The Horse

July 6, 2015
Journalist Williams (Kraken), a lifelong equestrienne, intertwines her personal experience with horses with a history of these noble animals and their changing relationship with people. Gone are the days of relying on them implicitly for transportation, farming, battlefield warfare, and hauling, yet human fascination with horses remains strong. From the discovery of well-preserved eurohippus fossils to the modern day’s equus, Williams documents the evolution of the horse. She examines the most early equine/human interaction, famous horses throughout history, and the international intrigue surrounding them. Williams’s book educates, entertains, and enthralls; it’s part scientific discovery, part social commentary, and part history lesson, while always focusing on the relationship between horses and humans. This accessible profile of equines through the ages pays homage to an animal that had a crucial role in the modernization of the world.

July 1, 2015
An enthusiastic history of and appreciation for all things horse. In this "scientific travelogue...biography of the horse...and worldwide investigation into the bond that unites horses and humans," one of the only elements Williams (Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid, 2011, etc.) doesn't address is how to ride a horse. But there's more than enough to teach readers how to approach a horse and how it will communicate its feelings. The author begins by asserting that horses had their beginnings in the New World rather than the long-held belief that Europeans introduced them to the Americas. When the land bridges were available, horses could travel through Asia to Europe, and Williams notes that horses are not only herd animals, but that they don't stray far from their environments. As she traces their evolution, she makes it clear that horses tend to adapt to their surroundings rather than move away in search of comfort. The evolution of their hooves, from three to four toes, was caused by the change from marshy ground, where toes helped balance, to dry grass plains. In an equally thorough manner, Williams explains the changes to the animals' eyes and teeth, which changed with their diet as grasslands formed and they required teeth that could grind effectively. Horses are also red-green colorblind because their eyes only have two types of cones, whereas humans have three. That, as well as the placement of their eyes, affects their acuity and depth perception. The author also explores how horses' eyes moved back in their heads, allowing wider vision. This made room for larger teeth, which evolved to adapt to the grass that appeared due to changes in global temperatures caused by tectonic plate movement and changing ocean currents. Anyone with a love of horses will treasure this book, which provides scholarly yet accessible insight into a beautifully constructed animal that has chosen to domesticate man, just as dogs have.

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July 1, 2015
The dog may be man's best friend, but humanity has a long and storied history with the horse, as well. And well before humans came into the picture, horses were developing an evolutionary legacy all their own. As she did with her squid history, Kraken (2011), Williams takes a narrative approach to the science of the horse, harking back some 50 million years to the age of the dawn horse, the dog-sized, multitoed ancestor to the modern equine. Williams details her conversations with various experts and her own visits to archaeological digs as she navigates the evolution of the horse, its development in a variety of landscapes, and its general adaptability. The first half is fairly science-heavy; the second delves into the relationship between man and horse and the behavioral aspects of the latter. The last chapter, on the reintroduction of wild horses in Mongolia, provides the emotional crux of the text and pays homage to the lasting endurance of horses and of our fascination with them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)