# Horse meat back on U.S. menus?



## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

Maybe soon...

Fed officials approve horse slaughterhouse in NM

May be another protein source for raw feeders.


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## SuperPug (Mar 5, 2013)

I've owned and worked with equines all my life. I simply cannot see myself eating or feeding equines. Not to mention the supplements and medications that are pumped into horses everyday. Some are even put to sleep by the needle. Consuming equines just does not seem like a healthy idea. ESPECIALLY since 90% of equines are pets, not meat animals.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i think i just heard a news report about arizona building a facility (slaughterhouse)


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I would if it was a young horse who had yet to receive vaccinations but, the odds of getting my hands on one of those is slim. And, even if I did, it would have to have been slaughtered already because, if it wasn't... Well, I'd end up keeping it to ride. Horses, in the US, are mostly seen as pets and are used more for pleasure and sporting than as workhorses in today's society so they are typically shot up with vaccinations just like dogs are which makes it meat I wouldn't want to feed. 

I wouldn't feed it even if it was a wild horse caught in a roundup as the BLM often vaccinates the wild horses they round up before they release them again. I would imagine they vaccinate the ones they don't release as well.


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

Well, pretty much all cattle are vaccinated. I doubt any beef that's not blaring to the world it isn't vaccinated, isn't vaccinated. Probably pork, too. I think it's a good thing. When slaughterhouses were banned in the US people started shipping horses to Mexico under unbelievably cruel conditions. If they are going to be slaughtered, better it be in the US under better regulations. And like dogs, there are many many horses that don't have homes. Other countries have no problems with horsemeat.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

certain parts of europe are breeding a belgian horse for meat. these horses are not pets. they are a food source.

i would hope they are treated humanely. i would hope eventually local farmers would offered a pastured product.

i am afraid that horse meat will go the way of cow meat as we know it today.


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

Honestly, I don't care about who eats the meat. But, the practice of these people who travel around the country buying healthy horses at auctions and shipping them without food or water for over 24 hours to a plant in Mexico needs to be stopped. There have been some tries in Congress to stop the shipments out of the country but it's still legal. And apparently there aren't any rules on how horribly you can treat them on the way.

Just like you don't advertise a dog on craigslist, don't take your horse to an auction, ever.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I love horses. I rarely get the opportunity to be around them but I would LOVE to own one some day. However, they ARE a prey animal. As such, they are a possible menu item. If I could get clean horse meat, I would feed it to my dogs. If I can raise and kill my own rabbits, I can do anything.


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

OK I've been reading and it's not the vaccinations that contaminate the meat - it's the medications we give them. Because cattle are raised to be slaughtered, there are alot of medications they can't have. Horses can be given whatever the vet throws at them. That makes sense to a point, although anything we get from the grocery store is chock full of crap, poor feed, etc. It's probably a big part of why we are immune to antibiotics but I digress.

I also just read that this year the feds proposed to stop funding of inspections of horse slaughtering plants. That ought to be just lovely for all those horses going to Mexico - now they can be skinned alive with impunity.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

Yes I should add that anything I or my dogs eat really should be raised and treated humanely. This is why I hunt and recently decided to breed meat rabbits. The more I can be sure that my meat lived a good life, the better. We have such emotional connections to animals. I know someone who REFUSES to eat chicken. He just loves them as pets. I respect that. 

How I decide what to eat and what not to eat. 

I think PREY animals should be on the menu. Horses, cattle, deer, anything that has eyes on the sides of their heads. 

I think PREDATORY animals should NOT be on the menu: dogs, cats, anything with eyes in the front of their heads. 

That is just how I roll.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

FBarnes said:


> OK I've been reading and it's not the vaccinations that contaminate the meat - it's the medications we give them. Because cattle are raised to be slaughtered, there are alot of medications they can't have. Horses can be given whatever the vet throws at them. That makes sense to a point, although anything we get from the grocery store is chock full of crap, poor feed, etc. It's probably a big part of why we are immune to antibiotics but I digress.
> 
> I also just read that this year the feds proposed to stop funding of inspections of horse slaughtering plants. That ought to be just lovely for all those horses going to Mexico - now they can be skinned alive with impunity.


I am a vet assistant at an all horse vet, and the amount of meds horses get is ridiculous. There are three who are hospitalized with us right now, and have been for several months so far. All three are getting eight different meds, twice a day every day. They are pumped full. No way would I feed that to my dogs.

