Remember the glue factory?

[pegasus]

Used to be in all the movies and books that if a horse got too old or sick or even unwanted, that it would be off to the glue factory. My understanding is that glue used to be made out of the hooves, right? Along with gelatin and probably other things.

What does happen these days with old/sick horses? Is any of their carcasses still used for making products?

[heidi]

I am not really sure about this but would like to know more as well. The last I heard the horse/glue issue stopped over 20 years ago but that could be wrong too since the person who told me wasnt the most historic sometimes with current times.

[RidingWild]

They use cattle now instead of horses from what I have read. Apparently the cattle are the cast-offs of fast food restaurants. They used to use horses but not anymore

[purplefdu]

http://www.equineboard.com/which-pro...orses-584.html

The search function is your friend, although we really didn't get to the bottom of it in that thread either it seems.

Here's Snopes take on J-ello:
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/jello.asp

Here's a nice one about glues:
http://www.answers.com/topic/glue?cat=technology

Not much info about how much glue is still made from animal parts and not synthetics though.

[grace]

I had always wondered if they really used horses in the glue factories or if that was just something in the movies. It does kind of make sense, maybe not for a pet, using a horse's carcass for glue and what not. The Indians used to use the whole animal, deer or whatever, even making thread and needles out of the carcass.

[ilovehorses]

They are called Native Americans, not Indians. I don't think it is politically correct to call them that.

RidingWild had it right, they use cattle instead of horses now. I don't know what the difference is though, animal parts are still being used.