Can You Milk A Horse?

You can milk any mammal that will let you get near its teats. Horses have long been trained and domesticated so if you approach a calm well-behaved mare there is no reason why you should not be able to milk it with practice. However mares with foals are very protective. A lactating mare might behave out of character so beware. In Mongolia the standard technique is to allow the foal to suckle and then to remove it but let it stay by the mare's side while milking takes place. Mare's milk is an important food source in some cultures. Mongols run huge herds of horses and use the milk to produce kumis a fermented yoghurt style milk drink. Right across the Caucasus an alcoholic drink called kefir is produced using fermented milk. That made from mare's milk is more alcoholic than that made from cow or goat milk because mare's milk contains higher levels of sugar.