Dig a Pony?

[femsc]

Warning - This post is PUBLIC

KING RICHARD III:
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!

CATESBY:
Withdraw, my lord; I'll help you to a horse.

A sad story is doing the rounds at the moment. For those of you who are unable to view the relevant Facebook page, here it is:

"After a long discussion, the decision has been made that

Comments

[katexxxxxx]

Poor things. Sadly, it probably IS the best thing to do with them. Can the carcasses be used, or are they just incinerated?

[femsc]

I don't know, to be honest. I'd have thought they could be used, but people can be very squeamish about (e.g.) eating ponies.
I agree that it's probably the best solution, but that doesn't make it any sadder that it has to happen.

[katexxxxxx]

I've never understood that particular bit of squeem. After all, it's no worse than eating cows, deer, sheep, hares, pigs, hens, salmon, trout, cod... If I'm going to eat it, I want it to have lead as nice a life as possible, been dispatched quickly and with as little stress as possible, and for every part of the carcass to be used as food, leather, glue, whatever. Don't waste an atom, please!

I don't eat horse because I don't like it much, not because I'm sentimental about horses.

[g8bur]

I agree with you about the squeem, and about how things I eat should ideally be treated.

It's sad that the cull has to happen, but in the absence of potential new owners I can see no alternative. I have eaten horse (many years ago, in a Paris university canteen) and disliked it mainly because, as with many French meat dishes, it was very undercooked. I'd hope at least that the meat would go to market, and the remainder of the carcasses would be put to good use.

I'd further have thought that some sort of contraceptive injection or implant ought to be possible for the mares.

[cat63]

I'd love one. Or several. But I couldn't look after them properly. alas :-(

I hope at least some of the poor things find good homes.

[femsc]

That just about sums up my thoughts, too.

'Tis a shame, but I suspect that not allowing the older ponies to mate wouldn't work as a solution to the problem. I assume it's in the winter that the hardships really come, since until then there should be plenty of grass available on the moor.

I can't find anything to substantiate the story, BTW, but OTOH the FB page is of recent date.

[hooloovoo_42]

Sounds like the farmers need to stop wasting everyone's time and money on a product there's no call for.

[femsc]

I don't suppose there's much they can do to stop the ponies mating other than administering some sort of expensive contraception.

[g8bur]

As far as I can remember from forty years ago, somewhere between beef and venison. It was typical French undercooking though. If they have to carry out this unfortunate cull, I'd have thought there ought to be a market for the meat, albeit more limited in this country than abroad.