Peace Lover, it's not. We get attached to certain animals and that "take" them off the menu. I would try horse meat, just like I tried frogs (hated it), Alligator (hated it), sushi/sashimi (love it), etc. The problem is that people are so judgemental. As PL said, it's a choice, but like always the vocal minority will tell us what's good for us.

people are so stupid, why would any congressman even give a rats ass and waste their time on this. Really nothing better to do?

I bet he is fine with pushing a peg through a cows head to have a burger tho....

It's all cultural. In India, cows are considered sacred. In Korea, they have no qualms about eating dog. And for extremists like PETA, any meat is cruel as well as dairy and eggs. But then, isn't it cruel to pull a living, breathing lettuce plant out of the ground and chop it up for your salad?

is it any good?

There are a lot of tired, sick old horses around my neck of the woods that noone can get rid of. Does anyone really think things through before passing laws to make a certain few feel better about themselves? Of course they're being neglected. When someone can't afford to care for them, noone will buy them or even take them for free and you can't sell them for meat anymore what do you do? Sneak them into someone elses pasture?

It's a felony to eat cats and dogs in most states. And the claw marks can be horrendous!

I doubt that I'd eat it myself, but I don't think banning it is reasonable. Some cultures eat dogs or monkeys. I'm not a big fan of eating fish, but I'm not going to tell someone else that they can't have their catfish just because I have a fish tank at home.

Cows, sheep and pigs can be pets. What's that got to do with the price of meat?

Personally I would not eat horse meat because I love and admire the horse for its beauty and place in American history. That said-it is not for me to decide what others may choose to see as a consumable meat. The only part that concerns me is that repeatedly horses referred to as the object of this article/discussion are also being classified as sick

"Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the poor economy has resulted in "sad cases" of horse abandonment and neglect and lifting the ban will give Americans a shot at regaining lost jobs and making sure sick horses aren't abandoned or mistreated."

This seems to be in contrast to regulations imposed for the slaughter of other food animals-that is-to expect that they are basically healthy and not suffering from disease process or illness and to be fit for human consumption.

"...noone will buy them or even take them for free and you can't sell them for meat anymore what do you do? Sneak them into someone elses pasture?..." -- As the article said, euthanize them. Allowing them to be slaughtered for meat is just the easy way out.

I don't even have as much problem with them being raised for meat, then butchered in humane ways. But if they've been raised as pets, horse racing, etc. then they deserve to live and die in dignity and with as little suffering as possible.

Also I don't think there's a federal law covering eating cats or dogs, there are local ordinances regarding killing your pets tho (usually under the auspices of animal cruelty) . It's just not something we do, which I get, but I never really thought of horses as being in the same category as traditional house pets.

Go to the midwest people. There are thousands of horses there that cannot be fed anymore. They are turning up at auctions and selling for $25 apiece now. People are not buying them for their daughters to ride anymore. It is very costly to keep a horse as a pet. It is not a matter of just turning them out to pasture. You cannot take them in to be put down either. Horses are being abandoned at a high rate. Better for them to be humanely slaughtered and that means in this country and not trucked to Mexico! If you don't want to eat horse then don't but do not forbid others to. This is not a matter of someone who feels are cuddly about Black Beauty and Flicka but a matter of economics. What do you expect people to do with all the horses there are that they can no longer keep? Don't say sell them! There are not enough people left who can afford to buy them and less land to keep them on.

I live in DeKalb, IL...where the last processing plant closed. The hippies that ranted and raved succeeding in closing Cavel and then left town...where over 120 people lost jobs, benefits, etc. And scores more lost business as suppliers to the plant in the form of print, trucking/logistics, packaging materials, etc. The BLM is now "taking care of" thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of sick and dying horses. The fate of these animals now is more cruel than being harvested for human consumption...and guess what?? It's happening anyway, but our Canadian neighbors reap the benefits. Stop reading the propaganda. The process for harvesting is not cruel. There are audits for that. As someone mentioned in the article, our romantic love of horses is blurring the reality here. I wish every single one of the loud mouthed idiots who closed the plant would have had to A) take one horse home and care for it him/herself, and B) they got to sit and talk to a family who lost their livlihood because of their actions, and finally C) had to tour a BLM holding facility for the horses we aren't allowed to slaughter. Stupid Liberals can NEVER see past their own convoluted ideology.

"...noone will buy them or even take them for free and you can't sell them for meat anymore what do you do? Sneak them into someone elses pasture?..." -- As the article said, euthanize them. Allowing them to be slaughtered for meat is just the easy way out.

"I don't even have as much problem with them being raised for meat, then butchered in humane ways. But if they've been raised as pets, horse racing, etc. then they deserve to live and die in dignity and with as little suffering as possible."

Never had a horse have you.... There's nothing EASY about killing a horse that you own for any reason. Thinking of your "friend" being eaten isn't EASY. But rotting in the ground is better how? Have had them all my life and watching what a lot of these horses are put through because they can't be sold for meat is heart breaking. I don't see why an otherwise healthy horse that's winded or lame shouldn't be allowed to go on to help feed someone.. Just seems like a waste.

I'll bet horse tastes just as good as dog does. I'd buy.

I could really go for a "quarterhorse pounder with cheese"! In Europe they call it the "Mr. Ed" because they are on the metric system. Horses are livestock, aren't they?

@peacelover, I don't recall ever riding a goat, pig or deer. Your logic is very skewed.

We waste tons of meat every week - grocery stores throw it out. Instead of working to figure out how to slaughter more animals, shouldn't we be moving toward wasting less, raising less livestock, eating less meat? Oh, wait... this is America. Why think smart when you can opt for excess?

I'm wondering what the price of winners from the Derby's would bring? Now we can bet on the races, then when they are over, shoot all the horses and have a grand feast.

Is there a ban on human meat? How can I become a zombie if I don't feast on human flesh? Damn government regulations, I'm voting for Republicans so they can get rid of these nasty agencies. "A vote for Republicans is a vote for getting us closer to that zombie nation that they want us to be."

It is personal choice. As I myself would not eat it, who am I to say you can't. We have enough of that going on in this country. By the way it is Congress's doing both Dem and Rep but I don't view it as bad.

Hey, how about tofu? It's very tasty if prepared correctly, and it doesn't involve killing animals.

I hear horse meat is much better than beef and more nutritious. While I probably wouldnt be eating horses, I see no reason why others cannot.. For the record they were shipping them down to Mexico to butcher but I think a stop was put on that. So yes I agree with Obama on this one..

Dear Gloria, I think penguins should be added to the menu. Very healthy, part chicken, part fish!

Yum.

@Griff999

Talk about your skewed logic. I have a cocatoo. Very lovely pet. I can't, however, ride her. Your logic says that it is OK for me to kill her and eat her?

I'd rather have an equine backstrap, marinated in a little soy, red wine vinnegar, and garlic.

Medium rare, please.

