Horses
It seems fascinating to me that humans have been simply killing and eating horses for so much longer than we have been riding them.
Mr. Skeptical crosses his arms. “I’ve never tried eating horse meat, but I suspect I wouldn’t like it much.”
“Well, I’ve never eaten horse meat, at least not that I’m aware of. However, my online research says that horse meat is found by many to be slightly sweet and like beef. Others say it’s juicy and tender with a slight gamey taste. Older horse meat tends to be richer in color and flavor than younger horse meat.”
Mr. Skeptical puts a hand up. “Stop it. You’re making me sick.”
Subconscious Fat at 30,000 feet
Horses have played a pivotal role in human history, shaping civilizations, aiding in exploration, and transforming warfare. But our relationship with these majestic creatures is complex and spans thousands of years.
Mr. Skeptical chimes in, “You’re telling me that horses have always been around, making life easier for humans?”
“They’ve been around, but some human societies killed them all till none were left. In fact, there was a time when horses roamed the Americas, but they vanished long before Europeans reintroduced them.”
Subconscious Fat at 10,000 feet
The story of horses in the Americas is a tale of extinction and rediscovery. Prehistoric horses thrived in North and South America for millions of years. However, around 10,000 years ago, these horses and many other large mammals mysteriously disappeared. Many scientists believe overhunting by the first human inhabitants contributed to their demise.
“So, humans played a part in wiping out horses in the Americas?” Mr. Skeptical asks.
“Yes. When the first humans arrived in the Americas, they encountered various megafauna, including horses. Hunting these animals for food was essential for survival, but these animals didn’t fear humans, so they were easily killed.”
Fast forward to the late 15th century, when Spanish explorers arrived in the Americas, bringing horses with them. These horses quickly spread across the continent, and Native American cultures, particularly those of the Great Plains, rapidly adopted them, transforming their societies.
Subconscious Fat at Eye-Level
But let’s step back in time and explore how humans first domesticated and rode horses.
The domestication of horses is believed to have occurred around 3500 BCE on the steppes of Central Asia in what is now Ukraine, southwest Russia, and west Kazakhstan. The Botai culture is often credited with this significant achievement. Initially, horses were likely domesticated for their meat and milk, like cattle.
“So, they were just another food source?” Mr. Skeptical inquires.
“Initially, yes. But at some point, someone had the brilliant idea to ride a horse instead of just using it for meat.”
“Do we know who that person was?” Asks Mr. Skeptical.
“Nope. I’d guess there were likely several past humans who trained and rode horses, but it never caught on.”
“Why would it not catch on?”
“Because humans were brainwashed into eating horses. The first humans to ride horses were likely made fun of. Maybe even killed, especially if there was religion involved. It’d be easy to think that a horse rider is in a pact with the devil.”
“Kind of like the Salem Witch Trials.” Adds Mr. Skeptical.
“Yes, or like Galileo being imprisoned and condemned by the Catholic Church for coming out with a very inconvenient truth.”
Think about our human timeline with horses. Humans or pre-humans have been around for about 2 million years, and we’ve been slaughtering horses for their meat all that time. It’s only been in the last 3500 years that we’ve used horses to ride them. Look at the graph below.
From the graph above, we can see that sheep were domesticated 9000 years ago. If we had domesticated horses back then, looking for lost sheep would’ve been much easier.
Mr. Skeptical adds, “We didn’t need domesticated horses back then because we already had domesticated dogs who helped us control the sheep.”
My eyes narrow in on Mr. Skeptical. I hate it when the snobby prick is right about something. It pisses me off!
Practical Suggestions and Conclusions
“So, what’s the takeaway here?” Mr. Skeptical asks.
“Besides interesting horse information, this shows humans can be somewhat dumb. How entrenched our thinking was that it didn’t allow for the creativity of riding a horse instead of eating it. Modern humans have been around for about 300,000 years. This means that over 98% of the time, we only used horses as meat instead of something we could ride. I think it makes humanity look foolish.”
“I suppose so. But keep in mind domesticating a wild horse is no easy task.”
“True, it’s not. But this also shows how humans have craved and eaten meat for thousands upon tens of thousands of years. Eating cooked meat is what made us human.”
Mr. Skeptical shakes his head. “I knew you had to bring this back to your agenda.
I smile. “Well, yes. Humans have long been the apex predator on Earth. We don’t need long, sharp teeth or claws to be the apex predator because we have large brains. Our brains grew while our intestines shrunk because we ate cooked meat.
In the case of horses, humanity may have eaten them for too long. Perhaps had we domesticated and ridden horses 5000 years ago instead of 3500 years ago, we’d have ubiquitous autonomous flying cars by now, and maybe we’d have humans living on the Moon and Mars by now.
But it’s okay. Those achievements will happen soon enough.
Be aware.
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PSS Meat Up meet-up event on Wednesday, August 14, at 6:30 PM see event details here.