# So why don't we Yanks eat horses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222 "2009-08-30T02:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/1 "2009-08-30T02:05:57Z")
Not that I particularly want to, but the thread discussing the fate of battlefield horses got me to wondering about the issue. I vaguely recall hearing once that Americans find the idea repugnant because of the strong association we make between horses and the winning of the west. This would sort of imply that eating horsemeat is unpatriotic, but up until about the 1970’s, we were still feeding it to our dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/2 "2009-08-30T02:13:15Z")
Not sure about winning of the west, but I think it’s because horses are viewed as pets. Granted not as many people own horses as dogs and cats but that’s the view of them. Lots of girls grow up really liking horses. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/3 "2009-08-30T02:20:14Z")
I take it horse meat is not a tender meat. Who wants tough meat? ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/4 "2009-08-30T02:48:02Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Not sure about winning of the west, but I think it’s because horses are viewed as pets. Granted not as many people own horses as dogs and cats but that’s the view of them. Lots of girls grow up really liking horses. That makes sense, but are they not viewed as pets in Europe? I can see that in the past or today in a very poor nation, the whole pet thing would be a luxury, and horses would simply be livestock or draft animals. But…modern day, France? (Not arguing with you, Bijou, just wondering.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/5 "2009-08-30T02:50:30Z")
I don’t eat horse because I never see it in the market. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/6 "2009-08-30T04:09:42Z")
cause they run too fast. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/7 "2009-08-30T04:11:24Z")
Isn’t horse meat supposed to be really gross? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/8 "2009-08-30T04:14:38Z")
10 cents a pound. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/9 "2009-08-30T04:31:40Z")
Horses are not popular as a common meat except when there are no good alternatives, because it’s not logical to use them as such. Horses are much more voracious eaters than most food animals and they’re very useful for things besides eating. Given their greater expense and alternative uses, it doesn’t make sense to eat them if you have more economical meats handy, like chicken, pork, mutton, or even wild game. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/10 "2009-08-30T05:04:03Z")
Two words: Mister Ed ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/11 "2009-08-30T05:11:44Z")
Americans generally don’t eat animals that are primarily pets. Horses are now more pets than farm animals. I’ll also point put that horse meat isn’t really all that common in Europe. Guinastasia: well, any animal like that that is not raised for it’s meat and is killed late in the life cycle will be tough and gamy. But in general (I have had ground horsemeat burgers) it’s lean, a tad chewy, and slightly more flavorful than beef. I’d guess the closest today is goat. I prefer beef. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/12 "2009-08-30T05:12:30Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Two words: > > Mister Ed Oh, that would make it so much easier! ‘Good evening. I am the main Dish of the Day. May I interest you in the parts of my body? May I urge you to consider my liver? It must be very rich and tender by now, I’ve been force-feeding myself for months. 'It was eventually decided to breed an animal that actually wanted to be eaten and was capable of saying so clearly and distinctly. And here I am.’ ---
**Author:** ![mattomic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@mattomic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattomic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/13 "2009-08-30T05:15:59Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Two words: > > Mister Ed I agree that there is a bit of a pop culture force at work here with horses as pets/companions/friends rather than dinner, but Babe never stopped me from enjoying pork chops. Bambi may have put a bit of a dent in the venison market, but that’s a fairly unique case. I like the combination of factors that have already been cited - horses are just too expensive to farm for meat, too valuable for other reasons, and just not delicious enough to make any room on our menus. ---
**Author:** ![MarkyDeSade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@MarkyDeSade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkyDeSade)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/14 "2009-08-30T06:22:35Z")
I eat horse meat, and can get it pretty much whenever I want over here in Japan. It’s cut very thin and it’s really tender. We eat it raw dipped in a little soy sauce with a bit of garlic or ginger. That’s the only way I’ve had it and I really think it’s tasty. I can’t find big steaks of it, but if I could I’d give them a try for sure. ---
**Author:** ![aesop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@aesop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aesop)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/15 "2009-08-30T07:51:28Z")
My wife and I live in Hungary where horse meat sausage is readily available. It’s not a dietary staple around here, far from it, but you can find it in a lot of butcher shops. And the Hungarians have always had a very horse-friendly culture. The original Magyars were legendary horsemen. So respect/love for horses does not exclude them from the food chain. As for the taste, I find it delicious. As I mentioned in the other thread, it is so good my wife and I always keep some on hand. We much prefer it to pork sausage. Think I’ll go have a taste of it now, in fact… ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/16 "2009-08-30T09:40:49Z")
> [@aesop](#): > > And the Hungarians have always had a very horse-friendly culture. The original Magyars were legendary horsemen. So respect/love for horses does not exclude them from the food chain. This is also true of France, which I take it is the largest consumer of horse meat. I mean, the words “cavalier” and “cavalry” come from France; the French have had a culture of horsemanship since time immemorial, and that sure as hell didn’t stop them from eating horses. This is why I don’t understand the explanation of some countries not eating horse because their culture has always been closely bonded to the horse. _Every_ culture, besides primitive countries to which the horse was never introduced, is closely bonded to the horse. ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/17 "2009-08-30T11:25:49Z")
The French haven’t had a culture of horsemanship since time immemorial, the Central Asians have. They first domesticated horses. And Central Asians don’t think horses are too valuable to eat. They raise and value horses for transportation but also for food. And horses raised for food are tender and tasty. They prepare horse in many ways and it’s all good or at least as good as beef. The fact that there is lots of underused grazing land in the steppes undoubtedly changes the economics. They have horses, sheep, and cows but one doesn’t see a lot of goats or chickens. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/18 "2009-08-30T11:31:27Z")
I guess by “time immemorial” I really just meant “since the Middle Ages.” I guess I used the wrong term. I will be visiting England and France in March of next year and I do intend to try horse. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/19 "2009-08-30T12:09:07Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I guess by “time immemorial” I really just meant “since the Middle Ages.” I guess I used the wrong term. No, I think that was a reasonable usage – time immemorial generally means “since before current records began”, and I’m pretty sure they’ve been using horses since before there was even a France, as we think of it today. They’ve only been eating horse with any sort of regularity since the late 19th century, though – it wasn’t made legal until 1866, and even then I believe it was a while before they really took to it. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/20 "2009-08-30T12:35:26Z")
I think that the cultures that used horses the most were also the ones who ate them the most - the Magyars, the Tatars and other Central Asian nomads, and possibly the French. The English, OTOH, were never great horsemen - not in the middle ages, and not subsequently. That’s probably why eating horses was never a part of English culture, and the attitude came with them to the Americas. By the time immigrants from horse-eating cultures arrived, majority American culture had already decided that it Just Wasn’t Done. Did the Plains Indians eat horses? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222.md?page=2)