# Horse Meat.... Would you eat it ?



## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

In Australia we do not generally eat horse meat , although we do export it to other countries for consumption. 

I am interested in everyone's OP on this topic.

*Perth butcher Vince Garreffa began selling horse meat at his store on Tuesday and is vowing to continue, despite receiving death threats from animal liberationists.*

Would you eat horse ? & Why?

I guess I could eat it..... It would take some getting used too.
I eat cow & roo , horse should be no different . I wouldn't be eating my own horses lol . We ate our own cows on our farm ( back in the day) .

So why is the thought of eating horse seems a lil bit wrong .


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## AztecBaby (Mar 19, 2009)

I would but only if I knew the animals had been intentionally raised for slaughter. Not crippled auction horses.


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

AztecBaby said:


> I would but only if I knew the animals had been intentionally raised for slaughter. Not crippled auction horses.



Just knowing that they had a good easy life before they ended up on the plate.
I see the point there .
If there became a market for it, could we maybe see some of the neglected skinny horses normally sold at auction being put to pasture and fed up at least enjoying their last few months . Before being slaughtered .

touchy topic eh :-|


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I wouldn't eat it, however I'm not against horse slaughter for meat (as long as it's in a HUMANE manner). The only reason why we think it shouldn't be done is because it's taboo. But what is taboo to us is something completely normal in another culture.


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## AztecBaby (Mar 19, 2009)

Shalani said:


> Just knowing that they had a good easy life before they ended up on the plate.
> I see the point there .
> If there became a market for it, could we maybe see some of the neglected skinny horses normally sold at auction being put to pasture and fed up at least enjoying their last few months . Before being slaughtered .
> 
> touchy topic eh :-|


Yep, thats about it.

You would hope so.. hope being underlined.


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

I read about that in HorseDeals gallery. Apparently they want to target certain ethnicities that are more accustomed to eating horses, it said they had previously been buying it from pet shops... 
I dont see a problem with it being sold for consumption in Aus, thousands of horses are already slaughtered here for overseas consumption so it doesnt really make a difference slaughter-wise. 
I wouldnt eat it though, i suppose just because im not used to the idea. I actually dont eat meats like duck, veal, turkey, quail, all those etc, meats other than the regular cow/pig/chicken, just because ive never eaten it growing up and i guess i just stick to what im used to. And i'd never try it because ive owned horses and it'd just be iww..

I really cant see the average person buying horse meat. I dont think its going to become heaps popular.


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## kmacdougall (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm reeeally picky so it would have to be prepared really well. It seems like it would take some getting used to. Also, this may be a figment of my imagination, but I think someone once told me it was very tough. And I hate tough meat.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Most certainly.


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## Mickey4793 (Sep 24, 2009)

I'm not against slaughter but,
I personally don't eat much meat due to taste preference, and I imagine horse to taste tough and stringy.


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## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

Any meat can be tough, it depends on how much work the animal has done in its life time. Thats why slaughter animals are prefered to move as little as possible. And im sure that most horses slaughtered for food today have had some sort of regular exercise plan in their life.

I dont think I would eat horse... Unless I had too! I have however eaten Bear, Gator, Deer, Goat ect. And I hear dog is a fine meal, Mt. Lion it stringy(well cats in general). And snakes are tasty lol... 

people eating horses is not axactly the most shocking thing around here! Someone slaughtered a belgian to feed their dogs, and someone else ran out of food over winter, and slaughtered one of their own belgians.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ellygraceee (May 26, 2010)

I would never eat horse meat. My reason being that my best friend and I were sitting on the bus one day when the doggers truck went past. We're used to having the meatworks truck drive past covered in cowhide, but we weren't expecting a semi-trailer full of loose, terrified horses. There were older ones, nice young thoroughbreds, even what looked like some kid's riding pony. It made me feel completely sick. My best friend (who also rides and owns horses) whispered in my ear, "What if that pony was Fiona? What if that older horse was Barcoo? What if those thoroughbreds were Toby, Joe or Berrie?"
The whole bus went quiet. We'd never seen the truck before but it had the local doggers' sign on the side. One of my friends was like "Is that what happens when you stop riding horses?!" .. I had to explain that no, the pony of mine that she had ridden was down the back of the paddock, not being eaten by a foreigner. We got to school and told the biology teacher what we'd seen and she made this huge deal about how much she loved horse meat when she was in Paris and how she would love to have it again and asked me where I could get it. I was like "Miss, I'm the captian of the equestrian team, are you SERIOUSLY asking me this after what we'd just seen?" 
That experience definately shook quite a few people, and I would never eat horse meat. If they could guarentee that they lived a good life and were treated with some kind of respect first, then possibly. But crammed in a truck and terrified? No. HELL no. But that's just my opinion...


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

I'd be willing to try it. I have no problem with humane slaughter and its just the circle of life. I love game meat, like venison and quail so I wonder what horse would taste like.


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## Lovehorsesandrunning (Nov 10, 2009)

no way, also im not completly against slaughter but.. i dont know its hard to explain, like i grew up eating pigs and cow ex. but then i grew up riding and taking care of horses, id feel so bad


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

kmacdougall said:


> Also, this may be a figment of my imagination, but I think someone once told me it was very tough. And I hate tough meat.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Nope, horse meat isn't tough, but it is leaner than beef. It's also a darker fed color, with little to no marbling.

It's actually better for you than beef, because it's leaner. Cattle are fed with an eye to producing marbling, because that's what people have come to expect.

Since horse meat is leaner it _can_ become tough if cooked incorrectly, just like deer meat. Cook it correctly, and it's delicious. I have a French cookbook that has horse meat recipes in it. 

I ate horse meat when I was vacationing in north Africa. I also ate camel, pigeon, and mutton. No pork, because Morocco is a Muslim country.


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

I suppose we all have to be open to new things....

My partner thought my "pallet" had been deprived as a child lol
Given I am Australian & he is German.... They eat some weird stuff! lol
But I have tried some of it and its not all bad.

Keep the opinions coming


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Well, I don't think my palate has been 'deprived' of things like vegemite or poutine. They both appear inedible to me, but I'm sure there are some American foods that others find unappetizing as well!


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

I wouldn't, but only because of my own personal feelings toward the horse. I don't mind if other people eat it.

If I were starving and it was the only thing to eat though? Yes.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

I would not eat it now, however according to my dad we (romanians) all ate tons of it in the past.

Apparently in the 70-80's it wasnt a delicacy at all, it was a cheap substitute for cow / pork inserted in various salami recipes in here.

Other people confirmed this to. Horse meat was something regular in our meals, except it was called "pork" or "beef" 

And I realy pray my dad was being mean and sarcastic because he also said we migh've ate plenty of these:










...chopped and minced in various sausage thingies. Yes, intentionally.


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## erinxallxover (Jun 21, 2010)

Well, no, seeing as I'm a vegetarian. xD And as others have mentioned, I wouldn't be so opposed to horse slaughter if it were HUMANE. But it's not..

I doubt the consumption of horse meat will ever become commonplace in the US
But who knows? it's not a far cry from what we eat already.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Erin, it's only been in the last 50-60 years that horse meat has become _uncommon_ as a food source in the U.S. 

Prior to the 1950s, horse meat was used quite regularly as a meat product for both humans and in pet foods.


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## MuleWrangler (Dec 15, 2009)

inaclick said:


> I would not eat it now, however according to my dad we (romanians) all ate tons of it in the past.
> 
> Apparently in the 70-80's it wasnt a delicacy at all, it was a cheap substitute for cow / pork inserted in various salami recipes in here.
> 
> ...


Nutria! I ate a lot of that in south Louisiana. Nothing wrong with it--it makes a great sausage filler and they can it and export it to France and other countries. Several friends trapped them every year and I got used to sitting around the wood stove with drying skins stretched inside out around it. 

I would try horse meat if I had the chance, but I'm not going to seek it out. I'm certainly not against eating it.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

MuleWrangler said:


> Nutria! I ate a lot of that in south Louisiana. Nothing wrong with it--it makes a great sausage filler and they can it and export it to France and other countries. Several friends trapped them every year and I got used to sitting around the wood stove with drying skins stretched inside out around it.
> 
> I would try horse meat if I had the chance, but I'm not going to seek it out. I'm certainly not against eating it.


.....oooh Lord, my father wasn't joking then!:shock:


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## erinxallxover (Jun 21, 2010)

Speedracer-
What I meant to say was that I doubt that it will become commonplace in the _future_.


I just think that people have an easier time stomaching beef (etc) than horse meat, for whatever reason.

But then again, I could be wrong.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

erinxallxover said:


> I just think that people have an easier time stomaching beef (etc) than horse meat, for whatever reason.


It's perception, nothing else.

