Would you eat a horse?

[TX Hunter]

Only if I was starving.
To me the Horse, and the Dog, are sacred animals, I just couldnt do it.
But would like to have a Mustang to ride, and hunt off.

[stevelyn]

I don't know, I guess I would. I'm pretty convinced that a lot of those "steaks" served in the mess halls when I was overseas were horse. They sure didn't taste like beef, but they weren't bad.

[Fat White Boy]

" A white man will ride a horse 'til it drops. A Comanch' will get that horse up, ride it another 20 miles then eat it..." John Wayne as Ethan Edwards in "The Searchers".

There is a big mess up in Nevada between the cattle ranchers and the horse lovers... A few years ago, a couple hundred horses were found shot to death in a canyon. Allegedly, someone had herded them up into a canyon lined with people with rifles...

[Crosshair]

Well it seems to be an issue with sustainability caused by the governments short sighted policies. Instead of being slaughtered for meat they are being left to starve to death.

I see no problem with it if what was said in the OP is true. The humane thing to do would be to hunt them to get the population down to a sustainable level.

There is nothing "Humane" about letting an animal starve over the course of weeks/months. Nor whit letting an animal suffer for years from malnutrition due to overpopulation. If an area can support 50 horses and there are 75, then all 75 will endure prolonged suffering. If 25 endure a quick death it means the other 50 will no longer have to suffer from effects of overpopulation.

[bobelk99]

Eat
Horse yes
Dog yes but not till 'hungry'
Cat No unless starving.

Beatles, crawfish, snake and squid all seem undesirable, but I have enjoyed them all without knowing what they were.

[animal]

The horse meat I ate was a bit tough, but way better than emu if you want to have a beef-like taste. I’d rank it as good as or better than bison or beeffalo. As good as Goat or Sheep, better than dog (don’t ask), not as good as cat (gee this chicken on a stick tastes just like rabbit.. a week or so later the restaurant was busted by the health dept.)
All of the above are far superior to a milk cow … yeah, I fell for "you can have it if you want it" on a dry-udder moo-beast once and thought it would be worth the wrestle into the trailer and trip to the butcher. Should’ve known something was up when the dude wouldn’t butcher it "on halves" and insisted on payment in cash. If you do get a "deal" like this, I’d suggest making the whole thing into sausage and heavily seasoned hamburger … unless you can figure out a way to make shoes outta steaks. The ribeyes were about as tough as my work boots and had a bit of a smell to ‘em too.

Weird stuff…
Ants are pretty good, chocolate covered ones are best. Eels are superb kabayaki. Rattlesnake is decent. Gator can be the best thing you ever tasted. Mealworms are just odd. Sea urchin gonads are something I can’t decide if I really like a lot or despise, maybe it depends more on the mood I’m in or how fresh they are. Jellyfish is really good. So is dried cuttlefish, but the wife won’t allow it in the house, or kiss me for a few days after eating it. I was once VERY fond of agave worms, but never ate one sober …

[CajunBass]

Would I eat one? Sure. Why not? They're made of meat aren't they?

Would I hunt one? I don't know. Probably not. I guess if I was hungry enough, and I'm sure a wild horse would be hard to hunt, but right now I can't get past the idea of sneaking up on "Ol Paint" out in the back pasture.

I'd hate to have to drag that critter out too, but I guess moose and elk hunters do it.

[Art Eatman]

As mentined earlier, it's a cultural thing and therefore a matter of personal preference.

http://www.rangemagazine.com has and has had articles on the wild horses of our western states. The mismanagement programs of BLM et al have created enormous problems.

As a bit of a clue about how an overpopulation of horses can hurt range country, remember that a horse will generally equal three cows for food requirement.

[Wrothgar]

I accidentally ate a horse steak in France when I was 11 - its gross, and no, not because I later found out it was horse. I don't care much for horses, it was just not a good tasting meat.

[Capt. Charlie]

As I've been an avid horseman for over 40 years, I guess I'm a bit biased, but I think the horse deserves more reverence than our national symbol, the Bald Eagle.

While the eagle has really done nothing to aid in the development of these United States, the horse carried settlers West and soldiers into battle, yet we made it illegal to possess even an eagle feather, and we serve up horses for dinner .

Originally Posted by reloader28

Sounds like a good way to get rid of some of the wild BLM horses around here. They do the adoption thing, but the odds of getting a decent ridable horse is unlikly. I only know of about one guy that was happy with his horse. The rest were all so screwed up in the head that they never would calm down and staighten out.

Maybe getting a bit off topic, but natural selection has made the Mustang one of the toughest, most reliable horses in the world. Their hooves are like iron and they rival the Arab for endurance. Once you've owned a good Mustang, you'll never go with any other breed. As far as being "screwed up in the head", they generally have strong and independent wills, but the vast majority are trainable, and turn out to be willing and reliable.

To quote world-renowned trainer John Lyons, "There are no bad horses; only bad trainers".

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Capt Charlie

While the eagle has really done nothing to aid in the development of these United States, the horse carried settlers West and soldiers into battle,

Maybe.... but they've served their purpose and should be relegated to history, or used to burn a pile of unneeded hay that you may have acquired.

The eagle continues to inspire soldiers and civilians alike.

Horses are for people who want carbon offsets in place of the Hummer.

[Jack O'Conner]

Why not? I'm sure a well marinated steak would be excellent from a younger animal. But an old mare or gelding would better ground up for burger & sausage.

Jack

[moosemike]

Why should horses be relegated to history? That doesn't even make sense. I can still ride my horses anywhere I want to go just like it was 1799. That's like saying bow & arrows are obsolete.

