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ORIGINAL: Ishtarr

You get a selection of beef, pork and chicken, and maybe some turkey with the sandwich meat or around thanksgiving.

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ORIGINAL: needlesandpins

i have horses and have bred pure arabians in the past. unlike the huge studs who breed from their mares every year and cover anything that breathes, i would only breed at most two in one year. my mares would breed every other year at the most and sometimes had upto 4 years off. all my mares have stayed with me until i have lost them all bar one who is now 20. i had my stallion from 18months and knew him from being concieved. sadly i lost him at thebeginning of last year and i miss him every day. all of my youngsters were bred to do a job and they all do. they all won in the show ring as yearlings and were kept until at least two years old. most were over four before being advertised so that they had all the training they needed. all do either endurance or show jumping and were sold to the home and not the money.

it's a huge investment to rear horses like that. sadly it's not how most are raised. colts that should have been gelded are sold to people with no money and they breed from them because it came from a top stud running 100 mares. all my boys were gelded before sale. most colts never see a field again as they can't be turned out just anywhere. i've been lucky to always have had somewhere to turn my boys out.

the uk shut down all the places where horses were slaughtered for the meat trade but we are huge exporters to france. i must say that since all the slaughter houses were shut down the market has become swamped with horses that no-one wants. unfortunately though, those that are exported are not treat well. they are crammed into lorries together with no food or water. they are often traumatised and injured when they get where they are going. the eu made britain have passports for every equine in the country. there was alot of shyte about it stopping abuse and horses being stollen which hasn't stopped at all. all it was really for was so that those going into the food chain could be traced and have meds recorded. however, the one advantage of a passport is that you can sign it to say that the horse can never be slaughtered for human consumption. all mine are signed.

my nana used to cook horse meat for my grandad during the war. we had a shop in our town that sold only horse meat for alot of years. i personally wouldn't knowingly eat it unless i was starving but i have no problem with those who do eat it. it is just meat once it's on a plate afterall. my friend loves pigs dearly but she still eats bacon. but no-one will be eating one of my horses for sure.

needles

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ORIGINAL: Duskypearls

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ORIGINAL: needlesandpins

i have horses and have bred pure arabians in the past. unlike the huge studs who breed from their mares every year and cover anything that breathes, i would only breed at most two in one year. my mares would breed every other year at the most and sometimes had upto 4 years off. all my mares have stayed with me until i have lost them all bar one who is now 20. i had my stallion from 18months and knew him from being concieved. sadly i lost him at thebeginning of last year and i miss him every day. all of my youngsters were bred to do a job and they all do. they all won in the show ring as yearlings and were kept until at least two years old. most were over four before being advertised so that they had all the training they needed. all do either endurance or show jumping and were sold to the home and not the money.

it's a huge investment to rear horses like that. sadly it's not how most are raised. colts that should have been gelded are sold to people with no money and they breed from them because it came from a top stud running 100 mares. all my boys were gelded before sale. most colts never see a field again as they can't be turned out just anywhere. i've been lucky to always have had somewhere to turn my boys out.

the uk shut down all the places where horses were slaughtered for the meat trade but we are huge exporters to france. i must say that since all the slaughter houses were shut down the market has become swamped with horses that no-one wants. unfortunately though, those that are exported are not treat well. they are crammed into lorries together with no food or water. they are often traumatised and injured when they get where they are going. the eu made britain have passports for every equine in the country. there was alot of shyte about it stopping abuse and horses being stollen which hasn't stopped at all. all it was really for was so that those going into the food chain could be traced and have meds recorded. however, the one advantage of a passport is that you can sign it to say that the horse can never be slaughtered for human consumption. all mine are signed.

my nana used to cook horse meat for my grandad during the war. we had a shop in our town that sold only horse meat for alot of years. i personally wouldn't knowingly eat it unless i was starving but i have no problem with those who do eat it. it is just meat once it's on a plate afterall. my friend loves pigs dearly but she still eats bacon. but no-one will be eating one of my horses for sure.

needles

So, I guess that means no Filet of Filly for me, eh? Just teasing!

Seriously, I admire your conscientious and sensitive breeding methods, and wish more practiced the same. It's an exhausting business pumping out foal after foal, whose futures are less than safe or secure.

Can I come back as one of your horses next time around? I wouldn't mind a little good care for a while!

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ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

I don't love the idea either.  But this weekend, I spent $290 a ton on hay.  It was $240 a ton in July, and $175.00 a year ago.  There are going to be more and more people looking for options for their unwanted horses.  I would rather see humane, local slaughterhouses, than horses dumped in the woods or starving to death in some stall.  

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The other thing that has caused the amount of horses to skyrocket is Premarin. You need to keep breeding mares to make this drug. You certainly don't need good quality horses, just sheer amounts. Then of course, you have all those worn out mares and unwanted foals to dispose of.

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ORIGINAL: aara


we humans are made to eat meat! and i'd love to tie down one of those little skinny white bitches and forced feed her a huge meaty double quarter-pounder with cheese, bacon, tomato, swiss cheese, mushrooms, and eveything else. or a huge 24 oz stake, hot and juicy off the grill cook to mid rare, with shrimp topped on it with garlic cheese, and loaded cheese and mac!

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ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

The thing is, if agribusiness gets involved, horses will be raised just as cruelly as cattle, chickens and pigs. I think there will be a lot of outrage about that

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ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

I've seen the same thing, yes horses live in cruel conditions, sometimes. However, like you said, rescue groups step in and cruelty laws apply. If horses are raised commercially for food, the difference will be scale.

I doubt that horse meat will be particularly affordable as a protein source. They are not very efficient feeders.

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ORIGINAL: needlesandpins
those that are exported are not treat well. they are crammed into lorries together with no food or water. they are often traumatised and injured when they get where they are going.

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ORIGINAL: LaTigresse

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ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

I've seen the same thing, yes horses live in cruel conditions, sometimes. However, like you said, rescue groups step in and cruelty laws apply. If horses are raised commercially for food, the difference will be scale.

I doubt that horse meat will be particularly affordable as a protein source. They are not very efficient feeders.

As for feeding......most in my area are treated the exact same as the cattle on the farm. No difference in how they are fed. Primarily pasture and hay. Most horses are physically mature at 2-3 years, depending on breed even younger. Not much different than cattle.