We don't raise them as meat animals here, and except for certain religious sects, they're not used as work animals any longer, either.

Horses have become nothing more than luxury item pets to the American public, and we don't eat our pets.

If for some reason we lost our internal combustion engines and all our technology, horses would soon go back to being beasts of burden and meat animals.


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## erinxallxover (Jun 21, 2010)

^^ I agree.


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

No. This topic has come up in our French class. He would talk about how in France they would eat horse and I would get offended. So now all the guys that were in that class are always like, "Oh hey, I had some horse last night, it was really tasty." or something like that. I had one guy come up to me and go, "I'm hungry for horse tongiht maybe I'll come by later and shoot your horse and have some fresh meat." Honestly, our French teacher let me go early cause he knew I was ready to do some serious damage to that guys...area.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Rough, if you don't tell people where you keep your goat, they can't get it. :wink:

The next time these boys say something like that, just ignore them. If you don't give them the reaction they're looking for, they'll soon tire of the game.

Boys tend to be cretins, especially teenage boys. They get better as they get older, but not by much. If you don't learn to let things like that fall by the wayside, you're going to continue to be a target.


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> Rough, if you don't tell people where you keep your goat, they can't get it. :wink:
> 
> The next time these boys say something like that, just ignore them. If you don't give them the reaction they're looking for, they'll soon tire of the game.
> 
> Boys tend to be cretins, especially teenage boys. They get better as they get older, but not by much. If you don't learn to let things like that fall by the wayside, you're going to continue to be a target.


I try to ignore them...I usually do. But seriously, its like our whole grade that's doing it. And me just ignoring them doesn't do anything. =/


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## Hali (Jun 17, 2009)

No, I view horses as pets. I couldn't eat horse, just as I couldn't eat dog, or cat.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have and would again if the need arose. Though so long as nice lean beef is still available, you won't see horse meat on my plate. When I did eat it, it wasn't the idea that I was eating horse, I just didn't much care for the flavor of it. Though I have absolutely no problem with people who do like to eat it and I honestly think it should be legalized here so that there is an out for all the unwanted horses of the country, however, this was not started as a debate over horse slaughter so I'll drop it there.


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## Sunny (Mar 26, 2010)

I was a vegetarian for 3 years, a vegan for 2. I'm not the PETA freak I once was, but I still couldn't eat horse. I still have veg relapses where I won't eat meat, so i'm pretty sure that Sunny will never be on my plate. In the stable, off our table. XD Like others have said, i'm not against slaughter for others to consume, I just won't be doing the consuming myself.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## westerncowgurl (Jul 14, 2010)

i dont think i could ever eat horse meat i saw a video on how there treated and killed, i know all places treat them differently but i dont think i could ever eat it after watching that.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

When I was traveling Europe, and I can't remember sure which country I was in, I think it was France... I ordered a burger and fries. The fries came with gravy on them (yummy) and the burger came as a cooked patty with an egg on top. I did eat some of the meat, but it didn't taste like beef. I asked the waitress what it was and she told me. Horse. My family got a good laugh. I did not finish the burger....


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## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

You know, I have always been intrigued about what other types of meat have tasted like. Obviously we eat cow, pig and chicken, but I've always wondered what horse meat tasted like. I think rabbit, mutton etc is available here, but generally Canadians don't eat horse meat. I think I would try some if I got the chance (hello grade 12 Europe trip!).

...For that matter, what would dog, or cat taste like? In China don't they eat dog? I'm genuinely curious as to what it would taste like.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

ilyTango said:


> ...For that matter, what would dog, or cat taste like? In China don't they eat dog? I'm genuinely curious as to what it would taste like.


I worked few months for a huge Chinese corporation and I befriended one of the secretaries.

We did our best to squeeze this answer out of her lol. She reluctantly admitted that she "ate ..dog..once ..long time ago". They all seemed to avoid this subject. Perhaps if we would have been more composed when asking the question and not going green-faced, they would answer less cautiously. 

Anyways. So she said a dog is good..before 3 years old and that it has to be eaten very hot. I have no idea if by hot she ment spicy or hot as in high temperature.

...right now I'll looking at my boy and realize his backlegs would make an awesome steak for some...

Oh lord, I couldn't do it. Never. I'd rather chew my own leg lol 

Here's my possible dinner for tomorrow if he keeps scratching that rash of his:

If you wonder why he's blue, it's part of the treatment


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

I would eat if I was in a country where horses are slaughtered humanely & not fed dangerous drugs... Is there such a place? lol


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## kmacdougall (Feb 12, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> Well, I don't think my palate has been 'deprived' of things like vegemite or poutine. They both appear inedible to me, but I'm sure there are some American foods that others find unappetizing as well!


SR, are you trying to say you never had poutine? Get on a plane asap. I'll meet you at the airport. You need to have it!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

kmacdougall said:


> SR, are you trying to say you never had poutine? Get on a plane asap. I'll meet you at the airport. You need to have it!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


What is poutine? I googled it and this came up lol
*Poutine is Acadian slang for mushy mess and is best described as a heart attack in a bowl.*

Vegemite all the way !! I made my partner try it and he was dry reaching ****. 


So most people are not against the consumption of horse they just wont eat it them selves.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I would never. I'm not against horse slaughter, it stops some horses from suffering and their bodies go to use, but I could never eat it myself. It just feels so wrong. I'll eat deer, pig, chicken, cow, but I'll never eat horse meat.


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## TinRoses (Jul 11, 2010)

You want the truth on Equine slaughter for human consumption? My best friend right now is leading the fight against that in WA.

It has NOTHING to do with "oh my god don't hurt the pretty ponies!"

Here's an article her husband wrote on it:

"
*The Dangers of Horse Meat*

2 days ago at 2:53pm
I know I know. Red flags and you're all thinking it's going to be a long winded post about how we shouldn't eat the pretty ponies, right? Wrong. While I am an "equine activist" I'm not going to go off about how horrible it is to commit crimes against such beautiful animals. In the long term... It's irrelevant. How beautiful an animal is holds no moral merit against the butchering of them. Sad, but true. If so? We shouldn't be butchering any animal. 

However... The merit I bring to this debate isn't even surrounding the barbaric and inhumane slaughter of barely unconscious animals that it takes up to 10 minutes to knock unconscious before exsanguination. Nope. Not going to go into that stomach curling scenario either.

What I am going to go into is how down right deadly poisonous horses are when served on your table. Not that many Australians have ever considered obtaining horse meat for their next sandwich, but I figured I'd levy the facts all the same.

With all the recent controversy regarding horse slaughter for human consumption here in Australia I was actually quite alarmed to have the topic of Vince Gareffa, owner of Mondi Di Carne (or Mondo Meats), and an alleged poisoning of clients brought up over dinner. This also lead to the discussing of horses being slaughtered for human consumption here in Australia... A battle I dealt with as a local politician when I lived back state side and ultimately the battle I fought, along side millions of supporters, ended the barbaric slaughter of horses for this purpose across the USA.

My wife and I are equestrians and foodies both and would never even consider eating a horse. However... We are increasingly growing more interested in this story considering the consumption of horse meat in Belgium and the Netherlands has come to a screeching halt after numerous deaths have arisen and the key denomination happens to be surrounding the fact American horses being slaughtered in Canada and Mexico are laced with drugs such as "Bute" (Phenylbutazone; a common anti inflammatory and pain killer used in 98% of race horses and 95% of recreation horses/performance horses world wide including Australia) and several other drugs. What's also caught our attention is the fact that horses are drenched or wormed with anti-parasitic agents that are also not safe for use in animals intended for human consumption. Without the anti-parasitic worming agents, such as Ivermectin and Panacur, horses possess worm counts of a rate of 1:100,000. That means for every one parasite or worm a human host may carry inside them, a horse carries 100,000. All in all the humans consuming the processed horses are being subjected to cancer causing toxins that can destroy our hearts, digestive, reproductive, and circulatory systems if ingested AND subjected to parasites that can wreak havoc in our digestive tract while moving to other parts of our body via our blood stream. No joke. It's an exact science.

The inhumane slaughter methods aside, this is enough to make my stomach curl up and shrivel into a ball.

Why Vince Gareffa, the man behind legalizing the sale and consumption of horse meat in WA would knowingly put us at risk in order to make a buck serving Cheval TarTar is a bit... Scary. Having now heard of the supposed poisoning of several SA residents it would make a bit more sense... Considering it would mean his culinary habits, like his personality, are down right vulgar.

But the point still remains that the Australian public is in the same danger that the European public faces and why the Canadian and Mexican slaughter houses now fall under a direct law that went into effect earlier this month that prohibits the slaughter of horses with unknown medical histories for a minimum of six months and that all horses that are injured/ill must still be medicated and horses must still be properly wormed/drenched with anti-parasitic agents. It's a lose/lose for the slaughter industry as a whole simply because there are no known medications that treat the ills of horses that are approved for use in animals intended for human consumption. By 2013 a new law will be in effect stating that animals intended for slaughter must have their full medical history presented from birth to time of slaughter in one fully documented record.

