Why aren't horses eaten in the U.S.?

[Magna]

I was driving in a rural area recently past a pasture with horses. I wondered why horse meat has never been something consumed in the U.S. I'm not sure, but I think it might even be illegal for sale for human consumption. Not all countries are this way.

I personally have no desire to consume horse meat. But cows, goats and hogs are pasture animals and all of those are eaten.

Dogs aren't eaten in the U.S. because they're domestic pets. Is a horse a "domestic pet"?

My wife said she thinks part of the reason is that horses are an aesthetically beautiful animal. I understand the point, but I countered with the fact that lambs are also cute animals and lamb meat is consumed regularly. Also, baby cows are pretty darn cute and veal is also consumed regularly.

 

[tree]

"It’s not illegal to eat horse meat in the United States. However, it is illegal to sell a horse for commercial human consumption. Though no federal laws ban the consumption of horse meat, some states have explicit laws prohibiting the sale or slaughter of horses intended for human consumption."
3 Primary Reasons Why We Don't Eat Horse Meat?

"U.S. horse meat is unfit for human consumption because of the uncontrolled
administration of hundreds of dangerous drugs and other substances to horses
before slaughter. "
https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/toxicity-of-horse-meat.pdf

 

[Aspychata]

Just like to mention l ate - Beyond Meat Jerky. Teriyaki flavored. Low in fat, no animals were killed and it was delicious. Mung Bean and pea protein are the main ingredients. 3 servings /10 grams of protein. Save a cow, horse, lamb, goat.

 

[Unclewolverine]

Our horse is definitely a pet just as much as the dogs and cats.

 

[Jeff T]

Cattle have been bred specifically for food consumption. Same with sheep, goat, etc.
Horses less so. I recall that horsemeat has a lower amount of fat, therefore it is less tasty?
Horses have to be inoculated against a scad of illnesses; the yearly worming medicines are
a pretty toxic stew.
The other part of it here in the US (and UK I think) is that horses are both livestock and pets.
Having my horse and mule being ground up is a very unpleasant thought.

 

[Alaric593]

I was driving in a rural area recently past a pasture with horses. I wondered why horse meat has never been something consumed in the U.S. I'm not sure, but I think it might even be illegal for sale for human consumption. Not all countries are this way.

I personally have no desire to consume horse meat. But cows, goats and hogs are pasture animals and all of those are eaten.

Dogs aren't eaten in the U.S. because they're domestic pets. Is a horse a "domestic pet"?

My wife said she thinks part of the reason is that horses are an aesthetically beautiful animal. I understand the point, but I countered with the fact that lambs are also cute animals and lamb meat is consumed regularly. Also, baby cows are pretty darn cute and veal is also consumed regularly.

It's more of a taboo here related to the development of the country and the "Wild West".

We even transferred the terminology to our new means of transportation and work, the motor carriage having "horse power". How people treat their motor vehicles(horse) to some, is indicative to their character even though the motor vehicle isn't a living creature. People who abused their horses were shunned regularly in times past. Stealing a horse or killing that wasn't yours was a capital crime. If it even made it to court. Extrajudicial punishment was common for this crime.

The presupposition of the horse being an indispensable part of the family success simply transferred to the newer version and proper treatment of both are viewed as a reflection of the belief in human freedom to travel and provide for their family as being a duty to maintain human freedom.

There's plenty of examples however of that taboo being broken when required, like cannibalism. Jamestown and Donner Party just to name a couple.

 

[Aspychata]

On the reservation, the tribe treated their horses better then their children. Talk about a culture flip. No judgment, it is what it is.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

I think horses are delicious, particularly the neck . I prefer them over reindeers which I have also eaten as the reindeers have a weird texture I'm not a fan of. I have also eaten whale meat, and even though I definitely do not endorse whale hunting (it was many years ago), it was really delicious.

I guess I don't have the same emotional attachment to household animals others do. I would be perfectly fine with eating cats or dogs if they taste well. It does feel a bit hypocritical to be against eating horses/cats/dogs for emotional reasons, as apparently pigs are very intelligent creatures with diverse emotions (yes, including those raised for slaughter), yet no meat eater (except muslims) bats an eye about eating them. I am mostly an omnivore by default (it's simplest), but I also like plenty of vegetarian food, and when I move away I would like to not buy meat (though I personally don't see the point in declining it when offered as the animal already died).

 

[Alaric593]

I think horses are delicious, particularly the neck . I prefer them over reindeers which I have also eaten as the reindeers have a weird texture I'm not a fan of. I have also eaten whale meat, and even though I definitely do not endorse whale hunting (it was many years ago), it was really delicious.

I guess I don't have the same emotional attachment to household animals others do. I would be perfectly fine with eating cats or dogs if they taste well. It does feel a bit hypocritical to be against eating horses/cats/dogs for emotional reasons, as apparently pigs are very intelligent creatures with diverse emotions (yes, including those raised for slaughter), yet no meat eater (except muslims) bats an eye about eating them. I am mostly an omnivore by default (it's simplest), but I also like plenty of vegetarian food, and when I move away I would like to not buy meat (though I personally don't see the point in declining it when offered as the animal already died).

