Are Dead Horses Used To Make Glue?
Aside from the facts, there are many people that think that a lot of horses are killed every year just to make glue from their bodies. It comes off as a really cruel act, but there is more to the story than just one random statement.
To get into the bottom of the matter, let us study the complete timeline as to when and how horses, one of the man’s greatest friends ever, are made into glue.
Do We Kill Horses to Make Glue?
The simples answer to the question is yes. Horses contain a large proportion of collagen inside their bodies which is a key ingredient in the production of gelatin- an animal-based glue. It is a perfect glue that is sticky when it is wet and becomes hard when it is completely dried up.
Why Do We Kill Horses for Glue?
When we talk about history, there were times when horses were sent to glue factories when they died. The reason was the amount of collagen present in their bodies which can be turned into gelatin.
As far as the benefits of this type of glue are concerned, it certainly trumps the artificially-made glue in qualities.
Here is the rundown of the qualities of animal-based glue over synthetic one:
• The surfaces can be detached without any residual glue on them.
• A new layer can be applied to the older one easily.
• Corrections can be made by heating the glue and readjusting the surfaces.
• The joint does not bend over time due to rigidity.
As can be seen from above, there are some great advantages that make animal glue a superior material with solid adhesion when compared to its competitors. That is the reason you won’t find such qualities in synthetic glues when you are working with them.
There is a simple experiment that people commonly do where they glue two surfaces to check how difficult it could be to put them back together again once they have torn apart. Again, the reason is the special qualities of this glue which allows us to stick two pieces together without cutting any corners for shape.
Do We Actively Kill Horses to Harvest Glue?
There are some cases where factories kill a perfectly healthy horse just to harvest the glue, but they are very few and sporadic and do not pose threat to the existence of horses as a species. It means there is no immediate danger of horses becoming extinct.
But in general practice, people only use sick and dead animals to harvest material from them. So, there is no need to worry about your horse being taken away and turned into glue. It just doesn’t work that way.
In reality, it is an excellent way to utilize all the useful material inside a dead animal for the benefit of mankind. This allows the animal to serve a higher purpose, even after it cannot live a healthy life.
Maybe, that was the reason the old saying goes: “The horse is taken to the glue fabric”. It was just an expression to say that the animal is no longer alive. Funnily, it wasn’t a thing for much of a concern among people, not too long ago, and part of dead animals used to serve different purposes after they were dead.
They would eat meat and come up with brilliant ideas to convert the bones, teeth, hooves, etc., into useful things, with glue being one of the finished products.
Read more about Horses at https://5amily.com/horse/blog/are-dead-horses-used-to-make-glue
