Women speak up to save horses

FALMOUTH

Residents start charity to rescue those that would be slaughtered

Two women from Northern Kentucky and another from Anderson Township want to save local horses. They've created a charity, Speak Up for Horses, and hope to buy a Northern Kentucky farm to rescue horses that otherwise would be slaughtered.

"We want to develop an equine education center to try and solve some of the problems that cause the unwanted horse," said Pendleton County resident Shelly Price. "We also want to do some rescue and re-homing."

Price and Anderson Township resident Paula Drake hope Congress will take an even bigger stride this year by banning the slaughter of horses for food for human consumption.

The proposed Horse Slaughter Prevention Act passed the House in September, 263-146, and one sponsor, Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Hopkinsville, is confident it can pass the Senate before it adjourns this year

An estimated 90,000 horses were slaughtered in the U.S. last year, according to the group and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"Our children grow up with horses - they read 'Black Beauty,' they go see the movie 'My Friend Flicka,'" Drake said. "We hold them in high esteem, and they deserve better from us."

Each week "healthy horses are inhumanely hauled across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana highways in double-decker cattle trucks to the three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses, two in Texas and one in Illinois," Price said.

The horses, including former family pets, retired race horses and work horses, "are slaughtered so foreigners can dine on American horse steaks in gourmet restaurants overseas," Price said.

Paula Drake (from left), Ginger Rood and Shelly Price stand with two orphaned foals, Lucy and Desi, that Drake owns. Drake rescued Lucy's mom from slaughter. She adopted Desi after he was rescued by Last Chance Corral in Athens.

Price, Drake and Ginger Rood of Union met in 2004 after a double-decker cattle truck loaded with 51 horses crashed in Dearborn County, Ind.

Ultimately, they hope to own a historic farm in Northern Kentucky that can host school, church and scouting field trips.

"They're not old, broken-down horses," Price said. "There's young horses, healthy, pregnant mares go to slaughter."

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, an organization lobbying against the horse-slaughter legislation, did not return calls on Friday.

Cattle groups and ranchers have argued that a ban on horse slaughter for human consumption could be the start of a "slippery slope" toward banning beef.

They argue horses can overgraze areas and that the slaughters are a humane and regulated way of disposing of the animals' bodies.

Drake and Price argue that the issue is not a vegetarian one. Price is a vegetarian, but Drake isn't.

"You have to look at the society," Price said. "We don't eat horses in the United States. There are countries that eat dogs and cats - we don't."

Tax-deductible contributions can be made to Speak Up for Horses Inc. at P.O. Box 434, Falmouth, KY 41040.

Contributions also can be made online at www.speakupforhorses.org.

E-mail: mrutledge@enquirer.com

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