[Bigjim3]

If times got rough I would eat Mr. Ed

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by moosemike

Why should horses be relegated to history? That doesn't even make sense. I can still ride my horses anywhere I want to go just like it was 1799. That's like saying bow & arrows are obsolete.

Did you overlook the



and

?

Personally, I do find horses to be useless, but it's a consequence of my geography and lifestyle. There are many who find them more useful than cars/trucks. For me, their only purpose WOULD be hamburger.

[moosemike]

Central NY state is wonderful horse country. Unless you live smack dab in Syracuse or Utica or something.

[Silvanus]

Sure why not? You can get a horse steak in most restaurants in my country. I didn't even know it was a particularly "French" thing to eat horses until I read this thread...

[Crosshair]

While the eagle has really done nothing to aid in the development of these United States, the horse carried settlers West and soldiers into battle, yet we made it illegal to possess even an eagle feather, and we serve up horses for dinner

So you love horses so much you want to let them overpopulate, destroy the land they are on, and slowly starve? That doesn't sound like compasion to me

That's the problem I'm having here. People don't want to see them killed, but they don't see how that their compassion for the horses is only leading them to further suffering and misery for who whole population.

Nobody is saying kill them all, but the population must be kept to a manageable level to ensure a healthy population. If they weren't overpopulating I could see an argument for not hunting them, but they are overpopulating from what I have read and need to be managed in some way. Previously this was by commercially butchering them for meat and exporting it, now that that has stopped their populations have reached unhealthy levels.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Yeah, in some ways. Part of my "geography" though is the lack of living on a farm. The "lifestyle" part of it is my refusal to spend 10s of thousands of dollars on what amounts to a living 4 wheeler that demands to be fed and coddled whether I ride it or not.

No thanks. My money goes to vehicles that won't demand my attention, will sit there for months if I don't use them and consume no resources during that time and won't cause heartache when they finally die.

So, in my world, horses are worthless hay burning machines and I don't own any hay. Like so many other things, YMMV.

As it relates to the OP, all of the above is why I have no attachment to the species, say nothing of an individual, and would have no problem eating one.

[moosemike]

Nobody is saying kill them all

That's good because if you were I'd tell Billy Jack.

[Evan Thomas]

Originally Posted by Capt Charlie

As I've been an avid horseman for over 40 years, I guess I'm a bit biased, but I think the horse deserves more reverence than our national symbol, the Bald Eagle.

While the eagle has really done nothing to aid in the development of these United States, the horse carried settlers West and soldiers into battle, yet we made it illegal to possess even an eagle feather, and we serve up horses for dinner.

I grew up riding horses, love their beauty and spirit, and have known several very well. I wouldn't eat one I knew personally unless I were very hungry indeed, but that just falls under the common-sense farm rule: "If you plan to eat it, don't give it a name."

The idea that one shouldn't eat animals about which one feels reverent or sentimental is one I've always found curious. I've mostly come across it among people who describe themselves as "semi-vegetarians," who have "standards" ranging from "I won't eat anything that has a face" to "I won't eat anything I feel sentimental about." (The fellow who told me the latter said that he would eat chicken, but not duck. I was tempted to reply "Well, for me, I guess that would rule out friends and family... )

I feel reverence, or at any rate deep respect ("reverence" has a few too many religious overtones for my taste), for most living creatures, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to eat the tasty ones... as respectfully as possible.

I'd eat bald eagles, too, if it were legal and if I thought they tasted halfway decent, which I doubt that they do...

Not only can we not kill and eat them, but The Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 also prohibits "bothering" eagles:

"Disturb means to agitate or bother a bald or golden eagle to a degree that causes, or is likely to cause, based on the best scientific information available, 1) injury to an eagle, 2) a decrease in its productivity, by substantially interfering with normal breeding, feeding, or sheltering behavior..."

So I'm even on shaky legal ground if I try to discourage them from pooping on my car up at the lake, while they roost in the pine tree and eat fish...

[Italian_Marksman94]

I like to be adventerous when I eat things but call me a hippie Im quite picky about what I hunt, I dont like hunting deer for example, there just to beautiful to me and they are a pain compared to pork or beef to make taste good, especialy if your going for a big muscular prize buck. Same goes for horse, they just to beautiful and although I wouldnt mind if maybe a dozen were killed if they population exploded I certainly wouldnt ever hunt one, I mean dont get me wrong I like hunting coyote, pig, and turkey but beautiful animals like deer, horse, elk, lynx, etc. I hopefuly wont have to them hunt anytime soon. I understand about population controll and stuff and if Invited I would go on a deer hunt but I rarely actively deer hunt on my own, Im just a softie for animals

[moosemike]

One of the major problems is that the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act prohibits the relocation of these animals to more suitable public lands. The Act needs amended. The BLM currently has 9,000 of these wild horses in holding pens and they don't know what to do with them. Hunting is always the most common sense answer to population control but not in this case. Animal rights groups would fight it like they never fought anything and they'd have the public sentiment behind them for the first time. Meaning their membership would skyrocket and they would take in donations at a rate heretofore unheard of. Groups like PETA and the HSUS would rise to a level of power and influence that they had only been able to dream of. A Horse hunt would open up an awful can of worms.

[BIGR]

Only if I was starving and no other food (Wild Game) was available.....

[sc928porsche]

I like to taste first without knowing to decide whether I like it or not. That said, I have enjoyed horse, cat, dog, monkey, snake, frog legs, and a lot of other meats. As for hunting them, not unless it were a survival issue. There is too much other game around.