An impossibility.

The drugs will still remain the same and horses cross hands many times in their lives and no complete record is ever kept. At the same time the cost effectiveness of farming horses for the sole purpose of human consumption, a practice which is not yet institutionalized, is about as effective as you or I attempting to purchase a brand new luxury car each and every month. Figure $1,000+ a month to properly maintain one animal. To farm them for profit would be like farming cows for profit at an average of 20 breeding animals per farm at any time. You do the math. With that said owning, breeding, raising, and maintaining a SINGLE horse correctly is not meant to be a poor man's hobby and with the droughts that this country is subject to, it's a wonder that most regular horse breeding farms stay afloat -- let alone farms intending to butcher the animals. Vet and feed bills alone will run you into the ground.

Which is why, my friends, Canadian horse farmers chose to sell off their stock rather then continue their breeding operations when the Premarin (pregnant mare urine) market plummeted after reports found the hormone replacement derivative to contain cancer causing agents that increased the chances of breast cancer in women as much as 66%. Now bear in mind that the slaughter industry includes heavily pregnant mares in their rendering process. They don't turn them away. They simply... Well I won't get into what they do. A few of you may actually be enjoying the latest sampling of your terrific dinners and wines.

However I can assure you everything I've written is honest fact that can be backed up by a call down to your local large animal or equine veterinarian. For a comprehensive list of medications commonly used in horses that can be found in samples of rendered horse meat, feel free to ask. I have all the literature sitting right in front of me.

So the next time you feel like poisoning your families, perhaps in a desperate bid to excelerate the death of your lazy husband, consider giving Vince Gareffa a call. Talk is he'd know all about it, including supplying you the horse meat to begin the process with."


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## TinRoses (Jul 11, 2010)

or here's another piece with material borrowed from the above:

"and another piece:

"There's a huge difference between horses, sheep, and deer. Deer and sheep are both domesticated and farmed for commercial use of their particular yield (mean, dairy products etc). There's also the hunting process which I'm absolutely against due to the fact it is not only inhumane but unnecessary. 

The way horses are slaughter is absolutely barbaric. Horses aren't restrained when they use a captive bolt gun to their heads. It often takes multiple hits to fell them and horses struggle violently in the box to regain their footing. The captive bolt was initially designed to fell cattle, which are restrained. A cow's brain is much for forward sitting in the skull and that's why the captive bolt is an effective method for them. A horse's brain sits much further back under the ears practically and is much harder to reach unless the technique used is correct (shooting at a downward angle along the neck) most horses stand much taller then slaughter plant processors and as such they use a cruel method of hitting the animal multiple times, including in the neck, shoulder, and back, to get them to go down in the box so they can reach their heads better.

They then only render the animal unconscious, not dead, and string them up to cut their throats and bleed them out. They die because of exsanguination. Not because they're shot in the head.

Keep in mind even heavily pregnant mares are slaughtered and animals sick with infections and disease. That is all transfered, unclean, onto your plate.

The next point, and biggest point against slaughtering horses for human consumption is the fact that horses are treated with a broad spectrum of drugs and medications that are DEADLY to people with consumed. 98% of race horses and 95% of performance/recreational use horses alone are treated with a human toxic anti-inflammatory and pain management drug known as "bute" aka Phenylbutazone. They're also treated with wormers, or anti-parasitic agents, that are also harmful to humans such as ivermectin, panacur, pyrantel, etc etc. If NOT treated, or not treated properly, for worms a horse's worm count can exceed 1:100,000. Meaning for every one worm or internal parasite a human host carries, a horse carries 100,000. Those parasites can leave the intestinal tract and wreak havoc on our bodies. Watch "Monsters Inside Me" on Animal Planet for a more complete view on what can happen.

So really it has nothing to do with "ZOMG DON'T KILL THE PRETTY PONIES! UR SO MEAN!" but has everything to do with "If you eat them, you're going to die much sooner then if you didn't from a host of illnesses from poisoning to cancer". All in all the humans consuming the processed horses are being subjected to cancer causing toxins that can destroy our hearts, digestive, reproductive, and circulatory systems if ingested AND subjected to parasites that can wreak havoc in our digestive tract while moving to other parts of our body via our blood stream. No joke. It's an exact science.

why the Canadian and Mexican slaughter houses now fall under a direct law that went into effect earlier this month that prohibits the slaughter of horses with unknown medical histories for a minimum of six months and that all horses that are injured/ill must still be medicated and horses must still be properly wormed/drenched with anti-parasitic agents. It's a lose/lose for the slaughter industry as a whole simply because there are no known medications that treat the ills of horses that are approved for use in animals intended for human consumption. By 2013 a new law will be in effect stating that animals intended for slaughter must have their full medical history presented from birth to time of slaughter in one fully documented record.

An impossibility.

Why? Because there are NO DRUGS on the market that treat the ills of horses that are approved for use in animals intended for slaughter.

So... Unsafe meat + Inhumane slaughter practices = Ban against horses for the purpose of human consumption and thus the major difference between lamb and venison."


You guys make the call


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## TinRoses (Jul 11, 2010)

Shalani said:


> What is poutine? I googled it and this came up lol
> *Poutine is Acadian slang for mushy mess and is best described as a heart attack in a bowl.*
> 
> Vegemite all the way !! I made my partner try it and he was dry reaching ****.
> ...


oh my God poutine is INCREDIBLE!

french fries with mozerella cheese curds melted and smothered in brown gravy. Canadian heart attack in a bowl for sure. My husband has me HOOKED on that mess!


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

TinRoses said:


> oh my God poutine is INCREDIBLE!
> 
> french fries with mozerella cheese curds melted and smothered in brown gravy. Canadian heart attack in a bowl for sure. My husband has me HOOKED on that mess!



OMG! Get ur unhealthy on lol Not sure if I could stomach that .


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## TinRoses (Jul 11, 2010)

Shalani said:


> OMG! Get ur unhealthy on lol Not sure if I could stomach that .


Oh you could. I thought the same when his cousin first asked me about it (I thought it was a sick joke with a name like that) and then she described what it was? I was like "eff that" and then they MADE me try it. Like "come on T, you only live once! Please!!!! It's Canadian!!!" and so I did. Just because it was a Canadian thing and I was in Canada and harmed no one (especially a horse) so why not.

I will say it's delicious, but you WILL need to be on a diet for 5 weeks after consuming one bowl of it. It's FATTENING!


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## Sissimut-icehestar (Jan 20, 2008)

I have eaten horses quite a few times before and I will again. Here in Iceland, every horse must be microchipped and when it goes to the vet the drugs it gets are registered on his number in our registry, World Fengur. There it says that the horse is unfit for slaughter until a certain date. And the slaughter houses must read the microchip before slaughtering. So I'm not too worried about that.
There is also a meat inspection man that must examine the meat and so forth and so on.
As someone who works in the food processing industry, albeit in a fish processing plant, I must say that people have so many misconceptions. Everyone does their best to produce the best product we can and unfit food isn't sent to the consumers.


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

Off topic, but Vegemite is disgusting. I know, I'm a traitor to my own country


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

Gidji said:


> Off topic, but Vegemite is disgusting. I know, I'm a traitor to my own country


BOOOO!!!! jk lol
I love it ! 
My ex used it on everything ..... even marinated meat with it.


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## springinmeadow (Jul 1, 2010)

god no but I do believe in HUMANE slaughter, which is at this time is outlawed in the U.S.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

Sissimut-icehestar said:


> I have eaten horses quite a few times before and I will again. Here in Iceland, every horse must be microchipped and when it goes to the vet the drugs it gets are registered on his number in our registry, World Fengur. There it says that the horse is unfit for slaughter until a certain date. And the slaughter houses must read the microchip before slaughtering. So I'm not too worried about that.
> There is also a meat inspection man that must examine the meat and so forth and so on.
> As someone who works in the food processing industry, albeit in a fish processing plant, I must say that people have so many misconceptions. Everyone does their best to produce the best product we can and unfit food isn't sent to the consumers.


Iceland is a place where I would eat horse. But TinRoses is right about horse slaughter in North America - it's not humane for horses _or_ safe for people.


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## TinRoses (Jul 11, 2010)

It's the same in Europe. The EU has HALTED the use of horse meat on shelves because of the same reason. Yet Canada continues to process close to 500 horses a day in some plants. There is a law now in effect, but so far it's being brushed off. I honestly believe that Cananda has become much like Japan in so faras they're too stubborn and fearful that stopping their slaughter of horses (and HORRIBLE 220,000 quota seal hunt even though there's no customer for the product since the EU placed a ban on it) would be showing a sign of weakness to other countries -- when in reality they're cursed and laughed at for their arrogance.