@PeAcE LoVeR-2838047 - I appreciate your sentiment that people should be able to eat what they want. However, if you use that argument for allowing folks to eat horsemeat (which I wouldn't personally, given I grew up on a horse ranch), then I think you need to open up the laws for letting people drink raw milk. There are powerful (and varied) lobbies on every side of every food issue, but the "let them all eat what they want" doesn't really work as a solo argument unless you apply it to all.

The oddest part of this article for me was the statement that horses should be put to sleep rather than butchered for food. If you are going to kill the animal either way-doesn't it make sense to at least feed people with the meat?

I would probably never eat horse meat-but I appreciate that that is my own sentimentality and that, in reality, it is no worse than eating a pig or cow.

Tea-bag-not

Really you sound like a broken record. Repubs this, repubs that. Grow up and read the article it talks about Obama lifting the ban.

then I think you need to open up the laws for letting people drink raw milk. There are powerful (and varied) lobbies on every side of every food issue, but the "let them all eat what they want" doesn't really work as a solo argument unless you apply it to all.

Horse meat is not potentially dangerous, unpasturized milk is. I would be all for letting people drink raw milk (some people say it is healthier), but there needs to be serious education for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.

Colleen:

you failed to mention that Cavel Slaughter was a Dutch owned company with less than 20 employees, most of whom made just over minimum wage. You also failed to mention that the ground water in Dekalb was tainted by the waste, urine, feces, blood etc runoff from the plant. At the time Cavel opened it was one of three horse slaughter houses in the entire US. That would indicate a minuscule industry, and it's doubtful that many transport/logistic companies livelihoods would depend on such a tiny industry. Cavel received extensive tax relief from the state. All tax benefits to the state were derived from income and payroll taxes from the employees.

You also failed to mention that riding horses in this country are required to obtain rather extensive vaccinations and other medication that some of which remains within the muscle mass of the animal and are consumed by humans when eaten. This is not the same as a wild game which is not subjected to potential poison for the human consumer, nor are the medications for horses regulated as are the traditionally "harvested" animals, ie, cows, sheep, pigs etc.

PETA and HSUS have done more harm to horses by far than they could have hoped to save. In the process they have completely ruined an industry that was once thriving and money meant very little. Horse people will always (and have traditionally) fed their horses before they feed their own children. With this slaughter prohibition it has litterally come to that. Many have cut way back, and some have actually lost farms and/or gone bankrupt. Some owners have lost over $5000 per animal in value when healthy, then at the end of the day get stuck with something that they might have gotten a couple hundred for in the past. That animal eats $20/day (or more), costs $30/day (or more) for housing, and costs money to get rid of after death (do you want to store 1500lbs of rotting flesh in your yard?). Sure you "should" commit for life, but backing out of that commitment is better than backing out of a mortgage, or going bankrupt if you lose your job.

Think about it. What if they outlawed the junk yards? You buy a car and are in love with it for the first 5 years. Suddenly one day you hear that the gov't made it impossible to get rid of. This is OK for a few years, but eventually it has enough problems it is more expensive to run than it was for a car payment in the first place. There is virtually no used market, because once you bought it you are stuck with it until death (yours, not the cars!). When the car quits running you need to tow it to your front yard, PAY FOR STORAGE, CONTINUE TO FILL IT WITH GAS DAILY, and it looked like the stars of the walking dead and smelled worse than your toilet after a night out. After appropriately ripe, you might find someone to pick it up for you for $100 or more. Think about it, then tell me if there is any sense in banning kill plants.

I don't know what all the uproar is about. Meat is meat.You can eat all the goats, pigs, deer, or horses you want as long as you butcher them or have a local processor butcher them. Horse is very good meat.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”.- Mahatma Gandhi

“You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is
concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.” expressed so eloquently by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If a man earnestly seeks a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from animal food.”- Leo Tolstoy

If it's what they feel should be done than so be it. There's no way I'd be able to eat it though because I own several beautiful quarter horses. I can't imagine eating something that I am so close with :(

Roscoe, feel free to take your racism elsewhere. It's out of place and unwanted here. Just like your comments!

I don't see why this is such a big deal. Humans are on the top of the food chain and if we want to eat some horse so be it. I personally have no interest in it, but you could make the argument all day that pigs are pets, cows are pets, fish are pets, goats are pets so on and so forth but bottom line is we eat all of those animals. So why shouldn't this be a personal decision??

I don't like the idea of horses being slaughtered, but considering the slow death by starvation that I have glimpsed locally, I think any form of quick death would be more humane.

Face it, most every horse owner purchased their horse with the intent to be a responsible horse owner, but then the bottom dropped out of the economy and -- as the woman in the article said -- suddenly it was a choice between the mortgage or horse feed.

It's easy for animal right groups to blithely, "...argue that slaughtering is a messy, cruel process, and some say it would be kinder for owners to have their horses put to sleep by a veterinarian." but I wonder if any of them have looked into the cost involved in that?!? SERIOUSLY! If you can't afford to feed the horse that month, just where are you going to get them money to put it down!?!

When I looked into having my horse put down for old age way back in 1996 it was going to cost $125 for the service plus $50 for the visit. We had property so he was buried where he used to graze, but most urban horse owners don't have that option (even if you could afford to rent the heavy equipment to dig the hole) because of health laws that require proper disposal of large carcasses. I mean it's not like you can just pick up the dead body of beloved riding companion you have just humanely euthanized and toss him in the back seat of the car for a trip to the dump (if they would let you dispose of it there - not sure if they would), so you are looking at even more money for carcass removal and disposal, and I suspect that can be pricey as well.

Horses aren't like dogs, as a general rule, where you can drop them off at the vet and let the good doctor take care of the rest. With large animals the owner is generally left to deal with the body, and believe me, if the vet DOES have the means to take care of it for you, they aren't going to do it for free. Everything about keeping horses co$ts big time, including parting with them in this manner. If you can't pay the feed bill, you are not going to be able to afford this either.

As much as I hate the idea, horse slaughter serves a purpose and we need to allow it. Our focus needs to be on educating people about alternatives (places like therapeutic riding centers are often looking for good, sound horses) and, failing that, making the final processes at the slaughterhouses more humane.

Either that, or these animal rights groups need to stop talking out their tail ends and step up. If they really care about the animals they need to get proactive about helping people who are suddenly financially strapped deal with their situation, even if it is offering the services to help a family part with their dear friend humanely, and NOT eliminate what is many peoples last resort for ending their horses starvation because if the money is not there, it's not there! Otherwise the horse would be fed!

Jaimie, if the horses are already "quartered" and in the freezer you shouldn't feel guilty about eating them.

You got to love those Republican ideas on how to improve the economic situation in America...Let's resume eating horse meat...Keep your eye on your cats, dogs, and parakeets...I would imagine the Repubs will allow the slaughter of non-christians and then maybe registered Democrats...From what I hear "Republican don't taste good" so as long as they are in charge they are safe from consumption...

