9-Year-Old New Hampshire Boy Is a Hero for Horses

Declan Gregg is taking his campaign to fight horse slaughter straight to Washington, D.C.
By
March 7, 2012
8 comments
boy stroking the head of a horse
Meet Declan Gregg, the 9-year-old boy advocating for equine rights. (Photo: Ionna Raptis / Seacoastonline)

When nine-year-old Declan Gregg learned that horses are slaughtered for human consumption, the Stratham, New Hampshire, boy took action by starting a blog, called Children 4 Horses.

Little did he know it would have such an enormous effect.

He's received letters of support from around the world, and later this month will travel to Washington, D.C., to speak to a group advocating for the passage of a horse-slaughter prevention act.

The boy told Seeacoastonline that the response has shown him that even though he is young, he can still make a difference.

"I feel really happy and excited because I know that I'm letting people know what is happening to our horses. I've been getting lots of great letters, and that's also making me really happy. Lots of great pictures, too."

People from all over the world have written to Declan, urging him to continue raising awareness about the plight of horses.

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He has received letters from the United States, Australia, Ukraine, and other places around the world. “I can’t remember them all,” Declan told Seacoastonline.

Declan first learned about horse slaughter from his mother, Stacie Gregg, who volunteers at the local SPCA. She has been overwhelmed by the response to Declan’s campaign.

Some letters—such as one from an Illinois woman who wrote "the recent actions of a young, idealistic boy" shook her from apathy—leave the Greggs on the verge of disbelief.

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"My son moved her to do something. A nine-year-old kid reached her. It was amazing," she said.

Declan’s campaign is moving to the next level. In Washington, D.C., he'll meet a woman advocating for the horse-slaughter prevention act and will be taken onto the House floor by U.S. Rep Frank Guinta, R-N.H., during a vote.

Stacie Gregg says that fighting for horses has helped her son blossom, and that Declan has expressed interest in running for Congress—or even the presidency one day.

"It will be really, really interesting to see long-term what this does for him and where it takes him," she said.

Comments

8
It sounds to me like the main problem is what is being fed to and injected into these horses and slaughter practices. We raise other meat organically, we can do it with horses. It must be happening around the world because horse is being served and people aren't dropping dead. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_meat). We also have the ability to demand changes to slaughter procedures (and should be!) for horses and all animals. Then...bring on the horse burgers!
manoutdoors
posted on Mar 9, 2012
Declan is an inspiration and gives me hope for the world! What a wonderful young man!
Theresa Nolet
posted on Mar 8, 2012
For manoutdoors Quote from FDA link below “We want to ensure that the public is never exposed to residues of this toxic drug.’’ Phenylbutazone is known to induce blood dyscrasias, including aplastic anemia, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia and deaths. Hypersensitivity reactions of the serum-sickness type have also been reported. In addition, phenylbutazone is a carcinogen, as determined by the National Toxicology Program." http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/FDAVeterinarianNewsletter/ucm100265.htm
Theresa Nolet
posted on Mar 8, 2012
What a kind, compassionate young man. I wish the crass person that commented about it not being a big deal would educate himself a little more. He would then know that there is a huge difference between horses and animals bred and raised for food production. Declan is a fine example of what more American youths today should stive to be. Intelligent, proactive, ambitious, kind, caring and appreciative of all life on this planet and sees the need for them to be treated humanely. Horse slaughter is not humane in any way shape or form.
Ridernthestorm
posted on Mar 8, 2012
The "big deal" as you put it is that cattle, sheep, goats, chickens are raised to be part of the food chain. There are rules about what you can and cannot do with these animals if you are going to sell them commercially for food. Horses are considered a companion animal by the FDA. As a result, there are no rules or regulations on what they can or cannot be fed or given. Virtually every supplement, grain, wormer, medicine, fly spray is clearly marked "not for use on horses intended for human consumption". Why? Because these things have not been tested. Furazone (a commonly used medicine) is known to cause cancer. Per the FDA, Bute (another commonly used anti-inflamatory) will automatically exclude a horse from the food chain. Any cow given bute over 20 months is also no longer eligible to be food for humans. Why? Because the metabolites it produces have been linked to cancer in young people. It is a big deal when the people promoting slaughtering horses have proposed putting this into our school systems as part of the lunch program. It is also a big deal when horse slaughter negatively impacts communities crime rates, water and sewer systems and property values. Take a few minutes to read the document "when horse slaughter comes to town" and visit "kaufmanzoning.net" to see why it is a big deal.
Nancy Mcmillan
posted on Mar 8, 2012
@manoutdoors - That's precisely the point - you CANNOT humanely slaughter a horse! They are a flight animal and have a completely different response than that of other stock animals during the process, which makes it impossible to humanely slaughter them. Horses are intelligent animals that are highly sensitive and acutely aware of their environment. They make desperate attempts to flee and display extreme panic and fear while in the kill box. They prance back and forth which inevitable results in missed shots to the head with the bolt, simply wounding them and not rendering them unconscious. Up to 40% are not rendered unconscious before they are hung up by their hind leg with chains and vivisected to bleed out while fully aware of what is happening to them. You tell me how that can possibly be humane?? Not to mention the inhumane treatment they receive on the trucks which bring them to the slaughterhouse - no food water or rest for thousands of miles. And the kill buyers have admitted that they do things like gouge out their eyes so they don't fight on the truck where they have been crammed in, way over the number of legal, limits. And that's just the beginning...
C4H
posted on Mar 8, 2012
@ MANOUTDOORS: I wish you would make yourself a bit more educated before you knock the legs out from under a 9 year old... Horses are NOT raised to be slaughtered for food. They are given drugs which help and protect them throughout their lives that are absolutely labeled 'NOT FOR USE IN HORSES INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION". So just know when you chow down on your horse burger you are also eating 'Wormers (given every 6 weeks or so to kill the worms inside horses)', Bute (aspirin for horses, but deadly to humans in some cases), and many others..antibiotics, steroids, anti-diarrheals, West Nile vacs (not approved for humans) etc. American Horse Meat was removed from PET FOOD decades ago, because it was deadly to dogs! So good luck to you OUTDOORMAN. Read a bit before you change your diet.
Paula Hooper Denmon
posted on Mar 8, 2012
As I've said before: "I'm not seeing what the big deal is. Cows, chickens, pigs are all slaughtered for food without much fanfare. With the exception of vegetarians, people are fine with eating them. Why should horses any different? As long as they are raised and slaughtered humanely, I say bring on the horse burgers!"
manoutdoors
posted on Mar 8, 2012