I really don't think that Australia wants to be viewed in the same light.

Also, after a bit of reading, did you all know that the Pope forbids his missionaries to eat horse meat?


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

I would try it. the horse is already dead, the meat is just going to get wasted or eaten by someone else. my friend said it tasted kinda sour...... lol


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## juniormylove (Aug 28, 2008)

Would I go looking for a place selling horse meat? No. Would I eat it, if given the chance? Yeah, probably.


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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

I would if it was my only mean of surviving but I wouldn't eat it if it was my own horse or if knew it had been killed in pain


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## yukontanya (Apr 11, 2010)

AztecBaby said:


> I would but only if I knew the animals had been intentionally raised for slaughter. Not crippled auction horses.


I would... and like stated here, and with all meat I eat, I only eat organic, free grazed meat. Not only are there no chemicals in it but the animals live a healthy life. All and any animals should be treated with respect weather pet or meat.


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## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

No. There's already enough meat that's not horse meat around. I also don't approve of horse slaughter.


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## CharliGirl (Nov 16, 2009)

I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat any meat. Horse or otherwise.


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## springinmeadow (Jul 1, 2010)

erinxallxover said:


> Well, no, seeing as I'm a vegetarian. xD And as others have mentioned, I wouldn't be so opposed to horse slaughter if it were HUMANE. But it's not..
> 
> I doubt the consumption of horse meat will ever become commonplace in the US
> But who knows? it's not a far cry from what we eat already.


I find eating any type of flesh reason to puke, but thats me. Grew up on a farm I wish horse slaughter could be legal here but not until its humane. However, the starving horses we have here in this state and the unheard of burden on rescues is in its own way inhumane.


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

No, I do not think I would eat Horse Meat, I do not even like Deer Meat.

Cows, Chickens and Fish are fine :lol:




.


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

While I do eat meat, and quite a variety (venison, moose meat , beef to name a few) I have never been even curious to taste horse meat.

My MIL however has eaten horse meat many times (she's originally from Germany) and often comments to me when looking at my two horses "what good eating" they would be! :shock:


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

On the bute debate, if horses were raised intentionally for slaughter the bute factor wouldn't be there. The problem of bute arises from horses who are bought from auction, so if we could eliminate meat from there, then the drug factor would be brought down.


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## springinmeadow (Jul 1, 2010)

The horse meat people eat now must be contaminated are people getting sick? Another thing I do not understand is how can a skinny little horse be slaughtered for meat?


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

springinmeadow said:


> The horse meat people eat now must be contaminated are people getting sick? Another thing I do not understand is how can a skinny little horse be slaughtered for meat?


they have to wait a curtain amount of days to be slaughtered, and pass a regulation check. theres a surprizing amount of meat o skiny bones me thinks, but im not sure.


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## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

No different than eating a cow or pig, both have equal intelligence to a horsem so why not if your not vegetarian...


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## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

I personally wouldn't because I'm just not that type of person who tries new things that are unheard of where I grow up. And I don't think its technically "wrong" because cows, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and pigs are all commonly eaten as meat. It's just the food chain that they're all stuck in, and it's a natural part of life. I would, however, think it is very wrong if the animals were mistreated and/or abused in any way before being killed. Anyone else agree with me on this?


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I've ate it before. 


When I went to Germany I ate something called Sauerbraten and was informed it had horse meat in it.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I'd probably try it just out of curiosity, but I don't think I could make it a common practice.


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## smarie (Jun 18, 2010)

I would... my grandfather ate it when he was stationed in Europe and he said it wasn't bad. I'll try most anything though... it's just how I grew up. I had to try whatever was on my plate before I could decide if I would eat it or not.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

I wouldn't eat a horse any sooner than I'd eat a cat or dog.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

I'm Canadian, but it's starting to bug me how the rest of the world thinks we're some kind of angels. I've heard that in Japan Canadian horse meat is considered better... If only they knew.


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## Crimsonhorse01 (Sep 8, 2009)

Yes!
Cooked right I couldn't say no to any nice juicy bit of meat!


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Definitely. Meat is meat, end of story. And yes, I would also try cat, dog, hamster or any other type of animal you'd like to cook up. I don't discriminate. :lol:

I've eaten beef, pork, chicken, turkey, deer, elk, bison, caribou, goat, lamb, goose, duck, shrimp, crab, lobster, squid, fish, snails and alligator. Probably some more in there, but that's all I can remember right now!

My grandpa grew up on a mink farm, so they used to collect all the old horses to shoot and use as food in the neighbourhood. Him and his brothers cut a nice horse steak off one day to try it and his mother almost bashed his head in with the frying pan - apparently, frying up horse in her frying pan was "filthy" but this was the same woman who went bananas for chicken brains (she'd boil the skull and crack 'em open like eggs!)

He said it has a very sweet taste (same as mare milk) and he wasn't crazy about it at all.

And as a note, for the argument about chemicals, that's a null and void argument to pretty much everyone. Between the chemicals and steroids being fed to our food, and the pesticides and chemical alteration of our vegetable based foods, you're already screwed unless you've managed to find pure homegrown organic. Cancer is already rampant, I'm pretty darn sure eating a meal of horse isn't going to endanger you anymore then your daily serving of beef fed beef. There are rules and regulations for how long you must wait after administering certain drugs - and for anyone clueless about farm life, animals raised as FOOD also get drugs pumped into them. They're often treated for ailments and just as likely to have been treated with something we shouldn't be eating - HENCE, why you wait until the drugs are removed from the system.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

Just pure curiosity:
alligator tastes like fish ? or meat?


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## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

I would not actively seek out horse meat,but given the opportunity, I would try it. I am willing to try just about anything just once. I have had rabbit before, it was okay. Kind of stringy. It was farm raised though, not wild caught. I've been told that that can make a difference.Given the chance I would most likely try cat, dog, rat, or some other critter. I've eaten various bugs, lamb, and deer too. It's not necessarily something I would eat on a regular basis,but once in a while probably wouldn't kill me.
I hear of people catching turtles and snakes to eat too. Anyone had squirrel before? I have been curious about it for awhile, but don't have the guts to take that dive yet.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> Definitely. Meat is meat, end of story. And yes, I would also try cat, dog, hamster or any other type of animal you'd like to cook up. I don't discriminate. :lol:
> 
> I've eaten beef, pork, chicken, turkey, deer, elk, bison, caribou, goat, lamb, goose, duck, shrimp, crab, lobster, squid, fish, snails and alligator. Probably some more in there, but that's all I can remember right now!



That would make you pretty unusual in the animal kingdom.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

inaclick said:


> Just pure curiosity:
> alligator tastes like fish ? or meat?


It was fried up as a stir fry type entree, and I would definitely say it tastes more like seafood then your average mammal. It was very rich with a slightly fishy taste, delicious as it was cooked but I couldn't imagine trying to eat an alligator steak. Definitely didn't taste like chicken! :lol: I think with alligator being a carnivore, the meat tastes way different then what we're used to eating as we consume almost strictly herbivores. I haven't eaten any actual carnivores outside of it (such as bear or dog), but I hear it has a MUCH different taste which makes sense - it's almost impossible for me to classify what it tastes like because it was so different from anything I'd ever eaten.

ponyboy - I'm pretty unusual period, so that doesn't surprise me.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I am a vegetarian, so the simple answer is no.

I'm not against the consumption of horses, but I couldn't personally do it. For the same reason I wouldn't eat dog or cat. They are pets to me, family. I just couldn't. But I'm not about to tell anyone not to. My boyfriend has had dog and said it tasted fine. But I told him that while we're in Korea [in a few weeks!], I don't want to know if that's what he's getting. And I told him if he ever does have horse meat, to not tell me. It would take me awhile to want to kiss him again.  Haha.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

^

Being a vegetarian is probably very wise in some foreign countries. :lol: My mom got back from Egypt and discovered what she thought was chicken was actually pigeon. For some reason that grossed her out.


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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

No matter how we think of it...horses ae livestock, not pets. 

I see the need for horse slaughter, but not the inhumane acts of slaughtering horses. In my spiritual opinoin, I would eat horse meat because it is a waste to kill an animal for no purpose. Just like native americans would kill only the animals they needed and used the whole animal (the hide, the bone, the meat). The settlers came and just killed as they wanted meat, while they left the unedible parts to rot on the plains. They almost wiped out the american bison. The way they hunted was inhumane in my eyes.
Because I support the idea of horse slaughter (not the inhumanity that is present in todays slaughter acts), I feel it is okay to eat horse meat, and if given the chance, I probably would.

