Even though meat production is not our main goal, and we like to see all our animals roaming free trough nature in wild herds, sometimes it is inevitable and some animals have to be slaughtered. Reasons can be variable; sometimes animals are selected from the herd because they have les characteristic features for wild cows or horses. Laity especially in smaller areas we have a surplus of male animals. Young mares and stallions are naturally driven out of their mother herd and when the territory is not big enough for two separate herds we have to take them out. The females mostly can be replaced, but mostly people are not interested in keeping a herd consisting of only male animals and we have no choice but to slaughter them.

The best time for slaughtering is autumn. Animals that are grazing all year round are logically loosing a lot of weight in winter, and in early spring they have used up most if not all of their vet recourses. After summer the animals are nicely vet again (sometimes even to vet) autumn is therefore the time that meet quality is at its best, this means that meet is softer and consequentially relatively a big amount of meat is suitable to be uses as stake! Meet from animals living in natural circumstances is has a stronger structure and tastes more like game.

Bull’s offered for slaughter mostly are sold easily, but Latvians are not used to eat horse meat and sometimes even for the owners it takes some time to get used to the idea that some of their horses end up on a plate! Wilde horsemeat taste a bit sweeter than cattle but its stake is softer and the fat is easier digestible and healthier. Being a sausage eating nation it is good to know that horse meat is a perfect basses for making sausages. To give the sausage a harder structure you can mix it with wild boar, or beef.

Family Rubeņu this autumn had to slaughter a stallion; the animal was naturally separated from the mother herd and became unmanageable for them. This was the first time for them that they had to slaughter a horse and because it is hard to sell the animal (for a normal price) to a slaughter house they decided to use the meet them self and sell what is too much to family and acquaintances. Most of the meet was manufactured in to sausages at a nearby slaughter. People where very surprised by the taste and quality of the product and selling it were no problem at all! I quote Edmunds Rubenis; “Tās desas izķēra milzīgā ātrumā, visiem nepietika, es nekad to nedomāju. Visiem nemaz neiznāca, citi gribēja vēl, bet vairāk jau nebija, tas mani pārsteidza”.