horses and it’s all about the weight they end up with when the horse is butchered, not what it weighs live.  On average, there's about 60% yield on a horse.

Concerning prices for live horses:

The average contractor buying live horses will spend .28 to .34 cents per pound and that’s for a horse in good flesh and carrying less bone weight.  If a contractor pays more than .39 to .40 per pound live weight they will barely break even which is why you rarely see a meat buyer pay more than $350 for a 1000 lb horse at auction.

Once the horse has been butchered: 

Most of these contractors (the brokers who have contracts with Canadian horse slaughter plants) get paid “on the rail” or “hanging weight” which are terms for the horse after all the unusable parts are trimmed off and it is just the main carcass hanging on a rail in a meat locker.

At Richelieu, the broker typically gets paid .45 to .65 per pound hanging weight depending on the quality of the meat.

So if they have a 1000 lb horse they bought for $250 (going conservative here for arguments sake) and they got 600 pounds of usable meat, their profit at .55 cents (the average between .45 and .65) is $80.

Sounds low, doesn’t it?  But it explains why so many meat buyers will sell a horse they’ve bought to ship for an extra $50 over what they paid.  That $80 isn’t all profit; there are a lot of expenses getting the horse to the slaughter house.

And remember these numbers being used are averages.  Some horses go for more, some less; some are unusable when butchered due to disease.

Conclusions one can draw:

Selling horses to kill is not a highly lucrative business.  The 30 horses that so sadly burned last week were likely worth $2400 before transport expenses if they were all in good flesh.  We’ve seen so many skinny horses coming through the auctions that it may be getting more and more difficult to fill loads with good quality meat horses.  And these prices are for Canada, so it’s not too hard to deduce that Mexico pays even less, plus the meat dealers from PA have much further to travel to get to Mexico, which increases expenses.  We’ve also seen the homes Moore and Rotz live in and clearly they are not living the lives of the wealthy.

Also to be considered there are many additional costs pulling down the dealers profit margin: feed, costs of owning and maintaining a farm, cost of a rig(s), insurance, utilities, paying drivers and stable help. Etc, etc, etc.

As noted in a previous post, a source who attends New Holland’s horse sale each Monday reports that Bruce Rotz’s buying patterns have changed significantly.  In the past he never bought a horse he couldn’t ship to slaughter.  Recently, he is buying horses that don’t fit shipping criteria, and interestingly enough, three different groups have quickly come forward and are marketing Rotz’s horses for him.

Finding an easy way to profitably sell horses that previously he wouldn’t have considered purchasing has probably been a godsend in this poor horse economy.  And Rotz is just one of a number of kill buyers with partners in the perceived “rescue” sector.  They and their partners are prevalent here in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but also exist on the west coast and in Canada.

Final Thoughts:

We keep hearing a life saved is a life saved. When you stand at the auction and look at those horses it tears your heart out.  But every horse that these kill buyer partners sell leaves room for another horse on the meat man’s truck.  And the fact he’s making much more than he would have through these marketing programs allows him to either live a better life or buy more horses.  Horses, again, that will never be marketed to the public because they are fat and healthy and their paperwork indicating they are drug free appears to be in order.

The meat man loses not a moment of sleep as he sends those horses to their deaths.  The healthier the horse the better the profit.  The horses endure a terrifying, arduous trip and heinous death, if they are lucky, and if not they are cut apart while still alive.

Who could partner with these people?