The Dream and the Nightmare
The nightmare
Suddenly I am torn from my dreamland. We face: The food and veterinary industry (MAST) oversees the health and well-being of these best friends of ours. Are the riding horses perhaps nothing more than a by-product of industry and food production, ....? the leftovers when horses have been selected for industry and everything we can eat has been slaughtered?
It should be noted, however, that the consumption of horsemeat in this country is an age-old custom, although not everyone consumes it. Gunnar Bjarnason said in his time when he taught European horsemen how to enjoy our horse, that eating horsemeat was an essential part of
"Breeding riding horses", but ......
Blood mares, ... what is the role of the horses used for blood production, .... yes, the blood produces hormones that are used to increase pig products or so that the females get more piglings than nature expects.
We Icelanders are largely "animal friends" and as a result we cannot avoid speculation about these issues .... does this change make the life of pigs more attractive than it was before??
Conclusion
Instead of enticing tourists to Iceland to see our beautiful horse, get to know him and even go on high mountain horseback rides,… we have a party and on the menu are Grilled foal steaks with Bacon.
Those who imagine that these two, the "dream" and the "industry" can be side by side in a country no bigger than Iceland, see our horses at least differently than I and my friends do.
Trausti Þór
Suddenly I am torn from my dreamland. We face: The food and veterinary industry (MAST) oversees the health and well-being of these best friends of ours. Are the riding horses perhaps nothing more than a by-product of industry and food production, ....? the leftovers when horses have been selected for industry and everything we can eat has been slaughtered?
It should be noted, however, that the consumption of horsemeat in this country is an age-old custom, although not everyone consumes it. Gunnar Bjarnason said in his time when he taught European horsemen how to enjoy our horse, that eating horsemeat was an essential part of
"Breeding riding horses", but ......
Blood mares, ... what is the role of the horses used for blood production, .... yes, the blood produces hormones that are used to increase pig products or so that the females get more piglings than nature expects.
We Icelanders are largely "animal friends" and as a result we cannot avoid speculation about these issues .... does this change make the life of pigs more attractive than it was before??
Conclusion
Instead of enticing tourists to Iceland to see our beautiful horse, get to know him and even go on high mountain horseback rides,… we have a party and on the menu are Grilled foal steaks with Bacon.
Those who imagine that these two, the "dream" and the "industry" can be side by side in a country no bigger than Iceland, see our horses at least differently than I and my friends do.
Trausti Þór