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Other Books by Stephen Budiansky
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"Horses have been enveloped in human dreams, myths, ambitions, and sentiment for so long that the story we have come to think of as theirs is often but a distorted reflection of our own desires, and then not always our most noble desires."

So begins Stephen Budiansky's introduction to his fascinating book on horses as they really are from a scientific perspective.

He begins with the evolution of the horse, showing why it developed as it did, how domestication probably happened and what physical and behavioural characteristics made the horse one of the few creatures man could tame. He includes many interesting details such as why the horse's mouth developed that convenient gap we use for a bit.

From there, he moves into a scientifically based analysis of how horses see, communicate, move and pass on their characteristics to the next generation. In the process, he points out many assumptions about horses that are not based in fact.

Altogether, this is a book well worth reading for the knowledgeable horseperson. Although it gets a little heavy-going in places, you may find some eye-opening revelations. At the very least, by the end of the book you'll know a little more about the real nature of horses as opposed to our human-centered notions of them.