Nowadays, do we even know what we’re eating exactly? Because of the massive scale of the food industry, it is hard to find out. A climax was reached with the ‘horse meat scandal’. Horse meat turned out to be secretly incorporated without this being stated on the packaging. Now, horse has become a piece of meat shrouded in controversy. But is that justified?

Who wants to eat more consciously, can just eat horse. It’s lean meat, rich in iron and other minerals. Moreover, there are no horses bred for slaughter in the Netherlands. A horse that is not eaten, ends up in the destructor.

2016 is the year of The Fat Pony and the focus is not on the quantity, but on the quality of our food.

For The Fat Pony, 70% Bar collaborated with third year students of the Fontys Acadamy for Art, Communication and Design. Together they researched the combination ‘horse’ + ‘restaurant’. Fieldwork was literally carried out, this ranged from the pony’s in the pasture, but also to the boning of a horse at the butcher. In addition, we had workshops from design studio Catalogtree, chef Tom Buiting and theater director Lisah Baert. All this comes together in the horse meat restaurant The Fat Pony.

If you’re going to eat horse, you should know what you’re eating. We went to the pasture to see, hear, smell and touch horses and ponies. We drew and modelled horses to gain more insight into the structure and anatomy. Based on the idea that the presence of the horse must be felt in the interior of The Fat Pony, there are horses built with furniture and other accessories that can be found in a restaurant. 

Dining at The Fat Pony is more than just eating horse; we offer guests a full and optimal horse experience. All aspects of the horse will be discussed. The behaviour, accessories and appearance of the horse have inspired the Fat Pony’s interior. Shapes such as used in horse jumping have been the inspiration for the tables, a saddle is the starting point for the chairs.