It’s Your Turn
Nov 30 2011
There are a few of you out there, who like to travel through the blogsphere with your sharp and pointy sticks, who will get a kick out of this.
Today is my last post for FHOTD.
I’d like to think the majority of you will bear with me and understand the thinking that went behind my decision.
I am not cut out for this blog. There is a driving force behind it, a much needed voice, that I don’t have.
It doesn’t mean the blog has to die, although if you guys choose to let it, FHOTD will simply fade away. I hope not.
The new owner is very interested in letting FHOTD build and grow and to provide a format for the great discussions that go on here. We have come up with what we hope is a workable solution.
We are opening up the doors to a new writer that will, hopefully, come from the very readers that make it so great. Yeah, you guys.
Here’s the requirements:
Write a post. Pick your subject, use your own voice and write what you feel.
Send it to : fhotdads@gmail.com
I’m going to be heavily involved in the choice for the next writer.
I’ll introduce the final candidates to the “boss” and you can discuss the paycheck.
Here’s the kicker, we’re not talking compensation until we’ve narrowed it down to a few writers.
I’ll give you this, there is not a full-time, or even decent part-time job here as far as money goes, but there is some.
This is a job for someone who wants to share their passion for animal rights, especially equine, their knowledge of all things horse, and hopefully bring some new ideas to the table.
Remember, what makes the blog unique is the snarky, in your face outlook, the honest passion and a total lack of caring what anyone thinks.
We might post some of the better ones, without ID, and let you in on the decision making, but ultimately, I’m going to be the heavy.
In order to be true to mine, I have to return to my own blog, where a western horse trainer with a desire to write and tell stories is understood. That’s where my strength lies and that’s where I’m going.
I’ve enjoyed meeting some of you. I love the arguments and discussions I see here and hope some of you will stop by Mugwump Chronicles and liven things up once in awhile.
Good luck, have fun, be true to your voice. I look forward to reading your posts and ultimately finding the new, right, FHOTD.
141 comments to “It’s Your Turn”
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see you back home! really interested in how that mare ended up….not to mention, Mort’s ragged tail ; )
It’s hard to admit you aren’t cut out for a gig. I applaud your honestly, Mugs.
Can’t say I blame you, not wanting to write for a bunch of unappreciative complainers. Maybe instead of people just pointing fingers because you’re not fugly people will appreciate content that’s given to them instead of feeling entitled to bitch and moan that your outlook doesn’t fit theirs. Good luck and have fun back at your home base. Blog writing is a lot of work, I know mine has suffered from my fatigue.
What file format do you want samples in, btw? Is .doc okay? What about images?
As long as I can open it, it works for me. Images are fine.
Go for it Jennifer R. You’ve got my vote.
Thank you for writing the blog for the past months. I know this would be a hard blog to write for, as you have a very passionate, opinionated audience (to put it mildly
), and I hope you had some fun doing it. I did learn from your posts, even as a dressage-riding, NSH-owning gal, so I may stop by your western training blog from time to time 
. Enjoy your main blog, and good luck selecting the newest fugly!
I had a couple questions about the new blog:
1. Will we ever be informed of who the owner is? It would really interest me to know who I’m supporting by coming here. It’s probably not a big deal, but it does interest me to know.
2. Would they consider having guest writers every once in a while? I’d love to write for this blog, but people would be bored with what I have to say in a month. So it would be very cool if the new owner/new author would ever consider letting the occasional guest writer contribute, because I imagine I could make one or two posts that wouldn’t put folks to sleep.
Thanks again for all the work you put in!
It’s wide open. I’m sure Mike (that’s his first name anyway) will let you know how much of an intro he’s wiling to give. Remember though, his interest lies in supporting the blog, which is yours, the readers. So that’s who you’ll be supporting here.
The new FHOTD will make the decisions on guest writers, etc. It’s a good point, guest writers can keep the discussions going and take the pressure off of the main writer.
I’ve enjoyed your stay here, just as much as I enjoy reading your original blog. I don’t blame you for leaving either. I can’t wait to see what you write next on mugwump
. I check both blogs everyday, so I’ll just be happy to be able to read both again lol.
Good luck! I could tell you didn’t have the heart to take all of the bashing thrown your way, it takes a ‘special’ person to deal with that and not take it personal. You are a very gifted horseperson and I wish you the best! Writing for this blog would be very trying at best.
The bashing I was getting used to, although it was getting pretty ho-hum, it’s the direction that was difficult. The abuse, starvation, bad riding….it was depressing the crap out of me. I can be an advocate, but I found I can’t be submersed in it every day. I couldn’t find the “funny” in the subject.
That makes a lot of sense – and is something anyone applying to take over should consider.
You have my sympathy. I used to be a CASA for abused children and had to quit because it was just too much. Thanks for sticking in as long as you did.
I couldn’t do it either! My heart literally hurts when I see abuse and neglect.
Now that slaughter is once again legal, I am finding it very hard to stomach all of the pro slaughter commentary from people I thought were true horsemen. It disgusts me that people are blaming the lack of slaughter for the overpopulation of horses. No stupid, it’s the overbreeding, got it? They never will. One person was saying all of us aniti slaughter people should go and rescue those needy horses and put out money where our mouth is. Oh, so now it’s my responsibility to clean up the mess someone else created and if I don’t I’m a hypocrite? PLEASE! Sorry to rant but human stupidity infuriates me!
I’m definitely sorry to see you go, so I’ll be following you back to Mugwump, I think. I enjoyed your writing style and the calmer ( I felt) discussions that went on here while you were writing. If this blog goes back to the day-in-day-out litany of what new fucked up thing humans can do to innocent horses today, I’m not sure I’ll continue reading, no matter how snarky and amusing the blogger is. It depresses the crap out of me, too, and quite frankly I’ve got enough of that in my real life. I don’t need to go find it out in cyberspace as well. I hope “Mike” will take that into consideration if that is really his intended direction for the blog.
I don’t often comment but I have enjoyed your tenure here. May good fortune and happy riding follow you. I will continue to look at your western blog.
Way OT
Congress Sucks!
Horses Could Soon Be Slaughtered for Meat in U.S.
http://tinyurl.com/7smqbd5
Best of luck Mugs. I’ve been reading but not posting.
I just wrote about this at my blog [ http://www.barnmanagerblog.blogspot.com ] so I won’t write a detailed post here, but basically I think the horse slaughter spending bill that Obama just passed is a GOOD thing. If horses are going to get slaughtered, I would rather it be done in the US where there is at least some type of humane regulation.
The problem with this is that now these irresponsible breeders will use slaughter to control the overpopulation. To me that equates to using abortion as a form of birth control. Fix the problem, stupid people!
OMG I’VE SAID THE SAME THING FOR YEARS!!!!!!! Using slaughter to control the horse population IS like using abortion as birth control. Ugh. I have to teach not only my own children, but yours (I’m a teacher) responsibility. When did responsibility become optional as an adult?
You seriously did NOT just compare horse slaughter as a means of population control to abortion.
Abortion is NOT about controlling the human population. It’s about a woman’s right to choose what is in her best interest. Have you ever read or seen any of the historical accounts of what happened to women BEFORE abortion was legalized? Do you have any idea what women would go through if they would young, unmarried, and RAPED, ending in a pregnancy. Ostracized, abused, mistreated—-called a whore. And, how about the children from unwanted pregnancies? Any clue how many babies in baskets ended up on church door steps or how many babies were tossed into rivers?
I stand here totally SHOCKED at the stupidity of that comment.
Furthermore, the overpopulation you are seeing if you would ever bother to take your 1950s head out of your ass and look at the stats show the average age of the unwanted horse and those on feedlots is 6-15 yrs. Six years ago, it was 2006 and the market was not in the shape it is now and the ban that pulled funding did not take place for another year. There are many people who had no idea what was to come and how could they?? If they had that kind of information, they should have had their butts at the casino or playing the real stock market.
As a former teacher who taught sex ed and laughed at the materials available to our schools, obviously teaching birth control should be at the forefront of education. But guess what? It’s NOT. Some schools still only teach abstinence. In some cases, teachers have been fired for presenting the idea of birth control and nurses have been sued for giving out condoms.
Let’s go one step further………..how about an uncontrolled pregnancy such as one that result from an incestuous situation. Or, how about an etopic pregnancy. Without legalized abortion, the child who was sexually abused by her father brings another victim into the world and the woman who desperately wanted a baby gets to endure the rupture of her fallopian tube which would kill her and the baby.
By the way, Fugly regularly recommended equine abortion.
Someone needs to be bitch slapped back into 1911, so you can be happy barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen at the hands of your abusive husband, viewed as property and unable to vote.
NT – sad to say, but there are women who use abortion as birth control. I’ve met some of them – they know about other forms of BC, but choose not to use them. Just pointing out that it does happen.
