Many in the UK object to eating horse meet because they claim to be 'horse lovers - being a town boy I am not sure what that entails. The objection is not so much that horse meat is used but that people should be correctly informed which meat they are buying. Of course some vegetarians see all meat eating as gross.
I have eaten horse in France, as is the custom.The thing is that horses get injured of put down as they have no useful life left. Years ago they went to the ‘knackers yard’ to be slaughtered and turned into glue. Why waste horse meat or give it to dogs and cats? In Hong Kong they eat all those creatures. As I kid all I got was 'spiritual food, served up cold by the Watchtower Society. Horse meat or 'steak de cheval' is a vast improvement.