I agree that there is no reason to consider horses different than cows, chickens, rabbits as far as being food. My understanding is part of the problem with slaughter of horses was how inhumane it was. I know it sounds weird to say there are humane ways to kill animals for food, but after learning about the work of Temple Grandin in making cow slaughter more humane, I really think it is true. I think there is a happy medium but the meat industry needs to be willing to put the extra effort into treating the animals humanely.