I learned from an old trucker yesterday that 40 or so years ago, he picked up horse meat from Canada and delivered them to fur farms for feed.  That was a long time ago and fur farms, the few that are still around, have adopted a strict code of silence. 

I wonder what proportion of Canada or Mexico's horse slaughter operations end up in the US market as food for other animals?  Those slaughters are operating not just for human consumption, are they?

 As far as I know there is still horse slaughter, but as you said, not for human consumption.  Horses are still slaughtered in the US for zoo animal feed and other uses, unless something has changed very recently.  I think it's on a pretty local level though.

I'm certain that the USA buys back horse meat for animal feed.  Come to think of it, I don't really have a problem with zoo animals needing a leaner portion of meat.  I do care that the processing (slaughter) be done humanely.

Obviously, our laws reflect our values.  The USA has the most horses in the world at about 10 million.  We've enacted laws to ban horse slaughter and soon to ban transport to Mexican or Canadian slaughter facilities. 

As a country, we budget $37,000,000 a year for the BLM to take care of our wild horses and burros (WH&B).  That budget is not enough to care of 37,000 WH&B in the wild and another 30,000 in private long-term holding facilities.  Hopefully we can raise that budget by petitioning Congress.  The Fact Sheet*, states that the BLM is hard pressed to sell non-adoptable WH&B "without limitations".  I read that to mean for processing into animal feed.  I'm OK with that.

For that matter, I am a registered organ donor and it says so on my driver's license.  My wife is a live kidney transplant donor.  For us, it's a "circle of life" thing.

*just in case the "Fact Sheet" html tag I edited in does not work, then here's the direct link http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/Fact_Sheet.html

I agree that animal consumption of horses is totally different that human. But this also needs to be done with limits. They shouldn't be aloud to slaughter perfectly healthy horses. The horses should have a reason to slaughter them. Leg probelms, old age, etc. Yet at the same time people were using horse meat for dog food when its actually better for a dog to eat chicken and other meats. Along with adding vegetables to the meat.

The zoos probably get their meat from Canada or Mexico is whats strange. I doubt they closed only certain factories that they knew were for human purposes. Why don't zoos use chicken or fish? That is a better diet I would think. It would be interesting to ask them where the get the meat from and why they feed horse meat instead of something else.

Well, the one example I know of for sure is that the diet of the lions in the MGM Grand in Vegas is mainly horsemeat. (this according to their keepers, who were wonderful about answering questions)  In this case I'd guess it was the most natural option, since I can see a lion eating zebra a lot more easily than trying to fill up on fish or chicken, but it's just one small example in a huge realm of possibility!

I understand them eating horse meat but why can't they use beef instead?

Because beef is produced for human consumption and it would be much more expensive (high cost of production, inspection, etc). 

Cowgirl_Chic:

why can't they use beef instead?

In the wildlife films, lions do eat cape buffalo.  I assume cape buffalo meat is leaner than angus or other domestic cows. Makes me wonder if it's a nutritional requirement for lions to eat leaner meat?

We complain about beef being pumped up with meds and stuff, I suspect all that stuff wouldn't be good for lions or other carnivores either.   

What's wrong with a dead horse's body being recycled in the "circle of life"? You would rather their carcasses be left to rot and consumed by worms instead? Plus, that many more cattle, sheep, fish, chickens, whatever would have to be raised to feed the carnivores, so it's more fair to raise another species with the sole purpose of being killed while healthy to be food? I'm not against raising animals for slaughter. but if there's an animal that is going to be put down, why not use the carcass wisely and conserve other resources that it would take to raise that amount of meat specifically?  The horse will never know what happens to his body when he's dead, he won't suffer for it and the animal that gets the meat will appreciate the meal.

I just think a horse is no better than any other species in reagards to beign food. No, I don't want grisly kilings done, but if the horse is killed with a minimum of suffering, why NOT use that source of food and not have a disposal issue? Would you rather more land be made into little pony graves and not use that land to produce crops like hay, oats, etc?  Rotting flesh pollutes water supplies and attracts pests...processing them into meat/feed  seems much more intelligent. It's a smart use of the resources that went into keeping that horse alive as well. It's just more effecient.

As for killing healthy vs sick horses..well, would you rather eat a diseased chicken or a healthy one? They are animals, it's a nice thought that only sick ones that need to have their suffering ended would be put down and we'd have plenty of room for pony cemetaries all over the world. BUT...some horses are rouges, some do have lameness issues or are old but otherwise healthy. In light of the fact that resources (feed crops in shorter supply, land being developed and the cost of keeping a horse are rising) are scarce, and most people do keep horses to ride/work/enjoy, they would want one they can enjoy. If your car gives out, do you keep it in the garage or trade it in for a new one while the old goes to be recylced as scrap?  I know horses are pets to many,but in the end, they are still livestock and a finacial drain. There ARE disposal issues of unusable or dead animals. Slaughter and food markets fill that need.

