The debate seems to be over the inhumanity of slaughtering horses. However, it is impossible to have this debate without questioning the humanity of consuming horses for food. Yes, it's "acceptable" to do so in countries like Slovenia, France and Italy. But is it right?

The relationship between humans and horses is deep, spiritual and historic. As Danish equestrian scholar, Bjarke Rink, wrote "“horsemanship [is] the Catalyst of History.” Humans, especially Americans, have depended on and used horses for military, moving across country, exploring, etc. There is a relationship that transcends the notion that a horse is livestock. A horse is a partner.

“You say, among other things, that some eat wild horses and many eat tame horses. By no means allow this to happen in future, but suppress it in every possible way with the help of Christ and impose a suitable penance upon offenders. It is a filthy and abominable custom.... We pray God that...you may achieve complete success in turning the heathens from the errors of their ways.”

What ever happened to kindness, compassion, sympathy, and empathy? Those beautiful, amazing qualities that humans used to possess – where did they go? Reading some of these letters, it boggles my mind the insensitivity and callousness seething from you people. What has happened to humanity? Why does the idea of giving a living creature the dignity and compassion of a cruel-free and painless death offend so many of you?

It does not matter what kind of living creature it is – horse, cow, chicken, snake, shark, grasshopper, human – ALL living creatures deserve dignity and respect. And if you intend to kill another creature, then why not make it quick and painless? Why do you people not care that a creature is suffering and forced to undergo horrifying pain, torment, humility, anguish, and agony?

Whether you eat meat or not; whether you wear fur or not; whether you buy reptile-covered shoes/boots/purses/accessories or not; you should care about how the animal was treated and killed. I just don’t understand the heartlessness and coldness toward suffering.

No wonder our world is so miserable. It seems that kindness, compassion, and love have been overshadowed by hateful, vicious, cruel, and heartless empty-shells of humans.

“Mankind differs from the animals only by a little and most people throw that away.” --Confucius

Although the idea of horses being sold to slaughter and having to experience the horrors of being killed while still conscious is hard to take, I can't help but scratch my head. You do realize that we incarcerate, dismember, torture, disfigure, and force billions of animals in this country to live in squalor, unable to move, living in their waste with no exposure to sunlight, grass or fresh air for their entire lives...right? Any attention brought to the plight of those unable to speak for or rescue themselves from the grips of mankind's greed is a great thing. I just want to know what the difference is between that beloved horse you rode as a child, the dog that sits on your lap and the cat that ignores you is from the billions that are forced to live in misery for your palette?

Animal activist Philip Wollen in Australia says:

A few years ago I prepared a list and discovered there were literally thousands of animals I didn't eat. . . . . . dogs or cats, bears or bats, tigers or turtles, horses or hamsters, rosellas or rats.

Nor did I drink the milk of dogs, donkeys, giraffes, or cats.

I decided to go only five animals more. . . . I simply added cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and fish to the list.

It was a breeze.

I didn't crave lamb any more than I craved lion; I didn't miss beef any more than I missed bandicoots. I didn't miss chicken any more than I missed cheetah. I didn't miss pork any more than I missed porcupine.

I replaced dead animals with an astounding variety of colourful, delicious and healthy plant foods.

And I feel better for it. I sleep peacefully and deeply. I now have boundless energy, more than people half my age.

My memory has improved rapidly. I remember what an unexamined life I had lived.

And I care for all living things more deeply. Frankly, I didn't know what I had been missing.

My greatest regret in life was that I did not do this from the start.

It occurred to me that when I die I would like the chapel to be filled with people I have loved. Not the tortured souls of animals I have killed.

Adding only five animals to an already huge list was the easiest (and wisest) thing I ever did.

Try it. You won't regret it. The planet will thank you for it.

And the farmers, the taxpayers and your family will thank you too.

We ate horse when I was a kid, during the Nixon recession.

It was cheap and good. I'd eat it again without any qualms.

A horse without a home is livestock, period. Pack it off to a nearby slaughterhouse, regulated by U.S. inspectors, staffed by U.S. workers, and humanely butcher the animal so its meat can be used for pets and people. If you don't think slaughterhouses butcher humanely, then work to get all livestock animals better conditions, not just cute horses.

Stupid "It's cute, I don't wanna know you're killing it" laws benefit no one at all, most especially the animals. The long commute to an extra-national slaughterhouse all by itself is going to be protracted and stressful for the animal. Yet that long ride is still probably the cheapest way to legally dispose of a 1000 lb animal, so it isn't going away.

Grow up, America.

If you don't want to eat horse meat, don't eat horse meat. If you want to keep a horse as a companion animal, keep a horse as a companion animal.

But spare me your hand-wringing and poetics about a practise -- eating horse meat -- that is no different from the eating of any other animal.

The question posed by this article is easily answered: "Are horses 1,500 pounds of food or friend?"

Answer: If you bought it for food, then it's food. If you bought it to be your friend, then it's your friend. Period.

If you are so concerned about this issue, then pony up for the cost of keeping a horse as your animal companion. Otherwise, leave the horse eaters alone. It's not for you to legislate other people's food morality.

And horse meat is tasty.