They're livestock, just like pigs and cattle. How else is someone supposed to affordably get rid of an over-the-hill horse?? You can't just bury the thing in the backyard with a shovel (unless you enjoy digging HUGE holes).
The number of "neglected" horses went through the roof here after they banned the slaughterhouses. People couldn't afford to take care of the things. What's more humane, a quick death at a slaughterhouse, or starving for weeks in a barren pasture????
