Ivonne Rodríguez lived her childhood surrounded by animals. She loved them, especially horses, and dreamed of having a pony.

When she turned 43, her father finally gave her a brown-and-white quarter horse named Geronimo, known also as ``the family's Cadillac'' for his good trot. Rodríguez cared for him like a ``gem'' at her parents' farm in the Redlands, south of Miami. The horse used to neigh every time he heard her get close to the stable gate.

It has been six months since Geronimo was killed. The motivation? Probably to sell his meat in the black market. Rodríguez, now 46, is devastated and has not gotten over the loss. It continues to be a constant sting.

``I can't come to understand how anyone can have the guts to kill someone's pet,'' she said. ``The harm inflicted on me is immeasurable. He was like a son to me.''

The serial killing of horses has shaken thousands of South Florida residents. Last week, the owner of a ranch in southwest Miami-Dade was arrested, along with his employee, for attempting to sell horse meat at $5 a pound. Police say they found 240 pounds of what seemed to be horse meat in his freezer.

Many people in the community are confused about the legality of the sale and consumption of horse meat. This is an animal that since the beginning of time has played a fundamental role in the development of civilization, and which in our culture is considered more like a pet or a companion.

The sale or purchase of horse meat is illegal in the United States, as every animal product requires inspection by the Department of Agriculture, which ceased to supervise horse meat a few years ago following orders from Congress.

It is legal to eat your own horse, just as it's legal to eat your domestic dog or cat. But do you see yourself barbecuing your pet?

Like all animals destined for human consumption, a horse must be killed in a humane manner. Yet the killing of a horse, if it's not by lethal injection, is horribly violent. In the South Florida incidents, the method of killing has been very inhumane. The animals have been stabbed in the throat, and in one case the legs were broken with a metal pipe to bring the horse down. All the horses were butchered while they were still conscious.

The demand for horse meat in South Florida is prompted by certain myths about its nutritional quality to heal illnesses. Some argue that it's healthy because it has a low fat content and it's rich in protein. They also justify its use because it's a culinary tradition in many countries. Here, however, horses are recreational animals and therefore are administered steroids, anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics. It's not healthy to eat their meat.

It's also unethical. Horses are bred to trust people, whom they see as predators. It's through such breeding that a special link is created between a horse and his owner. To brutally murder them is to break that solemn tie.

Horses must be treated as companion animals just like dogs and cats. The fact that horse meat is not sold at a restaurant or a supermarket is an indication of its place in our society's food chain.

It's not only about killing horses. Let's not forget the horror the serial killing of cats caused in several Miami-Dade neighborhoods a few months ago. Studies show that those who commit cruelty acts against animals are violent people who can end up harming children and the elderly.

Even though we humans have evolved enormously in our responsibility to animals, stories like Ivette Rodríguez's illustrate that there is still room for a lot of improvement.

To allow these horse massacres to continue and turn a blind eye to their grisly deaths speaks to the bigger societal problem of cruelty, abandonment and irresponsibility for the defenseless among us.

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