Now, if it was an old backyard type that has been on pasture for years and not been given anything, and they shot it rather than euthanasia..... that's maybe different. But what are the chances of finding that?


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I'd feed clean horse meat. With zero hesitation. 

I love all animals and have owned 3 horses in my lifetime. I own one currently and I would still feed horse meat. I feed a lot of goat meat and I own goats. Same difference.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

if a horse is bred to be a menu item, i doubt they will be medicated to the extent pets and other horses are.

dogs get vaccinated, but i doubt if they get them in china, where they are menu items and in other asian countries.

if a horse is bred to be meat for the table, different rules apply.

i would imagine if there are slaughterhouses being built in arizona, others will be built around the country , as there are for cows and other proteins.

i love horses and have ridden for much of my life...but i doubt that the Morgan i rode steeplechase when i was younger is one that would be on the breakfast table. it will be a sturdy breed, not bred for racing or jumping or looks or dressage...but for food. at least, i should hope that is the case. 

and, as always ....i would want humane treatment although i doubt it.....and honour the life given up for my sustenance.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

FBarnes said:


> OK I've been reading and it's not the vaccinations that contaminate the meat - it's the medications we give them. Because cattle are raised to be slaughtered, there are alot of medications they can't have. Horses can be given whatever the vet throws at them. That makes sense to a point, although anything we get from the grocery store is chock full of crap, poor feed, etc. It's probably a big part of why we are immune to antibiotics but I digress.
> 
> I also just read that this year the feds proposed to stop funding of inspections of horse slaughtering plants. That ought to be just lovely for all those horses going to Mexico - now they can be skinned alive with impunity.


I do believe bute is one that is the worst given to horses that I would think could affect dogs. Horses are given many things, just like people do with dogs. 

I just look at a horse's lifespan. A horse can live 20-30+ years. Many horses in the US are vaccinated annually. My mare was. That's just not meat I would want to feed to my dogs. Beef cattle that go to the market may be vaccinated but they are very young and have not had the number of vaccinations an adult horse has. With a horse bought at market, for all I know, it was a competition horse that was vaccinated out the wazoo for many years of it's life before landing in the situation it's in. Kentucky Derby winners have gone to slaughterhouses. Many pets end up in auctions and as well. 

I guess horse meat just isn't something I would be comfortable feeding because they are not raised with consumption in mind. At least not here in the US. Ultimately, I want everything my family eats to be raised properly and in a healthy environment. As we find more and more sources we are able to that better but we have a ways to go yet. 



naturalfeddogs said:


> I am a vet assistant at an all horse vet, and the amount of meds horses get is ridiculous. There are three who are hospitalized with us right now, and have been for several months so far. All three are getting eight different meds, twice a day every day. They are pumped full. No way would I feed that to my dogs.
> 
> Now, if it was an old backyard type that has been on pasture for years and not been given anything, and they shot it rather than euthanasia..... that's maybe different. But what are the chances of finding that?


That is what I am talking about^^^

All four of my horses were given vaccinations and medications at some point. My POA was given bute and some other meds when he tripped on a tree wire. My Quarter Horse was given meds when he got a chest infection. My Arab mare was given just annual vaccinations. My Thoroughbred mare was given meds and bute when she cracked her head on the top of the trailer. We never had a horse that was "naturally reared". We followed the train of thought of most of the horse world. 


Am I just out of the loop or has it been talked about that horse meat will become a menu item? Horse slaughter, I thought, was reinstated because of the overwhelming number of "unwanted" horses. I, personally, will not be eating horse meat. Kind of like wolfsnaps' friend who won't eat chicken. I view eating a horse the same as eating a dog. Oddly enough, I feel differently about feeding horse meat to a dog (again, if the horse is raised without vaccinations).


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

I'd eat it and feed it if it were pasture raised to the same specifications that our grass fed organic beef is. We are the top of the food chain... For now. Horses are cattle to me, just like a deer, cow, sheep, llama... The list goes on.


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## SuperPug (Mar 5, 2013)

I see 1 main issue with horses being raised as meat. Horses require regular hoof work to be done. There is no amount of breeding that can make hooves low maintenance. Most of us agree that animals should be treated humanely. If a hoof is overgrown, the animal will suffer. I believe very few, if any, slaughterhouses are going to pay a farrier to go around and trim all those hooves. Especially when these horses have no human handling experience. I have experienced, with my barefoot horses, that when living on certain terrain, concrete, gravel, etc the hooves will naturally wear down. At the same token, there are people who believe that having a horse live extended periods of time on these types of conditions would be considered cruel and inhumane.