On the other hand, if I had known the horse in any way before I was to consume it, I wouldn't be able to do it. I would gag until my stomach was in my throat


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> ^
> 
> Being a vegetarian is probably very wise in some foreign countries. :lol: My mom got back from Egypt and discovered what she thought was chicken was actually pigeon. For some reason that grossed her out.


I ate pigeon and sparrow when I was around 7 
My grandma is an avid carnivore.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

^

That's awesome! Did it taste any different then chicken? I imagine the meat being tougher since they're in flight all the time as opposed to chickens?

I don't think there's much that could bother me, except I DO shy a little at the idea of eating bugs - I think I may have a difficult time sucking down worms or fried locusts or something!


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

Um, actually, it tasted just like chicken.
The sparrow, there wasn't much to figure out about it. It was some old semi-pagan tradition about feeding kids a sparrow on Saint John's day, so that they'd be fast and bold like a sparrow all year long. Thanks god it's gone - the tradition, not my grandma - 
The pigeon tastes just like chicken as well and the meat is not tough at all.

Edit: among many types of venison, I also ate this thing:









No clue whats the name in english.
Anyone ever ate ....bear?! I heard they consume it in many countries including in ...mine!


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## Crimsonhorse01 (Sep 8, 2009)

My father in law has eaten bear many a time. Says if you cut it against the grain it will crawl across the pan!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

^^Thats a little bit creepy LOL.


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## King (Jun 25, 2010)

I'm a vegetarian anyway, so my answer is no.
Horse slaughter is horrific though.
I wish they'd bring in equine slaughter houses in the UK so that these once loved animals would not be tranported for days (many dieing en route) to meet their cruel destiny.
In my opinion an animal is an animal.
A cow, dog, horse, pig do not feel different emotions. I think it is wrong for a meat eater to say that they'd eat a cow, but not eat a horse/dog etc. because they have one for a pet.
I find it so frustrating that people think less of an animal because of it's destiny. I knew one person that saved a pig from slaughter, and it lived with her dogs on her livery yard. It acted like a dog! Loved cuddles and playing and it even interacted with the dogs. He was so sweet.
A horse bred for meat and a horse bred for pet purposes are no different. They both have the right to life, and the right to be loved.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

Actually, one of my secret cuckoo plans is to raise a pig as a pet someday.
They are ranked 3 on animal intelligence scale, surpassing the dog.
I'd be very curious to see what our oinky buddies have to show us 

Also I was shocked to find out they would live around 15 years if not slaughtered.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Ina, pigs are indeed very intelligent. 

Best get a potbellied one though, because regular domestic pigs tend to get belligerent and aggressive as they get older.

They're raised for their tasty, tasty meat, not their temperaments!


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

King said:


> I think it is wrong for a meat eater to say that they'd eat a cow, but not eat a horse/dog etc. because they have one for a pet.


That means you have to put starfish (which don't have brains) on the same level as, say, dolphins. That's an insult to the dolphins' intelligence IMO. Different species exist for a reason. Each animal has its own unique nature - I don't understand the belief that they should all be treated the same. I think it's OK to eat some animals but not others and I stand by that belief.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

King said:


> I find it so frustrating that people think less of an animal because of it's destiny. I knew one person that saved a pig from slaughter, and it lived with her dogs on her livery yard. It acted like a dog! Loved cuddles and playing and it even interacted with the dogs. He was so sweet.


I fully agree with this! I don't care if you're a vegetarian or an omnivore, it's the height of hypocricy to eat meat and say it's ok to eat one and not the other. A cow doesn't deserve to die anymore then a horse or a dog just because someone didn't love it at one point. It's insane how humans define things by their own personal emotional attachment. :-|

I think it's easier for me to think about eating all types of animals because our food WERE pets. Growing up, my grandpa raised a wide variety of animals and they were all friendly and you could play with them. I grew up understanding it was the circle of life - I fed my baby calf milk so he could get strong, I played with him and loved him, and then when he grew up he was humanly shot so he could feed us. Yeah it's sad, but that's life and it means I can make him all happy and cozy while he IS alive!

Not that I think I could eat my horse or anything, but when you learn that respect for animals from a young age, you understand better the logic behind an actual circle of life - not this disaster we call factory farming.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

ponyboy said:


> That means you have to put starfish (which don't have brains) on the same level as, say, dolphins. That's an insult to the dolphins' intelligence IMO. Different species exist for a reason. Each animal has its own unique nature - I don't understand the belief that they should all be treated the same. I think it's OK to eat some animals but not others and I stand by that belief.


That's like saying it's abuse to mistreat a horse but it's perfectly fine if it's a hamster because it doesn't have the brain capacity to understand. Every single creature has the capacity to understand pain. You are arguing intelligence and that is a bit silly - a cow is JUST as smart as a horse, but it's ok to eat one and not the other?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

^^Excellent post MM. I will never forget eating a steak one night and my Dad asking me how Sampson tasted LOL (he was my bottle calf). If it came right down to it and it was either eat my horse or my family would starve, you can bet I would go get the gun. It would be very hard and would likely make me sick but I would do what I have to do to ensure the survival of me and mine. Some may think that makes me a horrible person that I didn't spout butterflies and rainbows about how I would starve before I ate my horse but the fact of the matter is, regardless of emotional connections, horses (even my own) are prey animals and by that very definition, are meat waiting to be eaten. I am a predator, I eat prey.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

Oh boy, was I not traumatized by such episodes as a kid LOL
At least your folks made you understand the circle; my grandparents were obliviously negating it until the pet was in the soup pot.

*Story 1: The Dallas sheep family*
Grandma got some sheep and named them all by her favourite TV series, Dallas (yes, we saw that too and even made songs about it)
My cousin got to own Pamela, I got Sue Ellen and Donna (not speaking any english back then actually made this even more hillarious)
Although J.R. and Bobby ended up roast, as they were male, the sheep were supposed to live happily as dairy animals. However, Pamela developed some complications, could not process food and um...we got sent to play in the park, when we came back we found...lamb roast.
I still remember my poor cousin's cry: "YOU MURDERERS! You ate my Pamela!"
And actually except my grandma who muttered "what is all this nonsense, was i supposed to sit and watch the lamb die?" nobody could eat Pamela  It had been personalized by my cousin's grief. It wasnt lamb meat anymore, it was Pamela's leg. 

*Story 2: the pure white rabbit*

They were also raising rabbits and one day a pure white rabbit was born. I begged my grandpa to keep it for me and left to the other side of the country for 4 months.
I returned to find a...pure white fur winter hat :-( Kept just for me, yeh. I cried my heart out, lol.

Perhaps things would have gone a bit better if our grandpa's would not have displayed such morbid sense of humor sometimes lolz


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## HeySoulSister (Jul 22, 2010)

No, it's gross!


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## farley (May 23, 2010)

horse meat is soo healthy its very low is sodium and fat thats why its very popular when feed large cats the meat is very similar to wild game bu tits not tough so iv heard. I personaly cant wait to try it as long as the animal has been humanly slaughtered. i grew up off of our raised rabbits birds cows sheep and goats all while we had pet rabbits, pet birds, a pet calf that grew into a pet cow and we have always had our pet sheep and goats that help keep our propery cleared. so raising something to eat and having that same spiecies as a pet is jus natural, we where tough the difference between pets and agricultural stock. 

specialy with soo many horses why not send the 100,000 unwanted horses to slaughter, i would rather see those animals have a quick protected death and be recycled into somthing good like food for our big cats in sanctuaries and zoos, or to feed a family in a third world country that cant eat its cattle because of mad cow desiese, or to jus feed an everyday family then to watch that animal starve an be neglected.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> You are arguing intelligence and that is a bit silly - a cow is JUST as smart as a horse, but it's ok to eat one and not the other?


Do some reading. I never said it's wrong to eat horse or that we should pick which animals to eat based on intelligence. 

In my last post I was discussing attitudes towards animals in general.

And as for dogs and cats, we don't eat them because they're CARNIVORES. Eating fellow carnivores is a very bad idea - Look it up.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

ponyboy said:


> Do some reading. I never said it's wrong to eat horse or that we should pick which animals to eat based on intelligence.
> 
> In my last post I was discussing attitudes towards animals in general.
> 
> And as for dogs and cats, we don't eat them because they're CARNIVORES. Eating fellow carnivores is a very bad idea - Look it up.


How about you explain yourself better instead of expecting the rest of the world to understand that you're attempting to make two separate points in the same run-on paragraph? Your argument began about insulting a dolphin's intelligence by comparing it to a starfish and ended with "I believe it's not ok to eat certain animals." Why on earth would I have deduced you were insinuating it based on intelligence? :think:

No, we don't eat them because of our CULTURE. The only issue with eating carnivores is the issue with high metal levels - ergo, why we're told to limit our salmon (and other predator fish) intake which is technically a carnivore if you want to get all smart and stuff. Predator fish are FAR worse for us then your average bear due to the contamination of the waters. Land wildlife is much less exposed to it.

