Abu Dawud

Benefits and Issues:
Explanation: The meat of the horse is lawful (halal) and pure (tayyib).
The fact that it is not customary among us is a separate matter.
See:
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Dhaba’ih wa al-Sayd, Chapter: The Meat of Horses, Hadith: 5519.
And Chapter: Slaughtering and Sacrifice, Hadith: 5511, 5510.
And Sahih Muslim, al-Sayd wa al-Dhaba’ih, Chapter: The Permissibility of Eating Horse Meat, Hadith: 1942, 1941) and this last narration (from Khalid ibn al-Walid radi Allahu anhu) is weak.
Imam Ahmad, Bukhari, Musa ibn Harun, Daraqutni, Khattabi, Ibn Abd al-Barr, and Abdul Haqq, among others, have declared it weak.
Shaykh al-Albani has also included it among the weak narrations in Da’if Sunan Abi Dawud.
Some scholars take as evidence the noble verse from Surah al-Nahl: (وَالْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً) () (al-Nahl: 8) “And He created the horses, mules, and donkeys for you to ride and as an adornment.”
That Allah created horses, mules, and donkeys so that you may ride them, and they are also a source of adornment for you.
From this, they deduce that these animals are not for eating (therefore, they are forbidden).
This reasoning of theirs is not correct.
Because the meaning of the noble verse is by no means that these animals are only for riding and adornment, and that deriving other benefits from them is unlawful.
Since the mentioned benefits were more important, the Noble Qur’an mentioned them.
Just as in Surah al-Ma’idah it is stated (): (حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنزِيرِ) (al-Ma’idah: 3) “Forbidden to you are dead meat, blood, and the flesh of swine.”
In this, only the flesh of the swine is mentioned, because that is the main thing, although the same ruling applies to other parts such as the bones and other components, and there is consensus among all Muslims regarding their prohibition.
In this context, there is also no mention of loading burdens on horses.
So, should it be considered permissible to load burdens on horses? This would be entirely contrary to reason and transmission (naql).
In the same way, deducing its prohibition from this is absolutely incorrect.
At the beginning of the verses, it is stated:
(وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا ۗ لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ) (al-Nahl: 5) “And He created the cattle; for you in them is warmth and (other) benefits, and from them you eat.”
So here, the important benefits have been mentioned, and the rest have been left out.
For details, see (Ma‘alim al-Sunan and ‘Awn al-Ma‘bud).

Allamah Sindhi states that Imam Nawawi rahimahullah has said: There is consensus among the scholars that this narration is weak. Imam Nasa’i rahimahullah has stated in his Sunan al-Kubra: The preceding hadith is more authentic. Even if this (narration) were authentic, it would be abrogated, because the wording granting permission in the narration of permissibility supports its abrogation. See: (al-Ta‘liqat al-Salafiyyah ‘ala Sunan al-Nasa’i: 4/603) This hadith, in any respect, cannot stand in opposition to the narrations of permissibility.

This narration does not conform to the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, because according to him, the horse is prohibited (haram) due to its use in jihad; therefore, its meat should not be eaten. However, in this hadith, the horse has been likened to the mule, donkey, and predatory animals, as if it is impure (filthy). There is a significant difference between the two statements. The status of the hadith has already been discussed in the previous hadith.