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  <font size="2">GUEST OPINION: Out to greener pastures</font>

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  <font size="2">Tuesday, May 18, 2004</font>

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  <font size="2">&nbsp;-&nbsp;by Trent Loos, farmer and horse lover</font>

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        <td class="copy" vAlign="top" align="middle" width="200"><a href="http://www.illinoisleader.com/content/img/f14971/horse1.jpg"><font size="2"><img src="SZ200_horse1.jpg" border="0" width="200" height="121"></font></a></td>

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  <font size="2"><b>OPINION -- </b>I miss Joe.</font>

  <p><font size="2">Joe was my first working cow horse and he was awesome. I

  sold him when he was 22 and every time I saddle up to work cattle I think

  about how much I miss him. One of my fondest memories was returning home to a

  message on the answering machine that my bull was out with a neighbor�s

  cows.</font>

  <p><font size="2">I rode the 640-acre pasture, sorted the bull from 150

  cow/calf pairs and drove him a half-mile home within 45 minutes. Riding a

  horse that knows how, where and when to work cattle is a feeling that is hard

  to describe but wonderful to experience.</font>

  <p><font size="2">I clearly recall my final months with Joe. I was reluctant

  to part company with him. In the final year, I didn�t dare saddle him

  because of the stiffness in his legs. Age and dedication to his mission had

  taken their toll on him.</font>

  <p><font size="2">I finally bit the bullet and sold him for a whopping $280.

  While I would love to elaborate on the benefits of having a great horse to

  work cattle with, a more important topic is that of the passing of a horse.</font>

  <p><font size="2">Debate is raging across the country about harvesting horses

  for human consumption.</font>

  <p><font size="2"><b>U.S. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.)</b> and <b>Sen. Mary

  Landrieu (D-La.)</b> have introduced the <b>American Horse Slaughter

  Prevention Act (S. 2352)</b>. This bill would end the slaughter of horses in

  the United States for human consumption and prevent additional live horses

  from being shipped to slaughterhouses outside the country.</font>

  <p><font size="2">This issue is not new in Illinois with ongoing debate about <b>SB

  1921</b>, as the Caval Processing plant is scheduled to re-open after it was

  destroyed by fire near DeKalb.</font>

  <p><font size="2">This debate is similar to other �animals for food�

  discussions, but it is different because of the unusual division of

  supporters.</font>

  <p><font size="2">I have spoken to a handful of thoroughbred racing

  enthusiasts who seem to be in favor of such legislation. They believe that if

  they give in on this issue, the animal rights community might leave them alone

  on other issues regarding racing horses.</font>

  <p><font size="2">Many from the veterinary community seem to be leaning in

  favor of the ban, which isn�t surprising since the majority of veterinarians

  in this country have practices that focus on companion animals.</font>

  <p><font size="2">This leads us to the next issue about horses. When federal

  lawmakers decide we can�t kill horses, they will be considered pets or

  companions by law. This would remove them from the jurisdiction of the USDA,

  which would not be good for horses or horse owners.</font>

  <p><font size="2">On <b>NPR�s Weekend Edition</b>, <b>Scott Simon</b> put

  the final burr under my saddle with an essay broadcast on Kentucky Derby day.</font>

  <p><font size="2">His quotes were devoted to sensationalizing the issue.</font>

  <p><font size="2">�Aging gracefully somewhere on salt green fields� is

  just a fairy tale. Joe aged gracefully to a point and then his life became

  agony for him, not me.</font>

  <p><font size="2">Friends have told me stories about horses sentimental to the

  family that were kept beyond their graceful age only to have birds land on

  them and try to pick their eyes out. How picturesque is that?</font>

  <p><font size="2">Simon went on to say that thousands of horses running on

  federal lands are �poached for slaughter each year.&quot; Why would anybody

  go to the trouble of poaching a horse when a $200 bill will buy all the horses

  you want for foreign owned processing plants?</font>

  <p><font size="2">Simon said consumers �get a little sentimental about

  horses even as they unflinchingly eat the meat of cattle and pigs.&quot; These

  are clearly statements against meat consumption. He was trying to protect

  �horses people considered friends.&quot;</font>

  <p><font size="2">According to the American Horse Council, there are 6.9

  million horses in the US. The USDA reports 49,000 horses were harvested last

  year for human consumption. A little cowboy arithmetic tells me that very few

  of the nation�s horses are sold for food.</font>

  <p><font size="2">Demand will never be an incentive to raise horses for

  consumption.</font>

  <p><font size="2">These plants simply offer an outlet for the people who

  don�t want to see their aging horses do so in agony and, at the same time,

  provide a protein source for those who desire it.</font>

  <p><font size="2">There is no law that mandates horse owners sell their

  animals to a processor so that someone in France can eat horsemeat. Forget the

  argument about the economics of disposing of these creatures, remember that

  everything lives and everything dies.</font>

  <p><font size="2">Horses, like man, will die and death with a purpose gives

  full meaning to life. Why is it more comforting that a horse dies and then is

  consumed by coyotes or ants or bacteria?</font>

  <p><font size="2">Most importantly, no one is mandating how your horse leaves

  this life so why should you tell me how mine should be allowed to die? This is

  just one more choice that is being stripped away from us at the hands of the

  people that may not have ever owned a horse.</font>

  <p><font size="2">[<i><b>Trent Loos</b> is a 6th generation United States

  farmer, host of daily radio show Loos Tales and founder of Faces of

  Agriculture, non-profit organization putting the human element back into the

  production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com or email Trent

  at <a href="mailto:trent@loostales.com">trent@loostales.com</a>.</i>]<br>

  _____</font>

  <p><font size="2">What do you think about the issues raised by Trent Loos in

  this commentary? Write a letter to the editor at <a href="mailto:letters@illinoisleader.com">letters@illinoisleader.com</a>,

  and include your name and town.</font></p>

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