The Amish are “terrible” to their animals. The Amish are “horrible” to their horses. They work them until they drop. The Amish horses are not like “family,” said one message, “they treat their horses like they are equipment. The Amish all run puppy mills and abuse their dogs.
-Messages from my readers today and yesterday.
I get messages like this every time I put up a photograph of an Amish horse and cart. I’m already sick of these messages, and these families just got here.
I wake up to the new and daily sight of an Amish horse and cart. Maria and I are grateful for this, a beautiful and iconic start to our morning.
Even in the country, we rarely get to see beautiful and happy animals like this every day.
We live in a time of great orthodoxy, the mass conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct we are led to believe are both sacred and universal.
Think of the “right” and the “left.” Independent thinking in politics is now seen as treasonous, on the left and the right.
In this vast and complex world, we are told there are only two ways to think.
Today, we discovered an Amish family living less than a mile to the north of us. We learned of another a few miles north of that and others in the nearby town of Argyle.
They are coming to our town in substantial numbers, and they are most welcome. I see they need some support and defending.
As a journalist and a photographer in Pennsylvania and New York, and other places, I have been blessed to meet a number of Amish families, Old Amish and New Amish, and many Native-Americans.
Orthodoxy and generalizations are a disservice to everyone, another symptom of the closing of the American mind to dogma, propaganda, and conspiracy.
Millions of Americans now believe that Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci have conspired to implant computer chips in the bodies and brains of people who get the Covid vaccine.
And if you mention “Amish,” you are certain to get one or more messages telling you that they mistreat their horses, run puppy mills, and see animals as work tools, not furbabies.
I hear and see these thoughts daily now that I am writing about my new Amish neighbors.
I’m doing to have to deal with this, so this is a good start. I have little patience and no respect for people who slander people while hiding behind their computer screens. I hope I never forget how wrong that is.
I tell the people who post these messages that if they have not come to my community and visited them and seen their animals and how they are treated, they need not post such hateful messages on my blog or social media pages.
Again and again, we are taught not to tar millions of people with the same brush, not to generalize, not to demonize. We are taught, but that doesn’t mean we learn.
I’m sure some Amish mistreat their animals.
Some of your neighbors mistreat their animals. Some farmers mistreat their animals. The SPCA shelters are full of white and black and Christian and Jewish people, poor people and rich people, who mistreat their animals.
Because some people do it, that doesn’t mean everybody does it.
To assume my new neighbors must mistreat their horses because they are Amish is the very essence of bigotry. Shame on the people who do it.
To be Amish is not to be just one thing, but many things.
Some people see the cruelty in a horse or cow napping in the sun – the animal must be abused. Farmers see it as peaceful napping.
Yet many farmers tell me they only permit their animals to lie down out of sight of the road, they are so tired of tourists and animal rights people calling the police on them.
The farmers and Amish people I see love their animals, but in a different way from pet people. Yes, they are tools, they are not members of the family. But they know the importance of caring for them and treating them well. Their own well-being depends on it. It is a different kind of love.
These arguments about it being cruel for working horses to work, or not to be “family,” drew me to write for several years about the New York Carriage Horses, for years the victim of a vicious, dishonest, and sustained attack against the carriage trade by the very well-funded Animal Rights Movement.
In a perfect world, such a movement to work to bring us closer to animals and work to keep them in our lives.
The Animal Rights Dogma has it just the opposite: people can’t be trusted to take care of animals, they must all be hidden away in preserves or just be allowed to vanish.
The Amish horses bring the horse carriage wars back to me. My e-mails remind me of the righteous mail I get about the Amish every time I take a photo of a horse and cart.
Horses were once the tractors of Western Civilization; they built our world. Work is not cruel for them. What is cruel for them is to sit around “rescue” preserves their whole lives doing nothing but dropping manure.
What is cruel is a movement that deprives children of the chance to see the animals who helped us build civilization close-up, rather than just as memories YouTube, like old TV shows.
The Amish are extremely knowledgeable and careful breeders. Their workhorses are hardy, busy and well-fed, and cared for. To do otherwise would be to harm their farms and diminish their work.
Many horse people told me the New York Carriage Horses are the luckiest in the world. They get to work every day. The animal rights movement insisted this is cruel.
I don’t doubt some Amish farmers or carriage drivers don’t treat their horses well. Welcome to our world. Find them and punish them; there are plenty of laws to invoke.
But don’t smear people you have never seen or met, whose animals you have never seen.
People who own pets as opposed to animals have in some measure lost touch with the natural world.
To the ideologues of the animal rights movement, no animal should ever work or entertain or even be around people. They should all go on those mythic and mostly non-existent “preserves” to languish for the rest of their lives.
This is not humane; this is the very essence of cruelty. Like the carriage drivers in New York, the Amish keep these strong and proud working horses in our word. Speaking only for me, I am grateful to them for that.
If not for the carriage trade and cultures like the Amish, these magnificent working animals would have already vanished from our world, like the elephants slaughtered by the scores after the animal rights movement “saved” them from the circuses.
In an era of climate change, overdevelopment, bulldozed habitats, work with people means survival to many animals like the big and strong horses of the Amish. It’s too late to save the elephants. Their lives were upended, and in so many cases, ended by the movement that claims to be protected them.
Where are all of those preserves that they were supposed to go to? How many non-profit organizations do you know that can afford the estimated $133,000 for a single elephant to receive food and care?
I honor the Amish for keeping these animals in our lives; they are an inspiration, not a controversy, they symbolize the most basic animal right – to live and be protected in our world.
Work with responsible humans is the best way for many working animals to survive in a culture that has otherwise abandoned them.
Animals need an animal rights movement that fights for animals’ true rights, not for the right of people to project their needs and orthodoxies onto them.
My work with the carriage horses brought me into contact with many horses and many veterinarians, horse trainers. And too many animal rights people that remind me of conspiracy theorists: in New York, they were not on good terms with the truth.
I know how to spot an unhealthy horse – when they stand with their head or ears low, lay down more than normal. Excess drinking, erratic urination, drooling or dropping food from the mouth, limping, skittishness, stiffness, lethargy, poor appetite, etc.
I’ve seen some Amish horses on their farms, and their horses now trot by our farm a dozen times a day.
