URGENT: Stop Horse Slaughter

https://community.hsus.org/campaign/sweeney_amendment/kw3xkn2155txje? ^

[ktvaughn]

Vote YES on Sweeney-Spratt Agriculture Amendment to End Horse Slaughter

The U.S. House is expected to vote on June 8 or 9 on the Sweeney-Spratt amendment to prevent tax dollars from being used to promote horse slaughter. Please take action right now—send an email and make a phone call to urge your U.S. Representative to vote YES on the Sweeney-Spratt Amendment.

Americans love horses—they are our trusted companions, our Olympic heroes, and our loyal work animals. Polls show time and time again that Americans don't support slaughtering our horses for foreign dinner plates. This travesty must be stopped...and by taking action, you can ensure that it will be.

You can reach your Representative by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Your phone call could make all the difference. Not sure what to say? Here's a sample phone script for when you call:

[HairOfTheDog]

Very true Cav :~D

[Age of Reason]

Still--doesn't this bother you? You want your tax dollars paying for this? What if it were dogs?

I had several pet rabbits when I was a kid.

And I also have eaten rabbit since I was a kid.

Same with chickens and ducks and even a pig.

Haven't had the chance to eat horse or dog yet, but I will.

[Tunehead54]

Up in the Northeast, as I understand it you need to be going after the deer.

---

I've only tried horsemeat once. I didn't go back for seconds. In survival training I've eaten rabbit, rattlesnake and crabs (little tiny ones)and I could have eaten grubs but nobody is that hungry after only 72 hours but I'll have to be next to starving before I try horse again - and no, it doesn't taste like chicken. ;-)

[Tunehead54]

Thanks for the info - do they foam at the mouth so I'll know not to rent one? ;-) Seriesly though - thanks. I'd never heard of a rabid horse but it makes sense since we can get it too.

[Oberon]

Oh, I don't know. I like a nice piece of hard salami from time to time...and the authentic stuff is equine.

[mommadooo3]

Hmph....just a one-upmanship rodeo.

[fso301]

Clarifying the notion of horsemeat
As soon as prehistoric times, horsemeat was much appreciated for its typical taste. Afterwards, its nutritional qualities were ignored and the animal was used for work and sports purposes. But lately, we can say that horsemeat is back and going strong. Belgian consumers are really going for it since the increase in the mad cow cases. They have abandoned the beef counters. For the last ten years, horsemeat sales have gone up drastically!

In Canada, where red meat consumption has gone down because of its high fat content, horsemeat is once more appreciated.

Since June 1994, we can find horsemeat in Quebec's grocery stores. Several cuts are available; they are vacuum packed for preservation purposes. Its taste is slightly sweet because of its glycogen content which is three times higher than the amount found in beef. The meat is so tender that it requires minimal cooking time. Furthermore, it can be used during the week because of its affordable price which is less expensive than ostrich meat also known as health meat.

Nutrients Horsemeat is an excellent source of high quality protein, B12 vitamin and zinc .Because of its low fat content (3%) and low cholesterol content, horsemeat is easily digestible. Finally, its dark red color is an indication of a high iron content: 4mg per 100g of meat, way above beef or pork. Horsemeat is recommended for people needing high iron content food such as pregnant women and anemic people.

One might say: does horsemeat have any weak points? It is quite vulnerable, it can be easily contaminated by germs especially if it is minced. But let us remember that the public health standards are the same for the horse and the beef slaughterhouses.

Horsemeat - Cooked meat
(100 g portion)

Meat cut	Energy KJ	Proteins Gr	Fat	Cholesterol	Iron	B12 Vit.
Roast	175	28.1	6.05 Gr	68. Mg	5.03 ml	3.16 ml

Horsemeat - Raw meat
(100 g portion)

Meat Cut	Energy KJ	Proteins Gr	Fat	Cholesterol	Iron	B12 Vit.
Roast	133	21.3	4.6 gr	52.0 Mg	3.82 ml	3.0 ml

The horse and its origin Some sixty millions years ago, Eohippus (hyracotherium), the ancestor of the actual horse, made its first steps in the Paleocene forests.