I don’t think slaughter is going to do a thing for the rate at which horses are produced, so I would never compare it to any form of birth control (resonsible or otherwise). However, I hope it reduces the suffering or horses that are shipped out of the country for slaughter, or dumped to avoid the cost of euthanization and disposal.
NAF…I am not denying there are some very uneducated women who make poor choices concerning not using birth control. In our society where preventative methods are available, it is really quite ludicrous that women would not choose safety first and be pro-active.
I also think that perhaps if “SmartChic” wanted to really make a valid point, perhaps she could have chosen something infanticide that happens in other countries as the comparative………
I still think people need to sit back and do the elementary math….nearly 2012…subtract from it 2006 and you get almost 6 years….the abundance of unwanted horses and the overpopulation is NOT the influx of foals, 2 and 3 yrs old….stats show that breeding IS down….but we are talking horses that were born in the 90s in many cases…BEFORE the equine market crashed and before our economic crisis hit.
No one knew this was coming and those who say they did are lying……..
Naughty naughty spotted pony. I do enjoy you. I agree wholeheartedly that abortion is not something that can be used here for any sort of argument. Sorry guys but the welfare of the women in this country and that of our horses are not comparable in any way and cannot be used one to argue the other. That would just be too ludicrous even for this blog. Surely though, you guys can find something else to talk about here but the damn slaughter issue. I am not pro, nor am I anti though, this is because I, admittedly, have my own to care for daily (2 being straight from the truck) and do not normally get caught up in issues that, in my opinion go round and round and round but never move forward. I don’t think what has happened recently was a step forward but I do think it was time one side of the fence made a bold move. Is it a move I would’ve chosen? No but I’m not making the rules. If the “quote” that smart chic threw out came from Facebook, it was me. I realize “smart” is a handle and maybe not a reality for you but your reading comprehension really could use some work if you are to come off as even slightly representative of your handle. What I was suggesting by putting money where your mouth is to someone I know personally and do feel she is too emotional and radical to ever make any change is simply this: if you want to make a difference to our politicians, government and the big boys with the big cash, your arguments need to drop words like “majestic, emotions, feelings, glitter farting unicorn”. Replace those with “profit, loss, economy, voters”. It’s a harsh reality but money talks. I don’t know the answer but every time an animal lover pickets, petitions or starts a protest on the basis of “horses are pretty and they are our friends” the politicians turn away and cut the volume. Yes, I did say to put some money where their mouths are. Quit posting disgusting photos, boohooing and start contacting folks like Cheryl crow, jewel, even Reese Witherspoon. How about Madonna or Martha Stewart and her friesans? These are folks with clout and best of all, cash, oh, and they are all horselovers. Get a spokesperson, rally with them, beg them, whatever but then you also must use educated arguments. Feelings do not make laws. Emotions do not change policy.
Sorry about the rant but I just am over the whole slaughter hoo haw right now. Mugly, although I don’t get on to read as much as I’d like to in my busy season. I thought your writing for the most part was a breath of fresh air in contrast to the previous drivel. Unfortunately that is not what many of these folks are looking for. I thought you did a great job, good luck and enjoy your return to sanity.
“If the “quote” that smart chic threw out came from Facebook, it was me. ”
Now that’s funny! Are you suggesting you are the only person who can think and create analogies?
I wouldn’t even begin to suggest that, I have just been called too many things on this blog, incidentally all untrue, to have something so absolutely word for word show up without feeling the heat a little. If it was you then I must say, great minds think alike.
You need to look at your stats, there are too many foals being produced than homes that can house them. Overbreeding in previous generations has also created an overpopulation of older horses that people don’t want. If you can’t be civil then please do not respond to my posts. Go rant on your spouse or some other family member/significant other.
“NAF…I am not denying there are some very uneducated women who make poor choices concerning not using birth control. In our society where preventative methods are available, it is really quite ludicrous that women would not choose safety first and be pro-active.” ~NT.
I think the “ludicrous” part was what the original poster was referencing- ie, using horse slaughter as a means of population control without addressing overpopulation sources is as uneducated as choosing not to use any form of contraceptive yet being sexually active, requiring abortion as a form of birth control. Maybe a parallel of using extremes rather than planning? I didn’t get an anti-choice message at all from that post.
Thank you LuckyChance, that is exactly what I meant.
You seriously need to STFU and get off your high horse! Do you read for comprehension much? I did not say anything that should have warrented the verbal onslaught you unleashed on me. Don’t tell me what abortion is or is not about, there are hundreds of thousands of women everyday who use it as a form of birth control. I have worked in that field and I freaking know what I am talking about. What I said has NOTHING to do with a woman’s right to choose. You need to be bitchslapped into reality and get off your liberal rant! This isn’t about Roe V Wade.
Folks, she was using an analogy.
Her whole POINT was that encouraging slaughter as a solution to overpopulation is LIKE using abortion as a means of birth control. She didn’t advocate doing either. She also didn’t say that getting an abortion is the same as slaughtering a horse. Why you read that into it I have no idea. Her point was the purpose, and frankly I DO agree with her. Saying, “oh thank God, now we can kill extra horses here instead of shipping them to another country,” is like saying, “Oh thank God, now we don’t have to notice the overpopulation problem anymore, we can go back to quietly killing the ‘extras’ locally!”
And for what it is worth, sob stories and poor horsie arguments aside, horse slaughter is one of the single most UNFRIENDLY environmental businesses in existence. We are idiots if we look at horse slaughter as a ‘great addition’ to a community. The jobs it offers are low wage, high risk, and the byproducts and refuse from the business are environmental ‘bombs’.
As a horse owner, I can tell you I will be sleeping a whole lot lighter, once slaughter plants open up close by and once again someone can steal my horse, sell it, and butcher it before I have time to find it and save it. That long drive was saving a select few lives when slaughter wasn’t funded in the U.S. A shorter drive means that stolen horses are once again of value as meat products, and they can be processed must faster than before.
Thank you charm, that is exactly what point I was trying to convey. I feel the same way you do.
I’m with you on this one Smartchic. You did not deserve that rant. Nowhere did you say that women only have abortions as a means of birth control. Isn’t it amazing how comments get skewed to the far left like a slingshot? Wow.
First, I’m pro choice. Second, 12 year old girls know what causes preganancy. There are tremendous avenues available to ‘kids’ for birth control. Men’s rooms have condoms and let’s not forget Planned Parenthood. I was taught the ‘facts of life’ in 5th grade in the mid 70′s. We were given the booklet with all the embarrassing photos that the boys desperately wanted to see. It was our right of passage and we GOT it. Here we are 30+ years later with birth control on every corner, even the ‘morning after’ pill! I don’t see a difference in the overpopulation of cats, dogs, horses or people- except we’re supposed to be the most highly evolved of superior intelligence. Abortion rates should be next to nill and they’re not. Bitch slap me now, but utlimately aren’t the parents responsible for teaching their children about life, including birth control? Why do so many people blame schools for what they’re too afraid, too busy or too lazy to teach?
Hey, reality sucks sometimes but it is what it is! Nature is a strong force, take responsibility for it.
Thank you blondemare! You got my point.
You need to step up your reading comprehension because you just lost your shit for no damn good reason. She essentially said: Using slaughter as a means of population control [is as dumb as] using abortion as a means of population control. We KNOW that isn’t what abortion is about and it would be stupid to think of anyone using abortion as a means of population control. THAT IS THE POINT! The point that this statement is trying to make is that slaughter is a symptom of the problem and not the problem. The problem being overbreeding. It doesn’t have anything to do with the abortion debate other than to metaphorically point out that it is clearly stupid to use abortion as population control. Get a grip.
I did not come close to “unleashing”. My comprehension comment was on the repeating what I said about putting money where our mouths are on slaughter, not the abortion issue. My bad for replying to more than one person at a time. Seems you read just enough to piss you off but not enough to “get it”. Reread, emotions aside and I think you’ll understand what I was writing . . . Or not, in which case I will refer you back to comprehension. One must think before one pulls a large amount of what amounts to waste out of one’s fourth point of contact.
….pretty sure we were all replying to NaughtyTobiano and not to you. Calm yourself.
Thank you leahflix, my whole contention with this blog is and has always been people like NT who rant on people for no real good reason. You have to wonder what these people are like in their daily lives.
Considering the fact that the USDA is ALREADY under-funded, short-staffed, and unable to properly inspect the SH’s used for cattle, hogs, poultry, etc. and the fact that the horse SH’s in the states WEREN’T actually regulated the way you seem to think back before they closed down, how the HELL is this a good idea?