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## Fundog (Oct 25, 2012)

I think, if they open slaughterhouses for horse meat, then the BLM/Department of Wildlife Services ought to offer hunting permits for the wild mustangs, just like for deer and elk and other wild game. We have too many wild horses, and not enough land to sustain them, is what I've been hearing. I would be much more inclined to feed a wild horse than a domesticated one from a commercial slaughterhouse. And since it's wild, the "but it was a pet" factor would not be a problem for me.


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## SuperPug (Mar 5, 2013)

I agree on that FunDog. It'll be a tooth/nail battle to get such a thing to happen. Equines have been very domesticated and are viewed as part of the family like dogs/cats are. Too many people would be fighting against it :/


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Fundog said:


> I think, if they open slaughterhouses for horse meat, then the BLM/Department of Wildlife Services ought to offer hunting permits for the wild mustangs, just like for deer and elk and other wild game. We have too many wild horses, and not enough land to sustain them, is what I've been hearing. I would be much more inclined to feed a wild horse than a domesticated one from a commercial slaughterhouse. And since it's wild, the "but it was a pet" factor would not be a problem for me.


Two issues with that. The first is that there are two sides to the story. The government side is that the horses are all starving to death which, based on what I know, isn't true. The land most likely sustains the horses well but ranchers are leasing more and more land for their cattle to graze which, in turn, is taking land from the horses. It is your typical "taking over wildlife habitat" thing here like it is most other places humans are involved. I do fear the day when there is no "wild" left. While I have no issues with the horses being removed, I do take issue with the way it is done. I, personally, would never hunt a horse, but I would accept meat from hunters who did. Hunting them would be a lot more humane. However, with the way the bands are set up it would hurt me to know the distress the rest of the band would view it. I would also take into consideration whether hunters would make horses harder to adopt in the event it caused them to be even more fearful of people, therefore taking away another way to get rid of "surplus" horses.

Second issue: Some of the mares have been given PZP which is a form of birth control. They are still figuring it out and it is not something I would want to play with as far as feeding. I don't know if they vaccinate horses that are released but it would be something to look into. I know they vaccinate the horses they put up for sale.

Having just watched a documentary on the Extreme Mustang Makeover makes it hard for me to stomach the hunting of wild horses simply because it takes almost no time to tame them and MAKE them part of someone's family. horses just need a bigger place in society again. I would LOVE to live somewhere like Norco, California where horses are a commonly seen form of transportation around town. My high school even had a barn for the kids who rode their horses to school. I should have been been born a few decades ago. Hahaha


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## SuperPug (Mar 5, 2013)

Well, people aren't going to stop reproducing anytime soon, so we have to do something about it. Otherwise all the animals are going to suffer. Where do you think we'd be now if no one hunted the deer, squirrels, ducks, boar, etc?

That and finding a horse a home is like finding a dog a home. There's simply not enough homes for all of them. Not everyone likes dogs and not everyone likes horses. My husband "endures" us having horses. If he'd have it his way, I wouldn't have them. But they're over 20 years old. Few people will take in older horses. Especially when 1 is a lower rank of the herd and the other is a blant butt head. A 24 year old who acts like a 3 year old and pulls a grumpy old man look every time we go out riding(BTW everything has been checked out/everything is in working order/fitting correctly)


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## Fundog (Oct 25, 2012)

All excellent points, of course, Dude & Bucks Mama. At the end of the day, I too am not sure I could actually hunt and kill a wild horse. But if one got hit by a car and had to be shot, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for the meat. : )


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Tobi said:


> I'd eat it and feed it if it were pasture raised to the same specifications that our grass fed organic beef is. We are the top of the food chain... For now. Horses are cattle to me, just like a deer, cow, sheep, llama... The list goes on.


agreed. and i would imagine that is how these belgian breeds in europe will be raised.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Fundog said:


> All excellent points, of course, Dude & Bucks Mama. At the end of the day, I too am not sure I could actually hunt and kill a wild horse. But if one got hit by a car and had to be shot, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for the meat. : )


If I could be sure the horse wasn't given PZP (which wouldn't be an issue with stallions and colts) and could actually find out more info on where and when horses are vaccinated I would ask for the meat as well. I just find too many conflicting reports on the vaccinating for me to be sure. Sometimes I find that all of the rounded up horses are vaccinated and sometimes I find that only the ones not let go are vaccinated. They may even do different things in different places. I have no idea. 