And while all these "saved" horses sit around eating the feed that healthier horses could be enjoying AND serving the owners, the overall amount of rescources gets smaller and smaller...so cost of keeping these retired/hurt/rouge horses rises. And eventually, ALL horses die. I think slaughter offers a better death in most cases than what a lot of horses get in pasture at home, and I think it only makes sense to use the bodies to nourish something else.

I'm not anti horse by anymeans. I hate to have to put any of them down. But if they are going to die anyways or are consuming valuable resources and are otherwise "useless' having an outlet to dispose of,yet utilize them only makes sense. It costs just as much to feed a bad horse as it does a good one. I can't afford to keep every horse I ever own and don't get along with. I've never sold mine at auction, but I suppose some of them ended up there,but nobody wanted them for a reason (unsafe, not sound, old, etc) And I stress, once they are dead, they don't care or know what happens to them!

So I respectfully state that slaughter for human or animal consumption (when done humanely) is fine by me. It makes sense and is more environmentally sound than the alternatives.

I read somewhere that Napoleon's Army did not take to horse meat until their surgeon general suggested or commanded them to do so or starve.  Also that a famine in Paris moved the citizens to eat their horses which then gave them a taste for cheval meat.

I've been in a famine in Southeast Asia.  Anything that moved was fair game, except another human.

At the moment we can afford and choose to keep our mustangs wild, our domestic horses boarded and their slaughter off the table.  I estimate our current values would permit the slaughter and use of horses to feed carnivores.  Cheval meat will only appear on our dinner tables in a famine when there is absolutely nothing else to eat.  And there will be many who will prefer not to partake.

I agree gypsy fly. We can afford to keep our horses. And to keep their dignity. For lack of a better word.

I'm assuming people don't realize what horses have done for us. They aren't just livestock to me or cowboys back in the day. Horses weren't used for food but as a means transportation, companion, to plow fields, etc. Horses weren't just livestock. Cows, goats, chickens and every other farm animal never served humans the way horses did. Which brings me to the fact that why would you kill an animal that is known all over the world as a useful animal. More so alive than dead. I'm not saying all horses shouldn't be slaughtered. There are horses that can be used for ANIMAL consumption. There is no reason for people to need to eat horses. After all aren't we supposed to be vegetarians? Yeah, I like steaks just like the next person thats what the average American grows up eating. Horses that are being slaughtered cause they are old or have a bone issue is fine by me. As for the sick horses what do you think they eat in the wild? They go for the "weak" zebra. The one with a broken leg, sick or small. Thats what keeps healthy animals in the wild. The killing of sick animals leaves more healthy ones. The animals bodies are immune to these problem animals no matter what is wrong with them. They have antibodies.

Another thing on my mind is when you go to the vet they can tell you a set amount to feed your dog. So much per pound. It keeps your dog at a healthy weight. Have you ever been to the zoo and seen their lions and tigers? Watch the Discovery Channel and tell me if you see a wild cat that looks like that. They aren't near as fat. I'm not saying they should starve animals cause some wild cats don't get the amount they need but why do they need to feed them as much as they do? When an animal is fat you cut its intake back.

One thing I can also say is here in Texas horses have the right away on roads and highly protected by laws. Stealing horses and cows are still a "hanging" offence. Not that they actually hang people anymore but it is there.

This subject is like politics or religion. People are going to have their opinion. They are going to discuss things and never agree. No matter if we agree or disagree its not up to us. Us "blue collar" people don't decide. Its the "white collar" people. And they don't even know which end is which on a horse.

Boosiler, I agree with all you wrote 110%

Hmmm, well I guess it IS a matter of opinion. You are entitled to not want to eat horse or any kind of meat. You're right, we have plenty of other options out there, so have your salad and enjoy your horse (and that reads a lot more sarcastic than I mean it, truely, I say all this with respect)  . Your heart is in the right place, but it's interfering with mind comprehending the reality of what happens when they do finally die.

 But as far as not slaughtering them because we can afford not to, that is just wasteful thinking. That's the process that leads up to NOT having the choice anymore because all other options are depleted. So when we have plenty of gasoline and places to dump toxic by-products from it, we should burn as much of it as we can? Its' only when gas becomes expensive that we need to be concerned about not using excessive amounts for petty reasons or the toxic emissions only become an issue once all the fresh air is gone? No, I think wise use of any resource is the best choice for everyone, animals included.

I'm not even saying it's wrong to bury horses, if you have the place to do it and you are especially fond of a particular one. But for the mass quantities of horses that will die this year, there simply is not enough land to bury them. The people and animals that can consume them will just use another animal to fill the void, further using more resources to raise THOSE animals, but if that land that could be producing those other animals is filled with rotting horse corpses, then what? Or where will your salads be grown? Guess we could dump them at sea and pollute that little ecosystem.. feed more sharks...Or I guess we could the go the other extreme and outlaw raising horses or keeping them at all. I mean, why raise something that has to die in the end? Or suffer the indignity of carrying a rider or being kept locked in fenced areas since they would roam if they could?