Ya lets start putting felines, canines back on the supermarket shelves, hey why not eagle and hawk, throw in some toads and anaconda. Pure sickness slaughtering horses for meat. Don't like it, won't eat it. Sick, sick.

Where I live it is illegal to bury a large animal. Which means if you have to put a horse down, which I have had to do, you have to send it to the rendering plant where it becomes dog food. So now a dog is eating my friend. Not only do you have have to pay the vet for putting the horse down you also have to pay the rendering truck to pick it up (this can cost hundreds of dollars).

Also as horses get old they have a lot of problems with their teeth. They may stop eating because it's painful or they just don't have any teeth. This is why they starve. It's not usually because the owners stop feeding them

Think It Through-1050290-

these animal rights groups need to stop talking out their tail ends and step up.

Well said. I was on a PETA website one day and there was a very sad article about an elderly lady who could no longer afford to feed or care for her pets properly. (she didn't have that many) The main problem was that some "well meaning" neighbor had turned her in to animal control, who were going to take the animals which would no doubt be euthanized in the end. They were not young and had all the health problems associated with old age.

So I emailed PETA and asked them why their local chapter couldn't provide some assistance for the old lady and her pets. It wouldn't have cost too much: a couple of dog houses and some cheap fence, a bag or two of food, and someone who could monitor the situation to make sure that things remained stable. They said to me, "Oh, that's not what we do." And to make matters worse, they really didn't have an answer as to why this is not what they do. Their job, as they see it is to keep animal issues in the media. To "promote" humane treatment, not to provide it. I call that hypocrisy; millions and millions of dollars worth of hypocrisy.

Rick you're and idiot!!!

I guess the government forgot to tell the American horse loving population about the three federally funded processing plants they have recently opened in the mid-west. We had friends driving back through, I believe Missouri, and there was a large sign outside a newly constructed plant that stated it was to be used to manage equine slaughter. Talk about a kick in the pants. They stopped the general slaughter by independent state side companies and put their own in so they can reap the benefits. Do not think that anything the government does is not well thought out. They love to make it seem that way. There are how many collected horses waiting at the BLM facilities that are deemed unadoptable due to attitude, infirmed condition or age. Did you really think the government was going to feed them for the rest of their lives? Wake up people and smell the fresh equine center cut grilling at your neighbors. After all, this is one of the few countries that do not commonly consume their ridable, four legged friends. My four will die on my land and be buried there unless I am absolutely starving and even then I do not think I could do it. Isn't our government wonderful. If they keep going the way they are, they may wish they had the slaughtered to ride and drive in the future!

Kathy Stuart: Why is PETA hypocritical? They are not a rescue organization or a no-kill shelter. PETA does, however, get the information about abuse and inhuman treatment toward animals. That's what they do, get information out. Try to contact rescues and no-kill shelters rather than a media based organization.

I believe your involvement is admirable.

Banning the slaughter of horses caused more harm than good. Soon after the ban the price of your average horse dropped from about a $1000, down to nothing. You could literally get horses for free and fill up a farm in less than a month. Why? Because when horses get old, they freaking get old, and they require lots of vet bills and often live the rest of their lives in pain due to worn out joints, teeth, etc. When this happens most people either have them put to sleep if they can afford it, or they sell them to slaughter house buyers to make some much needed cash. In the end the horse dies, the only difference is that in one option the meat is usually fed to dogs, in the other humans eat the meat. Also, for some reason a large number of PETA supporters believe that when an animal goes to a slaughter house and gets point blank shot in the head it somehow writhes in pain on the ground for hours. When you get shot in the brain its lights out before you even hear the gunshot, it takes longer for an animal to die with the "put to sleep" method.

There are too many people out there that have never owned horses and don't know the facts voicing their opinion in ignorance.

PETA is most definatley a terriable organization. I live in the south and see old and sick horses suffer from starvation and pain from old sports injuries. Horses deserve the respect to be slaughtered humanely instead of suffering in the winter months during which most sick ones lie down and die. It is terriable to loose your beloved horse that I agree. I would much rather the owner have the choice to take their animal to slaughter so the meat can be used for dogs or which ever. Slaughter makes much more sense. Thanks , veterinary worker for 13 years. If half of you could see the poverty and pain that these beautiful creatures endure humane slaughter is for their best interest. :)

Stop please, Peta TAKES in animals. That's right: they will take in abandoned animals, animals surrendered by an owner, and even adopt them out. They claim they are not an animal shelter, however, they are listed as on on the vdacs website. It shows all the animals that they took in last year, adopted out, were fixed, were transferred, euthanized, died while there (not euthanized). http://www.virginia.gov/vdacs_ar/cgi-bin/Vdacs_search.cgi?link_select=facility&form=fac_select&fac_num=157&year=2006

If they are not a shelter, why are they taking in animals? Over 9 thousand in 2006.

http://www.virginia.gov/vdacs_ar/cgi-bin/Vdacs_search.cgi?link_select=facility&form=fac_select&fac_num=157&year=2010 Over 4 thousand last year. Check out the euthanasia record and compare that to how many they got in. Over 90% euthanized.

Having been to France twice, I have had horse, and while I wouldn't eat it here and offend my friends and family, frankly you can do a whole lot worse. How many of the people who are so appalled by this say that they are "pro-choice"? They're not, and they're kidding themselves. Maybe they should say that they are "pro human reproductive choice," as in my experience so many of the people who are think that govt. should be allowed to choose about most of the rest of our lives.

If I were hungry, I would go for this, or at least consider it. I've seen horses in this part of the world who look like horsehide stretched out over a horse skeleton. Is this not even more inhumane that slaughter?

I have had horse in Europe on more than one occasion. It is lean and healthy and tastes good. I understand the emotional attachment you may have to your horse but let's be real, animals are raised for food on farms all over the world and people are hungry all over the world, and if you found yourself to be starving I guarantee you would slaughter your own horse, dogs and cats if that was all there was to eat. You would do this to feed your children and they would eat it. The desire to survive is that strong.

Americans have become whiny little weak people.

Americans want to tell other Americans what they can and cannot eat. Heck, the USDA is raiding people for having unpasteurized milk, OMG! Humans have been consuming fresh, unpasteurized milk for millennia.

Land of the Free? Please...

Kathy Stuart: Why is PETA hypocritical?

They are just another corrupt corporate "charity," bent on money and power. Their stance on animals is much like the pro-lifers; manipulate public policy to their liking, and offer NO solutions to the problem.

Many people here have commented about eating cat or dog. I hope none of you ever eat Viet Namese or Thai food - they regularly eat dog. (and yes, some of them here in the US get away with it)

The main thing I would like to know - is the process for slaughtering cows and different horses that different? No one but PETA cares about how cows are slaughtered, so why is this such a big deal? If you don't want to eat horse; don't, but please son't tell me I can't if that's my wish. As long as the USDA oversees horse slaughter houses in the same way that they do beef, what's the big deal?