I’ve yet to see one whose ears and the tail weren’t up, whose heads are not held high, whose rib bones show on the outside, who balk or whinny or struggle to pull their carts. They all brushes, their shoes and hooves brushed and cleaned.
They are strong, healthy, spirited, and engaged, not like the vast numbers of horses kept in captivity with nothing to do. If the Amish horses were not in great shape, they could never do the work they do every day. They don’t need to sleep in our beds.
So if you haven’t come here to see these horses for yourself, don’t tell me they are mistreated or abused. That is nothing but slander. Don’t post hurtful garbage on my blog, slandering people you don’t know. I’ll delete them.
There are plenty of horses and other animals who need some advocacy. Take care of them.
I’ve already seen enough of my Amish neighbors to be grateful for their presence, to like and respect them, to admire the health and vigor of their animals.
Pets are pets, and livestock is livestock. One is no better or luckier than the other. Both deserve to live and remain in our world.
P.S. Please don’t send me messages about Amish and indigenous people’s refusal to be photographed. I always take photos from a distance; no one is recognizable. I always ask permission and honor the responses.
And as a reporter and photographer, I have a nice file of photos of indigenous people. I love taking their photos. All you have to do to do the right thing is ask. I always do.
Some Amish are comfortable being photographed, some are not (the same is true of indigenous people). Carts on pubic roads are fair game, legal and moral.
I prefer people to stop telling me what I can see for myself.
Thank you!
Unfortunately this is another spin on this vast generalization. Having had, trained, weaned, rescued, many many horses over the span of my life—I agree that horses need a purpose, they need exercise to stay fit and healthy, hooves done regularly by a qualified farrier and to be thoroughly examined by a equine veterinarian at least once a year… they arguably need love, affection, and deep listening. My experience in rescuing Amish horses is that they usually come along with bad bouts of thrush and are prone to both white line disease and founder—many come to us far to late because the Amish do not believe in euthanasia so they end up at the auction en route to slaughter because if their poor health. From a life of being a working farm horse they are completely messed up to the point of not being able to walk comfortably. I grew up in the carriage business, working horses on pavement for even one day with the most technologically up to date shoes and hardware is still a great insult to their delicate frames, draft or not. At the same time, I’ve rescued countless thoroughbreds who come with their host of neuromuscular issues and vices. Suffice to say, many people are cruel to horses Amish or not, but I think it comes from having extremely outdated views and expectations of their necessities to humans daily lives. Expecting these gentle prey creatures to perform a certain task at a certain threshold for the entirety of their lives is inherently unethical. Horses like humans have an expiration date and deserve to have a chance to rest with their heads buried in a pile of hay before they begin to cripple due to our expectations and needs of human centered livelihood. Yes, they helped not only develop the world in which we see now but they have throughout time antiquity sacrificed their existence to serving humans in war, travel, pleasure, game, hunting, and so much more. If we continue to view horses as purely utilitarian within this age we are surely missing something—change is the only contrast, and after years of serving humans, they deserve a break, a change of pace(literally). It is quite a spectacle to watch a horse who had faced a life of poor treatment and demands come through the other side to being soft, gentle, and finally accepting of affection. To say that there is something inherently wrong with horse rescue centers is to perpetuate the human value system of constant development, production, and ultimately patriarchy. Until humans put themselves in the position of the horse, they will never get it—put yourself in a harness, a bit in the mouth, your handler with a whip… horses don’t need jobs, they need purpose and purpose doesn’t need to be what we have placed upon them with our human needs and values. This is growth in human consciousness and the anthesis of the Amish belief system.
Stupefyingly king and boring do you honestly think anyone in the real word has time to read this bloviation?
John Katz, is it well with your soul?
Thank you! You are a wonderful person. Ignore the ignorant and obviously unconscious people on this site. Keep being you!! The hours kingdom thanks you!! 💗💗💗
100% correct and well said. Just look at the kill yards. Not all but a great percent are filled with Amish horses who have been disposed of after a life of service. Old, crippled, horribly injured…it is unforgettable, unforgivable what these horses and mules have suffered. Their repayment, a one way truck ride to Mexico or Canada for the most horrible and inhumane death. I am not an activist but you, yes YOU Jon Katz, go to the kill yards, go see for yourself. You may be surprised to see that at least 80% or more came from the Amish and they are broken, hurt and injured. There is simply no excuse for any members of society no matter what their beliefs to treat animals in this manner. If the Amish amongst others cannot and will not respect these animals then they should not own them. Of course it is not just the Amish…just look at the race horse industry however that does not let the Amish “off the hook” Not all Amish abuse their horses I’m sure, as that would be a huge generalization, however given the percentage of Amish horses in the kill yard says there is undoubtedly a BIG problem that cannot be swept under the carpet. So why not go to the kill yard in Pennsylvania, if you feel that people are overreacting and embellishing this issue and you tell me how many of these horses were not sold to their death by the Amish. Or would you prefer I send you pictures since Amish horses are not hard to identify.
Well said. I have no problem with a working horse, but not in NYC, with its traffic, smog, and the most unnatural environment for a horse. All for human profit. I agree all horses deserve a kind retirement and shouldn’t be forced to work when their health fails.
You are correct, Anon.
A visit to a local horse auction will show Amish horses in every state of sickness and physical damage. Open wounds from badly fitted collars with old scars beneath. Scarred mouths from harsh hands on the reins. Horses that expect to be hurt, and are broken in spirit. Sprained or broken legs. Instead of calling a vet to help the horse heal or humanely send them into the next life, they are loaded up and sent to auction to be dog food and pittance the owner will get from this horse’s final job.
Horse rescues cringe when the subject of the Amish comes up.
They give their horses a life of hell, then send them into a terror inducing environment to be sold and slaughtered.
The author of the article needs education and the the surgical removal of her blinders.
I know you all seem to be stuck on lying and slandering innocent people in the name of loving animals, but animals and people deserve better. How about a trip to my Amish neighbors to see for yourself how well they treat their horses. You strick me as ignorant and self-righteous bigots.Got off your fat asses and come and see for yourself. You can also learn that all kinds of people mistreat their animals, my neighbors are not among them. I understand that none of you care about that truth, you just keep on ranting about your heroism. You make me ill with your fake righteousness.
Thank you for posting this. It’s exactly what needed to be said and done so beautifully.