Evidence of lack of adherence to regulation at Beltex: http://www.kaufmanzoning.net/nov24/06-108-Records-F.pdf
Horse meat has an incredibly limited market. I could see, maybe, opening a SH down in FL to supply the people who want to eat horse/feed horse to their exotics badly enough to slaughter pastured animals, IF the USDA was able to get more staff and more funding, but the economy would have to turn around first. And guess what? If the economy turns around and more people have disposable income then more people can afford horses – meaning that MOST of the abandonment/neglect cases that we’re seeing now because most of them are a result of people no longer being able to care for their horses due to the current crappy economy.
FOR THE RECORD: I am pro-slaughter, BUT only humane slaughter (for ALL animals). The current methods may be tolerable* for cattle and hogs, but DO NOT WORK FOR HORSES. IF a method that was made to suit horses (specifically their reaction time/Fight-Flight response and their neck conformation, which is a HELL of a lot more flexible than cattle and hogs) then I wouldn’t be against raising agricultural herds like we do with cattle. Though due to medications given, companion animals are NOT suitable for consumption.
*By “tolerable” I mean they work well enough, but we should try to improve them.
From what I understand, a large majority of the horse meat will not remain in the US. Most if it will be shipped to Europe, and the rest will be used in zoos. They’ve certainly found something to do with it when the horses were slaughtered in Mexico, so I am assuming the same will apply when it is done in the US.
The use of horse meat in dog food was banned in the 70s and that has not changed. The people who are crying out that horse meat will begin appearing in our food are just annoying.
I am not saying that the US slaughterhouses are perfect. The thing about horses is that they are NOT raised to be slaughter animals. When a cow is brought to slaughter it most likely hasn’t been sitting in some family’s backyard toting their kids around until they got bored of it and sold it someone who then sold it at auction. That is the saddest part to me.
I am also not saying that the horse slaughterhouses in the US are perfect, or that they are above cruelty now and before. I do think we will have a better chance of monitoring them if they are IN the United States versus Mexico where we have no jurisdiction, and if the horses are not being treated humanely it will be reported and something will be done.
I don’t think it’s a good thing at all. It is outright torture for the horses and it solves nothing except providing a gruesome garbage can for irresponsible human behavior. There is nothing humane about slaughter whether it happens in Canada, Mexico, or the U.S. “If the horses are not being treated humanely it will be reported and something will be done.” Uninformed, wishful thinking. Just check FOIA information about our very own USDA conducted report/study on slaughter in the U.S. It reduces your statement to blatant inaccuracy. The only real difference in U.S. slaughter is the longer haul and the Mexican punta knife.
Blatant inaccuracy and secrecy is the basis of this whole slaughter fiasco. European demand drives this market, always has always will. The EU is only now “wising up” about tainted American horsemeat and has passed stringent regulations that Americans will never follow about ownership, health, medication records and procedures, etc. Per EU guidelines, the use of Bute (and/or certain wormers) prohibits that horse from being used for human consumption. Americans fudge the records. When Europeans fully realize they are eating heavily drugged American horses, the U.S. will finally be shut out of the market, IMO. Sad commentary that it appears we must rely on the Europeans to stop what honorable Americans should be stopping for the sake of the almighty dollar and an irresponsible public. SmartChic, absolutely. Icy Rider, yours is one of the best opinions I’ve read on slaughter.
I’m too lazy to dig for the information, but didn’t Norway just ban a whole bunch of horse meat from a couple of key importers? Seems like the decision came from some underground footage that showed exactly how those horses were being treated, kept, and finally butchered. Turns out people in Europe may like horse meat, but they aren’t interested in buying meat from abused, starved, and mistreated animals. The people themselves were the ones who demanded the removal of all meat from Mexican and Latin American manufacturers.
Maybe I’m not remembering it right, but I really remember reading or watching a documentary about that. It sorta makes me wonder where all this ‘magical’ horse meat the U.S. is going to produce will be going.
“From what I understand, a large majority of the horse meat will not remain in the US. Most if it will be shipped to Europe, and the rest will be used in zoos. They’ve certainly found something to do with it when the horses were slaughtered in Mexico, so I am assuming the same will apply when it is done in the US.”
I agree, the product will go to where the demand is – most of the demand for horsemeat is in Europe, the rest is for exotics and the people in places like FL desperate enough for horsemeat to steal/slaughter pastured animals. BUT the EU has recently “smartened up” about American horsemeat – it comes from companion animals that are given all sorts of medications that leave toxic residue in the meat. Hence the harsher regulations and the Equine Passport requirement. (I agree with passports, from what I’ve heard about the system, it’ll be harder to hide a horse’s history or claim a horse is something they actually aren’t if/when we adopt the system) And the residues aren’t just toxic to humans (though humans are the main concern), they’re also toxic to other animals.
“The use of horse meat in dog food was banned in the 70s and that has not changed. The people who are crying out that horse meat will begin appearing in our food are just annoying.”
I never said anything to this effect, so why mention it? It’s irrelevant to our current discussion.
“I am not saying that the US slaughterhouses are perfect. The thing about horses is that they are NOT raised to be slaughter animals. When a cow is brought to slaughter it most likely hasn’t been sitting in some family’s backyard toting their kids around until they got bored of it and sold it someone who then sold it at auction. That is the saddest part to me.”
That wouldn’t happen with agricultural herds – or at least wouldn’t happen nearly as often. Hell, we could start with some of the already rounded-up Mustangs that are unadoptable – as long as they haven’t been drugged in any way.
“I am also not saying that the horse slaughterhouses in the US are perfect, or that they are above cruelty now and before. I do think we will have a better chance of monitoring them if they are IN the United States versus Mexico where we have no jurisdiction, and if the horses are not being treated humanely it will be reported and something will be done.”
That is just plain naïve. Before the ban on horsemeat inspection funding, the USDA had a HELL of a lot more resources than it does now, or WILL ever have until the economy turns around. Without more resources the abuses will get WORSE, not better. The fact that an FIOA request had to be filed AND LEAKED before the abuses were able to be known by the general population shows that the facilities didn’t have to worry about being found out. Now I know that many of the U.S.’s cattle SH’s are installing cameras that run 24/7 and are randomly audited by a 3rd parties, and if a system like that was used everywhere to ensure humane treatment, I wouldn’t have an issue with WHERE it happened, as long as it was up to current humane standards. (BTW, Canada’s starting to install the camera auditing system as well, so you can’t argue that side) But the thought that “if it happens in the U.S. it’s inherently better” is absolutely ridiculous.
I did not say US slaughter houses were awesome. I did not say they were perfect. I don’t claim to be an expert, or even know that much about the entire process and all the legislation and hoopla that surrounds it, other than I’ve read some articles and spoken to a few people who have followed the issue much more closely than I.
My main point is that IF slaughter houses open in the United States we will have a better chance at monitoring them than the ones we are currently shipping US horses to in Mexico and Canada. Personally, I see this as a good thing. That is all.
There you go, Icy Rider. More opinions for you to quote and pick apart.
Meh, I’ll pick you apart. Well, not really. I’ll just ask you a question.
Has a law been passed that prevents transport of horses across national lines for the purpose of slaughter? Will there no longer be any opportunity for people to transport horses to Mexico or Canada for slaughter?
Because otherwise, all I’m seeing is that there are more places for horses to get slaughtered, not that we have stopped Mexican or Canadian slaughter of U.S. horses.
Apples and Oranges.
A valid point, Charm. I suppose I can only think that if given the choice, a truck driver would opt to spend less gas and money by going to a closer plant. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Here is a just-released video of stunning practices inside Canada’s brand spanking new, Temple Grandin-designed horse slaughter plant. Bear in mind while watching, that this just the beginning of the agony and terror. A recent study from Hanover University shows that horses, even when “properly” stunned, lose consciousness for only 30 seconds. They wake with excruciating headaches, and highly elevated respiration and heart rates, proving a terrified consciousness.
Each of these horses is hoisted by one leg, de-limbed and butchered while conscious. The captive bolt only creates enough time to hoist the horse without resistance. We also have footage of horses waking up and struggling on the hoist. The slaughter plant workers (lovely people, like the one who replies, “Love you too,” to the frantically whinnying, unstunned horse), take crowbars and break their legs so they can get close enough to saw at their throats. It’s not a clean cut. These men have to stun, hoist and bleed a horse every two minutes, and they do not stop to sharpen knives. This Quebec plant is far more advanced than ones ever used in the US. And since we know Grandin is the Slaughterhouse Queen—it doesn’t get better than this.
Please, Bay Horse Girl, do not utter opinions about matters which you clearly have no knowledge. You trust the government to properly inspect and enforce humane standards? Please, where are you FROM? Have you bothered to check out the agricultural industry’s “humane” standards for anything? When I was an Aggie, I saw vomit-worthy practices treated as normal on a routine basis. I live in farm country, and still do.
