what is cordovan?

[thegreenlight]

Just wondering-- what happens to the rest of the horse?

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by thegreenlight

Just wondering-- what happens to the rest of the horse?

Horses are not raised, or killed, for their cordovan. That's one reason for its rarity. The cordovan shells are harvested when horses are put down for whatever reason they are put down. Belgians, for example, eat horse meat, at least some of which is provided by horses purchased in the U.S. at auction.

 

[dsmolken]

Originally Posted by grimslade

Horses are not raised, or killed, for their cordovan. That's one reason for its rarity. The cordovan shells are harvested when horses are put down for whatever reason they are put down. Belgians, for example, eat horse meat, at least some of which is provided by horses purchased in the U.S. at auction.
And the skin from the rest of the horse is turned into horsehide aka ranch hand leather. Used in jackets, baseballs, Western boots...

 

[lee_44106]

I was told these two "facts" when at the Alden store in SF recently.

1. All of the Horween raw materials to make shells are imported from Europe because they eat horse out there.

2. There is no true "shortage" of shells. It's just that the demand has increased whereas the supply remain the same.

 

[grimslade]

As I said, they do eat horse there. But they buy (some of) them here, cuz we got wide open spaces.

 

[Josef Seibel]

ja - consuming horsemeat, thats old europe. so i checked out the chiffres for germany: in 2003, there were roundabout 100 horse-butchers in germany, transforming approx 15.000 horses per annum, which equals 4.000 tons horsemeat. for the most part, they handled show-and race horses, so your cordovan longwings may have been taken perchance from the back of an ex-breeders-cup-champion.

 

[B1FF]

As horses are usually kept to an old age, worked, and a large portion are never gelded... doesn't horse meat taste like crap? Why aren't horses bred and slaughtered young for food?

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by B1FF

As horses are usually kept to an old age, worked, and a large portion are never gelded... doesn't horse meat taste like crap? Why aren't horses bred and slaughtered young for food?

I suspect the simplest answer is that there are better uses for them than that. It would be a waste of money, or would render horse meat uneconomical.

 

[Orsini]

Originally Posted by thegreenlight

Just wondering-- what happens to the rest of the horse?
It gets eaten.

 

[Orsini]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

I was told these two "facts" when at the Alden store in SF recently. 1. All of the Horween raw materials to make shells are imported from Europe because they eat horse out there. 2. There is no true "shortage" of shells. It's just that the demand has increased whereas the supply remain the same.
Horsie for dinner is a big deal in France. They have special butcher shops for it.

 

[JimInSoCalif]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

I was told these two "facts" when at the Alden store in SF recently.

1. All of the Horween raw materials to make shells are imported from Europe because they eat horse out there.

2. There is no true "shortage" of shells. It's just that the demand has increased whereas the supply remain the same.

Unless I am really confused, when demand exceeds supply the result is a shortage that results in a price increase until supply and demand are once again in balance.

 

[dsmolken]

Maybe someone on this forum can start to selectively breed horses for large asses to increase the cordovan supply. Imagine what those horses will look like after 100-200 years.

 

[Tarmac]

speaking of ass, couldn't donkey shell be a mid-price alternative?

 

[Zenny]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

speaking of ass, couldn't donkey shell be a mid-price alternative?

Or kangaroo, down under.

RM William roo hide boots are lovely.

 

[dsmolken]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

speaking of ass, couldn't donkey shell be a mid-price alternative?
Mulehide may also be an option, though it strikes me as half-assed.