I don’t believe in cruelty after animals been used for work. I don’t believe in slaughterhouses I believe they should be put out in pasture and let them live the rest of our lives. There’s plenty of horse shelters that will do that.
I agree Theoni with every word. But I don’t accept the flat and unsubstantiated statement that there are “plenty of shelters” that would do that. There are tens of thousands may be more horses who the shelters would have to accept and pay for. Farmers can’t do it and the shelters that I know can’t do it either. Please offer some evidence that what you’re saying is the truth. I completely agree with what you were saying about the animals being owed a quiet retirement but there is a lack of reality to it, they said elephant shelters would or could take all of the elephants that had been taken out of the circuses, but the truth is most of them are dead now or shipped overseas to much worse conditions than they had here. Nobody can afford to take care of them. An average horse eats 20 lbs of food a day. It’s $114.00 per year at current prices. It cost $50,000-$100,000 a year to take care of an elephant depending on transportation costs I think when we talk about taking domestic animals out of their environments, we should also be required to think of where they’re going specifically not emotionally. The animal race movement is quick to demand that animals be removed from people but slow to pay for it.
Amen!
WOW..So well said.. this could’ve came out of the horses mouth.. A million thank you’s for advocating for ALL horses🙌♥️🙌
Yes, they should should live the life of a horse, then speak.
You claim that the Amish don’t believe in euthanasia and that’s why their animals are allowed to suffer.
Utter nonsense. Euthanasia for people is forbidden, but it is most definitely allowed for animals.
Which shows that you know nothing about the Amish.
You also mentioned that horses have delicate frames and are basically unfit for the work that they were bred to do, according to you. Which shows that you know nothing about horses.
Absolutely true Caleb I do know nothing about horses and I’m not eager to learn. This is precisely why I don’t judgments on other people who do something about horses.
And your messages is full of eyes, as usual. I have never said the Amish do not believe in euthanasia. I know nothing about that. Please show me where you got that statement from.
Nor did I ever say that horses have delicate frames and are unfit for the work that they were bred to do. Lie after lie after lie, don’t you people have any shame at all?
PERFECTLY SAID! I just witnessed a “hobbled” horse (how awful to even learn that this is a thing that is done) tied to a post and hooked to a buggy, waiting for her owners to return near a grocery store. I noticed her because unlike other horses tied up she was distressed, trying to move, shift, JUMP! to relieve her agony of almost 3 hours of standing, unable to shift her weight properly for relief. Her front legs were trembling and to make matters worse I noticed the ground they stood on was much lower than her hind legs, putting even more strain on her. The local police were impotent with no go to animal or horse husbandry person to call in case the owner did not return. Finally the Amish couple returned from the dark park adjacent which had closed an hour earlier at dusk. A very loud whinny complaint was heard from the horse as they arrived, dumbfounded as to why police and people were standing around. The horse then had to now make a 1 1/2 hour trip at night back to their home after that. Sick.
If people like the Amish were, let’s say, forced to “progress” to using machinery to do the work that the horses do, they would either A. Breed them solely for the meat trade to help earn a living for their families, or B. Not keep or breed them at all, decreasing the population of said horses to the point of possibly no return. Horses bred for pulling like a Percheron are not going to be a choice pet for someone due to the shear costs associated with feeding and farrier work. Their way of life has kept these horses around more than anything. Just like the author said- there are so many who treat their animals well, possibly even love them- but when they are a part of the business and livelihood, it isn’t feasible to keep them all past their ability to contribute. In order to replace one animal, the other must go. I’m sure if there were other options, they might consider it…. I wish the slaughter process were less traumatic, but in my mind, it’s better for something to be used for a purpose, even in the end. I don’t know, I have mixed feelings and am still processing that part myself, but I can see that side I think.
Interesting and thoughtful thank you
Wow! Well said, I really enjoyed reading your words on this topic. Thank you for bringing insight & keep up the good work!
Than you
this is FALSE.. THE AMISH ARE BRUTAL. and BEAT, starve and kill animals for no good reason… please stop defending them, just go to a kill pen and see the amish work horses that are being sent to slaughter. look at how abused they are, and ribs showing, no farrier care, ect.. for someone who is publishing anything, you sure have a lot of homework to do.. sorry you are so blind to reality.. wow.. very sad to read your article.. sad sad day.. God Help us all
Piss off thanks you are boring
Amen!
Total lie. I am friends with the Amish community and your comments can’t be further from the truth. Where did you get all your information? Very curious. I’ve NEVER seen one… NOT EVEN ONE horse with its ribs showing. Such lies.
Thanks for your message Michael I’m afraid many people are not really interested in the truth. They just rather write nasty notes to people.
Maybe you should stop talking bad about the Amish and learn their ways of doing things instead of making them out to be bad people I’m half Amish and I know a lot of Amish people and they don’t mistreat any of their animals horses need to work just like people horses and other animals have a purposes on amish farms or farms that isn’t Amish that’s the way things are learn about Amish ways or worry about your self
You say so much, but nothing at all, amish do Not respect their animals, I’ve seen so much and owned their previous horses, if they can’t work for them they’re worth nothing, I’m disgusted with them, just put one down cause was sick and sold at auction cause had to get another dollar from it!
Where do we send your gold medal Paula, your heroism should be honored by someone other than you?
Wow, Katz YOU are a real asshole! After reading so many negative commentaries on how the Amish care for their animals, how can u blatantly call these people liars? Take their advice & go to kill shelters…quit living w blinders on!
PS. Bought a kitten from a Mennonite man. I desperately wanted an Apple faced Siamese. This man was manipulative & creatively dishonest. He didn’t care about the kittens, just the production of them. I could go on w the details but the point is my cat never had a mother cat cat for him – he was a bit retarded. I bought him anyway to save him from a very stern & unseemly greedy man. My cat is extremely small w/ large & ever- growing nails. He also barely meows & has always preferred our basement & a solo lifestyle. I attribute his strange behavior to a BAD upbringing going! I think mennonites are part of the Amish cultures but feel they are self-centered people & NOT kind to animals
This is timely and ironic Sally, under my new Delete An Asshole program, I am deleting your message and skipping it after reading the opening. If you ever wish to have a civil and rational conversation with me try again but first you have to learn some manners Jon. Horses deserve better.
I consider my blog my online home Sally and I consider you an aggressive home invader, a digital thug. Go away and do not ever come back again.