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/lpn.html
As for where the horses come from: Mainly overbreeding subsidized by the AQHA, APHA, AHA and Jockey Club. IT IS PLANNED. People need to get it out of their heads that there is an “excess” somehow magically born. They are deliberately created, subsidized by the governmental depts. of agriculture, funneled through breed associations. In Canada, horse meat rakes in $2 billion dollars. There are a lot of fingers in that pie. From kill buyers who have quiet contracts with TB and QH farms to pick up the “losers,” lamers and infertile broodmares to fill the quotas they have with the slaughter houses, to breeders who throw a stud out with a 100 mares to create as many unmarketable “blue roan” or “homozygous colored whatever” foals as possible—then has a yearly”production sale, THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE SUPPLY IS DELIBERATELY CREATED. The overbreeding, except for the trashy type of backyarder, will stop once slaughter stops. Not the other way around.
Well piffle!!!!!
I understand,don’t hafta like that you’re leaving..
I’ll keep up with your adventures on your blog.. Been fun..
Thanks for a solid effort mugs. I look forward to reading your other blog while worrying about the direction the fugly blog will take. From what I’ve read on your personal blog it sounds like you are too kind and fair minded for this crowd anyway. Cathy was a pint sized bitch with skin as thick as rhino hide and the readers loved her for it, but the horse world needs your own voice just as much. At the end of the day it is nice to step back and see that old fugly,mugly, the fractious readers and whoever takes this runaway train of a blog over are all doing it becasue they are passionate about horses.
*Request to potential new authors. Congresess sneaky removal of the horse slaughter ban is front page news today. This sounds like a job for team fugly.
Come on Team Fugly! The mere thought of slaughter houses opening again is disgusting.
This isn’t going to be a popular take on it but calling the re- opening (which would only happen if they find $5 million in the budget to pay for it) sneaky isn’t exactly fair unless you consider the closing sneaky. It wasn’t like they banned horse slaughter outright in ’07 they simply removed funding for the USDA inspectors which closed the US plants and sidestepped the whole issue.
Upcoming vent – Ya know what really twists my titty? All the money for ads , lobbyists , anti slaughter charities and Congressional studies and we are back to square one with horse slaughter not that that imaginary ban with no enforcement , giant loopholes and open borders wasn’t just super effective (eye roll until they pop out). If just a portion of that time and money went into improving the actual process for ALL animals we’d have made a permanent change for the better istead of funding some lobbyist’s summer home .
Yea, the lobby game sucks.
Unfortunately, you have to remember that ‘the other side’ is spending just as much (evidently MORE in the last year) to get slaughter back in business, and WITHOUT those annoying restrictions and requirements. If we stop spending the money, everything goes downhill quickly.
It’s like a giant tug of war, using dollar bills. If it makes you feel any better, the politicians win regardless? Oh wait.. that’s not really… cheerful.
I enjoyed your posts, they were informative, and most folks here were on the same page as you and agreed with your thoughts about horse ownership. However, I was attacted to Fugly for the snarky commentary and all the drama that usually followed some of the more controversal topics. Fugly is definatly a different type of blog and it got it’s big following because of the snark. Sometimes I didn’t like the personal attacks, with seemingly little evidence on some. But usually they were someone who deserved to be exposed for what they were doing. Someone with a long list of court cases for starving horses and cheating buyers, and those folks needed to be outed. People needed to be warned not to send them money, or buy their advertised “child safe” horses, when it was clear, they were simply selling horses out of the auctions with little training, if any. It takes someone to write the blog who not only has a very thick skin to stand up to some of the readers and trolls, but someone who also has a lot of time to research all the pending stories, so they get their facts straight before writing an article. That takes alot more time, networking, and contacts than anyone can imagine. Good luck to whoever writes for the blog, it’s s tough job, but a good place to expose the dregs of the horse industy when they need to be exposed. In the end, I think we all want to learn all we can about horses, we want them and us all healthy and happy and doing the right thing, and we all need a daily dose of humor and a litle snark and a whole lot of entertainment.
Here is a HUGE topic:
http://news.yahoo.com/horses-could-soon-slaughtered-meat-us-080907323.html
Slaughter houses for horses soon to be “re-opened”.
Mugs, I don’t agree with others that the your topics lacked interesting content. I found your point of view fair and realistic. I also feel that you’d be a hoot to trail ride with, I remember your laugh from the video posted and hell, shouldn’t riding be about fun first and foremost? I may be a bit biased as I’m a western gal, like my horses to stand quietly tied and act like grownups without having to dawdle over their every move. I also like the time out in the woods with friends reinventing the wheel.
What I missed was the continuity of responses. I’m up for a good banter anytime a post strikes a nerve and look forward to the opinions. What can I say, it’s a lunchtime ritual! Do what makes you happiest and don’t apologize for any of it!
I totally agree with you, Mugly. I can’t handle either and so even when it was Fugly I had gone down to only reading ever few weeks. For something that I love so much, I couldn’t take all the depressing, abuse, neglect and the degrading of horses and humans alike. I was becoming really cynical and debating leaving the horse industry altogether (other then keeping my pony pets in my “backyard”).
Good for you for being honest about it. I enjoyed your writing although I didn’t agree with everything (not supposed to, I know). The BYB one was great.
Although I do the best I can for my horses, I now always have this underlying fear of someone somewhere taking a moment in time snapshot of their opinion of my horse keeping and slapping it all over the internet.
Best wishes.
Best Wishes Mugs! I had your Mugwump blog on my favs list for quite a while before you took over the reins here. I’ll have to check in more often.
I have also had to limit the amount of misery I’m exposed to. Where I work I hear the sounds of grieving parents in the hallway, used to be in the thick of it but after 20+ years I’ve retreated to an office. Still contribute but…not on the front line. I always appreciate a warning for a gruesome vid, there’s many here I haven’t open. There’s not enough bleach to get the stain out.
I applaud the folks that can. And the folks that get into the thick of it, for the love of the horse.
Let’s see where this goes, Happy Trails!
I personally think you were doing a good job. It was different than Fugly but aren’t we all. Check out my blog at http://www.HorsesDIY.com for that article on how we can now slaughter horses again in the U.S. thanks to the boys in Washington.
Glad to hear this blog will continue on.
You will be missed Mugly. I look forward to having you back at the Chronicles.
I found this blog quite by accident years ago. Found it fascinating, sometimes. Also I got kinda sick of the “rescue” and “anti-slaughter” spin that frequently seemed to overwhelm any common sense here. We got out of breeding APHA 9 years ago. Since then, We like to select horses to raise and train or rehabilitate. This is our personal modestly self funded rescue. We find good horses with potential, and give them a chance. Yes, there are too many horses, and too many fugly horses bred, but lost in all the noise are the good healthy horses that don’t get noticed.
Mugly, When you took over, I felt a real change in direction, a more practical focus. The hideous hoarders, the idiotic breeders and the rescue scammers need to be exposed. But you also talked about confirmation, rescuing good sound horses and for the future, breeding the better horses.
You will be missed, I’ll follow this blog and see what direction the new owner takes it.
Do you know why so many horse breeders, of all people, do not know the difference in the words conFIRmation and conFORmation? Are horses confirmed or conformed? Confirmed for the slaughter market if not conformed to be useful? It always seems to be stock horse breeders too. Good news for stock horse breeders, we have confirmation that congress has passed a bill allowing horse slaughter to resume in the US. Now that will only be for old, lame, unwanted, unhealthy horses, certainly not excess fat stock horses with bad ‘conFIRmation’. What if you wormed the old lame horse with Ivermectin and gave it Bute for the trip? That sounds like some tasty desirable meat for humans. Go breeders!
OOOH, that makes me CRAY-ZEE!!! I just got the book “The 80-Dollar Champion” for my birthday and could not wait to read it (if you don’t know, it’s the true story of the wonderful 50s-era open jumper champion Snowman and his owner/rider Harry DeLeyer). Unfortunately, the author lost all credibility with me as a horse person by using conFIRmation on about page 25. I was/am disgusted! I caught it in at least one other place in the book so far, too. I thought perhaps a proofreader had mistakenly changed conFORmation, but then I read reviews on Barnes & Noble… someone had gotten an advance copy and said it was littered with spelling errors including that one. It is a very good book with a great story to tell but it misses being great due to that one egregious error, along with some other bad editing choices (it’s quite unnecessarily repetitious).
