VETTY & NEWPY BY CHARLOTTE JOHNSTON

Very special thanks to Charlotte Johnson for sharing this with us…

To whom it may concern.

Attached to this letter are pictures of two horses.

Can you tell if this is the same horse at a different angle or two completely different horses altogether?

When a horse goes for slaughter, their halter is removed and added to the ever-growing pile.

Once in the slaughter pipeline, horses are stripped of absolutely everything. Their dignity, their identity, their halters, their shoes, their names, and so much more.

But they are given one thing. They are given a kill tag, a tag with a number to keep track of them while they are shipped from place to place until they get to their final destination, never to be heard of again. A place that will give them a horrific end to a life they may have only started to live.

The only thing valued in these horses at this point is meat.

Did you know, the workers loading the horses into the trucks that will take them to the slaughterhouses pry off the horses’ hind shoes to reduce the risk of bruising the meat on the live horses?

Normally when a farrier takes the shoes off a horse, it is done gently and properly so it does not hurt the horse. Only someone who is specifically trained to do this should be allowed to.

Instead, these workers who are not trained to work with the horse’s hooves, rip the shoes off and usually end up taking part of the hoof off as well. This is just like cutting off your toes and then being forced to walk and stand in a strange, new, and scary environment without even a second to rest for days, while in a tremendous amount of pain.

We would never do this to our dogs or cats because they are classified as pets. Even though the majority of Canadians view horses as pets, our government doesn’t agree.

So why do we allow it to happen to our horses?

Our agriculture industry is still classifying equines as livestock and allowing inhumane treatment and slaughter of horses for human consumption.

These horses are suffering because auctions are turning a blind eye to inhumane treatment, and furthermore, the rules and regulations in regard to horses at the auctions are outstandingly inadequate and in need of major improvements.

The horses in the pictures are indeed different horses. If you look closely, you can see the bigger white stripe on one’s nose, and though it is not very evident in these pictures, this horse has four bright white socks and the biggest personality. His name is Vetty.

The second horse has a smaller white stripe, four faded white socks, curious ears, and beautiful eyes. Her name is Newpy.

These horses are not numbers on their way to slaughter. But they would have been, if a rescue had not of saved them and brought them to my house where I promised them, I would always love them.

I chose these pictures because you cannot see the difference between these two horses with the fly masks on.

This is what the workers at the slaughterhouses see. To them, all the horses look the same, it is just another slab of meat.

The slaughterhouse workers do not see the four white socks, or the different white stripes and they certainly do not see their different personalities.

But I can.

In the middle of the night when you cannot see anything, I can tell my horses apart by the sound of their call.

I can tell them apart by their walk, their eyes, their colour, and the stripes on their noses.

I can tell you anything you want to know about those animals and more.

Every horse deserves to always be known by their name, to always keep their halter and their shoes, and to always be free to express their different and very special individual personalities.

Please, join us in continuing to push this awareness forward.

We want to see an end to this cruelty, and we genuinely hope you recognize how you can help us achieve this.

Love,

An unforgettable voice

THANK YOU CHARLOTTE

Charlotte Johnston lives in Manitoba, Canada and has been obsessed with horses for as long as she can remember.

Charlotte is a Certified Equine Massage Therapist and she’s worked with racehorses across Canada and the United States. She loves making sure highly trained racehorses who truly are athletes get the best care possible.

Charlotte’s herd currently consists of 6 rescued horses, a variety of breeds, including the two beauties above and an off-the-track thoroughbred.

She rides as often as time allows. Charlotte doesn’t compete with anyone other than herself and time in the saddle often includes mounted archery and barrels. You may also find her driving her team!

You may have already guessed that Charlotte is passionate about educating others about the horrors of horse slaughter, including the slaughter of horses within Canada for human consumption AND…

Along with her mother, you’re apt to find her at any rallies or protests to do with the inhumane live export of horses from Canada to Japan for slaughter.

Thank you, Charlotte for all you do for so many! 

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