Jon Katz,
First and foremost, you- a “journalist” need to brush up on your writing skills.
Example:
“Some of your neighbors mistreat their animals. Some farmers mistreat their animals. The SPCA shelters are full of white and black and Christian and Jewish people, poor people and rich people, who mistreat their animals.”
I didn’t know that the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was sheltering white and black and Christian and Jewish people! Oh my!
I would be completely embarrassed to be the author of this horribly edited and biased trash. You are friends with Amish people and therefore not fit to write about the animal cruelty before you. And no, people who argue that the Amish are cruel and abuse animals are not bigots when 80% of horses thrown into the slaughter pipeline are previously owned Amish horses. So please, do us all a favor and stop writing all together.
You might consider some manners as well as your thinking skills. If you have any evidence that my Amish neighbors are mistreating their animals, please contact the police or your nearest animal rights group and stop sending writing rude and stupid messages to me.
You are a miserable 76 year old man who does not have much more time on this planet…. I guess say whatever makes you happy also!
Your take is really limited based on your small interaction with a few Amish people. I have spent years living outside of Lancaster Pennsylvania and saw the abuse on a regular basis that the Amish put their horses through as well as the puppy mills. I’m not jumping on a bandwagon. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, It is is not a small few of the Amish, its a lot. . It is a large majority and if you can’t open up your eyes to actually see what’s going on in some of their communities then you’re only fooling yourself. I am not hiding behind a computer. I will put my full name below. You can feel free to contact me and I will walk you in person through much of the abuse I have seen.
You are in for a very rude awakening. I have indeed, seen first hand the abuse dealt out to the Amish horses. I lived just around the corner from 2 different farms. The abuse was so horrific, I literally saw a downed horse, flailing to get up but was too badly injured.
I also frequented Lancaster, PA. What I saw there make me physically ill. I hardly think a horse hitched to a buggy, with flesh wounds Still Bleeding, is an example of the Amish caring for their horses well. Old scars, healing wounds, some festering with infection… You have an incredibly twisted mind and no understanding of the abuse that is clearly inflicted on these horses. There are many horse rescues that regularly visit the slaughter houses that the Amish dump their horses at, when they are too sick, too injured and too neglected, to work anymore. Colby’s Crew Horse Rescue is just one of the many. You call people liars because they dare to speak the real truths. It doesn’t matter to you that we have seen the abuse with our own eyes. I find that AND you, utterly shameful on every possible level. To defend this abuse is inconscionable!
Lee please show me where I have embraced or endorsed or even mentioned animal abuse involving horses or other animals and I will apologize and hang myself from the nearest oak tree. I know lying doesn’t trouble any of you people but what you were saying is a lie, I have never harmed an animal or endorsed the harming of one, and I really don’t know where you get the idea or the guts to say so , this is simple defamation as well as ignorance and stupidity. Your mother should be ashamed of you, horses need a real animal rights movement not a bunch of computer cowards and liars. Best to you.
How can it be that we are all or nothing. Differences are not to be suspect, only people with intellectual curiosity know this to be true. I see humanity as a gift to be cherished, not boxed up labeled and set aside. Good for you John and Maria to be neighborly, kind and helpful to your neighbors.
Well written and so true. I had a friend who said that all amish run puppy mills. So I said two things to her I said in our area alone there are over 60,000 amish and I know some and they don’t even have dogs. And then I said all blonde women are dumb right? She is blonde
None of them own dogs as pets of course, they breed them for income. How can you be certain they don’t have dogs. Many, although not all as the article says, debark the dogs so puppy mills can be run underground in secret and in awful conditions. These are not working animals, they are purely a profit making machine with little or no regard for animal welfare.
This is not to say all Amish do so but as it is done so discretely it is much more prevalent that you might like to believe
My Amish neighbors who I see almost daily, do not sell puppies, or one puppy mills, and take excellent care of the horses. I’m sick of people slandering them because of the people in the Amish community. Miss treat their animals. This has nothing to do with them, or with me.
I have an Amish horse rescued in March 23 from a killpen in Pennsylvania, she was dumped at an auction by the Amish along with 22 other Standardbreds. All skinny and covered with cow manure. Many had open wounds. It is common for the Amish to dump horses at auctions with medical issues , many Amish horses go to slaughter as are bought by killbuyers. While some Amish may treat the horses well there are many who do not and they give all Amish a bad name.
Good for you, where do we send your hero medal?
And what has this to do with my Amish neighbors who treat their horses very well..
yes I get a hero medal too?
Your titles are very misleading. You cannot select a title “ The Amish And Their Animals: The Orthodoxy And Dogma Of The Animal Rights Movement” and state that it only implies to “your neighbors.” The use of just the word Amish in the title is a blanket term to imply ALL Amish. The title should be “My Amish neighbors And Their Animals….” You would receive so much less criticism.
I’ve only received criticism from angry bigots and extremists. I have no regrets about defending my neighbors from cruel people and their vicious attacks. Why don’t you go after the people who are really cruel to animals not the ones who are not? I get more praise than criticism by far, not that I care. Do you really think hating and harassing and threatening people who disagree with you advances the cause of animals? You are mistaken. People like you are and your comrades are causing almost everyone to hate the animal rights movement which does no good for anyone especially animals. I’ve been an animal rights person for most of my life. This is not it. I don’t know a single animal lover who doesn’t agree that your movement is now much more about hating people than protecting animals. How about telling the truth and stopping assaults on the innocent?I’m sure there are plenty of Amish and others who abuse their animals, I see it all the time. My neighbors do not abuse their animals I see them every day. You work for a good cause, why are you screwing it up? I would be horrified to be liked by your band of digital thugs. Wake up and get out of your bubbles. Your wanton attacks are revolting,offensive and abusive, a disgrace to your good cause.
I have no respect for the cruelty of the messages I have been receiving, or the broken people who send them, they will not intimidate or stop me from speaking honestlyin anyway
there are some amish who are very kind and loving to their animals, most however are not, they dont even think they have soul, or emotion or anything, they barely view them as living, while they claim to value life. no they dont, they value money and that is it.
Because the rest of us are not bathed in the golden aura of “plain folk”, because the rest of us don’t sell the fiction of our lifestyle (well, you do), because our culture at large does not condone rape, incest, misogyny and the neglect and abuse of animals as part of everyday life. Wake up.