Re: the slaughter bill, I am 100% with you. It’s the stock horse breeders and organizations, most speficially the AQHA. They are trying mightily to spin it so it sounds like the poor horsies will be “helped” by plants here, it’s more humane than starving, it’s “necessary,” blah blah blah and they’re going to spend money in the media trying to convince Joe 6-Pack that it’s so. Nope, it’s all about THEIR money, as in making it. Crank out those foals, breeders, and throw the leftovers to the Europeans! And yes, the latter are ignorant fools if they think they’re eating meat not laced with hormones, steroids, painkillers, dewormer and all the other goodies a lot of our horses get. Yum, yum…
Re: the bill funding slaughter inspections….You’re drinking the fantasy Koolaid if you think the ban ever stopped unscrupulous, immoral breeders of ANY type horse from shipping their culls, unwanteds, untrained, unsound, or no longer breeding sound animals to kill OUTside US borders. A 26 hour trailer ride to Mexico and dying in a Mexican plant sounds much more hellish than a 4 hour trip down the road to well-regulated US plant that’s going to be under the microscope of local and national equine welfare grounds………
You used an acronym for a government agency and the term “well regulated” in the same sentence?
*cue maniacal laughter*
Before you post about HS and regulations, maybe you ought to do just a bit more reading about the old plants and how “well regulated” and “humane” they were, and that was when they were inspected by the USDA–and I am using “inspected” in the loosest sense possible.
Mugs, thanks for keeping the blog going for as long as you could. I’m looking forward to reading more from you on Mugwump.
Love it!
You might be a BYB if………
You don’t know the difference between confirmation and conformation and use confirmation to describe your horse’s conformation.
You don’t at least know how to use spell check to catch the fact that you spelled temperament, temperment.
LOL!
^^ That is exactly why mugs is leaving. Who cares if horsefarmer used the wrong form of conformation? Really? That automatically makes her an eeevil backyard breeder? Right. If you’re writing a book, you absolutely better have the correct spelling of “conformation.” However, we’re writing replies to a blog post here, not writing a novel. Who bothers to use spell check to check internet posts?! You have way too much free time on your hands if you actually use spellcheck. I’m sure if we picked through all the things you’ve ever posted online we’d find some mistakes there, too.
That was actually in a person’s stallion ad and I am sorry but if you are going to advertise your stallion, you really need to have the correct spelling and syntax of the verbiage in your ad.
“used the wrong form of conformation”
Perfect example. Did you know they are two different words with two different meanings? Check it out in a dictionary or see what Wikipedia says. Spell check can’t fix the totally wrong word. Many many many posters have stated they come here for their equine education. I saw that post as a perfect opportunity to educate. Thank you for answering my question.
I just thought all horses were Catholic……
LOL!
Bummer. I understand why you’re leaving, heck, I couldn’t write this blog (well, I’m a shitty writer anyway). But still, I enjoyed your posts. I especially liked to have a western quarter-horse loving writer, too. All the english stuff makes my head hurt. I don’t think I’ll ever warm up to those tight pants.
I enjoy reading mugwump every once in a while, so I’ll stop by more often now.
Good luck with everything
What’s the deadline on this? It’s going to take me a day or two to put something together.
I’m going with 2 weeks….
Sorry to see you go and even sorrier to see you close shop on such a day as this! With the annoucement of reopening slaughter plants in the USA. Which I wholly support! Hard to believe even the RARA group Peta supports it as well, though I have no doubt they have a hidden agenda…
From the AP story “If plants open up in Oklahoma or Nebraska, you’ll see controversy, litigation, legislative action and basically a very inhospitable environment to operate,” predicted Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States. “Local opposition will emerge and you’ll have tremendous controversy over slaughtering Trigger and Mr. Ed.” But pro-slaughter activists say the ban had unintended consequences, including an increase in neglect and the abandonment of horses”
Basically, slaughter of unwanted horses will put at least meat value on them. Hopefully end suffering of many horses and US plants can be monitored for humane treatment. Not perfect, but better than abandoned and starving, or a long ride in a double decker trailer to slaughter in Mexico.
Hey, I went to the sale last week– the great big Shipshewana Black Friday sale.
Guess what I found out? Horses ridden through the ring, demonstrating a good riding ability, sold for just as much as they did before slaughter was stopped. The only ‘cheap’ horses, the $50 ones, were the unbroken, no story, unknown horses that were led through the ring.
The only unvalued horses in today’s economy are the valueless ones. Do you honestly think people are going to treat horses better just because they can get more for them as meat animals? What a joke. “Maybe horses won’t be mistreated now!”
Yea… right. Because we ALL know that fifteen years ago, no horses were mistreated.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/11/30/horses-slaughter-meat-us.html
Warm up those plates.
“Cheri White Owl, founder of Horse Feathers Equine Rescue, is pictured with one of the 33 horses she is currently caring for in Guthrie, Okla., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011. U.S. slaughterhouses could be ready to kill horses within a month, following a decision by Congress. (Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press)
Horses could soon be butchered in the U.S. for human consumption after Congress quietly lifted a 5-year-old ban on funding horse meat inspections, and activists say slaughterhouses could be up and running in as little as a month.”
This is very weird timing. The EU is about to start enforcing the “Passport” system they have for horses in Europe. Which means they will not be buying any meat from horses that don’t have a passport. These sanctions will be forced on Canada and Mexico. It is possible that they may have to start rejecting our horses coming over the borders, or they may have to commit more fraud. Either way, sending horses to Canada or Mexico is about to become problematic. At the same time, there have been numerous news stories about the drugs in North American horses, and investigations into the practices in slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. Turns out, consumers over there don’t want our shit. Many food store chains have been forced to stop selling horsemeat, or are advertising that their meat comes from European sources.
Mark my words, even Slaughterhouse Sue isn’t stupid enough to believe that she and her little group can overcome the forces in Europe. If this is allowed to go through, there will be new legislation put on horse ownership. I, for one do not want the Government involved in my horse’s life.
Good, you read what I read. Now… where did we read it? lol.
The best part is that Euro horsemeat buyers aren’t just pissed about the drugs, they are furious about the treatment. They, unfortunately, have been operating under the assumption (created by the meat sellers over on this side of the pond) that their horse meat comes from happy, healthy horses frolicking in a pasture until it’s time to enter the bottom side of the food chain. Turns out they aren’t much into eating tortured, starved, dehydrated, beaten horse meat.
Add the drug limitations to the mix, and I look forward to seeing all these slaughter houses maintaining bright acres of pastures where horses spend months detoxing from their former drugs before being slaughtered, staying fat and happy on all that good grass and hay.
Wonder how much it will cost to feed a horse through detox? Wonder what the meat will be worth once it’s butchered? Wouldn’t it be ultra funny if slaughter houses therefore can’t pay anything for meat, and have to basically offer nothing for the horses they buy? Surprise, folks, your horses aren’t really worth a penny more than they were before!
Honestly, I’ve read the EU concerns for a long time, several places, there’s a blog called “Golden Days” that has links to a lot of reports from Canada and abroad. I also saw a clip yesterday of Temple Grandin discussing her investigation of slaughter in Canada and South America. She sounded pissed. What I really really like about her is that she recognizes the difference in the way horses look at things and react to them. She doesn’t believe that sending horses through a system designed for cattle is in any way humane. Come on, real horse people know that sending a horse into a strange herd under crowded conditions is not humane. How do you design a system that doesn’t involve that?
Today’s blog has a good article, but honestly I can’t look at the video or pictures.
http://goldendays-suzanne.blogspot.com/2011/12/true-cost-of-canadas-horse-meat.html
Mugly, count me as somebody who never complained about a single one of your posts and really enjoyed your tenure here. I thought you did a fab job and came up with very interesting topics. Though I live in Istanbul now, I’m a former Missourian who hung out with gaited (natural–NO big lick!) and competitive trail people and really didn’t have much first-hand knowledge of dressage and show jumping, which is apparently big in Fugly’s neck of the woods. I’m happy to read and expand my knowledge on any facet of horses, but wanted to let you know that your Western point of view was every bit as valid and interesting as any other expressed here.
I’ll come visit your other blog, and hope Fugly can continue. I’m a non-horse owner (just a fan and dog sports competitor) and Fugly is the ONLY blog I visit every day. I’ve read every single post since Day 1. I really hope some new writers apply and save “my” blog!
Well good luck to you. I did like the educational slant of the blog that you were taking but understand your reasons for gracefully moving on.
Mugs-have you noticed all the readers are getting along today? It seems like you have worked a miracle in your parting entry.
I also don’t often post but I’ve enjoyed your writing here and at Mugwump Chronicles. I’ve learned quite a bit from reading all the old posts both here and there. Good Luck
Very sad to see you go as I was excited to be reading posts by someone who lived very close to where I do. I don’t post much, just a lurker, but good job on taking a stab at a job I don’t think I’d ever be able to do personally!
This is one of those jobs that I would view like my mom’s job as a hospice social worker, or a nurse in a child cancer wing, or working in an animal shelter. I like to write and I love to feel like I’m contributing and helping with the issues that I feel strongly about, but I have the kind of personality that is overly affected by the things I have my hands in, so I find that I do better one step removed. I just get too depressed and dragged down if I am seeing the bad things every single day.
