My mom’s cousins’ farm isn’t free range, but their chickens aren’t treated as horribly as I’ve heard they can be treated.  During the summer, it was her job to walk through and pick up the dead ones.

Maegan - 31 August 2005 11:16 AM

Something I read also said that all these horses end up being shipped to Europe and Asia for food.  I mean, I know people DO eat horsemeat, but is it SO popular that someone is making a market out of this?? 

Any Europeans and Asians wanna comment?

I can only comment for the Far East / Orient… horsemeat is VERY popular there. Personally I don’t think I’d ever try it, but I wouldn’t starve to death rather than eat it either.

I am asian by the way, and I’ve never eaten horse meat. But I have nothing against it either. In fact, I have nothing against eating any type of animals, even dogs, cats, or humans. Though I won’t try, I have nothing against it. It’s a food chain~
I do believe if we are going to eat the animals, we should at least treat them nicely before they die and kill them with as little pain as possible. Seeing they are going to DIE for us, the least we can do is ensure they are taken care of.

Out of curiousity… are you an Asian in Asia or elsewhere? If elsewhere have you ever been to the Orient? This was (Japan) the only place I’ve ever seen horsemeat as a menu item. Which is why I ask…

I’ve seen horse fairly often on the menu in France and Germany, and a few places in Eastern Europe as well.  I have no idea where they get their horse, though.  I never saw any horse farms.

I am Chinese, and I was born in Hong Kong. Currently living in Canada, but I go back to Hong Kong every year.
For those who don’t know, HK is part of china (at least now it is)
but I have heard that people used to eat dogs and cats around 30 years back. But it’s illegal now. =/

Mark-N-Jen - 02 September 2005 04:01 AM

Out of curiousity… are you an Asian in Asia or elsewhere? If elsewhere have you ever been to the Orient? This was (Japan) the only place I’ve ever seen horsemeat as a menu item. Which is why I ask…

They were selling horsemeat when i was in france. i dodn’t try any though.

Hi I am new here but wanted to share my own personal experience with PREMARIN…..First I have to say that I remember my mother using PREMARIN 15 years ago and felt nothing wrong with it at all until I got the facts and decided to find out for myself by going on a tour of the facilities (Veterinary Student) at Cal Poly in CA.

The barns looked very clean but (remember this was a controlled barn who had a 3 month warning of our coming) and this tour was sponsored by the the pharmicutical companies.  The horses there were over 130 mares (online) at the time, many were appendex 1/4 horses and draft crosses, the tie stalls were only 4 foot wide and there were concrete slabs to lay on, that is if they could lay down (many could not) the collection devices which looked clean at the time but you could see on some of the mares that there were scars from the harnesses to the devices.  Water was withheld to concentrate the urine (I could tell because they were watching the auto waterers very intently and when they came on they drank very very fast).

The look of despair is what I cannot forget, they looked like what POW’s looked like in some of those old war newsreels they sometimes play on the history channel.  After that I swore I would never use the product myself but only, use a natural plant extract if I ever needed help in that way.  3 years ago the pharm. co. cut production of its PREMARIN/PREMPRO products and many of these farms lost their contracts so they flooded the slaughter houses with pregnant mares and foals…many USA equine rescue org. came to the aid of these mares and tried to save by adoption many of these mares/foals of which I have one!

When she came to me she was thin, scared to death and untrained, she did not know kindness or love or even a human touch other then being forced from one cattle chute to another and being tied up.  I am happy to report she is in excellent health sweet and happy as can be and she is infoal to a paint stallion and due to give birth in march.  She will be bred only once.  She is arthritic and will never be able to be ridden, but she will have a baby who will stay with her for the rest of her life.

The poor mares on those farms have their foals and within 1 to 2 months they are taken away from the mares and shipped off to feed lots.  I wanted another horse and I wanted her to have a positive foaling experience for her.  I feel lucky to have her and I hope she feels the same way about me.  It is not a hoax about the PMU industry I only wish it were. : (

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Aww, that’s really sweet about the horse and foal Glad to know at least one now has a happy home.

Just the name of this post is gross…..

Thanks Thunderstrick,  She is a really sweet mare and I love her so much!  I feel grateful to have her in my life.  I will let everyone know when she has her foal and will post of picture of her and her baby sometime in March!  She and her foal will have a loving home for the rest of their lives!

Take care. Sincerely Jan