The horse meat industry

[outcast]

I have eaten horse meat. When I was like 4 or 5. I didn't really care for it. My dad got it at a pet store. Gave him more $ for beer.

I have eaten dog meat. Very good. Long, long, time ago in a 3rd world country tho. I wouldn't eat a dog now unless I reeeeealllllllly need some nutrition.

I hate cats. I would never even think of eating a cat. They're just nasty. I mean no offence to cat lovers tho.

[bustedlifter]

I'm against stealing other people's property no matter what it is. And I think animals should be put down humanely, i.e. in the quickest most efficient way possible. However, this reminds me of a story I read about a young boy who goes up to an old cowboy and asks what the name of his horse is. The old cowboy says he doesn't have a name. The young boy looks puzzled and says ; He doesn't have a name? The cowboy says; No , he doesn't. You don't want to give a name to something you might have to eat!

[jbird]

I am against raiseing horses for killing to me that's wrong, a Cow is designed for using it has no other task

on earth but horses good Lord there smart and made to use not raise for meat.

My thoughts

Josh

[crissy]

I am against raiseing horses for killing to me that's wrong, a Cow is designed for using it has no other task

on earth but horses good Lord there smart and made to use not raise for meat.

My thoughts

Josh

I agree 100% if things were to remain as they were years ago we wouldn't be having this conversation using this technology, line have to drawn people need to come together and positive change for all needs to take place. no more "ME" its "US" and it (being the grater good) wont really work any other way in regard to the topic and just about everything else living. we are in a time of cultivation and preservation ..... evolution.

[bruce johnson]

My background - raised horses, showed, rodeoed, veterinarian and treated them, traded horses, started quite few, still have horses and probably always will. Worked in a slaughter plant as well. Emotions aside, my issue is the bigger picture. This is one of the first major pieces of legislation that has to do with eliminating a food product. Call it however you see it, but this legislation has a lot to do with cutting out the slaughter of horses, not improving the welfare of them. It has effectively shut down one of the major outlets for unwanted or unusable horses in the United States, and offered NO reasonable alternative in its place. Without starting a whole bash-California thread, this first started as state initiative in California. The backers knew that once they had that, national enactment was easier. I had people living in San Francisco, east Los Angeles, and other urban areas voting to tell me what I can and can't do with my livestock. These people will never own a horse, and would not be impacted in the least. Legislaters also are not for the most part directly involved in the horse business. Why should I have them enacting laws with no alternatives to solve the backlash of their legislation?

The abandonments and problems with neglect have increased exponentially since the legislation passed. I am not condoning that. This has been going on in the small animal side of things for years - drop them off, leave them in the backyard of the foreclosed house, "that farmer will take care of them", etc. There are mighty few horse rescue groups, and ask most any of them. They are over-run. Many animal shelters are funded by some government. The horse rescue groups aren't.

Not every horse is a good one. Some are just plain not safe. Not safe enough to ride, and not consistant enough to make a bucker. Not every dog is good either, and some of them are dropped off at shelters for behavioral issues or things just went south in the household and nobody can afford to take the dog with them or pay for its upkeep. These groups just aren't as common for horses. Slaughter within the United States was maybe not always pretty, but it was there as an outlet. Now the options are limited - horses are generally viewed as a luxury item, and expensive to maintain. At one time the slaughter prices set the bottom price for the horse market. If they were worth $600 there, then a horse you could do something with was worth twice that or more. With that support gone, the price has dropped for the entry level horse, the unstarted colt, and the old reliable kid's horse. Add in the economy and people not having spare money to buy one. Many of the breeders have slowed done the production, but the fact is everybody has some they can't find buyers for. It is expensive to maintain one, and with people losing jobs or strugging to make a payment on a mortgage, hoofcare and feed costs are a problem. They had the resources 7 years ago, now they don't. No outlet, so backyard neglect is increasing along with abandonments. Just like a dog kicked out in the country won't survive like a coyote, neither will a horse kicked on the desert east of Dayton.

I wish I had a solution, but there isn't one right now. With everything else in the toilet here, horses aren't going to get the attention of GM or the banking industry. Pretty hard to undo legislation, about the last time that worked was the repeal of prohibiton.

[tonyc1]

We had reason to put our old horse (27) down a few nights ago due to heart problem. Even though it was 8 pm and pouring with rain the butcher came and did the job and carted him away to butcher him at his shop. We have no problem disposing of unwanted horses here as they are used in the greyhound industry. The going rate is between $100 - $150 but as the slaughterman is one of my customers I asked for nothing as I was pleased to have the nasty job done cleanly and efficiently in lousy conditions. Last year when the drought was on there were quite a lot of horses and ponies go when many people realised that horses aren't the cheapest things to buy for their kids and maintain them!

It is every horse owner's duty to make sure that horses are disposed of when their useful life is done! You can't be sentimental if the animal is sick and in pain.

Tony.

[hivemind]

as they are used in the greyhound industry.

Oh boy, don't get me started there. The cruelties inflicted on racing greyhounds the world over are horrific.

[tonyc1]

Such as?

[Rayban]

I would side with Richard Koehler.

[Bob]

By not allowing the slaughter and shipping of horse meat over seas has done this nation a great dis-service. It's done more harm than anything.

I've worked as a farrier for the best part of 25 years, seen alot of horses that should be shipped and other wise useless for anything. What are people going to do with these kind of horses? At one time, they brought as much as 1$ pound for live horses. This whole thing is crazy, lots of folks have horses they can't afford to feed and starve because of it. Whats the sense in that?

Someone posted earlier that horses are being turned out on the road for law enforcement to deal with. Unwanted horses...

The only bright light in this whole picture is that Canada does allow shipping and slaughter of horses for meat. The shortage for supply and demand will only serve to drive up the prices paid over seas. So ship your unwanted horses to Canada, they have a slaughter house in Fort Mcloud, Alberta. not sure of the spelling on that town.

I think the tree huggers and bleeding hearts have pushed things too far left. Thats my two bits worth.