I can’t blame you for feeling the way you do, and for wanting to pursue a different theme that is less painful to deal with on a daily basis. I do think a certain amount of thick skin is necessary here too, because people are really passionate about the subject matter, and can get pretty wound up sometimes. I don’t see that as a bad thing necessarily, but it’d be hard to have the target painted on your forehead every day.
Good luck in your decision, and as I have always read your original blog, I will continue to do so. I might prefer English riding nowadays, but I started out Western and still have an appreciation for it and for the people who ride in Western disciplines.. as the rest of my family does. I’m the lone English freak around here.
I’m sorry you won’t be here anymore, but I certainly understand your reason for leaving. I know I couldn’t take looking at abuse cases and stupid training every day.
However, I’m not sorry you’ll be back at MC tomorrow. See you there! Better get that post polished up and ready to go, the peanut gallery over there is getting pretty rowdy waiting.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/edibles/horses.asp
snopes has some details of the legislation
Thanks for being here.
Welcome home Mugs…have been counting down the days
Sorry to hear that Mugs. While your writing style was different to Cathy’s, I still enjoyed it.
I’ll be reading over at mugwump from now on though – I started reading a few days ago and I can’t stop going through all the old posts! Good Luck.
http://www.operationhorserescue.blogspot.com
Well Mugs, I liked your style, enjoyed your time here, got really tired of the haters lol. I will follow you on your other blog from now on. Thanks.
Well, I’m sorry it’s not a good fit for you, but hopefully it will ultimately be the best decision. I was looking forward to seeing interviews and reporting from you – maybe you will be able to do that once in a while even if you don’t continue as the main blogger.
I read an article today about Congress sneaking through laws on slaughterhouse inspection, which may lead to horse meat being packaged and sold in America, and I thought sadly, “This is the sort of thing I used to find out about on Fugly.” Whoever comes in, I hope we’re able to get someone with reporting skills and the willingness to get out there and stir up shit.
Good luck! I was wondering how you and Kathy ever did work on this blog, and have real jobs! I have a hand in three blogs, and when I’ve got an idea for one of them, I can sail, but when I’m overloaded with work, my ideas stagnate. To try to have something new or different every couple days, and also answer queries, or dispell untruths, is just too much work! It’s incredibly hard to keep up and on top of all this stuff. I too will be looking at your other blog.
I’m sorry to hear this, I was looking forward to a new direction. Even one with a less-depressing, more proactive or solution focused slant. I didn’t bother signing up to comment before you became the writer and I’m not a big commenter anyway but wanted to more with you here. I don’t blame you one bit though, and will be glad to see you at the Chronicles more.
I’m glad of your honesty, and look forward to the next writer to take over the reins.
While I could appreciate your blogging style, it wasn’t for this blog.
The dynamics where inherited. You’ve got those nasty-assed ‘contributors’ that migrated over to/from the Fugly forum, now called The Free Speech Forum. It’s one complete package, Mugly. It’s there, it’s here. People who have nothing better to do but belittle others. Don’t take it personally. Sorry to see you go.
This blog needs a blood thirsty warrior to take the reins. Someone who can tolerate being emersed in the steady stream of equine neglect, abuse and exploitation. Someone who can handle the internet trolls and other hateful people without losing their will to fight for what they believe in.
Personally, I like the tone and perspective you brought to this blog so I’ll be wandering over to mugwumps. Thanks for writing for as long as you did and thanks for staying true to your voice, it’s worth hearing!
Started reading your old posts… I’ll be following you back to your original blog for sure!
going back to reading “Why do we chase cows” ….
Thanks for the great posts, Mugly. I enjoyed your realistic and knowledgeable perspective. I imagine it would be a drag to research the topics. Most have been hashed over anyhow. I think it’d be a great idea to have guests write once a week or so. Pre-screened by the new Fugly/Mugly, of course. Happy trails!
I totally understand…writing for FHOTD would depress the hell out of me too.
Been looking forward to your Dec. 1st post for a while, can’t wait to read it. Be well.
Hey would this just be open to writers in the good ol USA, or would applications from other countries be looked at?
or would even a once a month international writer become a feature? maybe highlight issues from all over th world??
Seems to me someone who describes herself as a mugwump, someone who sees both sides (all sides) of everything, would perhaps not fit well in a blog that is umm, relatively one-sided by it’s history, and rather over the top in drama (commenters, not bloggers). I think some needed the emotional outlet offered by black/white thinking on issues. Can’t wait for Mugwump to return to her blog.
Yep.
Thanks for taking a good stab at this blog Mugs. It was fun while it lasted. Lets hope the next blogger has enough in them to handle it all. People of passion can be hard to swallow. Not to mention submersing yourself in the dark side of the horse world makes horses no longer fun. It would be smart of the new blogger to read the comments posted here and listen to what it’s readers want. Looks like guest writers and more positive topics are in high demand right now.
I have to say, I LOVE this idea. If there were an email address where a blog post could be submitted or something (outside of the application for the new “fugly” – I could do a post every now and then, but I’m not a good enough/creative enough writer for the full time gig) – then actually POSTING it could be at the discretion of the owner/blogger/etc. This would help fill in some times where content from the usual blogger is lacking (Vacations, etc).
That one is definitely cooking on the stove…
This is exactly what should have happened earlier. While I enjoyed Mug’s posts and insight, the blogs were too infrequent. Having multiple writers would increase the variety while not putting all the time and responsibility on one person. It would have been nice to see a blog about a faux rescue one day followed by a success story a day or two later. Cathy used to do the Friday featured rescue, which I loved. There are a lot of options out there to keep the topics from getting mundane. Before and after stories are also nice to see.
I accidently found this youtube video of a horse with horrible feet. I’ve never seen anything like it. WARNING – it is pretty upsetting and the horse had to be euthanized. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZxJnPZvz-8
It happened in the UK. The former owner was banned from keeping horses for 10 years. Something tells me that if it had happened in the U.S. she would have gotten a slap on the wrist. Poor horse.
The other benefit to this is that we would get a broader geographical range of articles. I’ve LOVED reading fhotd for several years now, but the majority of blog entries about specific trainers, rescues, barns, etc have been based in the west coast area. If people can submit blog entries as ideas come to them, they could be reports on equine issues local to them, and we can hear about things happening everywhere.
I’m sorry to see you go, although I understand your reasons. I’ve enjoyed reading your posts. The BYB post was especially good. You made a very good case for not tarring all BYBs with the same brush.
I’ve been a Mugly critic (not, I think, one of the most outspoken) and I’ve also defended you when I felt you were attacked unfairly. I think you’re making the right call, I wish you the best of luck returning to your own blog, and I’ll put my keyboard where my uh… keyboard is and send in a sample post. I don’t think not being right for this blog is anything to be ashamed of at all. It’s very, very, VERY hard for an established blog to change authors publicly and succeed. I don’t know if anyone but Cathy can keep this thing going.
Sorry to hear that you will be leaving, Mugly. This tidbit may brighten your day a little: I’ve been riding my mare without her drop noseband for the past few weeks and she goes just as well with or without it. See you on the other blog!
Thanks for trying it out. I love open minds…
Mugs, I really loved your perspective at Fugly! I will miss you here, but I am excited that you’re going back to Mugwump…I love that blog too!
Mugwump
I enjoyed your contributions to the blogs so much but I LOVE and really appreciate your work on the Mugwump Chronicle blog too. I completly understand why you want to return to it. It is really hard to find humour in all the dark creepy and completly insane things that happen in the horse world which is I guess what some of the readers expected to find when they come to this site. Maybe it is one of those “if we can’t laugh we will cry” self preservation skills.
Best wishes to you
Seriously , opening the slaughter plants ? The worst thing about this will be all the new “saved from slaughter” bad rescues that will be popping up and shutting down. But then again it will be plenty of fodder for the new writer of this blog.
s
Whoops that s should have been a paste of this…
In recent days you may have seen news reports regarding horse processing in the U.S. To help you understand what has happened and to provide you with information that may assist you with keeping your clients or colleagues informed, the AAEP has prepared a summary of the status of horse processing in the U.S.
Congress Passes USDA Appropriations Bill – USDA Inspection of Horse Processing Allowed to Resume
A provision that had prohibited USDA funds being used for personnel inspecting the slaughter process at horse processing facilities was not included in the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science, and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bills signed into law by President Obama on Nov. 18. The appropriations bill passed the House on a vote of 298-121, while the Senate voted 70-30 in favor of the bill. The bill funds a variety of federal programs and agencies and is not solely a bill addressing horse processing.
What does the passing of this bill mean for horse processing?
It means that USDA can now pay inspectors to inspect horses and meat that may be processed for human consumption at U.S. plants.
