Horse Cents

The days are gone when posses hanged such varmints from the nearest tree, but horse thievery is all too alive in the U.S. In Michigan, the Macomb County sheriffs office is looking into the disappearance of seven horses. Early this month, thieves cut the fence of the 79-acre farm owned by Leonard and Ruth Genge in Washington township and made off with three mares and Leonard's quarter-horse, Sam. While some horses no doubt end up as dog food, the detective on the case suspects that the best of the rustled nags are sold for as much as 400 per lb. (large stallions bring $450), trucked to Canada, butchered and shipped to Europe. There, horse meat is welcomed by discriminating continental eaters, who consider it juicier, tastier and more tender than expensive beef. France has more than 1,000 boucheries hippophagiques (horse meat shops); some restaurants in Belgium and Switzerland specialize in horse meat. The taste for steak a la dobbin has not crossed the Channel to Britain, however, where a horse is just a horse, rather than a del-equus-y.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.