If you prefer to think that's the ONLY reason, fine. I'm just saying that it really isn't that tasty a meat (even you enjoyed it once it had been coated in dairy umami/MSG) and I doubt it would have become that popular anyway. There's not much of a history of 'sentimentally anthropomorphiing horses' in Spain, yet it rarely features on menus there. People in Spain have the choice, and they choose other meats.