Funny story. When I went hunting the first time my daughter could reason what I was doing, she was furious that I was going to kill "Santa's reindeers" because "how are the kids supposed to get presents if there's no deer to fly his sleigh!"

 

[Aspychata]

Funny story. When I went hunting the first time my daughter could reason what I was doing, she was furious that I was going to kill "Santa's reindeers" because "how are the kids supposed to get presents if there's no deer to fly his sleigh!"

I think what l discover was the resources to bring a cow to your plate or a vegetable burger to your plate was a learning lesson for me. There are many more resources used in bringing a meat diet to the people vs a plant based diet.

 

[Alaric593]

I think what l discover was the resources to bring a cow to your plate or a vegetable burger to your plate was a learning lesson for me. There are many more resources used in bringing a meat diet to the people vs a plant based diet.

That depends on if we're counting all the creatures killed during the cultivation for monoculture. Monoculture is not good for the environment regardless of if it's needed to ensure abundance.

The surprisingly complicated math of how many wild animals are killed in agriculture

 

[Aspychata]

But transportation of cows to distribution plants to be slaughtered then packaged then transported to retail outlets does use quite a lot of fossil fuel.

I am discussing fossil fuel, and water resources, plastic used to package. But l respect your opinion. I kinda wish l had a cow for a pet. Do you know there are mini cows?

 

[Atrapa Almas]

Insects are the future source of proteins. We already use some insects in foods at Mexico.

Scientists Think Cockroach Milk Could Be The Next Superfood, And We Wish We Were Kidding

The marketers of this stuff will have to work hard.

 

[LadyS]

I wonder what this guy would say about eating horses
I think he would say a horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can eat a horse of course. Go right to the source and ask the horse, he'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.

View attachment 80468

I was going to make a Mr. Ed reference too but you beat me to it. Loved that show

 

[Alaric593]

But transportation of cows to distribution plants to be slaughtered then packaged then transported to retail outlets does use quite a lot of fossil fuel.

I am discussing fossil fuel, and water resources, plastic used to package. But l respect your opinion. I kinda wish l had a cow for a pet. Do you know there are mini cows?

I do know there are mini cows. As I your opinion. For me. I ask myself, compared to what, on these questions. Having spent quite a few years in the developing world, I've seen an old style of living. Open wood fires for everything, walking miles for water etc. It makes me question the veracity in which people in the developed world understand the luxury of what fossil fuels provide and removed as ubiquitous which is horrendous for human thriving and environmental degradation.

There's no easy answer to this question that absolutely has tradeoffs.

 

[Fino]

Eating horses sounds so wrong to me. But that must be because my mom has had them as pets all our lives.

 

[GrownupGirl]

I was surprised to learn that some places sell horse meat in Canada, like in Quebec. If I ever go back there (I did once for a sort time when I was around 13), I am so not touching their smoked meat, which is similar to pastrami in the US. They don't say what kind of "meat" it is, so...
Anyway, most people in the US and Canada just don't see horses as food animals. In fact I used to hear (and make) jokes about hamburgers in the school cafeteria being made of horse meat, which implies that it is really bad or low quality, I really don't know if it actually is but I don't intend to find out.

 

[SusanLR]

Horse meat is actually good for you and at one time recommended for tuberculosis patients for nutrition.

American horsemeat currently is not good, due to the mix of drugs given to horses.

Here is a link to the Philly (2013) that has everything you ever wanted to know or not know about
eating horse meat. From how the Christians made it taboo, up to Obama reinstating the selling of and
why that failed. If you can get through the ads, it is an interesting read.

5 Facts to Know About Eating Horse Meat | The Philly Post

 

[Mary Terry]

This is an interesting thread. My father ate horse meat in France during WWII while he was in the army and said that it tasted very good. I can't imagine eating a horse and literally would have to be starving before I'd do so. I suspect that horse meat is processed into pet food in the US. I've read that donkey meat is commonly eaten in China. I couldn't eat a donkey, either.

Cattle in the US are routinely de-wormed, vaccinated from diseases, and given drugs before sold to a slaughterhouse where they are processed into food items sold in grocery stores so they are no different from horses in that regard.

 

[Storm Hess]

I was driving in a rural area recently past a pasture with horses. I wondered why horse meat has never been something consumed in the U.S. I'm not sure, but I think it might even be illegal for sale for human consumption. Not all countries are this way.

I personally have no desire to consume horse meat. But cows, goats and hogs are pasture animals and all of those are eaten.

Dogs aren't eaten in the U.S. because they're domestic pets. Is a horse a "domestic pet"?

My wife said she thinks part of the reason is that horses are an aesthetically beautiful animal. I understand the point, but I countered with the fact that lambs are also cute animals and lamb meat is consumed regularly. Also, baby cows are pretty darn cute and veal is also consumed regularly.

Could be you can see the whip marks where the jockey was hitting it? (joke)