This is a cultural issue. Horses, an integral part of America's heritage and culture, are favored animals, just like cats and dogs. Americans do not eat horses just as they do not eat cats and dogs. Some cultures do eat cats and dogs, but we would be appalled to supply these countries with such a food source, as opposed to humanely euthanizing animals considered to be our beloved pets and companions. Even those who consume horse meat may be betrayed.
Many drugs commonly given to horses can be extremely dangerous to humans.
This inspired foreign interests to start a secretive slaughter industry in the U.S. unbeknownst to most Americans. However, an increasing number of Americans have become aware of this slaughter industry, and over the past ten years, the number of equine slaughter plants in this country has decreased from fourteen to four. That's the good news. The bad news is that there is still an average of over 100,000 American horses being slaughtered here and in Canada annually. This is because the common denominator for every aspect of the horse business is the slaughterhouse.