Monday, April 03, 2006

Jarrett wants to know--is it okay to eat your horse?


Do you think that it's ok to slaughter horses in the US for meat? Why or why not? Did you know that horses are overpopulated right now in the US? Is a horse considered livestock like a cow or pig, or a pet like a dog or cat?

16 comments:

English student said...

It's okay to eat your horse. In fact, it might be immoral NOT to eat your horse (or your hamster, turtle, or parakeet) because that would be a clear case of discrimination that leads to unequal treatment of animals. Why must the poor pigs, cows, and chickens pay so dearly? Yes, give me a heaping plate of rare horsemeat, and as I chew I can justify myself, knowing that by helping to underpopulate horses, I am helping horses everywhere.

I know that sounds sarcastic, but except for the last line I mean what I say: yes, it's as permissible to eat your horse as it is to eat your cow.

A little jingle: "I would eat horse, of course, of course, just show me the house with the horse, of course, because a horse is a horse is a horse is a horse, and he might as well be dead!"


Jason Horath

English student said...

Is it okay to eat your horse? Morally I guess I would have to say yes. In parts of southeast Asia they eat dogmeat. Part of the reason we don't eat horsemeat around here is purely ethnic: the same reasons we wouldn't want to eat our dogs or cats. It is pretty much tradition in most cultures that we don't eat beasts of burden because we depend on them for other purposes and by the time they become too old to be useless they wouldn't be good eatin' anyway. The same is true in India where they have a tradition of not eating bovines because of their tradition of using them as beasts of burden. The other reason we don't eat horsemeat is because it just doesn't taste good. I am, of course, just relating what I have read as I have no first hand experience in the consuming of equines.

James Koltz

English student said...

We eat horses all the time at certain fast food restaurants; j/k.
Actually, I am not so sure I am ok with it. Whether it is a psycological reason, being in the mind set you ride a horse, not eat it. Or if it just doesnt sound appetising to me,I am not sure. I guess to me it is more of a pet, and I couldnt see myself eating the family dog, unless I was really hungry and there was...nevermind. Overpopulated or not I suppose if you were to spay or nueter them that could help as it does with dogs and cats, but I just couldnt see eating them. Hope this helped.
Tom T.

English student said...

I would be totaly fine with eating a horse, or a dog or cat, or any thing else that would be tasty. Problem is horses tend to be lean and musclular. I cant imagine them tasting very good, but who am i to say that they would't. they are considered livestock by many, but the many still consider them a pet. But why are they held on such a high pedestal. what real purpose does a horse serve. They are no longer required for transportation, they are no longer needed for burden(save in some small parts of the country), and at war, cavalry means something totally different. You cant cuddle with your horse by the fire, or have it sleep between your legs.Aside from the recreational rider, there is no purpose for a horse. In all fairness, they should be slaughtered for meat in the US

drew funkhouser

English student said...

I guess if you are starving and are in the Donner Party of the 1800's. But in 2006 I don't think it ok to slaughter horses. Why would someone want to when you have all other kinds of livestock. Horses are overplopulated in captivity not in the wild. A horse is not livestock and most people that deal in livestock would be horrified with the idea.
Hannah

English student said...

Well Jarrett, as I being a city boy
from Chicago you know I haven't thought of the question of horses as a meal. Never has inter my mind until today. I like horses who cares if they are over populated, we use them from farming to pulling wagons around downtown Chicago for site seeing to using them in rodeos and circus to pulling the passing of our beloved Presidents of the United States. Thinking about eating a horse never, it's not God's intention.
Daryl V. Brown

English student said...

If I had to give an award for the most original question, you would win. I've been thinking about this one for a couple of days now and I think I have finally made up my mind. I think it would be ok to slaughter them for meat as long as we don't go as far as to stick them it tinny little pens and force feed them untill they are fat enough. I don't agree with doing this to any livestock. A camel is basically the horse of the middle east. When I was over there, they were basically used for desert travel and for tourists like me. After going on our camel tour, we went to an arabian camp to eat dinner. Can you guess what was on the menue? Yep, camel meat. Now that I look back on it, I realize that I didn't even think twice about eating it. Yes, it was good. If I had a horse, I would consider it a pet, but If you have ever watched animal planet, you know that a lot of people keep pigs, chicken, sheep, etc.. as pets and they are considered live stock.

Good Luck,
Valerie Myers

English student said...

I love animals and a horse in my eyes is a pet(a companion). I would be extemely happy if all horse slaughter houses burned to the ground. An animal so beautiful deserves to run freely where he lives and not be grilled on a BBQ pit there. I quess that everyone has their own opinion on what animals should be eaten and not. My personal opinion is that if it's not sold in the store or you can get a permit to hunt it, then it shouldn't be eaten. Even if for some odd reason they legalize horse slaughtering I still wouldn't eat horse meat. I wouldn't cook my daughters cat for dinner tonite and I wouldn't cook any horse meat either. I am not sure about if there is a problem with horses being overpopulated in the US, but I wonder if we are can hoses get fixed like we take our cats and dogs to, so they can't help overpopulate the neighborhood with babies. Shannon Black

English student said...

I think we have enough meat to eat. So I don't think it's ok to slaughter horses for meat. I think we as Americans eat too much meat as it is already. I don't think any animal should be slaughtered, but i guess that would be a double standard since i do eat meat. I think horses should be considered a pet like a cat or dog.

Beverly Burnside

English student said...

I dont think horses should be slaughtered for meat. We have enough meat already. It shouldn't matter that horses are overpopulated. I think a horse is more of a pet then livestock. It's something you ride nto something you eat.
Ashley Cornwell

English student said...

I guess it would be ok to slaughter horses for meat, but I don't think I would eat it. I think that we think of cows, pigs, and chickens ok to eat because we alway have eaten them. I think of a horse more as a pet than something to eat
WeTona Houtzel

English student said...

No I do not think that it is ok to slaughter horses for food. No I did not know that horses were considered overpopulated. I would say more like a dog or cat.

English student said...

I can't speak for others' and if someone want's to slaughter their horse it's not against the law but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. Come on don't we have enough to chop up and eat for meat already you have your choice of pigs, cattle, chicken. And then the not so common like lamb,frogs,rabbit,alligator. Why do we have to chop up every thing just to fill our bellies. If we're over populated horse wise(which I don't see how we are but I've never researched it.) we can start trading them with other countries in whatever way we can. But if I ever have a horse I will never try to eat it; I can't even eat rabbit and frog.
Natasha

English student said...

I think it is OK to slaughter horses in the United States for food. Horse parts are used in a lot of various ways such as in dog food and dog treats. A horse can be viewed as livestock, the same as a cow, pig, or chicken. A horse can also be viewed as a pet, like a cow, pig, dog, cat, or a chicken. Personally, I would never knowingly eat a horse. I view them as pets.

Robbin R.

English student said...

No I don't think that it's ok to eat your horse if for no other reason than that is how I was raised. A horse is a pet or work animal. I was not aware that horses were overpopulated.
Nancy Byard

English student said...

No I do not think it is okay to eat your horse. Even if they are overpopulated right now, who cares. People get horses to have them as pets, not meals. I think a horse as a pet is equal to having a cat or a dog. If that is the idea people have, they should get a cow or something. Cows are meant to be eaten, it has always been that way. You can't ride a cow and use it in shows like you can a horse. These two animals aren't even comparable because they serve two total different purposes for the owners.

Elizabeth Moody