Abstract The subcutaneous fat of horses stores considerable amounts of α-linolenic acid, which could have contributed to fulfil the daily needs of omega-3 for hominins at the Upper Palaeolithic. To discern the scope of this possibility, several muscles and the subcutaneous fat of Galician horse, a horse relict of the Ice Age, have been studied. The results indicate that grass-fed Galician horse contains in the subcutaneous fat highly bioavailable α-linolenic acid (24% of total fatty acids), thus reducing the needs of other sources to fulfil the daily intake of omega-3, for current and Palaeolithic humans. In addition, the possible use of carcass by Palaeolithic humans hunters/ scavengers is clarified through the study of fat degradation under environmental conditions, and toxic compounds generated in the brain indicates that the behaviour of scavengers to consume brains was possible for men of the Ice Ages, but not for any hominin at tropical temperatures.