Larkin, you put me to sleep. Now I need to wake up. First off, I have no idea what you are talking about – simple English would be nice – and secondly, you’re not making much sense. You are welcome to try again and write for us plain folk, your nose is sticking way up on the air.
You are incredible, you go off on everybody that doesn’t have your views but then slander someone for their views??
Sorry, you are the one not making sense.
You can go ahead and attack me for defending my views of your righteous views & attitude.
You are painting everyone who doesn’t share your views with the same brush as a villain.
I’m sure your editor would be happy to lose viewers based upon your hypocrisy.
I am my editor Eddy please go away and intrude on someone else’s life. If I’m making no sense, why bother with me? Best to you
Do you personally know any Amish? Have you visited more than one of their farms? Until you have done that, what basis do you have to judge? And judging any one group of people as one is called bigotry
My neighbors are Amish and I see them every day and are good friends. Who are to to be such a pompous jerk?
You nailed it ??
Well said!
I don’t think horse rescues generally are to blame, either. They do serve a purpose, and if properly run, they can provide good respite for horses also. Many people who go to auctions to purchase horses or rescue them from some other means do realize that not all Amish people are cruel to their animals. I own 2 rescue horses and am happy to see well-kept horses pulling buggies around my rural Wisconsin neighborhood. I have nothing against working horses at all, nor am I against euthanizing an animal that cannot be saved realistically without tons of senseless suffering. i have my horses for my own enjoyment, not to fit some agenda. I think there’s a fine middle ground, which honors the traditional way of life without casting blame, yet advocates for the humane treatment of animals without going over the top and limiting their working use.
I cannot take this article seriously when you outright defend keeping elephants in circuses. Traveling circuses are cruel by their very existence, for elephants, big cats and everything in-between. Also, funny that you neglect to consider Amish puppy mills and how proficient and horribly they are. You clearly do not see other species as more then tools for humans to use, or at least that’s how you’ve portrayed yourself.
Why are there so many ex Amish horses sold to the kill pen for Canada ?
I have no idea, RB, I’m a writer, not a horse trader
When you say you are not a journalist, BOY you got that right!
Finally you speak a truth
Circus elephants? This poorly written screed contained a defense of circus elephants? I lost interest in the rambling and unstructured Amish crush love letter king before I reached that section. lmao. Christ, the OP needs an editor . And an education.
Z-z-z-
Lord, I love your fake name…your post is just stupifyingly boring. I am grateful to have something better to do…
THis article might have been taken more seriously by me had the author not shown a blatant dislike of Animal Rights groups who fight against animal abuse, his bias destroys the potential of truth in his writing. Yes there are cruel people in every walk of life but unlike the Amish who are responsible for many puppy mills in the US., they lay no claim to being godfearing decent kind people. The hypocrisy of this community is beyond belief. The author goes on to say that horses which are worked every day are happier than those which do nothing but graze in fields. I ran a horse shelter with around 30 equines expected to do nothing but enjoy their lives grazing and grooming each other. Seldom have I seen happier animals and this was endorsed by the visiting veterinary surgeons and horse professionals.
There are far too many people who have witnessed Amish animal cruelty for it to be a few isolated incidents.
If anyone wants to live a decent compassionate lifestyle the kindness should take the form of kindness to all creatures not just human beings.Otherwise it is simple hypocrisy. I am sure there are some kind Amish but the heads of the communities do not seem to believe animal welfare is important otherwise the running of puppy mills would have been banned long ago.
This author doesn’t need you to take me seriously for me to write what I believe is the truth. If you don’t like it, go elsewhere.
I won’t even buy the Amish soap 🧼 in Walmart. I’ve seen Vets try to save a horse that the Amish have worked to death. No thanks people not even a bar of soap.
My Amish neighbors take excellent care of their horses, I see them every day. I buy their good soap all the time and am happy to do it. Please don’t defame my neighbors here, go somewhere else to do it. That’s not animal rights, it’s bigotry.
How about if I do both? Yeah, I mentioned you. https://amishhorseabuse.blogspot.com/
I am honored
Why is their community allowing the neglect of animals?? You would think if they were good people they would make sure that community members were not allowed to neglect them ?? ?? There’s no excuse for it
My neighbors are Amish and they treat their animals well. Please don’t slander them here because of what some other people do. Go piss on them and stay off of my blog, thanks.
I’ve asked you not to slander my neighbors in this vicious way and don’t post lies about them here. If you continue, they you will meet the legal definition of harassment,and I will refer any future comments to my attorney. I am asking you again to stop posting vicious and unsubstiated lies about my neighbors and friends on my blog. Last warning. If any of yoy gas any evidence that my neighbors are mistreating their animals, please report that evidence to the proper legal authories, not in cowardly and bigoted and vicious posts while you hide behind your computers.You are a disgrace to the animal rights movemenbt, animals deserve better than you.
We do not allow bigots and hate mailers here.
Everyone is entitled to their own perspective.
As a journalist, your writing should be impartial. The blog written on how the Amish treat their animals is subjective and emotionally driven. You assume everyone who fights for animal rights, interpret normal or everyday treatment as terrible. From someone who grew up on a farm and believes in animal rights, I can tell you this assumption is incorrect.
I am not writing this to change your mind on the Amish and their treatment of animals. With the amount of passion you expressed in your blog, I think it would be impossible for me to change your mind.
However, if you would like to consider a different perspective, review some of the rescue sites such as ‘Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue’ (https://www.gentlegiantsdrafthorserescue.org/).
I think it would be better world if we all challenge out beliefs.
Thanks
Maree
I’m not a journalist I’m a blogger and we blogs about my opinions. If you don’t like them, go with somebody else.
And so you admit that your opinions are uninformed.
Yes absolutely and I admit that social media is a godsend for bigots and assholes like you
My word, Jon, you are so immature, I grew up on a farm and a ranch with horses and other animals. The abused workhorses that come into the slaughter pipeline are so mistreated, yet, so sweet and gentle. We were taught that God created animals to be a helpmeet to mankind and that we, as humans are to conduct an honorable stewardship with our responsibilities regarding them.
You have a place for opinions for people to post about, change your blogstyle if you are not circumspect enough to accept intelligently posted remarks concerning the content that you wish to share.
