The introduction of the horse in Patagonia changed the life of local populations on multiple levels. In particular, the subsistence and mobility of hunter-gatherer groups were highly impacted. Some relevant factors that influenced this process were: the time of adoption of this species, the spatial vectors of dispersion, certain climatic factors, the evaluation of costs and benefits associated with adoption of horses regarding their nutritional requirements and ecology, and the nutritional yield of horse meat. In this paper we explore the impact that the adoption of horses would have had on Patagonian populations through the study of historical sources and the comparative analysis of the nutritional yield of meat horse with respect to the prey traditionally exploited by hunter-gatherer groups (i.e., guanaco). Likewise, we study the nutritional requirements of the species and the use of species distribution models to investigate the areas in Patagonia that could support horse populations. The results indicate different dispersion axes and adoption times in different areas of Patagonia. Likewise, we propose that differences in nutritional yield between horses and traditional prey may partly explain the rapid incorporation of this resource as a staple for Patagonian populations. Finally, we point out that the mobility patterns of human populations show some adaptation to the ecological requirements of horses.