This small mammal, the size of a dog, barely 40 centimeters high, fed mainly on leaves.

Its four toes were well adapted to its biotope: the marshland. Because of climatic upheavals, Eohippus had to leave the forest. In this open field, it became an easy prey for the predators. This new situation probably led Eohippus to instinctively run away; this situation is also certainly responsible for the atrophy of its first toe. While "loosing" this support, Eohippus, now known as Mesohippuss, could now run much faster.

Mesohippuss is slightly taller than its ancestor; it is approximately fifty centimeters tall. It will take another 20 million years for Mesohippuss to grow another forty centimeters and become this ninety centimeter athlete.

It is now known as Merychippus. It belongs to the perissodactyla family: it now rests on the ground on only one toe.

Ten million years later, Merychippus becomes Pliohippus, the whole-hoofed animal (one toe). It is 115 centimeters but contrarily to the actual horse, its hoof is split in two.

Features Horsemeat is now sold in top quality butcher shops and supermarkets along with beef, pork, veal and poultry.. The Agriculture law requires that the following information be included: type of meat, weight, date it was packed and price. This information is an advantage for the consumer looking for the best meat cut without any loss. It will be easy for you to appreciate the quality of horsemeat if you are familiar with its main features and with the various factors that influence the quality of the meat.

Age A popular saying states : "old beef, bad meat; old horse, good meat"! Connoisseurs appreciate older horsemeat because it has matured and it is ready for consumption. The horse butcher's stall has two suggestions: first, the colt, with its white meat, its nutritious value equivalent to veal, its neutral taste and its easily digestible meat and then the adult horse meat. At the age of 3 or 4, the horse meat is already very good but after its seventh year, it is simply delicious. Horse meat can be eaten at a later age as long as the horse was not submitted to hard work. It is interesting to know that a horse can live up to age twenty-five to thirty.

The sex of the animal The slaughterhouse has categorized the animals by decreasing order of quality: the mare, the gelded horse (castrated), and the stallion. The male's muscular mass is much greater than that of the female and also firmer.

Race Thoroughbreds and half-breds are most appreciated for their tender, red and succulent meat; the fat is quite firm. Without any distinction, all horse species are sought after; there is no official quality classification as for the beef because of the meat's constant quality. Mule and donkey meat which are tastier than horsemeat are not for consumption except in Spain and in Portugal. The law makes a clear distinction regarding these "first cousins" before slaughtering. Zebra meat is strong, too fat and very tough…an exotic meat to be left for a lion's appetite!

Color The meat is of a bright red: but soon after it is cut, the muscle takes on a typical rusty color.

This feature is a guarantee of quality. The fat is fine, firm and of a nice saffron color which comes from the carotene in corn and the grass from the pasture. Contrarily to beef where meat and fat are intertwined, horsemeat is wrapped around the muscle.

Tenderness Horsemeat gives us the impression that it has been tenderized It is known as the most tender meat there is: a specific biological process is used to tenderize the muscular fibers. Other meat require three or four days before they can be consumed in order to allow for the rigidity to disappear and for the autolytic enzymes to act: horsemeat reaches maximum tenderness in 24 hours which makes it ready for consumption very early. Butcher shops can offer meat that has been cut on the day following slaughtering.

Taste Its taste is a combination of beef and deer: it's pleasant and slightly sweet due to its glycogen content from the muscle tissue. Pan fried, horsemeat can be mistaken for first quality beef.; if you choose to marinate it and cook it on the barbecue, your friends will be wondering and will congratulate you for this succulent recipe.

