Your point is well taken. By the way, you don't have to "cross the pond" to partake in horse meat. In Canada, (at least in British Columbia) you need to look closely at the menu of restaurants, the tipoff is the words "meat sandwich" that indicates it is horse. I eat at restaurants in eastern BC occasionally because of my living in close proximity to the border. I find that the horse meat is usually fairly heavily marinated.
By the way, if you think you're eating beef, the taste is just a little off. That's another clue if you didn't catch the "meat" thing on the menu.
As an ex-cowboy (many years ago in my youth), as a former mounted ranger in the Park Service, I really dislike horses. I've owned several, though not voluntarily over the years.