Not all horses are pets. What if the horses in question were raised in the same manner as cattle? Would it be OK then?

I do agree with those that have pointed out about the vaccines possibly being toxic to humans. Maybe we should look at changing what horses are vaccinated with?

"Humanely euthinizing" any animal is not cheap. I had to euthinize my 16 year old dog 4 years ago and it cost me over $500. $350 of that was just for disposing of the body! (it is illegal to bury your pets anywhere but a sanctioned pet cemetary where I live.) She was only 45 pounds. I can't imagine the cost to dispose of a 1000+ pound animal.

KSte If you are going to call someone out about reading the article, please do so yourself. It most certainly does NOT say President Obama lifted the ban. What it does say is that Congress lifted the ban by placing it in the spending bill the President signed on Nov. 18.

KSte If you are going to call someone out about reading the article, please do so yourself. It most certainly does NOT say President Obama lifted the ban. What it does say is that Congress lifted the ban by placing it in the spending bill the President signed on Nov. 18.

@Griff999

That's fine. So you haven't rode one. How does that relate to the article? Some people do. Oh, and you can ride cattle, and guess what...we eat them too.

Riding an animal, at least to me, implies that horses are livestock and not pets. It is common practice to slaughter livestock and protect pets. (For the record, they are livestock) Now, that doesn't mean some people don't treat a few as pets.

@gloria fabiaschi

really? Okay, first off, up until a few years ago slaughter houses for horses were legal in this country. How many times did you order a Quarter horse from McDonald's? Never. The VAST majority of this meat is shipped to Europe. The Europeans (and Asians too) consume almost all the horse meat previously made in this country.

Furthermore, do you think that slaughter of horses stopped? No, they were just shipped to Mexico to be slaughtered if you lived in a nearby state. Do you think Mexico was/is/will be of equal humanity as the United States? NO. As for those horses that are too far from Mexico to be affordably shipped there, what do you think happens? Two things: starve or are put down. Now to what end does that serve? Do you really think it's fine to kill them due to being unwanted, but not okay to kill them for at least some purpose?

Think! These animals that would have been sent to slaughter aren't exactly living on the gravy train.

@Bill-1920505

I never knew that was the reason why the prices of horses dropped like that. Thanks for the information! My family used to raise horses for a living. We're fortunate to live in a place where when a horse becomes too old and is dying, we can euthanize it and bury it in the pasture instead of calling in the dog food guy. Only once have we ever had to call the "gut truck" as we call it for a horse, and it's because times were hard financially and we couldn't afford euthanizing at that time, so my dad had to end the horse's life. I had never seen him cry before. We raise cattle in Nebraska. Our horses are not livestock to us, they are our partners that help us get the job done. I treat my horse better than I treat my cat because my horse works with me while my cat is a fat bum :P. He knows his rider and I know him. :)

what's inhumane is letting american families starve daily, all these children in homeless families all the @!$%# over america...so let's put homeless people on the menu. after all, nobody takin care of them, right? mmmm, baby back ribs, right? mmmm, sirloin steak, right? why the @!$%# would anyone say that keeping horses alive while being so miserable is inhumane? look at america, dumbasses! that's inhumane!

horses have helped us as a human race. i say they don't deserve to be eaten by us. humans deserve to be eaten by us. no, i'm not hannibal lecter...just makin a point.

Ed-NavDoc my thinking the horse would make it ,because it would be smarter then the PETA supporter!

I can see there are a lot of facts missing from this writing and misconceptions by the commenters.

The starving, abused, sick and old horses are not numerous because the plants were closed... they are out there because people chose to not feed them because of financial difficulties or just plain neglect.

THOSE horses do not make good candidates for slaughter and would most likely be rejected by a USDA and/or EU inspector... after all who wants to spend $20/lb for the meat from old and sick animals? So reinstating horse slaughter will NOT solve those problems. In fact, when California closed its last plant in 1998, abuse, neglect and horse theft DECREASED by 40%.

The majority of horses sent ot slaughter are healthy youngish horses from the racing, performance and riding fields. 10% of all horses slaughtered are racehorses, just off the track, loaded onto a truck and turned into steaks within 24-48 hours. They never get a chance at retraining or finding another career at age 5 or 6, which is about the age they mature.

The horses in BLM pens (about 40,000) are mustangs taken off of their designated ranges. They were healthy and fit when they were wild but they are overcrowded and not cared for very well by the BLM contractors. They would have been fine if left in the wild, but private interests have their eye on developing yours and my public lands with the blessings of the BLM. It is illegal to send the mustangs to slaughter.

Why not slaughter and eat American horses? American horses are not raised like food animals... that is, they do not have a record of every substance they have ingested. In Europe where some horses are raised specifically for slaughter, they are never used as riding horses and they have a passport indicating their health history from birth to time of slaughter. They are not leftovers, excess, unwanted or abandoned mysteries.

Those substances that American horses are given (Bute, steroids, antibiotics, wormers, etc) are cancer causing. It says right on the packaging that there is NO WITHDRAWAL period for them. Once a horse has had them that horse is forever banned for human consumption because those substances reside in the tissue and muscle for the rest of the horses's life.

When European inspectors accept health papers from American horses that end up in slaughter houses in Mexico and Canada those papers are forged and falsified... we don't have a passport system and very few owners actually keep records let alone provide them when they send them to slaughter. That is international fraud.

Finally, horses cannot be slaughtered humanely due to their temperament and physiology. The captive bolt that knocks a steer out (although it sometimes doesn't even work for them) doesn't penetrate deeply enough to render the horse unconscious... so it is strung up and gutted and its legs cut off while alive and awake.

Temple Grandin was invited to the Summit of the Horse, a conference for slaughter facilitators, including Dave Duquette mentioned above) to plan this recent legislative action, they expected her to endorse humane slaughter.

She recommended a completely different system than they use on cattle... they were shocked and felt it would be too costly... so you see they have no plans to make it more humane... and she went on to say that overbreeding of horses should be curtailed and the concept of rehabilitating/retraining/rehoming horses expanded. They were NOT happy campers as she is the world's foremost expert on humane slaughter of animals.

Horse meat huh? I don't think so. But, I do like cats, I just can't eat a whole one. hahaha.... People eat crawdads/crawfish and swear they are tasty, yikes, they are basically water roaches, but to each his own I guess. No Horse Meat for me though. And people already eat people, it's a good way to keep a girlfriend, you eat her, and she is yours for the taking.... hmmm, too much I suppose. PETA by the way are a bunch of fanatical bozo's. The movie 12 Monkeys comes to mind when ever I think of PETA.

The whole article made me hungry. Why does there need to be a specific plant to butcher horses, though? There are plenty of small, local slaughter houses that will butcher just about anything you bring in. Honestly, if it's a meat, I'll probably eat it at least once. It'd be nice to have a chance to try horse meat without having to leave the country to get it.

is it any good?

