wherever the tradewinds take me

katiebour:

goddessofcheese:

fearthereaper:

theannoyingvoice:

If you have not heard yet, our President Barack Obama, signed a law the other day,legalizing the slaughter of horses for meat in the US.

This is wrong. 

So please sign the petition linked above. Save a horse from an awful death.

As someone who was raised in a very horse-oriented environment — nearly everyone in my family either lives off of them in some way or knows how to ride — I’m not much seeing the problem with this. Horse meat has been in food since as long as we can look back. I know that Mexico is one of the biggest producer of it in the world, if not the biggest. Europe has eaten it for a long time, and Japan too IIRC.

It’s not bad for you. It’s actually lower in fat than beef, and incredibly high in protein. The taste is YMMV from what I’ve heard though.

So, I’m… not seeing the big deal with this, I guess. As long as it’s done humanely and watched carefully, it’s no different than eating beef or chicken or whatever.

/shrug?

*********

/agree

We eat a lot of game here in the midwest- deer, elk, rabbit, quail, pheasant.  Add in the domestic animals like cows and chickens and sheep, and what is it to eat a horse?

Horses are exempt from the food chain because they’re cute?  Tell that to the cow:

If you’re vegan/vegetarian, then by all means, do your thing.  But if I can eat a cow, an elk, a deer, a buffalo, a quail, a goose, a chicken, duck, or pheasant, then I can eat a horse.

YMMV and obviously there are people who love their horses and can’t stomach the thought, and I understand that.  But that’s a personal preference, not some kind of moral dilemma.

There’s a long history of the consumption of horses:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_meat

Horses are pets and work animals for many, and while I don’t discount that role or the importance of it, I don’t think horsemeat should be illegal for those who choose to consume it, as long as the slaughter process follows the same guidelines as for cows.

Living in the midwest, surrounded by people who regularly eat meat from animals they hunt themselves or raise themselves for the sole purpose of eating has given me newfound respect for people who live this way.  Hunters here are passionate about protecting their hunting grounds, about keeping the ecology balanced and about conforming strictly to hunting seasons and standards.  They conserve because they value the animals and the pastime of hunting, and they consume what they kill and don’t waste it.  People around here hunt deer and donate venison to food banks for the poor.  They take the hide and have a local tanner make gloves or hats or jackets.  They live within nature, respecting the fact that all things kill to eat, whether plant or animal, and do their utmost to preserve their way of life and honor the animals they consume.

tl;dr horses are awesome and if I was hungry enough I’d eat one without thinking twice, same as a cow or a deer.

I read the arguments against allowing the slaughter of horses in the United States and the constant statement against it is one I see reiterated here. Save horses from an awful death. So I have to ask; is  that really what they think we’re doing by not sending horses to slaughter in the United States? I consider myself a horse person. I’ve been riding for over twenty years, owned and trained horses and even have a degree in equestrian studies. Despite all those things I think that horses should be slaughtered in the US.

One way or the other, horses are going to go to slaughter. If they aren’t killed here in the US then they’re sent to other countries to be processed. We can’t police the methods in those countries like we can here. In the US regulations can be put in place to make sure horses don’t suffer and that the process is as humane as that type of thing can be. Is it sad? Yes. Is it any sadder than sending any other type of animal to slaughter? No.

People seem to be flabbergasted when they learn my stance on this when I’m “such an avid horse person”. Why is it so surprising? I eat other types of meat. I’ve tried elk, deer, pheasant and many other types of wild game. I eat cows, sheep and chickens. Would I try horse meat? Yes. Horses are no different even though they can be used for riding, farming, on the police force, etc. (And I’ve seen people ride cows. Are we going to stop sending them to slaughter too?)

The hard truth is that there are so many unwanted and mistreated horses here that people either can’t or refuse to care for. They stand around in tiny pens with no food, water or shelter. Their hooves aren’t trimmed and the halters that were put on them as babies are never removed so as they grow the nylon cuts into their flesh and bone. I find it hard to believe that these horses wouldn’t be better off humanely killed for meat or other purposes.

There are always ideals that people wish for but let’s be honest with ourselves. Horses are going to go to slaughter one way or the other. Would we rather have the ability to make sure they are killed quickly and as humanely as possible?  Wouldn’t it be better if they were killed quickly rather than suffering in a field somewhere where they’re unloved and uncared for? I know I would.