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"I’ve had bad experiences when milking a cow.

I can’t imagine trying to milk a horse!"

I did both as part of my chores when I was a kid. Goats, too, for that matter. When we sold off a foal before the mare had weaned it, I had to milk her as long as she kept filling her udders.

I remember the Lefties laughing about Bush43 trying to milk a horse. I didn't find it all all humorous and was stunned that they were publicly announcing their equine ignorance and no one was calling them on it.

Some anthropologists believe the success of the Mongol Hordes stemmed in part from the fact that they had (what then was) a rare genetic mutation that made them lactose tolerant. So when they went on the warpath, they rode mostly broodmares and their ability to digest the milk produced by their warhorses dramatically lightened their supply trains, which increased the speed of their advances.

Some also believe that the western world's higher levels of lactose tolerance is a reflection of the success of the Mongol invaders. Those who consume dairy tended to live longer, which meant that once introduced into a population, the tolerance gene tended to spread quickly.

In his narrative of the Gallic Wars, Julius Caesar wrote that the barbarians ate cheese and drank milk, but the Asian water buffalo, the milk from which is the key ingredient in "bufala mozzarella" cheese, didn't get to Italy for at least another 3-4 centuries (and maybe as many as 10), which apparently was enough time for lactose tolerance to be widespread among the Italians.

... When we sold off a foal before the mare had weaned it, I had to milk her as long as she kept filling her udders....

I grew up on a farm with work horses. Never milked a broodmare. What was the purpose? We have to dry off the cattle so they will go in heat and be bred. Is that why you milked the mares?

The genetic mutation which gives most Europeans lactose tolerance arose long before the Mongol invasion (which only got as far as Poland and Croatia). It appears to date back about 5,000 years. According to some online articles, milk drinking became common in Europe as much as 9000 years ago--so people were drinking milk even when they were lactose intolerant, because that could have some unpleasant side effects but wasn't fatal. It appears that the lactose intolerant gene is recessive so that would allow the lactose tolerant gene to spread more quickly.

Although the Mongols consume milk, it appears that they lack the lactose tolerant gene.

A lot of people in India drink milk although only a minority have the lactose tolerant gene (the same mutation as found in Europe--the people who brought the Indo-European languages to India came from Eastern Europe). When milk is made into cheese or yogurt the lactose is reduced so it is less of a problem for people who are lactose intolerant.