Karen -- If I'm not mistaken, in the U.K. it is normal for the Master of
Hunt to humanely destroy horses. This is also true in Australia and New
Zealand, which follow the British traditions. So you make an appointment to
be there when he is going to shoot one, and you explain to him what you want
and why, and get his permission.
After the horse is dead then, you go in with your knife and take whatever
parts you need. The femur is one of the less easy bones to take out entire;
you first have to cut dorsally in an arc over the hip socket, deep into the
hamstrings, gluteals, and femoral biceps muscles. Then step on the leg above
the hock, pressing down firmly so that you are pushing the stifle as far as
possible medially -- this hyperextends the head of the femur in the
socket -- which makes inserting the tip of a sharp, curved, flexible knife
into the socket easier. Once it's in there, you fish around for the ligament
that attaches the head of the femur to the recess of the acetabulum, and cut
it. When it is cut, the femur will feel much looser. You then bend over, put
the leg on top of your shoulder, and push it up and laterally as far as
possible -- exposing the groin area -- and cut the medial musculature. After
that, the leg will come off entire, and you may then transect the stifle
joint without great trouble. If you have no experience doing this, plan on
it taking the morning and being a fair amount of labor. Don't cut yourself.
If you need more specifics on this (i.e. you can't find horse femurs at a
butchery that is willing to disarticulate rather than saw), please write
again. Best wishes -- Deb Bennett
-----Original Message-----
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Karen Deighton
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 7:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] modern horse femurs
Hi
Does anybody know where I might get fresh modern horse femurs
(preferably still fleshed) for a butchery experiment?
Karen Deighton
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