This bill does not, however, appropriate any new money to pay for these inspections. The USDA would have to find the money in the funds appropriated in the FY’ 12 bill.
Is there a federal law that has been reversed?
No. There has been no law passed or changed dealing with processing itself. There is no current prohibition on the processing of horses in the U.S. The federal bills introduced in Congress to prohibit this are still before Congress. The only change is that for the past five years the USDA was not allowed to fund the inspection of horses at the plants – even though no plants were open – and now they are should a plant begin operating.
Will horse processing plants open?
While a plant could open and start processing horses, it should be understood that this appropriations bill is only good until September 30, 2012. In addition, as mentioned above, there are two bills currently in Congress proposing to ban horse processing in the U.S.: H.R. 2966 and S. 1176.
Due to state laws passed in Texas and Illinois, the home of the last plants to process horses in the U.S. in 2007, the processing of horses for human consumption in those states, even with USDA inspections allowed, will not be possible. Horse processing also is banned in California.
Does AAEP support the reopening of processing plants in the U.S?
With challenging economic times continuing to impact the United States, the large number of horses in our country that are considered unwanted and without viable care options remains a tremendous concern. Because of the increased potential for abuse, neglect and abandonment faced by this population of horses combined with the lack of financial resources for their long-term care, the AAEP does not oppose the reopening of processing facilities in the United States provided the facilities meet the following provisions:
1. Strict oversight of operations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Commercial Transport of Horses to Slaughter Act and the regulations there under, including the presence of and inspections by USDA veterinarians at the facilities.
2. Horses are euthanized by trained personnel in a humane manner in accordance with the requirements of federal law and guidelines established by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
3. Transportation to the production facility is conducted according to the law and guidelines established by the USDA.
When other humane options do not exist, the AAEP supports processing as an acceptable form of euthanasia under these controlled conditions.
Additional Resources:
History of USDA inspection funding
Since 2007, no federal money has been allowed to be used to inspect horse slaughter facilities in the U.S., as stipulated in the Agricultural Appropriations bill over the past five years. Without U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspections, horse processing facilities could not process horses for human consumption because the meat could not be shipped internationally or interstate and a majority of the market for horse meat is overseas. Although this clause had support due to the undesirable idea of horse meat for human consumption in the U.S., many, including the AAEP, believe the ban had “unintended consequences” and this was again emphasized in a June 22, 2011 report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled – “Horse Welfare: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter.”
AAEP Position on Horse Processing and Current Bills in Congress:
http://www.aaep.org/images/files/PositionoHR2966S1176100111.pdf
GAO Report – Summary & Full Report (June 22, 2011):
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-228
AAEP Statement Regarding GAO Report on Horse Welfare (June 27, 2011):
http://www.aaep.org/press_room.php?term=2011&id=442
Am sorry to see you are not going to continue with the FUGLY blog. You are a breath of fresh air and your perspective is different from many fugly readers which is kind of what I thought would make your authorship interesting and would spark thoughtful dialog about training styles, breeding disasters and successes, etc… If I wanted to read nothing but the depths of sadness about all things awful that happen to horses I can just click on HSUS or Google news, or any one of the gazillion bleeding heart animal websites out there.
I have looked in on your Mugwump blog periodically so I will go back to that. I do wish you the best of luck. I am not a blogger (though have thought about it, but haven’t settled on the right topic yet) so I also wish whomever takes this blog over a lot of luck and a thick skin. Then again, the readers of the old fugly blog often needed thick skin because it was so much fun to slam anyone who dared express a different opinion on something.
Slaughter has always been legal in the US, except in Texas and Illinois. It is still illegal in those states where the last abbatoirs were located. There was only a ban on USDA inspectors dealing with abbatoirs that processed horses. The lifting of the current ban is for one year (as it was attached to an appropriation bill). It is highly unlikely that anyone will open an abbatoir processing horses with the future of the business so up in the air.
The Mexican slaughter houses are government regulated and NOT the sleazy backyard pictures shown by PETA. The transport of horses to Mexico is well regulated. Horses are put down by a captive bolt which is the same way cattle are put down (enjoy your burger?) A captive bolt has been determined by the American Veterinary Medical Association to be humane euthinasia.
The hysteria regarding the lifting of this ban is unreal. Facts are facts. Horses are being let loose or left to starve to death in record numbers because poorer horse owners have no option. Kill prices are nil. Euthenasia is still an unaffordable option for many. Humane slaughter has been taken away as an option. Go figure. Noone wants to send a horse to slaughter. But for many horses that is a better option than being turned loose or starved to death.
“Horses are put down by a captive bolt which is the same way cattle are put down (enjoy your burger?) A captive bolt has been determined by the American Veterinary Medical Association to be humane euthinasia.”
Please, people, check your facts. The captive bolt does NOT have the same effect on a horse as it does on cattle. The anatomy of the equine and bovine head are not the same, the bolt does not always stun the horse with the first shot, which means a large percentage of horses have to be shot with the bolt 2 or more times, even then they may regain conciousness before they are dead, like say, when they are being skinned. Think about THAT.
Add that to the fact that transportation to the slaughter houses is not humane, the kill boxes are not designed for horses, therefore, not humane. Horses are flightier animals than cattle, and have a stronger reaction to the smell of blood and the vocalizations of their kind than cattle, sheep or pigs.
Better yet, just ask Temple Grandin why she believes that horses are NOT suitable animals for production style slaughter. And please listen to her answer. For a change, listen.
I’m more than a little touchy on the subject of slaughter right now, because a neighbor had a horse stolen out of a field one morning about 2 months ago. The horse belonged to a teenage girl who has cried herself to sleep every night since then. We have a group trying to help find the horse, and the horrible realization is, the horse is probably long gone across the Canadian border. In this area, horse theft is a problem because the border is only an hour away. This horse could have been across the border before the family came home from school and work and discovered he was gone.
I would never choose slaughter as a form of euthanasia for my horse, but realistically, I can’t guarantee he won’t be stolen and slaughtered. I believe the horse that was stolen was taken because he was very nondescript, not much white, and it would be easy to fake the papers to get him across the border quick. I hope and pray that they make border crossing tougher, and very soon.
Seriously, Marjie, how is it possible to have every fact wrong? And please, don’t try to win your argument by smearing truly knowledgeable horse people with PETA’s shitty brush.
Horses are not “put down by captive bolt” in Mexico. They are stabbed repeatedly in the spine until compliant enough to hoist and butcher—while fully conscious. They are not “put down” by captive bolt in any North American slaughter plant, and were not for some time before the US plants closed. The captive bolt some vets use is the penetrating bolt, which drives a nail into the mammal’s brain. This bolt is illegal in slaughter plants, as it drives possibly infected brain matter into the spinal fluid, and thus into the meat. If you read (which you clearly didn’t) veterinary manuals and the AVMA/AAEP websites, you’d have seen that the penetrating captive bolt is to be used for euthanasia ONLY when a horse can be 100% restrained, and the blow administered by a medical expert. Which is utterly impossible in a slaughter plant.
“Horses are being let loose or left to starve to death in record numbers because poorer horse owners have no option.” This is a fabrication of pro-slaughter, namely, Rep Sue Wallis who wants to build a slaughter plant in Wyoming. People starve and abandon animals because they are cruel. Why is it we make such an outcry when the same treatment is given dogs and cats? It’s because their is no Sue Wallis and her ilk claiming pet abuse is because the abusers are “victims,” and the solution is to have pets slaughtered in shelters and their meat sold overseas.
Mugly, thanks for your hard work and good humor, and for taking on the often thankless job of keeping this blog going as long as you could. I hope the blog will continue, but you’ve made a real contribution. We’ll miss you–if they decide to do “guest blogs,” how about a contribution now & then? I’ll look in & see how it goes on, but you’ll be a hard act to follow, as Fugly was.
Happy trails!
What is the deadline for our submission?
I stopped reading FHOTD long ago when it became obvious that, other than substantiated abuse cases, the blogger would just rip people for it’s own sake.
I came back when someone I know who checked the site occasionally told me there was more balanced discussion. I’m a professional and enjoy good discussion related to my field of interest. But, if the masses want the former, my time can be better spent elsewhere.
All the best to you Miss Mugs.
I agree with this. I read the posts and the comments less and less prior to Mugly taking over because while I loved Fugly’s passion and devil-may-care attitude when it came to outing abusers, I was very put off by the name-calling and language she would use to make fun of them, picking on their body size, for example. Their actions are deplorable, not the size of their butts. I just felt it made everything else that Fugly was trying to say tainted and it often fostered a very nasty atmosphere in the comments section that creeped me out.
But these posts from Mugly (though admittedly far too infrequent) were a breath of fresh air and I really appreciated the journalistic integrity they brought to the outings of abuse, even if it meant that the tone and spirit of the site changed and the posts took longer to publish.