Yes, I’m a naive fool, and you are a genius. The right thing for you to do is to find a snug blog where you be superior and stop writing obnoxious messages on my blog..good luck to you..
After a year of watching various rescue groups show the condition of previously owned Amish horses, I am sickened from what Ive seen. So many of these horses have feet that are destroyed from lack of care. I actually can’t get rid of the sight of a couple of the horses with feet destroyed from keeping them in wet conditions. The feet are rotted away like some kind of war torture. What the hell? The horses are severely underweight and have all kinds of other untreated wounds and scars from chains and being beaten. You would think that they’d take care of the animals that help them live themselves. The cruelty has to be rampant. Anecdotal reports of occasional decent people within the Amish mean nothing when scores of others work hard to destroy these poor horses. Disgusting.
I hope you reported them to the authorities Deb. What has this to do with my Amish neighbors, who have a dozen horses and treat them well. I see them every day.Their hooves are great, their bellies are wide, and they graze on green pasture. If you have any reason to suspect them of animal cruelty, please notify the police and stop sending me stupid notes about your own experiences elsewhere. Thanks, now go away.
I’m in Australia and follow many reputable horse rescue groups (both here and in the US) on Facebook. I am astounded how many heavy horses go through your slaughter horse sales that are ex Amish work horses. And they all have one thing in common – they have horrific health problems, and/or shocking injuries. That’s not to say we don’t have thousands of neglected horses ended up at the slaughter house in Australia. But we have hardly any Amish in Australia so we don’t see the obscenely high rate of neglected work & carriage horses being sent to slaughter. I am sure there are some Amish that care for their animals. But there’s an undeniably large group who don’t, and you only need to look online to see the type of horses being sent to slaughter in the US to realize that 😔
Jodie, I don’t need lectures on horse brutality and I don’t need to go to Amish farms or Australia. I just have to drive down the road and see how non-Amish horse owners can be as brutal as anyone. I don’t care what you have experienced, and Im not interested in your observations about the plight of horses in the world. My Amish neighbors take very good care of their horses, who are in good health and high spirits. They don’t deserve to be slandered by people like you because you’ve seen other Amish people do something different. This is just bigotry and ignorance. Don’t put it here.
People who post in loud letters are usually disturbed and hysterical
John,
I think you’re the one who is disturbed. It seems you created this post so you could argue with people and make rude remarks. Do you do this for pleasure or attention? If you like your Amish neighbors, so be it; go and enjoy their company. Let others have their opinions, and stop threatening to call your lawyer just because others give their opinion on your blog. Why set up a blog and accept responses if you’re not interested in people’s opinions? Oh, I forgot you love arguing.
Michele go away I have no interest in your bigotry or slandering. My good deed today will be to block you. That will bring me pleasure. Have a good life. I will go see my Amish neighbors. It will make me feel clean. I love to visit their very healthy horses.
P.s. My blog is meant for my opinion, not yours. I publish it pay for it work on it. It is not meant for you to blow gas out of your ass and smear my honest and wonderful neighbors. Go start your own, you can slander innocent people all day. Bye.
You must know the Amish versions of animal rights activists, because the Amish have a big history of animal abuse. Think about how animals where treated in the 1850s, or earlier. The Amish are traditional, not wholistic.
Henry if you have any evidence that my kind and loving Amish neighbors are abusing their animals please show it to me and I will gladly notify authorities.l I don’t know what other Amish families do. If you have no evidence as seems obvious, stop lying about good people, this why so many people are coming to hate the so”called animal rights movement .Because you lie all the time. Your lies are holistic, as is your list for slander.
I haven’t read all of these, though I did read the entire blog post, and I have to agree. It is a different thing when animals are part of your workforce. Cars and tractors break down when used, and so do animals, and there are plenty of people of all kinds of backgrounds who are abusive to animals, and I wouldn’t defend any of them.
I used to be vegan and part of that animal rights community, but I was driven away by the pissing battles over who was purer, when one day during a discussion online I said I would lay down my life to save my beloved cockatoo, but not to save, say a deer, from a hunter, and was castigated. Obviously if I would only go to such an extreme for the one I personally loved then I wasn’t good enough to be part of the animal rights crowd.
My cockatoo died 5 years ago, after we had been together for 29 years, and he took 1/2 of my heart. We spent thousands at ISU veterinary college clinic trying to save him. I would have sold my soul. I am too old now to commit to another long-lived cockatoo. Our old corgi passed on too. But one of the main reasons we do not want to get more companion animals too is that as much as I love them the expectations of the scale of veterinary care are becoming as high as the soaring cost of it. I am friends with a lot of parrot people on Facebook and a number of them rescue unwanted birds, and the cost of veterinary care is horrible, especially because most of the birds they take in are in dire need of it. They are always asking for donations. It is too heart-wrenching, and we won’t commit to being in the position again of choosing between love and financial concerns.
I suspect Amish do as much of their own animal doctoring as possible, and most do take good care of the animals that are the source of their livelihood, but there is a point where they cannot spend more time and money on an animal, just like there is a time when you cannot spend more money on your car, or maybe you try to get by with it just a little longer and have a mechanical catastrophic failure. Animals can also have catastrophic breakdowns.
This doesn’t justify the bad actors of any of us, Amish or not. I have a great deal of respect for the Amish in general because they are thoughtful enough and strong enough to say, “No” to every new technology and all sorts of other crap that is constantly generated by our consumerism-feeding economy unless they can see that it does them more good than harm. That takes a lot of character, and maybe it sticks in the craw of many of the rest who are “dancing as fast as they can to keep up.”
A lot of what you say in your blog post is correct. If people gave up using or eating livestock animals they would disappear from the earth because very few could afford the luxury of keeping large animals due to the shelter and space and the cost of feed and veterinary care, not to mention the work commitment of doing chores daily. Just ask those rescue people who do take in farm animals and are always looking for volunteers and donations.
Donna, congratulations and thanks This is perhaps the only intelligent and thoughtful messages I have received from these extremist zealots who insist on slandering my neighbors, whose horses are seen by us neighbors every day more than once, we are welcome to visit them anytime, and these animals are wonderfully cared for. It is said for me to see this runaway knee-jerk stupidity and laziness pass for supporting animal rights. I appreciate your message and am relieved there is at least some sanity or fairness in this obnoxious and self-righteous mob.
