[StarlaJane]

BTW, Montana just recently passed legislation legalizing horse slaughter in the state.

[Faworki1947]

enough meat to fill a big freezer for a year or more .. sorry thats just facts .. .. btw folks .. any traveling butcher can come to the farm and slaughter horses THAT has never been illigal ..

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by Faworki1947

any traveling butcher can come to the farm and slaughter horses THAT has never been illigal ..

I'm not sure you're comparing like with like. Farm dwellers have more alternatives full stop. But I would be willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of those who have placed ads the OP writes about do not live on farms. What one can do on a - for wont of a better word - "real" farm or ranch and what one can do on a 10 or so acre "ranchette" in a "rural residential" subdivision are going to be significantly different.

And while it may be legal for a traveling butcher (a rather "exotic" breed to begin with I would have thought) to butcher the horse, then what? One is left with hundreds and hundreds pounds of meat that this country, in a fit of collective multiple-personality disorder that's baffling, shudders, "You can't eat that! As a matter of fact, you can't do anything with it other than turn it into fertilizer."

I do not now, nor will I ever, understand the sheer hypocrisy of this country's attitude towards horse meat. While it is deemed perfectly socially acceptable to gnaw on pickled pigs feet, roast the side of a kid or lamb, or stew a chunks of cow.... mention horse meat and and there's wild hand-flapping and looks of horror. Shoot deer, elk or moose? Pats on the back, exclamations of good fortune, and a freezer full of meat. But not so with horse, no. With horse - and in a total absence of logic - one's entered the realm of the "un-eatable". And while the US, as a country, may not be accustomed (because that's all it boils down to) to the consumption of horse meat as a source of protein, why the production of it for those that are accustomed to it should be deemed "wrong" and therefore prohibited, smacks of the worst kind of narrow-mindedness.

[Toria]

I think for many (perhaps most) it's deemed "wrong" because of the historical traditions and relationships that Americans have had with horses...huge portions of the country were explored and then developed off the backs of horses. We tend to view them not simply as livestock, but more as a companion animal, a friend, a workmate....it's kind of tough to eat your friend at the end of the day , just as we wouldn't dream of eating our dogs and cats though it may be acceptable in other parts of the world. So, yes - other countries and cultures eat horsemeat and think it's the norm...most Americans don't do either one. I don't see anything narrow-minded about that.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by Toria

I think for many (perhaps most) it's deemed "wrong" because of the historical traditions and relationships that Americans have had with horses....

Uh huh. And the French don't? Until motorised vehicles came along, most cultures relied on the horse for either transport, beasts of burden, or agricultural production. The only difference is how long ago it happened.

There is nothing special or different about the relationship between horse & owner here vs. (for the sake of argument as we're talking about the consumption of horse meat) continental Europe except for they don't see why you shouldn't eat them too. The only exception is what Europe experienced after both world wars in terms of food shortages and this country did not.

[Toria]

good grief....you said you didn't understand our attitudes here about horsemeat - I tried to give you some explanations and your response is to tell me I'm wrong? This is how and why people feel the way they do about horses here - there's no "right" or "wrong" about it !

The romanticized symbiotic relationship of the American cowboy/rancher/explorer and the horse, and the exploration of the "wild west" ....the ingrained images of wild images of wild horses running free across vast expanses of wilderness, etc.... I think that has a LOT to do with American attitudes towards horses.
But, if you don't want to believe that, so be it.

[2mares]

It seems rather apparent that they aren't - since they don't mention if the horses are current on vaccinations or coggins test

How is that apparent. It states to good home only. Im sure other info would be discussed with prospective takers. Last yr. was really hit hard in TN due to the drought and thus high hay and feed prices. There were many many horses free or really cheep. Offering your horse free to someone who can care for it better is the right thing to do.

[2mares]

Fivehorses
Do Europeans eat their dogs and cats too? For many Americans their relationship with their horses is the same as with their dog. That is why we have such an adversion to horse meat.

[njkate]

I'm going through this right now. My brother in Colorado has two he needs to rehome because he has terminal cancer....can't find homes....rescue..BAH I haven't even had any responses to even check them out to make sure the horses wouldn't be going to slaughter..and I can't take them back to jersey with me

Here they are..poor babies..it's wearing my brother down ..he needs to know they are in loving homes:

24yr old morgan gelding 16.1hands(tall) liver chestnut, trail horse-stout and healthy. Apache Lace is a 30 something yr old appaloosa mare, 14.1 hands would only make a good pasture companion, she has lost weight and muscle tone, she is healthy. With alot of TLC she may be able to regain weight

[Greyhnd]

NJKate,
I'm sorry about your brother's illness.
Why don't you try posting the horses on one of the horse forums?
Chronicle of the Horse forum (under "Giveaways") is one and HGS (horse grooming supplies forum - Rescue/Adoption) is another large one.