However, your argument becomes EXTRA ridiculous when you consider that, just like horses, the average dog or cat eaten in another country is probably eating dog/cat food or table scraps and ironically probably has LESS poison in it's flesh then the beef we pump full of steroids and all sorts of other fun chemicals that we defend in the name of production. Heck, any wildlife, regardless of being a carnivore or herbivore is probably better for you then the factory farmed animals we feed BACK to themselves.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> The only issue with eating carnivores is the issue with high metal levels - ergo, why we're told to limit our salmon (and other predator fish) intake which is technically a carnivore if you want to get all smart and stuff.


Hang on, hang on, what?
What's wrong with eating lots of salmon? :shock:
I eat lots of salmon, smoked, in the oven, grilled, with sauce, you name it. It's one of the few fishes that actually has some taste for me.

That's bad for your health? I'll have to google that!

Wouldn't be the first time I gulp down over the limits an aliment. I was eating eggs daily for months until I found out you're supposed to eat maximum 3 per week.


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## Siggav (Nov 21, 2008)

I've eaten horse and foal multiple times. I'm Icelandic and over there we eat horse, puffin, minke whale and meats like that.

However you don't eat horses that have been broke to ride, or old horses. Horses are raised often in massive herds that run semi-wild on huge mountain pastures. The horse breeders breed more than they need and then cull the unfortunate looking/moving ones before they start working on them.

Sometimes they'll also slaughter a young horse they'd just started work on if it is being really hard to tame or dangerous.

So I've most often eaten horse meat when I've gone to visit a horse farmer. I don't have issues with it, the horses lead pretty happy lives before they get killed. Much better than some pigs or chicken for example.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

inaclick said:


> Hang on, hang on, what?
> What's wrong with eating lots of salmon? :shock:
> I eat lots of salmon, smoked, in the oven, grilled, with sauce, you name it. It's one of the few fishes that actually has some taste for me.
> 
> ...


Wait, what's wrong with eggs? :lol: I thought eggs were the magic food and we should eat tons of them!

They have warning out on virtually all types of fish - but the big predator types like sharks are SUPER dangerous because they have such massive amounts of toxic metal in their system from eating the food smaller on the chain. Fish is excellent for you, but the farmed stuff is fed grain (which makes them sick and unhealthy and lacking in actual omega acids) and the wild stuff is chock full of toxic metal counts because of us polluting the waters so badly.

I believe both salmon and tuna (tuna is another big one, high on the predator list) have warnings about amount of consumption, especially in pregnant women and children.

EDIT - Sorry, I'm a tool, ignore me. It's not salmon, and you're also not Canadian so the rules can be COMPLETELY different for what you're eating out of your natural waters. The big alert is for shark and tuna types of fish, here's an example of the Canadian guidelines (which also outlines what ponyboy was so badly trying to argue about eating carnivores):

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/chem-chim/environ/mercur/cons-adv-etud-eng.php


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Siggav said:


> I've eaten horse and foal multiple times. I'm Icelandic and over there we eat horse, puffin, minke whale and meats like that.
> 
> However you don't eat horses that have been broke to ride, or old horses. Horses are raised often in massive herds that run semi-wild on huge mountain pastures. The horse breeders breed more than they need and then cull the unfortunate looking/moving ones before they start working on them.
> 
> ...


That is such an amazing example of the circle of life. My grandpa has Filipino friends and I'm always touched being around them because they have such reverence for animals and they use them ENTIRELY. Much like your people I imagine - it's not seen as taboo to eat them, it's just one of many purposes they serve and there's probably MORE respect for them as a fulfilling creature then anybody owning them solely as "pets" could understand. It's ok to dress them up in glitter slinkies but don't eat them! :lol:


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> Wait, what's wrong with eggs? :lol: I thought eggs were the magic food and we should eat tons of them!


I dunno, something about something in the yolk that forces your liver to work hard to process it and if you eat more than 3-4 / week you would risk messing up your liver.

To be honest I did blood tests in that time when I was eating eggs daily and nothing came up wrong.

But I do know 2 nutheads who made the a contest "who eats most boiled eggs" and ended up both in emergency room. The winner had gulped 34.

P.S. I think the salmon we buy is imported, we definitely have no salmon in Romania. I'll check to see where from it's imported.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

MacabreMikolaj, Admittedly you're right about how we feed cows. But you can get grain-fed ones. Another aspect is that dogs and cats would be hard to slaughter humanely because of their body shape (as pigs are). Cows and sheep are good because their necks are not too long or too short. Birds are even easier.



inaclick said:


> Hang on, hang on, what?
> That's bad for your health? I'll have to google that!


Salmon has the least heavy metals of all fish... but yeah it's still a concern.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Unless I am mistaken, it is mostly the mercury content in fish that people are cautioned about. Mercury is apparently a very dangerous metal (though I used to play with it as a kid when a thermometer would break O,O). As for eggs, shoot, my Grandad ate eggs and bacon every morning every day of his life and lived to be 86 before a stroke caused by a freak blood clot took his life.


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## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

Yep, Mercury is very dangerous. That is where the term "mad as a hatter" came from. Back in the day (way back...) when mercury was used in hat making, hatters were often going insane from prolonged exposure. 

But as long as you didn't drink the stuff, you are probably fine. 
I don't remember, but I heard somewhere that eating a lot of rabbit can cause problems. Anyone know anything about that??


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## Gillian (Aug 2, 2008)

Sure, I'd eat horse meat.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

grayshell38 said:


> but I heard somewhere that eating a lot of rabbit can cause problems. Anyone know anything about that??


Really what kind of problems? Though I hate rabbit anyway... Even tofu has more taste!


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

smrobs said:


> Unless I am mistaken, it is mostly the mercury content in fish that people are cautioned about. Mercury is apparently a very dangerous metal (though I used to play with it as a kid when a thermometer would break O,O). As for eggs, shoot, my Grandad ate eggs and bacon every morning every day of his life and lived to be 86 before a stroke caused by a freak blood clot took his life.


Actually, that's the concern in carnivores as well. It's the point that ponyboy was trying to make - we don't typically eat carnivores because they can be dangerous to us in large quantities due to the hierarchy of the food chain. Because tuna/shark rank amongst the only "carnivores" we eat (top of the ocean food chain), we only hear the warnings about them. But it's the exact same for species like bear because they're consuming all the animals consuming the mercury (herbivores have small amounts due to not eating a food source that eats mercury). ROFL, that seems so confusing!

I read on a website that coal plants alone emit 50 tonnes of mercury into the air alone every year - where it breaks up into numerous forms, causing such an enormous issues in fish and such. How disgusting is that? We are such a foul species - we'll poison ourselves long before the world ever implodes.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

...and suddenly horse meat sounds like a good option :shock:

I had no idea about mercury / metal issues. And rabbit? Very strange.

In here they are trying to promote ostrich meat and eggs for consumption, saying it's very healthy.

Does that..taste like turkey?


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## myhorsemylove101 (Jul 22, 2010)

omg i can not stand the thought of an animal getting breed to be killed and eaten like would you like it if you were born and when you were 18 you were killed and someone ate you.... i dont think so....... i just cant stand it.....


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

inaclick said:


> Hang on, hang on, what?
> What's wrong with eating lots of salmon? :shock:
> I eat lots of salmon, smoked, in the oven, grilled, with sauce, you name it. It's one of the few fishes that actually has some taste for me.
> 
> ...



I didn't know about the egg rule :shock:

Oh the cholesterol level !!!


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

myhorsemylove101 said:


> omg i can not stand the thought of an animal getting breed to be killed and eaten like would you like it if you were born and when you were 18 you were killed and someone ate you.... i dont think so....... i just cant stand it.....


No, and I guess that's why we're on top of the food chain.

What if vegetables also feel pain?
There actually are some studies about it. (I personally think those scientists are nutcases, but let's start from this scenario )

What if that potato actually screams and cringes while you mercilessly peel its skin off? And that poor orange, bleeding juice while you squash it in the Blender of Death?

Why is the lettuce guilty for my spring anemia? Poor being, it can't even run from me.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

Shalani said:


> I didn't know about the egg rule :shock:


Someone on this thread told me his grandpa lived 86 years old after eating bacon and eggs every day of his life.

Since that is my favorite breakfast too, I think I'll ditch that rule.


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

So many opinions !! thx people !