I’m a very happy 76 year old man eager to meet my Lord, you are clearly a mean spirited enraged man posing as an animal lover. To me you seem like like just another people hater and middle school name caller. You ought to run for President you seem just right for it. Thanks for reminding never to be like you that would be a criminal waste of my time on the earth. You do not sound happy to me. Try meditation it’s good for rage. Sorry, I’m just fon’t do the hate thing you have to try somebody else. Who taught you poor people how to hate so well?
I have no idea, Rebecca I’m not your secretary
Horses belong with people! Anywhere they live.
Absolutely horrible to not allow horses and other companion animals in large cities!!!! ” We give them good homes as long as they can work. Fit for the park etc… ‘ isn’t nice!!! Especially since the Body Condition Scores are low in NYC. Ryder should have been sponged down, then hand walked. Not overdriven until he laid down on burning HOT PAVEMENT. Hot enough to burn the bottom of your feet!!!! Hard to believe that anyone had to lie about his age. The Vet didn’t even know his correct age! It was Freeze marked on Ryder’s neck!!! I will happily rent a NYC Carriage, if that horse appears to be in good condition and we’ll cated for.
Who are you and why are sending strange messages to me? I have no horses and am not Amish .
Mr. Katz, I found this post because I had Googled “Amish animal cruelty.” I’d Googled it because I was curious. I hadn’t made up my mind; I’d heard/seen disturbing things & just wanted to get more information. So don’t get mad if I don’t agree with you 100%; I’m just here reading stuff. I haven’t yet made up my mind.
I’m glad to hear that there are Amish people who are kind to their animals. I HAVE seen evidence that some are not. If it really is true that it’s not a common thing in your community, that’s great. Thank you for giving me hope.
I’m saddened to see the narrow-minded hate throughout this comment section, & that includes some of your comments. If you wrote this article to promote better understanding, I think some people you can reach & some you can’t. Responding to anger with anger is kind of like the typical political discussion on social media these days: no one learns anything & everyone is upset. People don’t know how to just talk.
If I may offer one more humble opinion, while it’s small-minded & unreasonable to condemn all Amish for the actions of some (I wish I could say “a few,” but so far my reading has shown it’s more than just a few), it’s also ignorant to decide all animal rights supporters are a certain way. Some are good people, some are just too bitter, & many are, like most of our world, unable to just talk. Some are fat. Not all lol
Anyway, I’m going to move on to the next in my list of Google results. I wish you well & hope one day people learn to just talk.
What a pompous ass.
Isn’t it fun to live an a bubble of ignorance? If you don’t like when people generalize, then why are you doing it? Just because your two neighbors seem like good people that don’t abuse their animals (wow how great of them) that doesn’t negate the fact that so many other Amish treat animals like garbage. How about all of the puppy mills they have, just in PA alone? Do some research Jon and learn about their practices on dogs… unless you yourself don’t like animals and dogs, then this makes more sense. Just a simple google search, you can even see videos of the cruelty if you don’t believe it and think people just make it up to “slander” 🤣
Why are you sending me stupid and hateful messages don’t you have a life Anessa? I’m not Amish and have no horses. Please go be nasty to some one else who asked for your opinion and goodbye to you. I won’t ever be complicitous in this kind of hate, cruelty and bigotry.
I’ve seen the horses that come to auction from the Amish farms and it’s VILE! You can sugar coat it all you want, it won’t change anything. It also won’t change that they have puppy mills where dogs are inbred and left in horrid conditions. I’ve also seen those rescues. It’s shameful! I don’t think the Amish are bad people by any means but they certainly could benefit from treating animals like living sentient beings and not just as equipment. They certainly have lots of room for improvement there. Hope to see less of the heartbreaking animal abuse in the near future because their current methods are unacceptable.
Thoughtful post Frankie
I think thin Katz is very nice for sticking up for the Amish and understanding the Amish way of living I’m half Amish people should learn the Amish ways of doing things before judging them
Thanks Bruce a very rare bust of empathy here
P.s. please point out when I have ever sugar coated life on Amish farms. You’d be more persuasive if you stopped lying so much.
Our neighbors are Amish and very welcome in this community. One family lives right next door and I have never seen them abuse an animal. Yes, their horses pull carriages and are well treated. When my neighbors have a special occasion and many Amish attend, they also treat their horses well. In my scant experience with horses, they appear to enjoy having a job to do, just like sheep dogs enjoy herding sheep, and sight dogs enjoy helping the sightless. I know these things because (at the risk of seeming kinda nosey) I enjoy watching from my front porch, the horses resting in the shade of the trees and later being hitched to the carriages and trotting off down the road with their families. The horses may not be “pets” in the usual sense, like my two cats, but they are valued and well cared for.
Jon Katz,
I read with some interest until I reached the comments, all of which were answered by you in a childishly insulting, derogatory manner. As a result, I now take your views less seriously. Another more logical reason is the examples you cite, which are all your neighbors’ treatment of their animals. The world consists of more than your neighbors. While it was good to read a rebuttal of commonly-held views on this subject, I would like to find another written by someone who is able to respect those who disagree with (not just harangue) him. Perhaps a lesson in debate would help you.
It is wrong to abuse any animal for any reason. Work is not an abuse but neglect is and that includes euthanasia. If you cannot afford to care for an animal you should not have that animal. Animal abusers exist all around the world. Farm animals catch the brunt of abuse. I believe it is our responsibility to care for animals just as it is our responsibility to care for our children and those folks you cannot care for themselves. Unfortunately there are many people who do not believe this and so society makes rules to protect them. Rules,, laws etc.. which fall far short of the intended goal.
Sometimes I read or hear about a recount of the actual cruelty and I feel so ashamed. I pray to God to forgive us, our cruelty and stupidity, and to help us be better.
Finally a sane and honest and thoughtful message. There is hope for animals in this world. We don’t need to
lie or hate,
Well you are sadly mistaken, I ll give you that not all Amish people mistreat their animals. But the horses that come thru tbe auction houses do not lie. It is sickening. And tbe fact tbat even one of them.is excused for tbis type treatment is disgusting. You sh I w me where Gid ever said it is OK to wofk.your animals to death. Dominion over the beasts of tbe field does not mean torture to them. We Americans should be ashamed if ourselves that we allow this claim and defense of religion as an excuse. I won t buy nothing from the Amish. It’s got the blood of ani.mals all over everything amish.