I think any new blogger will face this challenge, because Fugly’s fans were Fugly’s. She had a distinct voice. And the FHOTD blog can succeed with a new blogger, but that person will need time to build her/his own following, with people who appreciate her/his particular voice on the matter, because I think a certain chunk (likely the most vocal chunk) of Fugly’s fanbase will probably end up just having to leave because they’ll never be happy with any alternative. It would be a tragedy if they ran off a bunch of otherwise great bloggers before they figure that out.
I’m sorry to see you go, I’ve enjoyed your writing here. (Even if I did lay into you for unclear writing a time or two.) I know I wouldn’t have the stomach to write this blog. I’ve been following Mugwump Chronicles for a while and will continue to do so. Best wishes for your writing future! (I still think you should look into getting a book published.)
I’m looking forward to seeing people’s writing samples. Should be fun!
Pointy sticks, indeed! The beauty of a blog is to share an opinion, discussion and come what may, oh my Hell, a personal experience. Your experiences as a rider are close to mine so I very much enjoyed them. I also love every breed I’ve ever ridden or owned and can see the gorgeousness in something that is just simply horse, Arabian to AQHA, dressage to reining. I came around every now and then for the snarky, but enjoyed your spin and refreshing not-so-emaciated content. A lot of subscribers to this blog know a lot about nothing and pick idiotic irrelevant cat fights which, albeit tiresome, make me laugh when I am bored at work. In the end, as horrible as it may sound, we are all woven together for the love of a horse, whether you ride with a noseband or not.
I have enjoyed the change of scenery, and I will look forward to the next thing, too.
My suggestion: a “Listeners on the Loose” type thing where respondents (us) might write in a question or seek advice regarding a horsey issue and have our question featured for other Fugly readers to answer. Anyhow, this could help someone to come up with topics, too.
See you on the Chronicles, fugwump
Well Mugs I think you are wise for walking away from this gig. I think Cathy had the hide of a Rhino and the heart of a Lioness when it came to this blog and that was part of her charm.
I am more than happy to leave this blog to the people with the pointy sticks.
I would like to offer this parting thought for the People with the Pointy Sticks; Karma is a bitch when you are.
Happy Jabbing.
I’ve watched this blog for a few years now, and I’ve also participated. Now, as it changes again, I see so many people complaining about aggressive posts, and snide comments, and ‘picking’ on people.
To me, that is the beauty of this blog. Oh, don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I like to see people trashing someone. No, it’s that so frequently on this blog, the posts go something like this:
Author makes a statement about something.
Person A jumps in with some nasty comment.
Persons B,C, and D respond in defense, and remind Person A that thinking might be better than ranting.
Person A responds, sometimes nasty, sometimes with a clarification.
And in the end, a conversation has happened about what is OKAY to think and say. You see, without that format to this blog, many people would be left wondering, “What does everyone think? What IS socially acceptable in the horse world? Am I alone in my thinking?” Sure, sometimes people say something that is ‘too much’ on here. Heck, sometimes I say things, then go back later and think, “Sheesh, what a bitch I was.” But that’s good. It’s a nice way to see others’ points of view, without the tension and stress of face-to-face and real time interaction. To be honest, I don’t see this blog as being too far over the top– the people who end up leaving are generally the ones who don’t really WANT to know what others think. For me, I like knowing what others have to say, and how they think. It’s educational.
Cathy has been called out in the past, and Mugs likewise has been called out for her opinion. In the process, we have all had a chance to converse about how we feel, and why others feel the way they do. For that, we owe them BOTH a huge debt of gratitude.
I like both Cathy and Janet. I admire Cathy’s ability to take on the pointy stick crowd. People seem to forget that she works in the legal field where snark attacks are the order of the day. It never mattered to me if I agreed with her or not, I could always trust that her objective was the well-being of horses.
I also believe the same is true of Mugly. Mugs has worked in a different field than Cathy and has a different take on abuse and mistreatment. For example, though I recently started riding Western again, and don’t use a noseband anymore, I have used one for the last 30 years. I used all kinds of nosebands, and never heard anyone refer to it as “cheating.” It was just a piece of the tack. So now I think about it. Not a big deal, but it’s worth thinking about, and hopefully it will help me in developing my horse into a happy horse.
Bye Mugs. Read all your posts and enjoyed them. We will miss you.
14Yr old registered kid safe gelding – $2500 (Rosalia)
“Shorty is a registered 14 yr old appy gelding. He is safe for all ages of riders. He ties, clips, bathes, trailers even in a one horse straight load, hobbles, highlines, and will go any where even the smallest person points him. He can sit for months and he is the same horse everyone you ride. He is sound and safe! For more information please call 509) 720 4405 the photo with the baby between the horses legs is shorty and my friends baby this summer. Like I said safe!”
http://spokane.craigslist.org/grd/2725818398.html
This is just wow.. no helmets and a baby underneath and between the horse’s legs. At least he is a gelding.
The ad needs to read: Quick! Someone buy Shorty before he kills one of our kids!!!!
Horse Slaughter. Stop blaming the Europeans. Read Horse Farmer’s lament about ‘meat value’ or Marjie whining that ‘humane slaughter’ was taken away as an option for excess horses. What was it Rainbeau said? It is good old tru blu Americans exercising their freedom to breed horses with ‘conFIRmation’ who want to slaughter them. Have a colt? It’s cheaper to leave him a stallion. Why pay to geld him? Have a pasture, or weed lot? Get a mare or two or twenty and let nature take her course. There’s still Craigslist, Facebook, and auctions, BEST OFFER pays for something(yee haw)! Input costs are low when you don’t vet, farrier, or register them. Yes, some Americans do want to slaughter horses. It might be the easiest money there is; no training, no healthcare, no plan, no thinking. What American is supporting horse slaughter? AQHA, AAEP, politicians, horse councils, saddle clubs; horse owners that don’t give a shit, horse owners looking for easy money, doing something they ‘love’. But, it would be easier yet, if they could just have local slaughter markets again. Maybe they could actually skip the kill buyer and take their trash direct. Then they wouldn’t have to feel guilty about dark night journeys in crowded trailers, hoping they don’t get outed if it crashes on the interstate. Think about it horse lovers. Unite for slaughter, make money, and solve society’s problems. Marjie and Rainbeau, I hope you will apply for the captive bolt operator’s job.
Does anyone who lives in TX have the real scoop on the effect of the drought on horses? I read in a New England paper this morning that horses are being dropped on the side of the roads half starved. I was wondering how bad this situation really is. I’ve come to rely on this blog for more accuracy than the media. It seems that with every passing day I find something else out that further destroys my faith in humanity. Bad case of the Monday blues.
This came up on another blog recently.
1. Government subsidies have driven corn prices up, causing most farmers to switch to corn. There is less hay out there.
2. Fertilizer and gas prices have rocketed, which makes it more expensive to make hay.
3. Texas and surrounding states are in a serious, no holds barred drought. There is quite literally NO grass growing, during the summer, now, just none.
4. Usually a drought in part of the country results in higher hay prices, as hay gets trucked in from other parts of the country. Unfortunately, this year, the drought (and a few floods) has caused problems in those other parts of the country. For example, here in Indiana we yielded less than half of our normal amount of second and third cutting, especially off of grass or grass mix fields, due to a drought over the summer. So the lack of hay meant higher hay prices, PLUS people coming up here to buy it and ship is South to Texas have to pay more for gas.
End result? There isn’t enough hay to go around, and it’s too expensive for the average hobby horse owner to buy. Looking into the future, the prices probably aren’t going to drop until the number of animals eating the hay drops. It’s sad, but it’s true. So yes, Texas has a mess right now.
Thank you for posting this info. It is yet another reason to quit mindlessly breeding horses. Ag publications indicate that hay reserves are down and hay production is expected to continue to decline. All the variables also affect other livestock as well, so it is not just horses competing for available hay. Stables will possibly find challenges meeting their demands and even owners who board may find themselves having to worry about hay in the future. Makes me wonder how many foals Texas produced this year, knowing they had a problem.
Thank you, Mugs, for your hard work and fairmindedness. I couldn’t run this blog. I’d go crazy. Thank you for the outing you did of PHH and Another Sunrise/CBER, those meant the absolute world to me. In the meantime, the two horses in your PHH expose have been moved to a much nicer facility. One where I can get news of them. And one of them broke an idiot’s wrist when she waved the lunge whip too close, which is nice to hear. You came through when a couple of agencies that REALLY should have been there, didn’t.
Your work here has had other big ripples.
Your strength seems to be in getting people to think over fair treatment. You’re more an educator than a thickskinned activist. We need people like you in our communities, teaching others fair play with horses.
All the very best to you.