Meat cuts Each cut is judged according to its tenderness, its taste and its reputation. The prime cuts are sold as roast, steak or minced meat. Less tender cuts can be used for stews and pot roasts.. For delicatessen purposes, you will find pure horse sausages, horse and pork sausages, pastrami and horse pâtés. For manipulation and classification purposes, the horse carcass is divided in two and then separated in half carcasses (front quarter and hind quarter). There are two great types of cut: the French cut and the North-American cut. The first comes from way back when and was developed because of a very demanding clientele; the meat cuts are sophisticated and uniformly tender. The French butcher is a well respected professional not to say that the North American butcher is not a professional.

[TASMANIANRED]

The saliva carries the virus.

Any animal that can survive a bite from a predator can carry it.

[MarkBsnr]

Thank you for the information both the biological and the gastronomic. It really does put things into context.

I'd sign up for a barbeque at your place, dude. Especially with the sweeter meat that is a cross between beef and deer - both of which I like.

Nothing like a good tender porterhouse, I say.

And, maybe it's time to sight in my .300 mag for about 400 yards and head west...

[HairOfTheDog]

Phooey - nice try at making it all sound so official, but despite what Frenchman wannabes in Quebec say, there is no demand for horse meat in American markets, nor do I think there ever will be.

Most horse slaughter in this country goes to cheap pet food. Pet food I avoid buying for that reason. From the very few slaughterhouses in the country who bother with USDA approval for human consumption all export the products to France and Japan, whose eating habits I am not interested in.

[MarkBsnr]

I'm hardly advocating a wholesale genocide and consumption of our entire equine population. I just take umbrage at snooty and snotty pronouncements of things that, well, just oughta be and that's all there is to it, and anyone that doesn't think that way, sniff, well, that's just awful.

Especially when their positions are indefensible. Not immoral, not illegal and not in bad taste and certainly not Biblically proscribed (in the NT anyway).

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

**Lamb..it's what's for dinner. Yummy! **

Ten million coyotes can't be wrong! Yum!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

**We are talking about disposal of undesirable mustangs,**

As the crying cowboy said while washing up for dinner, "Ever since we sold them nags to the soap factory, I just know I'm washing with OLD BLAZE."

[HairOfTheDog]

Culture and customs and societal norms are not mere trifles to be mocked just because you don't happen to think they are worth caring about.

They are the things that make us different from say, the French, or Indians, or Aisa, or Eskimos, for that matter. We have things we value for something more than mere basic survival, and horses, dogs, cats, and other pet and service animals are just some of them. But yet probably on a thread about Asian dog eating, you'd post recipes just to show how rational you are. We're comfortable enough, and wealthy enough, to not ~have~ to sacrifice these animals for food.

So take your unemotional involvement and stick it.

[ktvaughn]

"Horses are not treated like cattle here. I believe we make a higher contract with them than food animals. We ask them to do things for us, we demand their cooperation and their obedience, they carry us, perform for us, and often injure themselves doing our bidding... It is for that they they deserve loyalty from us. Because ~we~ are better for returning their loyalty. "

This is how I feel--thank you for stating far more eloquently than I.

[ktvaughn]

An elephant is pregnant for 2 years. A rabbit, well, you know how rabbits breed--I believe that the Lord did not make all animals equal. Elephants are to be admired as a wonder of His work. Rabbits are made to be eaten. (the novel "Watership Down" is all about the rabbits self awareness that their existence is to feed other animals-philisophically, it's an interesting POV), What could be more perfect for eating than a chicken? And it gives us eggs! But in my opinion, God cares how we treat the animals that take care of us.

[Preachin']

"But in my opinion, God cares how we treat the animals that take care of us."

He had the Jews slaughter the very animals that provided them wool.

[Redcitizen]

If you read my posts carefully, you will se that I am not advocating the saving of these horses. GET rid of them.

You need to send the post that you sent me to ktvaughn.

[Redcitizen]

Greetings from NM!

HAR HAR! that's right, ten million coyotes can't be wrong!

[elbucko]

I detest and vehemently argue against slaughter of domesticated horses.

To haul these horses to distant facilities would be a further cruelty for them.

I second this opinion