I heard that horse tastes kinda like a giant, galloping chicken.

jkm49

Ya lets start putting felines, canines back on the supermarket shelves, hey why not eagle and hawk, throw in some toads and anaconda. Pure sickness slaughtering horses for meat. Don't like it, won't eat it. Sick, sick.

snake and frog meat is pretty good.

with that said, whats the problem? meat is meat. just because we've culturally been conditioned to only think of cows, chickens, sheep, and pigs as meat? you know in India, the COW is a sacred animal. but i don't see you having a problem with eating cow. traditionally, in many countries (including switzerland, bet you didn't see that one coming) eating dog is not just totally fine but a delicacy. i know what you are probably thinking, "oh but cats, dogs, and horse are intelligent and emotive animals." yea well guess what? so are chickens and pigs. in fact, science is discovering that not only are chickens and pigs intelligent and emotive, but they may actually be smarter than dogs.

in America (and other countries as well) people suffer from this condition that an animal's value in their mind of its importance regarding extinction, consumption, cruelty, etc. is in direct correlation to how cute or pretty it is. yea people cry foul when people mention dogs or horses as food. or that siberian tigers and pandas are endangered is a tragedy. why don't people cry foul when people eat ostrich or boar? why is no one up in arms about the endangered Empire Cave Pseudoscorpion or the Helmetted Hornbill bird? because while these animals are vital to their respective ecosystems, they are not cute or pretty.

Jim, that was exactly my thinking when I made that comment.

Horse meat, just like deer meat is lean and a few people might like it. It has for years been known for glue (cartoons and movies) and dog food. I used to have a lamb as a pet well it was more as a 4H kind of thing. I LOVE GYROS. I won't eat Horse, as much as I don't like deer or goat too gamey. But I won't knock anyone for it.

Patties, steak and sausage, mostly. Kind of a cross between beef and venison. Horse is popular in Europe and Asia. Places like Vietnam and Cambodia that eat dog don't do so everyday, it's more like a suckling pig type of meal, to celebrate big events. Cooked pretty much the same way, actually, on a stick over a pit.

It's a big, wide world.

I love Trigger and Bambi and Fido and Fluffy and don't want to be eating them. Well, fact is, I WON"T be eating them if it comes to that. And, yes, I grew up with Elsie and Elmer, but don't view their cousins in the same light as those mentioned above. I guess it is cultural.

This all may be moot...as the articles of the last couple of days tell us tremendous amounts of our food are already contaminated with everything from metal to hair to bugs. What's left to eat???

Go outside and listen. That sound you hear is your neighbors who have just read these food articles...They are dry-heaving their Thanksgiving Day feasts.

Eating horse is quite common in most other countries of the world -- including European ones. You can get goat on the menu in many places in the U.S. Venison is excellent, low calorie and very healthy ... tastes great if cooked right too.

I understand eating squirrel can be dangerous, never tried it and I doubt you'll find it on a menu anywhere. Frog legs are a common menu item and rattlesnake chips are pretty good ... on many Texas menus.

Guess you are pretty disconnected.

Beth: Why might eating squirrel be dangerous? I've had about a dozen squirrel pot pies in the last year and am a wee bit worried I might have missed some warning somewhere....

I've never tried snake (but I would like to) but everything else you mentioned tastes good. So does bison, pronghorn, various species of antelope (blesbok tastes remarkably like roast beef, & we found eland reminescent of veal). I like bear, but some people find it too strong tasting.

A horse is an animal, as is a cow, pig, sheep, etc. It's only in the U.S. that horses are revered because of the ties to the settling of the West. Romanticized! Mythical! Europeans have been eating horsemeat for centuries. Protein is protein. Another indication of the ignorance here in the U.S.

Beth: Why might eating squirrel be dangerous? I've had about a dozen squirrel pot pies in the last year and am a wee bit worried I might have missed some warning somewhere....

It's something to do with the brain ... which apparently is actually somewhat common in the south. I found this for you ... but there are a lot of other links as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/29/us/kentucky-doctors-warn-against-a-regional-dish-squirrels-brains.html

I'm not eating my duck.

Beth: Thanks for the link! We don't eat brains here...just the backside.

LOL ... in some cases, the brains and the backsides are pretty close together! LOL (i.e. Congress).

It would behoove you to have a side of "horse apples" with your burger sir.

Nothing starts the day off like Seabiscuits and gravy.

very true.. but horse meat is so yummy..

Do you have any evidence to support these claims? I don't think we're talking about thoroughbred race horses here, which I would believe are constantly pumped full of drugs. They probably get entombed upon death. I've eaten horse meat in Europe and was pleasantly surprised at the quality, flavor, and texture. For a 'cheap' piece of meat (I think it was around $5/pound), I felt like I was eating filet mignon. I am hard pressed to believe there were more additives than what we get in supermarket beef raised here. The horse meat I ate most likely came from the United States.

Most horses receive vaccinations at some point. Don't assume that the horse that is being slaughtered is an old nag that no one ever took care of. When horses, even expensive horses, become a burden to the owner they could be sold for meat consumption.

KaLioM, 80% of all anti biotics used in the U.S. every year, are used on our food supply.

It's no mystery why some of our tougher viruses are coming form livestock. We over inject them with anti biotics, even when no need is present. When a virus does get through, it becomes almost impossible to get rid of.

Sorry CLS-306833, but KaLioM is telling the truth if the horses involved came from the horse show world. The amount and type of drugs given to these animals on an almost daily basis is disgusting and unethical but it happens anyway. Also, many of the male horses receive female hormones in an attempt to control their behavior and improve their appearance. If these animals end up in the food chain, watch out. I'm absolutely not endorsing these practices, just telling you I know they happen.

NYMike

Um, antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. Their use does not impact viruses.

The day will come when eating horse, dog or cat meat will be a luxury. After WW2 you could not find a stray animal anywhere. I don't have to tell you why.

In the direction that we going, even if you could eat horse meat, you might not be able to afford it.

And a lot of cattle aren't pumped full of drugs either?

At least horses (currently) don't spend most of their lives like cattle in some over-crowded feedlot, aka Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. ("Cow-ncentration" Camp maybe? Boo..)

Congratulations Angus, you've won an all-expense paid trip to.. A feedlot in Texas!

Your accommodations include:
Long soaks in liquid manure.
An all you can eat buffet consisting of up to 30% chicken coup waste.
Chance to socialize with the rotting carcasses of other cattle.
And last but not least, the distinct possibility of a slow death due to heat or contracting Pneumonia.

Now, off I go to lunch to get a tasty burger.

As @Doug in MN has pointed out, most conventional meat in this country is already pumped full of drugs, so if this is your concern, you should probably stop eating any meat you don't kill yourself in the wild, raise by your own hands or buy directly from a farmer you can ask.

