Horse slaughter

[Miss Molly]

yes horses are gorgeous, but so is a cow and a pig and are chickens. i don't know how we can say 1 animal has a right to live more than any other.

Exactly. A life is a life and if you are going to take the life of one by eating it, you shouldn't have issues with another. I don't eat any of them because I know I can and have lived without eating any of them.

[cowgirlmama04]

I am a horse owner.... and I have eaten horse meat (it wasn't that bad but I won't be going out of my way to buy it). I love my horse's and do have a special bond with them, but I would rather see my horse be killed in slaughter for food, then hoarded in someone's pasture starving to death or being beaten because they will not even consider it a more humane option to their suffering.

[joseff]

horse meat is pretty common in the dutch community as well....I probably ate it unknowingly as a child....

[nainai0585]

I am an avid equestrian and see no problem with horse slaughter or the consumption of their meat. In many cultures, horses are seen as livestock just as cows are in our culture, in other cultures horses are seen as pets and cows are worshipped like dieties. If someone doesn't like the "thought" of slaughtering and consuming animals, then convert to veganism. I personally will not look down on someone, nor will I even remotely stop shopping at a store just b/c they sell a product I personally won't purchase (due to the price only). But that's just my 2 cents.

[Kalmel]

I think it also depends on your soft spot. I love cats and dogs so i dont see myself eating them..ever! Not that i would eat my own..lol..but all cats and dogs..just wanted to clarify it in case someone thought i'd smack my kitty in a frying pan..lol!!

[Darth Penguin]

Also depends on how hungry you are. If you are on the edge of death from starvation, then Fluffy starts too look like a nice meal..

eta..1972 Andes flight disaster tested a group of people as to whether or not cannibalism was a group survival stratergy.

[Sarah W]

I have relatives in Holland that are milking horses for a living.

[Giddymonkey]

i don't/won't eat horse personally but really, what makes it different than a pig, cow, chicken. at the end of the day they are all living, breathing creatures & if you are opposed to the killing/slaughter of one you should be to all. just my opinion.

ITA. I grew up on a small scale farm. We had sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, and the list goes on. I have a huge respect for animals that are used to feed us. Growing up though, the pigs, chicken and sheep were for meat, goats were for milk and the rabbits were pets. To this day I will not eat goat or rabbit.

I also do not eat veal because I don't agree with taking baby cows away from their mother, locking them in cages where they can't move (so the meat stays tender) and then slaughtering them. To me, that is far more inhumane that slaughtering a horse. That being said, I wouldn't eat horsemeat either.

I see these as good reasons for not eating these meats, but I don't judge those who do, cultural diets vary widely. I also don't think boycotting a store because they carry a product you don't agree with is practical either, especially when the product is widely available in your region. I can think of several products that my grocery store sells that I don't agree with, but I just don't buy those products.

[aurora04]

I don't really like horse slaughters, but I really find it no different than any other slaughter house. Yes horses are cute (I used to own them), but so are chickens (I had pet chickens as well as ones raised for food), rabbits (had pets and ones raised for food), cows, goats, ducks (we had pets of them all, and had some raised for food). We had a horse that we seriously considered sending to slaughter. Not because we "couldn't be bothered" with horses anymore, but because she was too dangerous. She would literally try to kill you if you went near her (well everyone but my father). She would try to kick you, squish you against the stall wall (she still needed to be fed and watered if my father wasn't home), etc... We considered breeding her since that would sometimes get them to smarten up, but the vet told my father that if she had problems giving birth, he wouldn't go in the stall with her (we always have a vet come over for the birth of our horses). My father didn't want to give her to someone because he knew he would tell the truth on what she is like, but he couldn't take the risk that they wouldn't drug her and sell her at auction to an unsuspecting person. In the end he found someone who loves crazy horses and is able to train them. He took Storm, and gave us a Clydesdale that he rescued from someone. He kept Storm and was able to get the crazy out of her for the most part. So that all being said, after owning a horse like that, I quickly learned that sometimes it is necessary to do as horses can be dangerous. If people like horse meat, then it should be available. I have learned to keep pets and food in my mind separate and it no longer bothers me.

[Patty Smyth]

You can't throw a rock in Quebec without hitting a local butcher that sells horse meat a every other game/farm animal.

We don't eat meat(not because we ae animal activists, just for health reasons) but many cultures eat things we disagree with. You can make the argument for all animals and fish. Would you eat a dolphin? They are slaughtering by the millions in some countries.

[ancarett]

I'm a horsewoman and I don't know of any horses that are raised for consumption. Think about it. People talk about worries of what's in their beef and chicken. You don't even have to be wanting organic to worry about the issue.

Well, what about horses? What they eat, the additives to their feed, the medicine they take - these are not tested with an eye towards eventual consumption. A horse ends up in the slaughterhouse because it's elderly, a breakdown on the tracks or lame. Horses can have been pumped full of steroids or antibiotics for treatment of some health problem and then sent to slaughter if the treatment's failed.

Also, horse slaughter is much more likely to be inhumane than with cattle, goats, pig or poultry. Because there are few slaughter houses for horses in Canada or the US, these animals are often exported for slaughter, usually in Mexico. These horses endure horrifically long trips in transports to be slaughtered in cruel methods without humane oversight as dictated by US or Canadian law. If they are to be slaughtered, better to do it humanely here: http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_ne...terhouses.html

[FallenPixels]

As the OP stated, the store actually has their own slaughterhouse in Quebec

[wolfwoman]

I'd like to bomb every horse slaughter plant in the world and make it illegal to eat horses. Slam me if you like but that is my opinion just as everyone else has one.

[ancarett]

Yes, they do, but it's a rare case. And it still stands that horses aren't raised for consumption so that their feed and medication can be a concern for those who worry about contamination of the food chain.

[cowgirlmama04]

I just read the book on that diaster, It is amazing how people will find ways to survive. It is true, when in need people can justify just about anything.

Also depends on how hungry you are. If you are on the edge of death from starvation, then Fluffy starts too look like a nice meal..

eta..1972 Andes flight disaster tested a group of people as to whether or not cannibalism was a group survival stratergy.