Wild horse herd caretaker says reviving slaughter will help industry

Mr. Smith, who runs a trail-riding operation and captures many horses to limit the herd size and protect the newly abandoned “dumpouts” from harm, thinks there is a solution that makes many people uncomfortable: the slaughterhouse.

“The horse industry has gone to hell in a handbasket,” said Mr. Smith, a 67-year-old with a shotgun and a rifle in his pickup. “An old horse, a crippled horse, an unwanted horse, they all cost the same to feed, and nobody wants them, so they keep dumping them off here. Until there is a place to take them, it’s not going to get any better.” Read more…