50,000 Plus Horses Slaughtered For Food Each Year in US - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 12-09-2004, 03:51 PM

Two plants here in the DFW Metroplex slaughter over fifty thousand horses a year. The meat from most of these horses is sold to France and Japan for human consumption. Some goes to zoos as carnivore feed. These are NOT old and sick horses, not like the old "glue factory" rendering plants. These are vibrant, healthy horses. Most are purchased at auctions or by sleezy bastards combing the classifieds for someone selling the family horse cheap. There are laws here against horse slaughter for human consumption but the plants are currently getting around it by virtue of their foriegn ownership. I think that this sucks, horses are not food..............

Additionally, the horses are slaughtered in an inhumane fashion, where the slaughter process begins while they are still alive.

nglitz · #2 12-09-2004, 04:00 PM

Horses = bad to eat but cows = good to eat?

That's goofy! Eating any animal is the same as eating any other.
Some may taste a little better. A lot like chicken, actuallly, if you cook them right.

cscmc1 · #3 12-09-2004, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nglitz

Horses = bad to eat but cows = good to eat?

That's goofy!

I'd have to agree. What are the arguments against slaughtering horses for food? I'm not being a smartass, I'm just genuinely curious as to why it's illegal (or frowned upon).

KirkVining · #4 12-09-2004, 04:10 PM

There are parts of Texas where the two of you would get hung for saying that. People would gather and cheer. Saying you would eat a horse is like saying you would eat one of your kids, cuz that's how they feel about them.

cscmc1 · #5 12-09-2004, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KirkVining

There are parts of Texas where the two of you would get hung for saying that. People would gather and cheer. Saying you would eat a horse is like saying you would eat one of your kids, cuz that's how they feel about them.

Huh... so it's illegal because horses are generally viewed as domesticated pets? Guess that makes sense. I've got no burning desire to make it legal to eat dogs, as I have a pretty fond attachment to my own pooch. I guess if I grew up around horses I'd feel as passionate about the subject. But, then again, if I had a pet cow as a kid I might be boycotting every burger joint and steakhouse in town.

KirkVining · #6 12-09-2004, 04:27 PM

That is the correct analogy. Horses make great pets, and in the rural areas people grow really attached to them. Some people are so grief stricken when their horse dies they kill themselves over it.

boneheaddoctor · #7 12-09-2004, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cscmc1

I'd have to agree. What are the arguments against slaughtering horses for food? I'm not being a smartass, I'm just genuinely curious as to why it's illegal (or frowned upon).

It dates back many decades where old horses were put down and ilegally sold as beef.......cut into steaks and such you would be hard pressed to tell it from lean beef.

That a Roy Rojers in the 50's didn't help much either, nor has the Cowboy thing.

cscmc1 · #8 12-09-2004, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boneheaddoctor

It dates back many decades where old horses were put down and ilegally sold as beef.......cut into steaks and such you would be hard pressed to tell it from lean beef.

That a Roy Rojers in the 50's didn't help much either, nor has the Cowboy thing.

Aha... makes sense. Interesting!

#9 12-09-2004, 04:26 PM

Traditionally, Americans don't eat horse, or dog, or cat. During a horse's lifetime, it is often given medications that make it not so good or safe to eat. Horses are tools, friends and pets: we owe them more than getting stuck in the head with a bolt gun and having it's neck slit while it is still alive.

DONT GET ME WRONG: I eat beef, I have raised beef, sheep and goat for sale as meat. I would go hungry before I would eat a horse, no matter its taste. It is just the Texan in me I guess. Plus, the French (main consumers of Cheval) really suck........

deanyel · #10 12-09-2004, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boneheaddoctor

That a Roy Rojers in the 50's didn't help much either, nor has the Cowboy thing.

Old Johnny Carson joke: Roy Rogers never started up the roast beef chain until after Trigger died.

boneheaddoctor · #11 12-10-2004, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deanyel

Old Johnny Carson joke: Roy Rogers never started up the roast beef chain until after Trigger died.

No I meant the Immage of Roy Rojers on his loyal horse Trigger.

And The Lone ranger on his steed,

ANd the popularity of the Cowboy.............

these images helped change the perception of horses by those who never rode owned or even spent time around them.

THat combined with less than ethicle butchers selling old work horses that were put down due to being worked to death , but calling it beef.....

firget exactly when but I know it was over 60 years ago.......that was back when horses were still used for work, and not just recreation as now.

Like I said , I have had a lot of it while in Italy.......tastes good....but I am not going out of m way to find it either.

boneheaddoctor · #12 12-09-2004, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nglitz

Horses = bad to eat but cows = good to eat?

That's goofy! Eating any animal is the same as eating any other.
Some may taste a little better. A lot like chicken, actuallly, if you cook them right.

I have eaten Horse, many times that was raised for food, Not old nags ready to be put down while in italy, its good. close but not exactly like beef.

crash9 · #13 12-09-2004, 04:16 PM

I agree – with everybody. I’m gonna have pork chops for supper, but little piggies are the cutest smartest little things, and I loved that movie “Babe” – I guess I’ll just have to crusade for a humane slaughter. I like the Kobe Beef story. They make a pet out of a steer, but feed it a bucket of beer everyday. On slaughter day they get it really drunk and that seems better somehow. I even had a trained fish once, so can’t even feel good about that. We should eat a lot less meat though. The kids walk the dogs home for supper in SE Asia. The whole thing just makes me sick till I’m hungry.

TwitchKitty · #14 12-09-2004, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake

Two plants here in the DFW Metroplex slaughter over fifty thousand horses a year. The meat from most of these horses is sold to France and Japan for human consumption. Some goes to zoos as carnivore feed. These are NOT old and sick horses, not like the old "glue factory" rendering plants. These are vibrant, healthy horses. Most are purchased at auctions or by sleezy bastards combing the classifieds for someone selling the family horse cheap. There are laws here against horse slaughter for human consumption but the plants are currently getting around it by virtue of their foriegn ownership. I think that this sucks, horses are not food..............

Additionally, the horses are slaughtered in an inhumane fashion, where the slaughter process begins while they are still alive.

I don't get the ownership statement. What difference does it make who owns it? It kinda pisses me off too.

You have probably eaten horse and don't know it, no big deal. If you eat food from the grocery store with the USDA labels on it, you eat rat feces also.

Gilly · #15 12-09-2004, 07:02 PM

Pears, beef, corn, venison, pork, rat feces, horse, lamb, veal, who cares. It's all food. Gimme a Appaloosa burger or a quarterhorse casserole, I'll eat it. I bet it's delish in chili.......
I draw the line at that God-awful Guiness "beer" though.....
Gilly