[Shropshirelass]

Basically I'm just doing this out of curiosity what with all the scandals of horse meat being classed as beef lately & just thought it would be interesting to see how many of you would actually eat horse meat if it was properly labelled as that & readily available - like in butcher shops in the UK for example alongside other meats.

Personally I do rise, have worked with horses & the past & love the creatures but would consider trying it & think it is readily available as a meat option in the UK - They do not have many diseases that need to be stringently checked for like sheep, cattle & pigs like TB, BSE, & foot & mouth, Our parents & grandparents generations ate it & horses that were no longer usable or wild horses or unbreakable ones were often made use of in this way - often in my profession & readily in the press you are now seeing horses as one of the main species of "Pets" along with cats & dogs that get outgrown or neglected when kids no longer want or ride them, or an owner has an injury & can no longer ride or care for their horses despite how much they love & care for them & the horses are kept out on grass & not ridden because of this or were unbreakable / difficult to handle in the 1st place, that or they are sold on.

In the sad reality of it all is there are not enough good homes & owners for all of these gentle & loving animals, that are very rewarding but time consuming & costly pets & some will fall by the wayside - no matter how many potential homes or rescue centers / charities are out there. I'm not saying all owners are neglectful & know a lot do care for their horses but is there another viable option of controlling the population???

Also apologies to moderators if this is in the wrong section x.

[downtoearth]

It's just that we get stuck eating the stuff that we're used too!  I have owned and love horses, but there is nothing to stop me but my emotions ! So probably not!

[plumseverywhere]

I would. Especially as so many are culled for the wrong reasons (bad homes etc) it would make more sense to use their meat so their life was not in vain. IMO.

[fifixx]

I do hope all the stuff removed from the supermarket shelves is at least being turned into petfood - but I bet it's being incinerated.

Crazy world.  I think the fact pork has been found in beef is far worse - imagine if your religion forebade eating pork and then you find you have consumed it? 

[MAK]

A good poll. But having said yes I would eat horse ( having eaten it in the past) I will only eat what I know I am being sold. I do not buy any processed meals so I would go for a slab of horse purchased from either of the "horse meat" traders on the market or in town. Last horse meal I had was like bits of chuck steak in a tomatoe sauce with pasta. It was Ok but I would rather eat slow cooked beef.

[hughesy]

I have no problem at all with horse meat as food. I do like to know that what I'm eating is what I thought it was when I bought it though.

[ppd]

Personally I would not eat horse meat, but I do not have a problem with it being eaten by others provided the horses are slaughtered with minimal stress, like any animal.

[Lesley Silvester]

Crazy world.  I think the fact pork has been found in beef is far worse - imagine if your religion forebade eating pork and then you find you have consumed it? 

On the Jeremy Vine show today, the subject was being discussed and a Jewish woman rang in to say that horse meat is not considered Kosher so, along with pork, is not allowed.  She is so concerned that she might be inadvertantly eating it that she has given up eating meat.

When I was a horse mad teenager, I was horrified at the thought of eating horse meat but I'm not a horse mad teenager any more.  If I'm prepared to eat goat then I am prepare to eat horse but only if it is sold as horse meat.

The problem I foresee is, if it becomes acceptable for horse meat to be sold for human consumption, the price will rocket.  Then what will the manufacturers put in their burgers and ready meals?

[RUSTYME]

Rat pie anyone?

[Shropshirelass]

Mmm I agree with you there "mad goat woman of madeley" what with the burger thing - but maybe products will have to be DNA tested ect - I suppose that will be down to the general public & maybe some new government policy.

But I also think that how much of the current UK population care about where food comes from? & are we part of the minority who will / actually be able to eat our own meat / produce or buy locally & responsibly. I mean when I studied in Birmingham - half the kids didn't know where eggs or milk came from or that lamb was from lambs (Sheep) & Chicken was from a chicken

Fifixx - To be honest why not get them to re-label it or sell it as it is to the people who actually want it or yeah use it as pet food.

I work in a vets & horses are generally the 3rd most common animals that are put to sleep after cats & dogs, then after horses other pets like rabbits & guinea pigs ect & I think its scary the amount of horses put down for various reasons by vets that have to then be collected & incinerated & its a shame that the population of unwanted horses is mainly controlled in this way   x 

[scarlettoara]

i think when you have eaten your own livestock, seen it be born, cuddled it, loved it and then eaten it - it toughens your heart a wee bit. when you look at livestock - thinking breed from the best and eat the rest - and then look at ponies, you realise many shouldnt even be around, lots are poor quality and many are dangerous or uncapable of leading a useful life. i also dont see the point of animal charities that are full of pet sheep etc then ask for public donations.
i would eat horse meat but i would also expect them to treated humanely and reared and slaughtered under regulations, not transported long distances etc. some horses do suffer more stress than pigs and cattle, but i think sheep find life quite stressful aswell.

[nicandem]

The amount of people who have eaten horse and not known it would be higher than realised even before this current situation.
How many have been in Europe and had a stew or pie or curry and not check what meat it was


Common in many countries especially the newer eastern european destinations.


personally, I would eat most things, preferably knowing its background was for human consumption so that it was not full of drugs etc

[goosepimple]

Yes.  I'd try anything really, so long as it hadn't had chemicals in it.

[sabrina]

Well as most of you know, I love my ponies. would I eat horse meat. Yes. the world cannot produce enough food for the future people so no food should go to waste if possible. I eat our lambs and pigs that I have raised with love. If push came to shove and I had no choice then I would and think most would also rather than starve.

[Jackie 2]

The reason we in Britain dont eat horse met is generally a cultural thing, same as we dont eat dogs or rats or frogs but other cultures do.
If we were raised to see a horse as a food item there we wouldnt even be having this discussion.


I personally have no problem with eating horse as I dont with cow, sheep etc