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 Post subject: Horsemeat: Yay or Ney?
 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:33 pm 
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A news article was brought to my attention elsewhere: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/horsemeat-scandal-prosecutions-possible-over-burger-contamination-warns-government-8454911.html

Having been involved in the horse industry since I was 5, I can see so many positives to just legalizing the slaughter and sale of horsemeat. Not only is it a leaner, better quality meat, but there is an abundance of unwanted horses that are either injured and unable to be ridden/worked, to domesticated to be set free and too wild to be fully domesticated, or too old for use outside being a pet, a very large, expensive pet. That isn't even taking into account the effect it would have on the horse market. Too many quality horses are being sold at prices well below their value because of how flooded the market is. If you want to get a horse cheap, now's the time, but they are expensive animals with the cost of care, feed, and vet bills. And that's only if you keep them as a pet! Should you decide to have them in riding condition, there's stabling costs if you don't have the proper facilities yourself, care if you can't make it there 2-3 times a day every day, equipment that is NOT cheap, some horses require special equipment due to either correcting an odd movement or better response via the bit and/or bridle, exercising if you can't do it yourself at least 6 days a week, and training if you want to show, but don't have the knowledge or ability to do it yourself.

All of my equipment cost in the hundreds per piece (i.e. bridle, saddle, proper clothes) and the stable costs including training/care were more than most people pay for their mortgage every month. That's not even adding in the visits from the farrier every couple months, special shoes to correct a hoof growth issue, vet visits, and the cost for each show I went to (hauling, stabling, care, show fees, etc.).

Now, I understand that it seems kind of squicky to people. It's a horse, not a cow. People keep them as pets. They're work and pleasure (the legal kind) animals. *ahem* People do the same thing with cows. There really isn't much difference between the animals except that a horse looks prettier to the general populace.

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 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:03 pm 
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I say serve them up.

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 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:50 pm 
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Huh. Never had horse meat. What's it taste like?

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 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:13 pm 
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Like Chicken, just like everything else ;)

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 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:46 pm 
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Shouldn't the thread title be: Horsemeat: Yay or Neigh?

In all seriousness, this is a tough one. The urge to say no really is a product of societal tradition of which animals are considered OK to eat, not any objective scale like average species intelligence. On that note I think I would actually vote against my own emotional reaction and say yes to allowing horse meat.

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 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:49 pm 
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Lean beef, from what I've read. I'm indifferent. I don't buy the "They're like cats or dogs" argument. A brief glance at Google tells me that horse owners can't be more than 1-2% of the population. I'm not sure why a non-horse owner would care that deeply. Too many John Wayne movies, I suppose. If someone can make money raising horses for meat, bully for them.

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 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:56 pm 
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Here is my logic. Eyes on side of head = prey.

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 Post Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:48 pm 
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That sounds about right.

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 Post Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:16 am 
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Go ahead and eat them. I actually have no moral objection to eating dog or cat either, as long as they aren't tortured before they're eaten. (Some cultures tie dogs up and put them under a flame thrower alive because they think that having died in pain makes the meat tastier.)

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 Post Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 9:03 am 
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Kea wrote:
Go ahead and eat them. I actually have no moral objection to eating dog or cat either, as long as they aren't tortured before they're eaten. (Some cultures tie dogs up and put them under a flame thrower alive because they think that having died in pain makes the meat tastier.)

Adrenaline in the meat.

s.i.l. wrote:
Shouldn't the thread title be: Horsemeat: Yay or Neigh?

In all seriousness, this is a tough one. The urge to say no really is a product of societal tradition of which animals are considered OK to eat, not any objective scale like average species intelligence. On that note I think I would actually vote against my own emotional reaction and say yes to allowing horse meat.

It occurred to me later that I had missed the opportunity, but puns make my head hurt.

As for horse owners, most aren't against slaughter as long as they don't use the horses on certain meds. There are different supplements that have "DO NOT USE IN ANIMALS INTENDED FOR SLAUGHTER" printed in big, bold letters on the packaging. The only draw back I see is making sure the slaughter houses follow the proper regulations as far as meds in the system, pregnant mares, mares that give birth at the facility (unless they plan on having a horse equivalent to veal and lamb), and the method of euthanasia (cruel and unusual have been used to describe the methods in Canada and Mexico). As far as the meds, they would need to come up with a way to actually flush their system of any and all harmful chemicals.

In a logical sense, it's a good move forward and adds to the amount of meat available instead of having to overdo it on the cows because let's face it, cows do NOT need to be that bulky (madcow anyone?). It might even help drive down the cost of meat to make it more affordable so people don't have to resort to cheaper and less healthy substitutes.

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 Post Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:24 am 
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Not a fan of the Belgian Blue?

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 Post Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:53 pm 
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I've read about that before. The problem with those kinds of cattle is that they're insanely expensive to breed and maintain, and it isn't quite clear if the increased amount of meat gained from breeding a Belgian Blue is enough to compensate for the increased costs.

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 Post Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 7:17 pm 
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If they can regulate the processing of Kangaroo meat here, I'm sure they could regulate the processing of horse meat.

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 Post Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:08 am 
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...
You guys eat Kangaroo?

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 Post Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:28 am 
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Yes we do.

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