Speaking of hunting/PZP/deer/etc. HSUS wants to put a stop to hunting and give does PZP instead.


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## Fundog (Oct 25, 2012)

It'll never fly. Hunting of game is regulated by the Department of Wildlife/Fish & Game, not the Humane Society. And just imagine: no deer hunting? *Gasp!* Why, that's a complete destruction of culture and family tradition, not to mention a way of life for a lot of people!

Get this: way back in 1980, when I was in the fifth grade, (This was in Utah) the principal came on the intercom and asked all of the students for a vote: make Veteran's Day a school holiday, or the first day of the deer hunting season. The reason for this was that every year, there was a large number of students being pulled from school in order to go hunting with their parents and uncles. There has to be a certain number of school days in the year. My classmates voted unanimously for the first day of deer hunt to be a school holiday, and they would attend school on veteran's day. Apparently the voters and lawmakers of Utah agreed, because in the state of Utah to this day, school is in session on Veteran's Day. School is not in session on the opening day of the deer hunting season. It's kind of messed up, especially if you are a veteran, or have a loved one who is a veteran, but it is what it is. The deer hunt is too important to too many people. The Humane Society won't win this one.


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## KnackerMT (Dec 31, 2013)

I can find more horses than I can handle. After I bought the first one, I got calls on 37 more. All pasture raised and bute free.  I passed on those at that time. I am picking up two on Saturday for free, bute free, pasture raised. I am looking at 11 more on the same day. I ate some from the first one, very tasty once you get past the mental block. Shared the meat with several folks all enjoyed it. Dogs are still eating on the first on from Feb. The ranchers understand, hobby horse raisers don't. I won't take any that are not certified Bute free. Great source of meat.

My wife won't eat it and some of my butcher helpers won't assist me until after I have the carcass "dehorsed".

I do keep the processing low profile just because there are so many personal issues associated with horses.

The first one was the last ranch horse of an elderly ranching couple, they understood what was going to happen and they said they would rather see the horse be used for something rather than just wasted in a bone pit on their ranch. Practical folks


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## emirae1091 (Sep 16, 2013)

First, as a horse owner, I could never eat or feed horse. I believe I would quickly become vegetarian if I had interaction with other 'food' animals. 

Secondly, there is no way in h*ll I would believe people that said their horses were bute free or had never had drugs, especially if it was an older horse. 

Even though I wouldn't eat or feed it, I do think properly regulated US slaughter houses would be MUCH better than sending horses over the border. But either way, most of them have had some sort of drugs, making them unsafe for consumption.


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## KnackerMT (Dec 31, 2013)

You are not alone in your feelings towards horses and I respect that.

There are different groups of horse owners. The race horses, team ropers and others who use their horses in a competitive environment tend to use Bute. Ranchers who use working horses tend to just rotate sore horses out of work and use another, at least in my part of the world. I know many true cowboys and they never use Bute just a different horse if they come up lame or sore.

By the way one of the horse owners scheduled for this weekend called me tonight and said they found that the horse they own did in fact have bute several years ago. He is taken out of the food chain. That type of honesty is why I only deal with certain folks on horses.

I understand and respect your opinion on the feeding the horse meat. It is a very personal issue.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

It's totally personal what a each person chooses to eat and the reasons are varied. 
I won't eat carnivores (I dunno, it's creepy!) but i will eat herbivores EXCEPT for rabbit (have a pet one) and probably horse just because of the emotion tied to them. They are very smart, they helped build America. Sadly, I think, much like dogs/cats, there aren't enough homes for all. 
And in this case I'd rather see them slaughtered for pet food than waste away in a holding lot.


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## KnackerMT (Dec 31, 2013)

people get attached to all kinds of animals they interact with. All of my sheep are like pets, I am there the minute they come out of the ewe, bottle raise some of them, name most of them and I personally end their lives. All come when I call. I never look forward to the butcher day, however they are where they are raised, in their own pastures, death is swift, sure and painless. They have a good life, want for nothing, they just got a raw deal being born into the low end of the food chain.


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