The animals that are fed horse meat. Yes, they may be fatter than the wild counterparts, but I can bet YOUR horse if fatter and flabbier than any wild horse as well, so is that really a fair argument? Is your horse/dog/cat whatever more worthy of being fat than less zoo animals?

 Seriously, just because we don't HAVE to eat horsemeat, doesn't mean it's bad for others to choose to. You don't have to, and you can enjoy that option. Just as I choose not to be a vegetarian.

And horses have a right of way , hanging offense for theft of, etc because they were main sources of transportation and were tools, not pets that were given special priveledges. They were a means to a living, and I'm sure there weren't any laws made at the same time about workman's comp or retirement for those same horses traveling down the road.

I love my horses, I keep them as healthy as I can. I am friends with them. But when I almost had to put one down last winter, I actually checked with the local zoo about his remains. I ended up not needing to put him down, but I didn't have a place to bury him and I'd rather a lion have a meal or two (I just don't want to watch the process if it's my own horse) than him just be burned. I wouldn't ship a horse to Mexico, cause I think the ride there would be hell for them. We did ourselves a great disservice by shutting down our own plants. At least  we had better protocol in the slaughter process. And we were giving our own people jobs..but that's a whole 'nother debate.

And blue collar people DO help decide- it's called voting. Vote for the "white collars" that have the ideas that most resemble yours. Dont' just give up and blame rich people for decisions they make. Speak up! The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but it has to SQUEAK really loud.

I'm not a vegetarian. I live in the south. People down here eat meat and bread like its going out of style. I was simply saying that we weren't meant to eat meat. Our teeth are flat and meat is very hard to digest. If people want to eat horses thats fine but why should we be the ones shipping it to them? I read in a horse newspaper that of all the money that was made on horse meat they were only taxed something like $5. Hows that for bull. Meanwhile here in the US we are paying out the butt. Thats a whole different thing.

I didn't say horses that were needing to be put down should be buried. I was saying that the horses that were being discarded should be used for animal use. BUT not perfectly healthy young horses. And I'm not saying That people should keep every horse cause they can afford it. I'm saying if its a healthy horse why kill it for a human to eat when they can eat something else.

Saying that about why raise something that will die in the end doesn't make much sense. People have kids and they die. If you really want to talk about population we need to talk about birth control. Its because of us that horses don't get to roam free and do what they want. We took land and developed it. Meanwhile the horses are pushed to the side.

My horses are healthy and at the right weight. They are very athletic and get ridden a lot. None of their ribs are showing but they aren't eating more than they should. They actually eat less than what they tell you to weigh out per horse.

My horses like to be ridden so I don't see the suffer part. Maybe some peoples horses don't like it but mine enjoy it. I don't think they mind being in a fence either cause they get fed everyday. Horses in the wild don't. I've never seen a horse choose grass over feed. Which comes to the next part of them being domestic horses not wild. Lions and most zoo animals are wild. They are kept in cages because we captured them or tried to save a baby. Why not let nature take those animals that would have died? Instead humans take them and feed them at the toll of domestic animals. And I'm not saying thats bad if its a discarded animal.

People who worked in the factories could be working to help animals. There are plenty of jobs for people that are useful. Most of them probably just don't want to apply themselves. They want the easy route so they get a job that requires nothing but showing up and being trained for the job. Yeah they had jobs but why can't they have jobs like you and I?

That "hanging" law is still a law here. Even though horses only have the purpose of making humans happy. Except Amish people of course. I know they do have votes on bills that are passed and so on but honestly I have never seen it on the news saying come vote to save horses. People don't know whats going on. Its all word of mouth. Organizations for horses are the only ones who actually put it in the papers or anything.

This could go on and on. I feel like im in high school on the debate team. Never was on it but I probably could have been. You can say your thoughts but there will always be more than one way to do things.

My conclusion to all that I have wrote is horses are pets and part of our history. Killing horses for human consumption is not only bazzare to Americans but pointless. Animals eating other animals are a way of life. It happens.

There are other countries also that eat human flesh. Should we be killing humans to supply their wants? Instead of taking our land to bury people. Animals will turn into dirt. However, humans are put in concrete which doesn't.

I also am not trying to be disrespectful. I'm a strong willed person and will stand beside what I believe until I see a better reason to change it. And so far all I see are humans at fault killing horses for their mistakes. We keep breeding horses and don't care for the ones here. If people want to make money off horses why don't they try buying a horse that needs help and train it. Then they can sell it and make money off it. Sorry this is so long!

I just searched online and read the Illinois statute on horse slaughter.  It bans all slaughter for human consumption but allows zoos and processors for "fur bearing" (i.e., mink, sable) animal feed.  So there are provisions for legal slaughter to feed carnivorous animals.  Although, I'm sure neither the volume nor the pricing can come close to cheval for human demand.