The case for eating the wild horses out West

(Illustration by Cece Pascual/The Washington Post; iStock)

Column by Tamar Haspel

Why is it that Americans eat cows and pigs but not horses and dogs?

There’s only one reason: custom. We’re used to it, that’s all. There’s certainly nothing about horses and dogs that renders them inedible; people in other places happily eat them. There’s no moral argument that doesn’t also apply to the cows and the pigs. The only difference is that we think of cows and pigs as “food” and horses and dogs as “pets.” And not only do we not eat pets, but we also bristle at the very suggestion that they can be eaten. PAID PROMOTED STORIES