I am amused that people are upset that horses are vaccinated and therefore not fit to eat. Hmmmm... I wonder if they are AWARE of what growers do with poultry and beef? They're FULL of antibiotics and growth hormones. They grow chickens from hatchings to slaughtering EVERY 6 WEEKS...now darlin', that spells GROWTH HORMONES. Ever wonder why our kids are fat and developing earlier than 50 years ago? Gee...I wonder WHY?????? You are what you eat folks. If these things are in the meat, whatever that meat might be, you're ingesting it. Duh. Not to mention the altering of our veggies & fruits with gene mutation and pesticides. Duh again. Wake up America! And HEY...you ever try to bury a horse? It's illegal in some states. So what do you do then? I'm sorry...I love horses, had them all my life. But people, they are an ANIMAL-and so are chickens, pigs, goats and cattle! Would I want to eat a horse I've known...of course not. Woud I eat it or feed it to my family if they could get nothing else? You bet your Mr. Ed I would, and so would most folks. Has the ban hurt this country's agricultural output? Uh-huh. Has it put ppl out of work? Oh, yeah. Has it caused the bottom to fall out of the equine industry? Yup again. Come on ya'll...this is a visceral issue for sure, but let's be sensible. There is no common sense in this country any more. Unbelievable.

Barbi - You speak the truth. Thank you. Very well put.

I would really not eat horse meat. They are beautiful and magnificent animals. The bible mentions there are certain animals we should not eat. The horses are one of them. But if they do put horse meat in our supermarkets, hopefully theyll clearly mark the packages as horsemeat. That way I wont end up eating something I dont want. I will never eat it, especially now that someone mentioned sick, neglected, medicated horses. My goodness, what are we doing?

Barbi, it is ILLEGAL to give growth hormones to poultry in the U.S. Do some places do it? I have no doubt that they do, except that the process is still illegal.

If you are going to go by the Old Testament of the Bible, you also should not eat swine, catfish, seafood, any "raptor" bird, anything containing blood, or any mammal which does have both cloven hooves and more than one stomach (horse have single hooves and are hence forbidden). However, locusts are just fine, so dig in.

Dont forget the pre-marin horses. Who knows what type of drugs they are given! They are probably some of the most common to go to the slaughter houses.

Barbi, kids are fat because they no longer go outside. They sit and watch tv, play video games and are fed meals without portion control. Do you know what "growth hormone" is added to cattle? Estrogen! That is right! Estrogen. A half pound of meat from a steer (castrate male beef animal) given "growth hormones" has 1.9 nanograms of estrogen. Do you know what the amount is in an animal without "growth hormones" is? 1.6 nanograms. Do you know what a half pound of potatoes has? 245 nanograms of estrogen! A dinner salad has over 1200 nanograms of estrogen. And I won't even go into soy products. So "growth hormones" aren't the reason for developing faster.

Let me put this into prospective for you- The average female girl is reaching puberty about 12-18 months faster than her mother in the United States. In the EU where growth promotants have been banned for several decades, the average female girl is reaching puberty 12- 18 months faster.

Why? BECAUSE, they have a higher fat composition in their body and they are exposed to sex more through TV, internet, and other media. It is not so much what they eat.

I agree with Advocate. When I was growing up (I'm 26), I rarely played videogames. I was always outside doing stuff. Then came newer technologies and fear: new videogames to play, tv channels to watch, faster internet connection, etc. Parents started to become afraid of when their kid went outside: kidnappers, rapists, murderers, pedophiles, etc. are more apparent in the news (because technology has advanced, the news can be brought to you more quickly from all over the place). Playgrounds that were used in the 70's are abandoned, destroyed by nature and jerks. Graffiti, urine, broken glass, and drugs are sometimes common in these places. Remember when kids used to WALK to school? Now some parents are afraid that something may happen to their kid. Schoolyards sometimes lock their gates because of vandalism and because they don't want to be sued by some parents if their precious snowflake injured themselves on the property. Neighborhoods change.

Majority of my childhood was raped by parental fear. I could not do anything because I lived in a bad neighborhood. So what can I do? Sit in a house, play videogames, read, go on the internet...mainly, SITTING.

So, as we become obese, having lost touch with the world of physical activity, fueled by irrational media-driven fear, we are cooped up in our homes much like the animals we eat to fuel our obesity. Is there an ironic coexistence here? Are we living, in a different way, the very same lives as the hapless animals we kill to eat, which contributes to our downward, disconnected society?

Perhaps Karma is wiser and more efficient that we realize...

Everyday pleasure/companion horses are commonly given antibiotics, de-wormers, vaccinations, and the big one: phenylbutazone, an NSAID that has rendered any horse that's ever had even one dose in their lifetime, banned for human consumption because the health risks to humans are so high (deaths have occurred). Performance horses are given all of the above, plus performance enhancing drugs.

Yes sir! Let me whip you one right up!

Absolutely delicious.

I think I'll be first in line! I agree, it's tender, juicy goodness.

Damn that horseradish is salty!

Disgusting.

The closing of slaughter houses has not only increased the occurence of abandonment and neglect, but has devastated the horse market. The slaughter market has propped up the price of horses for 100 years or more. With that opportunity gone, the price of horses has fell to the point that horses are now cheaper than dogs. As an owner and breeder, I welcome the possibility for the market to rise to the point where it is once again profitable for responsible breeders to produce a superior product just like cattle and hog producers.

Absolutely! Without the "packer" market it has horribly damaged the horse market. I own several horses myself and am a third-generation horse person myself, I do love my horses, but the slaughter market is a necessary evil- it is much kinder to have a place to go with the horses who people cannot take care of. I would rather see a horse put down rather than have it starve to death. There will be a lot of hype of the inhumane treatment due to packing houses, but let me tell those people- why don't you take a look at the horses that are starving or are so lame that their quality of life is gone. We need a place for these horses.

"We need a place for these horses." Yeah, and we have them: they're called a rescue facility or humane euthanasia. OR, for the more hardcore, you eat spaghetti every night so you can buy grain until you can find a (better) job because you are responsible for a living, breathing creature! Not torture and brutal inhumane slaughter.

First let me state I am a 100% American ,US born citizen,but have lived in Mexico for the last 20 years simply because I cant afford the US anymore on just SS.

Now as far as horses go in MX,let me also state I havn't the foggest idea how they are slaughtered here,but let me say this about Mexican horses in general. The Spaniards brought the finest horse stock possible to Mexico hundreds of years ago during their tragic conquest. That stock has produced some of the finest and most beautiful horses to look at anywhere in the world. Cows on the other hand dont survive very well in the wild and generally are scrawny boney things. But horses. Well thats another story and I would give plenty if I had it to own such a fine looking creature.

There are of course poorly taken care of plugs and swaybacks that are used as rentals for the tourists in the tourist trap border towns, but those few are not by any means indicative of the rest of the beautiful looking stock everywhere in Mexico.

One question Dick. How many cubic feet of freezer space do you need for a full horse?

A little more space than one that has not eaten recently.

Old and sick horses are now having to be trucked to Mexico in cattle cars or crammed into trailers for long hours. Who knows what inhumane treatment awaits them there. Atleast if we reopen slaughter plants here they can be regulated. People who have fallen on hard times and cannot feed and care for there horses are not going to have the money to take them to the vet to be put down.