You’ve just given me a new one, thanks
Well you are sadly mistaken, I ll give you that not all Amish people mistreat their animals. But the horses that come thru tbe auction houses do not lie. It is sickening. And tbe fact tbat even one of them.is excused for tbis type treatment is disgusting. You sh I w me where Gid ever said it is OK to wofk.your animals to death. Dominion over the beasts of tbe field does not mean torture to them. We Americans should be ashamed if ourselves that we allow this claim and defense of religion as an excuse. I won t buy nothing from the Amish. It’s got the blood of ani.mals all over everything amish. And Donna Hughes. E uts ok to abuseSo if h our animal part of hour so t kfor
What am I mistaken about, Joni? you are all having a fantasy fight with yourselves. I have never said a thing about how all thevAmish treat there animals I have no idea. I only know that my neighbors treat them well and I will not speak poorly of them. I have no further information snout other Amish and have never said a thing about them. I’m thinking of collecting all the lies and missed quotes and invented statements that your group has made about me and publishing them. It makes for amazing reading and you should’ve course be ashamed of yourselves. There are worse things in this world and Amish people and many of them are emailing me from your site.
Joan, I don’t understand why you are lying about me. It does not help your clothes or the life of horses. I have never defended all of the Amish. I don’t know all of the Amish. I have only defended my neighbor if you think that’s a crime you should be ashamed of yourself.
How strange you are. There is considerable evidence that some Amish people overworked their horses and treat them poorly. I just don’t know any and don’t believe in hating strangers or even people I know. I’ve said that a score of times.
The people in your world love to hate and profess to hate and write inaccurate and often vicious posts full of lies about what I think and feel.
I’m not a police officer I know it is illegal to abuse horses in every state in the union. I would never do it or I’d note if I saw it. If I saw that abuse I would report them to the authorities. My beliefs are not known to you and are none of your damed business.
My neighbor treats his animals well I will not falsely condemn or criticize him because lazy extremists are hungry for people to hate. I’ve written extensively about the Amish and read a dozen books about them.
I gather from your arrogant and wandering post that you have no idea what you are talking about. I work for a living. I don’t have the time or money or interest to launch a national search to investigate the 250,000 Amish people living in the country (do you want to pay for it ?)
If you knew one thing about me you would know I don’t need pompous lectures on animal welfare from people with no manners on concern about truth. If my animals could read they would vomit reading your message.
I will continue to respond to sloppy and boorish – and false- messages because unlike you or the people who send hate messages it’s the right thing to do. Truth matters to me. I see it doesn’t matter to you. Take care, Hatred never works. The horses deserve better than you. Best, jk
I have 12 rescue animals, donkeys, dogs, chickens, and cats on my property and have spent countless hours and countless amounts of money rescuing them caring for them and training them and giving them a good home only to have jerks like you write these messages to me. You are offensive and you should be ashamed of yourself telling me that some animals are abused in this worlld how many rescue animals do you have in your house? How sad that people who call themselves animal rights advocates know nothing about them and do little for them other than get people to find fresh victims to hate while claiming to fight for animal rights. Stop blowing smoke out of your ass and go harass the people who are hurting animals much more than any Amish family could – the giant corporate killing machines. That seems to be way to much too much of a target for you. It might actually do some good.
Instead of hiding your head in the sand, start learning about what the Amish do to HIDE their activities concerning their draft horses. There is a legitimate rescue operation that is in the process as I type to try to rescue tons of draft horses that have been dumped by Amish farmers to kill pens. Waiting for them to be shipped to Canada and Mexico. The group, out of W. Virginia, works closely with a kill pen in PA. Because of a supplier in Ohio being shut down, they are doubling their requests from a PA location. Babies are being pulled from their mamas. The kill pen is doing everything possible to keep the public from knowing. Start looking at what really is going on. Colbys Crew Rescue is who you should be checking out. They do live feeds to raise money to care for their rescues. They have quarantine farms that assist them. They have vets that care for them. All their bills are paid….food, medical, lodging. They adopt out as many as possible. Please see what is happening right now!
Pay for my trip I’ll go tomorrow and investigate every Amish family in America, 250,000 people plus all the hoses killed in Canada and Mexico. As soon as the check clears I’ll be off Eileen How noble of you.
Yeah… you’re right not to judge before you know. But it’s not the normal to treat animals with respect and dignity in the Amish community. So your experience is abnormal and you want people to just be like, “Oh, well this guy knows a couple Amish so he’s an expert and we should all just agree.”
What an illogical man you are. I live around more Amish than you… and my experience belies yours. So who’s right? Probably what’s right is what is normal. Normal in the Amish communities is to not give a f*** about animals beyond what they can be used for, because they don’t have souls (to them). Normal is abuse. Your experience with the Amish you know won’t change it.
You then go on to attack people who tell you differently…. and they tell you differently because treating animals poorly is normal. And because that’s not your experience you become offended. Like a fragile child being told no you go off and try and make yourself look and feel better instead of thinking to yourself, “Wow… I guess my experience with the Amish and their horses isn’t normal.” you think “I have to be right about this or my head will explode. I must go on the offensive and attack these people who challenge my new view.”
How about you just accept that animal abuse is rampant in the Amish communities, be thankful your neighbors are abnormal in that respect, and try and not be such a weirdo about being told you’re wrong, and your limited experiences don’t change what is normal when those limited experiences don’t match what is normal. Then go out and keep loving animals, which you clearly do.
May, I have a better idea thanks I prefer to make up my own mind on the basis of what I see not what you see, if that makes me a weirdo I’m proud to adept the label. I have no idea what is normal and have never claimed otherwise. You might try it, it, it’s called thinking for yourself not with a mob. Animal abuse is rampant every where not just by any one group, as I have said a thousand times and written. My Amish neighbors don’t abuse their animals no matter how much your mob insists they must. Other neighbors have been charged with abuse – I rescued one of their donkeys. Does that mean every non- Amish person in town must be guilty? How twisted. That is not love of animals it’s revolting bigotry and mob ignorance,and yes I do love animals I just don’t love ignorance and hatred. I pray I never let this poison into my blood. Thank you for the compliment of calling me weird it’s the highest compliment for me. And while you’re telling me what to think, consider minding you own business you’re doing nothing for the horses. Best to you, Jon