their descendants was due to worship of Epona, and even earlier rites. The Uffington White Horse is probable evidence of ancient horse worship. The ancient Indian Kshatriyas engaged in horse sacrifices and horse meat consumption, one of which is Ashwamedha Yajna as recorded in the Vedas and Ramayana and Mahabharata, but in the context of the ritual sacrifice, it is not "killed", but instead smothered to death. Also Ancient Indians consumed horse meat. In 1913, the Finnic Mari people of the Volga region were observed to practice a horse sacrifice. In ancient Scandinavia, the horse was very important, as a living, working creature, as a sign of the owner's status, and symbolically within the old Norse religion. Horses were slaughtered as a sacrifice to the gods, and the meat was eaten by the people taking part in the religious feasts. When the Nordic countries were Christianized, eating horse meat was regarded as a sign of paganism and prohibited. A reluctance to eat horse meat is common in these countries even today. Opposition to production The killing of horses for human consumption is widely opposed in countries such as the U.S., UK, Australia, and Greece where horses are generally considered to be companion and sporting animals only. In ancient Greece horses were revered and horse slaughter is forbidden by law also in modern Greece as horses are considered companions and a symbol of beauty, strength and pride. For horses going to slaughter, no period of withdrawal, the time between administration of the drug and the time they are butchered, is required. French former actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has spent years crusading against the eating of horse meat. However, the opposition is far from unanimous; a 2007 readers' poll in the London magazine Time Out showed that 82% of respondents supported chef Gordon Ramsay's decision to serve horse meat in his restaurants. Around the world Asia-Pacific Australia Australians do not generally eat horse meat, although they have a horse slaughter industry that exports to EU countries. Horse meat exports peaked at 9,327 tons 1986, declining to 3,000 tons in 2003. They are at Peterborough in South Australia (SAMEX Peterborough Pty Ltd) and Caboolture Abattoir in Queensland (Meramist Pty Ltd). A British agriculture industry website reported that Australian horse meat production levels had risen to 24,000 tons by 2009. On 30 June 2010, Western Australian Agriculture Minister Terry Redman granted