Sometimes we have to try to come up with solutions to sad problems. I do not think horsemeat for human consuption will be acceped here in the U.S., nor should it be. However it can be used for dog food or shipped to other countries.

Horsemeat for HUMANS may not be desireable eating for many. If the price is right, people will eat it. I hear it is very tasty and sweet and that is why other countrys will pay for it. Although since I am a horse lover and own two myself. I understand the stress for owners. Places to use and ride them are getting fewer and the feed costs are skyrocking along with vet care costs. I do encourage the slaughter of horses for the use in pet food.

Xtina: They will still be hauled for long periods of time with no food and water, regardless of where the facility is located; we have horses in America from coast to coast.... Also, they are usually purposely dehydrated so the estimated yield is more accurate.

SueMO: Domesticated horses have been banned for used in pet food because of the veterinary pharmaceuticals, wormers, vaccinations etc they are routinely given and have been proven to cause health problems in dogs/cats that ate pet food that contained horse meat.

Why don't you pick the lesser of two evils when it comes to yourself and not a whole class of animals when you don't understand that 1) the USDA is already understaffed and overworked. The government cut 30 million dollars from the food safety program that the USDA oversees, so what is more important to you? Your own food supply or creating jobs for illegals and sending the meat overseas so that the big, overseas horse meat suppliers of the world can sell it for a profit?

If any of you had done your research, you'd know that horse slaughter here was also fraught with problems and abuses. Even USDA inspectors get desensitized and only write up violations after repeated occurrences. Get real .. there is NO need to eat horses in this country any more than there is a need to eat cats and dogs. Not everything that walks on this earth needs to be considered a food source for humans.

@tompca - you are closed minded. How 'bout you go eat your own stupid spawn.

Gloria, you have the right to not eat it. I'm not even saying that I would it eat, but your disrespect of others opinions and experiences is outright atrocious and disgusting. If it is less expensive than other meats and the only affordable meat for some, well who are we to deny others what they can afford? If it the slaughter is more humane here in the U.S. versus elsewhere, why would I let it suffer more elsewhere, or a slower death from neglect here?

Emotions are fine, opinions are fine, vitriol is not.

Has anyone thought about becoming vegetarian. Really, do we have to eat any meat. For those of you who need to eat meat, why horses.

Watch the movie by PETA as to how inhumane any animal is slaughtered including chickens. It is Disgusting !!!

Watch the movie, than make your comments !!!

Booo!

mnabi I don't lash out unless I tell the Truth,and the truth hurts about something as stupid as this.If people can't afford meat, then become a vegetarian,it's healthier.

This crap has nothing to do with who can and can not afford meat.This is a Status thing in this country,nothing more and nothing less.

There's plenty of meat in this country to gorge and glutton on, so leave the horses alone.

Yes I have disrespect for other's opinions just like they have disrespect for mine.It's an even playing field.So sir or madam this has nothing to do with vitriol.This has to do with MY opinion and the way I express it just like anyone else on here.

As far as Disgusting you can't get anymore Atrocious and Disgusting than by killing and eating a Horse.If they need to be put down that should only be when they're suffering.Give me a break.

I don't know if I would try horse meat or not but I would definately eat PETA meat.

Sally, I'll take that as a badge of honor.

NME, your post made me really, really, hungry.

What? lol ok, you make absolutely no sense.

I wouldn't expect to make sense to everyone , that includes you . Go find someone else to impress with your LOL , an overused term for people who don't communicate well.

"Anyone who would eat a horse should be banned from society." How do you figure that? Are these people a threat to society somehow? Does their food choice harm you in some way? It's not morally wrong to eat a horse, any more than any other form of food plant or animal.

Clarice, get off your high horse: you shouldn't impose your personal hangups on everyone around you, declaring it a crime or sin to act in ways you personally don't approve of. How narrowminded and overly judgemental of you. Or perhaps you only eat manna and honey? Oh wait, you'd have to steal the honey from the bees, and it sounds like perhaps you're too good to be doing that. I'm guessing your sh#t doesn't stink either.

As soon as I'm sure it's legal, I'm going to take that four-legged hay-eating machine out in my back forty for a last ride...behind the barn. And I won't feel a single...shred..of...guilt as I mark the freezer packages, "Lady steak", "Lady burger", "Lady rump roast." You get it.

You don't eat cows because they're too close to humans in the evolutionary tree? WTF? Unless scientists just declared bovines to be the "missing link," you need to re-look at that tree.

There's been a recent trend of rolling back anti-roadkill laws, so that people can gather and cook animals killed on the side ofthe road. There are cookbooks with sections dedicated to serving pretty much every animal you just listed.

Apparently squirrel is really gamey, but can be used to make a decent stew.

Beev, is it true that armadillos are "opossums on the half shell"?

Capt, big OLD squirrels are tough & gamey, but smaller younger ones are not. These tenderer ones taste good fried like chicken.

The finest gravy my mother ever made in her life (or at least in mine) was from squirrel. As Bubbacat says, big old squirrels are tough and gamy, but the younger ones (preferably almost, but not quite, adults) can be wonderful. The tiny front legs are bony, but perhaps otherwise the best part. This was one of the few good parts of growing up relatively poor, something I otherwise don't recommend, given a choice. There are lots of poor kids in this country who might like horse. If their parents buy it for them, who am I to object?

what a dreamer.cattle ate what they were supposed too,until congress let the cattlemen feed them what ever it took to fatten them up for slaughter.as were chickens.

I've tried horsemeat and my biggest beef with it (sorry 'bout that) is that it is too lean. Meat needs some fat to have any real flavor. The ground horsemeat was better - maybe some fat was added to the mix. It made great meatballs for the spaghetti.

Horses are fed what they are meant to eat? Partially true - depending on where they're from. But no matter where they're from they are also fed what no human was meant to eat: Phenylbutazone (NSAID); fenbendazole, ivermectin, pyrantel pamoate, oxibendazole, moxidectin (de-wormers), equine fly sprays, etc, etc all have labeling "not for use in horses/animals intended for food."

Jes Childers:

Excellent post. Thanks

Would you care for some "mooneighs" on your sandwich maam?

When we realize we have no control, all we have left is to laugh. Can you make that Xtra on the condiment.

"Hold the bridle, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us. Cause here at Stable Burgers you can have it mooneighs. Have your moooooneighs, have it moooneighs"!

That's pretty funny. Thank you for that.

Now please pass the horse meat.

Joe,

Go buy another bale of hay for your animate art and leave me alone! I'm sure it is all worth it for the aesthetics, after all, no one could possibly benefit more from the money spent on such a pointless endeavor than those who drive buy your faux ranch and gush at the majesty of your captive animals.

