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.

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.

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Norm in NJ
Next oil change at 230,000miles

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).

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

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.

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.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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.

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89 300E
79 240D
72 Westy
63 Bug sunroof
85 Jeep CJ7
86 Chevy 6.2l diesel PU

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
Marcus Aurelius

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.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

Aha... makes sense. Interesting!

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

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........

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.

Good post. I imagine that most folk, given our urban nature never get to experience having a good horse call out to you as you come to saddle it up on a frosty morning for a day's work. Or experience the joy of training an animal who considers you it's natural enemy (prey animal vs carnivore) and having it follow you around like a puppy. Once you see a North Texas Hill Country sunset from horseback, you wouldn't eat one either......

"Just Say Whoa! To Horse Slaughter"

These horsemeat factories have stirred up a real hornets nest here. There is a bill to outlaw it in the Texas lege that might stop the practice. I think the guys who are doing it would be wise to find a different state to do their business.

Makes sense... I'm in a very rural area (corn and soybean country) and there are some horses about, but they're generally owned by the folks with the big $ to board them and whatnot. That said, I have a friend of modest means who is a farrier and whose mom has a couple of horses. I am sure they'd agree with you.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

So much of Texas is inaccessible by road - horses open up a whole new world to you. I am not much of a horse fancier but I lived in rural East Texas and I know how people feel about them. The town I lived in, Winnsboro, TX was kind of the horse capital of the area due to their Autumn Trails horse extravaganza they put on every year. Those are the folks I was thinking of who would cheer the hanging of a horse eater.