Horse slaughter is the practice of slaughtering horses for meat. (See article at horse meat.) These animals come from auctions, private sellers, an from wild herds. Sometimes these horses are sick and injured but they can also be for sale by their owners. Most are brought to the slaughterhouses by contract buyers who collect horses from all across the country, also known as kill buyers. Horses that are killed for reasons other than human consumption go to the renderer's (US) or the knacker's yard (UK).