Great Book!
From Amazon
This is a valuable read for any horse owner. It contains some good scientific explanations, but should still be easily understood by all.
Excellent insights on what makes up a horse
From Amazon
I was not disappointed with this book. Very professionally written about what makes horses do what they do. It is not based on opinions but on scientific facts and observations. After reading it, you know more about why a horse spooks, is claustrophobic, is herd bound, etc. The more you know, the more you understand how to deal with your horses because you understand better why they behave that way. I recommend this book for anyone serious about learning the nature of horses.
An excellent addition to any horse lovers bookshelf
From Amazon
My only regret about this book is that it is too short! The author writes in a way that is both informative and easy to read, pulling together many resources to attempt to provide a comprehensive and objective look at the horse, its evolution and relationship with humans.
I particularly enjoyed the sections on the horse's domestication and horse genetics. The discussion of the way in which horse breeds have been brought into existence and the various motivations for breeders to proceed with closed studbooks, while espousing the notion that they are breeding a horse suitable for a particular purpose.
But there is much more. The story of the horse is expanded with explainations of anatomy and physiology and how these have affected the horse's evolution and interactions with man. How a horse's digestive system affects its size, ability to prosper on poor grazing and performance for instance, or why the absolute speed of horses, and indeed other quadrupeds, is determined by their physiology.
I enjoyed this thoroughly and intend to not only read it all again but check out many of the references provided on some of the topics.
Excellent!!!
From Amazon
As a rider, trainer, and avid reader of equine literature, I can say assuredly that this is a "must read" for anyone serious about truly understanding why horses behave the way they do. It debunks many of the long standing myths that are so oft repeated in the horse world. Budiansky also gives us some history behind the human-horse relationship. Enjoyable to read, and has added to the relationship I have with my horses.
Info by the ton
From Amazon
Overall, this was a great book, but there were several drawbacks. The author writes in a very scientific way, and puts so much information into one paragraph-long sentence that, having no time in the middle to pause and recollect and sort what you have read, in some places it was very difficult to understand. Because of this, several chapters were very slow reads for me. The author also employs the use of many large, scientific words, and I found myself constantly running for my dictionary. Although this did present a problem in some cases, the book very educational and i feel all the wiser for my persevering through it. If you have the time and patience to go through it slowly, it is well worth the money.