I don't think I could ever bring myself to eat horse meat. I've eaten all kinds of strange and interesting foods and challenge myself to try things but couldn't try horse. Nothing to do with the pet issue. I was raised in a farming community where pet lambs & pigs are the norm. Maybe it's because I view them as modes of transport? Who knows! Having said that, many of us may have eaten horse and been none the wiser - Horse Meat Found in Salami
@Watersprout - IKWYM, I once ordered scallops in a restaurant and was presented with a veal escalope.
Quick question for the veggies & vegans - do you wear leather/sheepskin/suede? just curious as I find that's something that divides my friends. The gelatine issue especially. I have some vegetarian (not vegan) friends who will happily eat a jelly baby because "they're not meat" and others who will pass on a slice of iced cake if they don't know for sure if the icing contains gelatine. Fortunately, I'm a good friend and aware that issues like these matter, so I always ask what people do/don't eat before cooking for them.