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

Yes, and we covered pretty much everything, from horse meat to fried buggs and alligator :lol:


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

& animal intelligence & the fact fruit and vege's may actually feel pain rofl

With every base covered I think we can close this topic


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## bubblechic11 (Jul 23, 2010)

I would never eat horse I dont care what condition its in. I find that morally wrong!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

inaclick said:


> In here they are trying to promote ostrich meat and eggs for consumption, saying it's very healthy.
> 
> Does that..taste like turkey?


No, it's actually closer to red meat than poultry.

Myhorsemylove, I certainly hope you're completely vegan if you feel that breeding animals to eat is wrong. Otherwise, you don't have an argument.


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## Seifur (Apr 24, 2010)

Nope, I would never eat a horse. I simply don't like the way they taste.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Seifur said:


> Nope, I would never eat a horse. I simply don't like the way they taste.


Indicating that you HAVE actually eaten them before? Sorry, I was just a bit confused by your statement!


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

I would try it. I hear it is incredibly rich meat... Why not give it a try?


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## Quedeme (Aug 6, 2008)

I would try it, but I don't think it'd be something I'd eat regularly.

I'm one of those people that is a culinary adventurer. I'd taste anything once (except the squishy, squirming bugs Andrew Zimmer chomps on lol)

I was personally very saddened when most if not all of America did away with the horse slaughters. They were run just like bovine slaughter houses and provided a last resort before starvation, abuse, and further neglect was a cause of death.


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## Seifur (Apr 24, 2010)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> Indicating that you HAVE actually eaten them before? Sorry, I was just a bit confused by your statement!


Ah yes, I had a bite or two a few years ago. I didn't like it so I will most likely never eat one again... Unless my mom forces me again :shock:


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

I don't eat any mammals. I don't really believe that humane slaughter exists, except possibly when done on a very small scale. Which is very rare. Commercial slaughterhouses are full of sadists, and the assembly line quotas mean that a lot of horrors take place. 
My husband does have the occasional steak when we go out to dinner, but I don't give him grief about it. Since he's no longer used to eating red meat very often, it almost always makes him sick later lol.


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

"I was personally very saddened when most if not all of America did away with the horse slaughters. They were run just like bovine slaughter houses and provided a last resort before starvation, abuse, and further neglect was a cause of death."

I strongly suggest doing a little research on how being "stunned" with a captive bolt gun in a slaughterhouse effects a horse. The guns are designed for cattle. Horses are built completely differently from cattle. "Humane horse slaughter" has always been a myth. But I'm sure a myth that helps a lot of people sleep at night.


​


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

artsyjenn said:


> Commercial slaughterhouses are full of sadists


And you know this *how*?

When was the last time you worked in a slaughter house? Never? Yeah, that's what I thought.

I find it interesting that you 'allow' your husband to eat meat, but condemn everyone else for doing it. Hypocrite much, dear?

Plus, captive bolt guns are used all the time by vets as a euthing tool for *horses* as well as cattle. 

In fact, the next horse I need put down, instead of using chemical euthing, I'm either going to have it done by captive bolt or bullet. Faster, cleaner, and the animal doesn't suffer the way they can during a chemical euthing.

_You're_ the one who needs to do some actual research, instead of spewing PETA, HSUS and animal rights propaganda BS.


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

I don't lecture people who choose to eat meat, though I would say something if it were horses or cats or dogs. I feel that those are companion animals, not meat. I don't "allow" my husband to eat meat, he does what he wants. If he wants to go to the store, buy steak, bring it home, and cook it, I'm not going to say a word.
I have done plenty of research on slaughter, read books, watched the videos, been to the killer horse auction etc. I don't think that former commercial slaughterhouse workers who report the horrors that they have seen are making up stories just for fun, nor do I think that people on hidden camera documentary video are just acting like sadists for the cameras. Taking life day after day, in a high pressure assembly line environment, is going to desensitize even a normal person eventually. What was once a horror isn't going to seem as awful if you see it day after day after day. That's just basic human nature.
If any vets around here are using captive bolt guns to put horses down they keep it a pretty good secret. I've seen horses euthed by vets, and it's been IV. Besides, a CAPTIVE bolt gun doesn't kill an animal, it just stuns them so that the heart still beats and they will bleed out easier when the throat is slit and the animal is hung upside down. 
I have never read any information (on either the pro or con side, yes I've researched both sides) that mentioned slaughterhouses using a penetrating bolt gun to actually kill the horse prior to bleeding it out. I am certainly open to reading reliable testimony about humane horse slaughter. I've looked, and had yet to be able to find any such thing. I'm always open to hearing both sides.


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

artsyjenn said:


> Commercial slaughterhouses are full of sadists, and the assembly line quotas mean that a lot of horrors take place.



And you have gathered this information how...?

No they are not. They are full of honest people trying to earn a living so that they can go home and feed their families. You assume that just because they work in a slaughter house that they are evil, vindictive, and sadist people that are crazy about murdering animals, right? 

There used be a slaughter house about twenty five minutes from my house, and I knew a lot of people that worked there. None of them were "sadists." Most of them were mothers and fathers who came upon hard times and had to find a job quick so their babies at home would not starve, and the slaughterhouse was usually hiring, so it was what they had to do. Not only that, I've visited a couple of other slaughter houses when they were still legal in the states just to see what was going on, and I never met one single person that came off as a sadist. 

Don't stereotype people just because you think you know what you are talking about or read some book probably written by an insane member of PETA telling you that slaughterhouses are full of murderers. Those videos you watched? They are probably biased as all get out, too. Don't believe everything you read or see in a video. Research is one thing, but actually going out and looking at it face to face is another.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

artsyjenn said:


> Besides, a CAPTIVE bolt gun doesn't kill an animal, it just stuns them so that the heart still beats and they will bleed out easier when the throat is slit and the animal is hung upside down.


Incorrect. Captive bolts do indeed kill the animal. The bolt destroys the brain, which is the control center for all the other organs and higher functions. Without brain activity, death occurs.

The reason for slitting the throat and hanging the body in a slaughter situation is to let the last few heart beats help drain the blood out of the animal. Blood soaked meat is inedible, which means draining is a necessary part of the slaughter process. In a euth situation, the animal has no reason to be drained of blood.

So by your argument a _regular_ bullet shouldn't actually kill an animal, since it effectively does the same thing as a bolt gun. I don't think anyone would argue that getting shot in the head with a bullet kills you.

Racetrack vets use captive bolts, from what I understand. I also know that vets in the U.K. use them as a euthanasia option. Many of them prefer the bolt or a regular gun, as opposed to chemical euthing. As I said, it's faster and cleaner.

You're not doing much actual research if all your arguments are based on propaganda videos. Many of them are not only edited to show something as being a regular occurrence when it fact it rarely happens, but some of them are also staged by the people filming the so-called 'expose'.


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

I didn't say that they were all sadists! But there is plenty of undercover video out there that shows absolutely horrific things taking place on kill floors in slaughterhouses. Plenty of testimony out there from former slaughterhouse workers about the deliberate atrocities they have seen committed on animals, and even admitted to participating themselves. Some of them say things like "I feel really bad about it now, but the pressure to keep things moving, and seeing so many animals killed, after awhile we'd kind of forget that they were living things with feelings..." I doubt that many of them at the time went home and told their friends and family "Hey, anyone wanna hear about how Bob and I scalded a pig alive today on purpose!?!?"
Do I believe that humane slaughter exists? Absolutely. Unfortunately most of the small scale "boutique" operations that can take the time to do it right are being forced out of business by the factory operations. Do I believe that it exists in most large scale commercial slaughterhouses? No. I'm sure that some animals do get a quick painless death at those places. Others perish horribly. Some with deliberate cruelty, but more often just the result of assembly line mistakes and oversights.
I am not a PETA nut. I don't support PETA, because although I think they do some good things to bring worthy causes to light, they discredit their good work with the looney tune stuff, and I think that Ingrid Newkirk is insane (really insane, not just "Oh she's crazy...).
I have no problem with animals being raised for food, treated humanely, and then humanely slaughtered. Right now those 3 things only seem to happen together in a very small, niche market.


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

I'm looking around on the internet right now, and just keep finding things that say that the object of the bolt gun in horse slaughterhouses is to stun the horse, not kill it. If you can direct me to some information that explains otherwise, I will happily read it. Like I said, I am happy to get as much information as I can, on both sides. I'm sure that a vet using a bolt gun in a controlled situation, where they can take their time and properly restrain the horse, would probably be a different scenario.
I'm not going to bother with anything that came from any type of pro animal site, because I can see that it will automatically be discounted as "propoganda".


