It is important to keep in mind that it is beta and Rockstar has a feedback link at:
https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/online/feedback
The more people comment on something, the higher chance it will be changed. Certainly at the moment it feels a bit rough. But Clay, the horse thief, says that he will buy horses off you when they are "up and running". I would also hope that robbing stores and NPCs will come in to play. Because it is beta and therefore limited, this may explain why it feels rough right now. It may not, maybe they really are setting it up to be "Hey, everything's crap unless you buy gold." I would like to think that is not the case, however.
Also: Birds. Condors, Herons, Turkey Vultures. Shoot everything that flies. Sell the feathers.