Your model is not sustainable for everyone in the country tho, factory farms are a necessity to feed everyone. Kind of why they exist. I mean where are your veggies/egg/cheese coming from? Small local farms aren't feeding 300 million, especially when half the country can't grow anything 6 months out of the year.

I hope you meant "grass-fed" not "grain fed" because the two are worlds apart. Most people opt for grass fed meat as it is healthier for the human and the cow. Grain feeding causes all kinds of problems you shouldn't be supporting...or eating!

Worker, what about the combination of the 2? I have heard of some farmers raising cows on grass for the majority of the time and then in the last 1 or 2 months before they are sent to the slaughterhouse they are grain fed.

Cattle that can graze freely right up until slaughter taste better than those raised in "feed lots" standing on mud and their own feces for the last several weeks or months of their lives. Those that are fed grain but also free to graze taste better (more "real) than those raised entirely on grain or grass IMO.

Most cattle are grass-fed! They spend the first 12-14 months of their life on grass. It isn't until the last 2-14 months they are finished on either grass or grain.

Small local farms aren't feeding 300 million, especially when half the country can't grow anything 6 months out of the year.

See how irrational the argument can get? At 310Million, we are a small fraction of the 7Billion who share this planet. There is simply no way in all Hell small, bucolic, friendly farms run by families can feed the world. We are losing some 10,000 acres every week to soil degradation, salination, erosion and pollution. LESS farmland in the future and MANY MORE people.

Arguing over which meat will be served really misses the point completely. The era of cheap, abundant food is coming to an end. Next up will be meat "raised" in laboratory-type factories that, while technically alive, is no animal anyone will recognize. TestTube food; that is the sad future. Alas, very little environmental damage in such a product, but it is still disturbing to contemplate.

When the day comes where we have wars fought over food and potable water, humanity will have run its course. Every species that ever lived and died out, did so for reasons they could not influence or circumvent. WE are the first and only species that should be able to prevent our own extinction. It is likely we will not. Food, water and energy will drive us out, and because of our choices, not some outside, dispassionate force.

Well, I'm not so thrilled with the drugs that ARE allowed by regulation into our meat supply either.

Just a precursor...

Det. Thorn: It's people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They're making our food out of people. Next thing they'll be breeding us like cattle for food. You've gotta tell them. You've gotta tell them!
Hatcher: I promise, Tiger. I promise. I'll tell the exchange.
Det. Thorn: You tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You've gotta tell them! Soylent Green is people! We've gotta stop them somehow!

I was wondering when someone would be smart enough to pick up on this. I can't believe people are talking about making slaughter houses available for old and unwanted horses. Cows, pigs, chickens, lambs, turkeys, and farmed seafood are ALL RAISED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION FROM BIRTH / HATCHING. These farms are inspected and regulated.

As for the ethical/humane aspect of it, I'm not sure what makes a horse any different from any other animal that is commonly consumed. If you have a problem with the fact that a horse is killed for its meat, the same should apply for any other animal (unless you want to apply a double standard).

The main issue is that horses are commonly raised as pets and considered intelligent animals . While it may seem disgusting to many, there is a market for it. It basically comes down to economics. If there is a demand for it and there is nothing better to do with the unwanted animals, then I guess it is waste not want not.

We need to demand an investigation into why politicians like Sue Wallis can use her tax paid position in government to push for legislation that will line her pocket. She is pushing for our horses to be slaughtered because she has a personal investment in it. How is this legal? She needs to be thrown out of office. The horses they plan on butchering are race horses and our wild mustangs. The European Union has banned any horse from the U.S. to be slaughtered for human consumptuion because the meat is contaminated by toxic drugs like bute. Too many horses are being bred because of greed. It isn't about buying your little girl a horse, and I lost my job so now I can't take care of it. The majority of these people think they are going to make money by racing these horse, and when the horse fails to win then these greedy, heartless people want an easy way to get rid of these horses. The racing, and rodeo industry is cruel, and barbaric. Another politician Tyson Larson from Nebraska is pushing for slaughter to resume in the U.S. because his family is in the rodeo business. Another case of using his position to enact laws so he can personally profit. People like Dave Duquette, Sue Wallis, and Tyson Larson don't care if they are abusing, and torturing horses and then feeding their poisoned meat to children. They want to make a profit. They don't care if your child gets sick and dies from this meat as long as they make an extra buck. Horses cannot be slaughtered humanely. The shape ans size of their head makes it impossible for a stun gun to work effectively. Horses die a horrendous, painful death in slaughterhouses. They are hoisted up by their hind legs while still conscious. Its unspeakably cruel. This is the thanks they get for being our loving companions, pain and torture. This is what we get for being complacent and not holding the politicians we are paying accountable for their actions. They are destroying our country. It's time we took it back.

"Bute" is mostly given to racehorses, and few of them were in the past slaughtered or are likely to be so in the future. Most of them are, after their breeding careers are over (if not gelded), allowed to die of natural causes and then their heads are given a burial and the rest of their carcasses rendered at a rendering plant, although a truly exceptional horse like a Secretariat may even be buried intact. Your comment is a red herring. Are you suggesting that starvation is somehow less cruel? Do you want lots of your taxes going to feed unneeded horses? I don't. Of course many people breed horses because they are interested in making money. Does this stun you somehow? It's also why people sell cars, drive trucks, work in offices and factories, etc. There would be far less horse abuse if breeding them were illegal. Then none would be raced and gambled on, in circuses, in rodeos or anything like that, and they wouldn't ever be needlessly or cruelly slaughtered, and let's face it, no one "needs" horses today as there are other ways to be transported, power farm equipment, gamble, amuse oneself, etc. Perhaps if all horse breeding were licensed and sanctioned by you personally, allowing for your highly-developed sense of morality and enlightenment to determine whether your standards for use of each potential colt and filly were going to be met before breeding, and then followed up on, again by you, to see if they were doing these activities properly and to your satisfaction. Would you find this to be acceptable?

Cars, and trucks are inanimate objects. They are not living, feeling beings. Horses are intellleent, loving companions like dogs, and cats. They give us love and friendship. It's time you evolved from the state of mind that something only has value if you can use it. Not everything is about you. Thats the problem, too many greedy, selfish people being raised by people like you. Brainwashing your children into thinking that torturing and abusing animals is their right just because they can. The more people that find out about this the better. The MORAL majority is against this and we will fight for our horses. The immoral minority like you will be thought of as the scum of the earth by future generations.

It's true - racehorses ARE given bute, plus a lot of other things, and are sold off-track to slaughter or sent to auctions that kill buyers are known to frequent ROUTINELY. In fact, 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand, was slaughtered and shipped overseas. Nice noble retirement, huh? The over breeding by the equine sports industries and breed registries are what makes for most of the "unwanted" horses that pro-slaughter advocates we need slaughterhouses to dispose of.

Your common everyday horse also gets but quite frequently for minor lameness, sore muscles from hard riding, hoof abscesses, cuts, etc. as it is an NSAID and used for horses much like a human would use aspirin or Advil.