As close to human as any animal you can get

The Boston Herald reports:

WASHINGTON - The House brushed aside objections from horse doctors and the White House and voted Thursday to outlaw slaughtering horses for meat. ...

Sweeney argued that the slaughter of horses is different from the slaughter of cattle and chickens because horses, such as Mr. Ed, Secretariat and Silver, are American icons.
"They're as close to human as any animal you can get," said Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C.
Added Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn.: "The way a society treats its animals, particularly horses, speaks to the core values and morals of its citizens."

The DNA comparisons say that the chimps are the closest to humans, and the evolutionists say that humans diverged from chimps about 6 million years ago. Horse connections go a lot further back.