Well, I hate to repeat myself, but dead racehorses are quite often offered to zoos for their big cats, if the owners haven't got other plans for the bodies. So the end result for some is to be used as meat. That's definitely the case for some put down at Folkestone, with Port Lympne Zoo so nearby as a, er, consumer.
I don't see a horsemeat industry as worse than any meat industry - I don't value 'a horse' more than I value 'a cow'. It's the emotion we attach to whatever animal we have, whether it's a beloved gekko, cat, parrot, or ancient sheep we once hand-reared that informs most of our feelings, surely. If we felt truly appalled by equine wastage, none of us would support an industry which kills 'n' amount of animals a year in the name of sport. One could say the same for some old or injured greyhounds, or dogs not recognised by Kennel Club standards - many will be put to sleep, even if they could be mended, because they can't do what they're bred to do. Yet there must be thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of punters who wouldn't drop a quid in a collection bucket for ex-racehorses. Now that I do find 'offensive'.
No horse has to be born in the Western world. They are all used for the amusement of humans - whether you're barrel-racing, eventing, hacking, harness racing or watching the Lippizaners perform high school work. They're only created for our pleasure, and they all have to die some time. The recession has nothing to do with keeping them, overall - but at some point arrangements must be made for their despatch, because it's only a tiny percentage which do the neat thing and quietly pass away in their sleep. (A bit like us - we dwindle away if we don't die earlyish, disappearing into imbecility or terminal infirmity. Unfortunately, in my view, we're not yet allowed to be humanely despatched!)
So, while it would be sweet to think that every animal we demand is produced for our leisure hours will be decently treated and gently sent to sleep, this is far from the case. Mandatory registration of all animals used for leisure, the pet trade, whatever, just as accountability for all 'domestic' animals such as cattle and sheep, ought to be brought in. Racehorses are microchipped - 'gypsy' ponies, often found dumped, aren't. There's irresponsible breeding, irresponsible ownership, and far too many loopholes in the animal-owning system to guarantee that horses, like thrown-away dogs and cats, let alone other creatures once the pampered pet, meet with a graceful exit. At present, the dumped ones often end up in slaughterhouses - that's the reality. If we don't want it to be the reality - then stick a quid in the bucket, please!