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

artsyjenn said:


> I didn't say that they were all sadists! But there is plenty of undercover video out there that shows absolutely horrific things taking place on kill floors in slaughterhouses. Plenty of testimony out there from former slaughterhouse workers about the deliberate atrocities they have seen committed on animals, and even admitted to participating themselves. Some of them say things like "I feel really bad about it now, but the pressure to keep things moving, and seeing so many animals killed, after awhile we'd kind of forget that they were living things with feelings..." I doubt that many of them at the time went home and told their friends and family "Hey, anyone wanna hear about how Bob and I scalded a pig alive today on purpose!?!?"
> Do I believe that humane slaughter exists? Absolutely. Unfortunately most of the small scale "boutique" operations that can take the time to do it right are being forced out of business by the factory operations. Do I believe that it exists in most large scale commercial slaughterhouses? No. I'm sure that some animals do get a quick painless death at those places. Others perish horribly. Some with deliberate cruelty, but more often just the result of assembly line mistakes and oversights.
> I am not a PETA nut. I don't support PETA, because although I think they do some good things to bring worthy causes to light, they discredit their good work with the looney tune stuff, and I think that Ingrid Newkirk is insane (really insane, not just "Oh she's crazy...).
> I have no problem with animals being raised for food, treated humanely, and then humanely slaughtered. Right now those 3 things only seem to happen together in a very small, niche market.


I'm just wondering, do you not eat cereals, grains, bread, etc etc..... Harvested plant foods.

I am sure you do.....do you know how many free range animals die in combine machines to give you grains, etc.....??? Isn't that just as bad? I think a quick death for farmed meat is much more humane than the slow, agonizing death of non food animals such as squirrels, field mice, cute little bunnies being torn limb from limb in a combine and then just left to bleed to death in their agony in the field so that you can have wheat, oats, barley, corn....

If you are gonna go all "humane" on us, you might as well go the distance and not eat anything except what you humanely grow yourself in your own yard...otherwise you are just as guilty of killing of hundreds of lil creatures in a very inhumane way!


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## Quedeme (Aug 6, 2008)

Honestly, 'humane slaughter' is kind of an oxymoron.....Killing isn't nice...it's neccesary...You can't chemically put down an animal intended for human cunsumption, a real bullet is more than a little impractical than a bolt gun, and while there 'may' be 'some' sadists in the industry, the industry it's self isn't sadistic and those individuals who do show that they are otherwise 'inhumane' to the livestock being culled should be prosecuted. 

Not only that, but the bolt, even if fired incorrectly (which can happen, granted) the time it takes to kill the animal is NOTHING as inhumane as leaving the slaughterhouses closed and leaving the horses to starve to death or be shipped to Mexico where TRUE inhumane slaughter practices are happening. 

Or, what about the people who are so desperate to sell a horse and can't, so they just let it out at some park or on the side of the road (It HAS happened!!!) Know what happens then? Road kill...true sadists get a hold of them and do truly evil things...packs of dogs or other wild animals introduce themselves as part of the horse's food chain...and the horse will always be at the bottom of it.


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

Yes, eating bread that might have resulted in the death of a field mouse is exactly the same thing as eating a toxic horse steak from a horse that suffered the trauma of a kill auction, inhumane transport, a feed lot, and a terrifying death. Yep, same exact thing. @@
I was MORE than willing to rationally discuss the subject, and I'm always interested in seeing some credible information from the other side of my viewpoint. But now it's just getting stupid and pointless.
I guess now I have a little better understanding how so many people who dump horses at kill auctions (which I have been to and seen with my own eyes, not through "propoganda videos") do what they do and go home and sleep like babies that night. Learn something every day.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

^

Ok, fine, here's your information.

Field mouse my ***. The thresher alone is responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of animals being brutally torn to shreds every single year. And if you choose to ignore that, fine, ignore this - do you have an explanation for the hundreds of thousands of animals that die every year from starvation and disease because your monocrops are displacing their habitats faster then they can give birth? Or do you ignore that? You're probably against hunting as well, the necessary evil that presents itself when people like you choose to ignore the fact that our world can no longer support the expanding populations because WE keep driving this animals out of their natural habitats and completely DESTROYING the surrounding ecosystem. 

There is NO such thing as a "guilt free" meal. Animals suffer JUST as much for your meal as they do mine - except, I at least EAT the animal that endured suffering for my plate, unlike you who just scream and cry to save all the animals while contently dining on your blood splattered wheat and feeling smug about how no animals died for YOUR meal. Think again sister.

I have zero issue with vegetarians - I have a HUGE issue with self righteous idiots who seem to think there's such thing as eating without death. It's called a circle of life, and like it or not, NOTHING you eat isn't splattered with the blood of one animal or another. And they ALL died violently. Go watch a nature tape sometime.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Oh, and look farther then Wikipedia next time. If I have time to locate it, I will find the article that was printed in Horse & Rider about 2-3 years ago that touched on the slaughter debate between licensed veterinarians pro slaughter and anti-slaughter - both sides acknowledge a properly administered captive bolt gun is one of THE most humane ways to EUTHANIZE an animal.

Captive bolt gun - definition of Captive bolt gun in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
captive bolt pistol
a handheld weapon used for euthanasia of large animals. The muzzle is placed against the subject's forehead. When the trigger is pulled, or the firing pin struck a sharp blow, a 3 cm rod, 1 cm diameter exits sharply from the muzzle and pierces the skull and damages the brain. The rod does not leave the weapon and there is no possible risk of injuring a bystander.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118519281/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Anybody with a still INTACT brain should be able to deduce that when a bolt of metal SHATTERS your skull and DESTROYS part of the brain, even if you're not technically dead based on a still beating heart (which obviously takes longer to stop), you're not feeling anything.

Every article I have ever read on veterinarians against slaughter has ZERO to do with the captive bolt gun and it's effectiveness - it has to do with IMPROPER use of the captive bolt gun. Any veterinarian will tell you that when properly administered, it is THE most accurate and humane way to kill a large animal.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I just thought of something else. Most people who try to be vegetarian or "guilt free" don't even THINK about what they wear and use. I see so many vegans in their nice clean "natural cotton"....yeah, that was harvested by threshers too, people!!! And don't get me started on what the manufacture of Nylon and polyester does to the environment....why not google that????

Seems to me that farming beef then using it for food, clothing, and other materials is pretty innocent compared to what we do to obtain our so called "green" and "guilt free" products.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

The _only_ way to make sure anything we eat or wear is 'green' and 'guilt free' is to grow, breed, raise, harvest, slaughter, and make ourselves.

How many of us have the time, money, and resources to be able to do that? Very few, and even those who could wouldn't _want_ to. 

Small farms are not the bucolic, easy going, happy places some people seem to think they are. They're about birth and death, just on a much smaller scale than the factory farms.

They use the same machinery and methods as the bigger places.

I have no problem if someone wants to cut out meat from their lives. Just don't let it turn into a crusade, or set yourself up as somehow more caring and humane than the rest of us who _really_ understand how things work.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

We are omnivores with a conscience 

This leads to many dilemmas in our day by day life.
Whatever path you choose, try to accept and understand others as well.


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## selecthorsesale (Aug 5, 2010)

*Horse Slaughter Debate*

This is an incredibly controversial topic. I've been around horses all my life and can see the advantages of having horse slaughter legalized while at the same time feeling sad about selling a horse to slaughter.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Artsyjenn, lets ignore all the good points other like SR make. I just want to say, your side would be better served if you would not change your mind on every other post.




artsyjenn said:


> I don't really believe that humane slaughter exists


Versus



artsyjenn said:


> Do I believe that humane slaughter exists? Absolutely.​



​




artsyjenn said:


> Commercial slaughterhouses are full of sadists


Versus



artsyjenn said:


> I didn't say that they were all sadists!


Um...full does not mean all in your world?



From the same paragraph even:



artsyjenn said:


> I don't think that former commercial slaughterhouse workers who report the horrors that they have seen are making up stories just for fun


Versus



artsyjenn said:


> Taking life day after day, in a high pressure assembly line environment, is going to desensitize even a normal person eventually. What was once a horror isn't going to seem as awful if you see it day after day after day. That's just basic human nature.


So, do they think these things are horrors or do they use their basic human nature and they are desensitized to it? I am confused. 



Just to clarify something you obviously do not understand.



artsyjenn said:


> and they will bleed out easier when the throat is slit and the animal is hung upside down.




That thing is called gravity. Hence the reason the carcass is hung upside down. So gravity can do its thing. If the heart was still beating away in there (vs the muscle slowly stopping like happens even with lethal injection) they could leave the carcass on the floor to bleed out under its own pumping power. Hanging the body allows that wonderful thing called gravity drain the blood.





​


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

selecthorsesale said:


> This is an incredibly controversial topic. I've been around horses all my life and can see the advantages of having horse slaughter legalized while at the same time feeling sad about selling a horse to slaughter.


Anyone who feels sad about selling a horse to slaughter doesn't _have_ to.

There are other options for an unwanted animal if the thought of selling to slaughter is too horrific.


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