Mountain Lions and Cougars both have the speed and strength to kill a horse.  Mountain Lions have the capacity to jump, almost fourteen feet straight up in the air.  They are so strong that they can kill a horse that stands sixteen hands tall, and weighs more then 1,100 pounds.  Usually the Mountain Lions and Cougars attack the horses by jumping up and biting in the neck region. The cougar population has doubled since 1980, and they seem to have lost their fear of people or animals.  They usually eat sheep, calves and rabbits, but since the population is now much larger, they now eat horses and donkeys too.  Lions seem to have lost some of there fear of people.  Many have been sighted sitting right out in the open, during the daytime.  Their population is increasing and they can attack a four hundred pound bull and kill it within minutes of finding it in a vulnerable position.  Wildlife Officers report that Mountain Lions and Cougars are getting more and more aggressive as their numbers grow.  Hunting of these animals may be one solution to the needless slaughter of cattle and horses, that will have to be addressed, and soon.