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Consumers are so far removed from the reality of the animal protein they consume...and out of the blue they will throw their arms up and say ... oh no not the horses I can't eat that!
But hey, that cow...yeah...it's cool it is in a factory farm. Now where is my mcdouble for 99 cents.
Consumers are so far removed from the reality of the animal protein they consume...and out of the blue they will throw their arms up and say ... oh no not the horses I can't eat that!
But hey, that cow...yeah...it's cool it is in a factory farm. Now where is my mcdouble for 99 cents.
Meh. You can't ride a cow, they don't jump hurdles and no way could you race them. Can you imagine a cow competing in the Kentucky Derby? Nah.
Consumers are so far removed from the reality of the animal protein they consume...and out of the blue they will throw their arms up and say ... oh no not the horses I can't eat that!
But hey, that cow...yeah...it's cool it is in a factory farm. Now where is my mcdouble for 99 cents.
thank you! A horse is a farm animal, not very different from a cow.
Meh. You can't ride a cow, they don't jump hurdles and no way could you race them. Can you imagine a cow competing in the Kentucky Derby? Nah.
Actually, you CAN ride a cow, and they DO jump. (Well, the ones around here don't jump very often because as soon as it becomes obvious that they can clear a 4 foot bob wire fence they get sold. Yes, I've seen them do it.)
Cows also have personalities just like horses do; anyone who's lived close up and personal with them can tell you that.
We really ARE distanced from the source of our sustenance these days. It has impacts on us that are far-reaching, and not all of them are physical.
Last edited by TexasHorseLady; 12-01-2011 at 09:08 AM..
Reason: Added link
Actually, you CAN ride a cow, and they DO jump. (Well, the ones around here don't jump very often because as soon as it becomes obvious that they can clear a 4 foot bob wire fence they get sold. Yes, I've seen them do it.)
Cows also have personalities just like horses do; anyone who's lived close up and personal with them can tell you that.
We really ARE distanced from the source of our sustenance these days. It has impacts on us that are far-reaching, and not all of them are physical.
Agree with THL - every animal has a personality - even chickens, once you get to know them. I knew a chicken who adopted puppies once. She'd peck at the hand of anyone who tried to pick up "her" puppies.
I have eaten horse meat in France. It was obviously a horse I did not know. I am a farmer, and we have grown our own meat, but I'm obviously not a very good farmer, since I couldn't deal with eating animals I knew, and we now get meat I don't know from other farmers when it comes down to butchering.
No need to point out the inconsistency in it - I'm well aware of it.
Edited: now how did the full link appear in my quoted portion of a post, but not in the original post I quoted from?
Last edited by netwit; 12-01-2011 at 09:57 AM..
Reason: WTF?
First is this is horrible. The way they slaughter horses is extremely cruel and painful. But on that note, they slaughter cows the same way and I have no problem flipping a couple steaks on the grill. Makes me one heck of a hypocrite.
The second thought is there is horse over population in this country just like cat and dog over population. Simply put, there aren't enough homes for them because there are too many people breeding willy nilly with no thought as to the long term homing of those that are foaled. Where spay and neuter is a huge deal in cat / dog rescue, gelding needs to be pushed more with horses to cut back on the over population of them.
Third thought is if we're going to slaughter and consume horses because there are too many, when they are just as much companions to humans as dogs and cats are, why do we draw the line there? Plenty countries eat dogs and cats. So do we start slaughtering the dogs and cats in this country instead of humanely euthanizing them? If not, if we decide slaughtering animals is cruel, does that mean our entire country goes vegetarian? Because you can't say that slaughtering cattle, pigs and chickens are ok, but we can't do it to other animals because we think of them as cute and furry pets.
I don't have any answers. Just very torn on the entire situation.
Here's what I propose to solve the slaughter situation. (Yeah, I've been thinking about this one for a long, long, long time.)
1. Enforce existing humane transport and slaughter laws, beef up the ones that need beefing up, pass them where they need passing. This for all animals, by the way, not just horses. I'm an omnivore, that's the place on the great circle of life that nature designed me to fill, but I do have an obligation to the animals that I eat to see that their lives and their passing are as fulfilling as they can be. I do eat animals that I've raised, by the way, but from birth to death, they get pasture, fresh clean water, the company of their own kind, the occasional back rub and the occasional beer - whatever it takes to assure they are happy. Makes for better meat, too. The ones that are intended for the freezer get names like Steak, Ribeye, Chuck. Just to keep me aware.
2. Educate people on what it means to have a horse, appropriate care of horses, what the expenses are likely to be, and so forth and so on. Start young, because many horses are bought because young girls (and boys, but more girls than boys) really, really, REALLY want a horse. (And I'm an advocate of getting young girls involved with horses because I've seen how well girls that are involved with horses pre-puberty and continue on handle the storms of adolescence, and it's a good thing.)
3. Establish low-cost gelding and spaying for horses (yes, mares can be spayed, it's just currently very expensive). That way, the problem is addressed from the beginning.
4. Establish low-cost euthanasia and carcass disposal for horses.
5. Then, and only then, ban slaughter, if it still needs to be banned. I'm thinking that if you actually address the problem, rather than the symptom, it just might not be necessary.
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