Horses have powered, sustained, and helped human civilization for millenia. From the first domestication over 5,000 years ago, horses have been steadfast travel companions and driven economic growth. However, the horse’s journey through our civilization is equally a trip through our technological and even entertainment development.
Timothy C. Winegard’s The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity describes the horse’s past from wild, untamed beast that roamed grasslands around the world to a means of transportation, growth and expansion to a tool for fighting battles against enemies. Nations desired horses to help them develop. Societies relied on them to help till the soil, ship goods, and so much more. Winegard does a masterful job tethering the growth of humanity to the horse, showing how the world became more interconnected and economically empowered thanks to the horse’s reliability. The author also discusses wild and feral horses and how they impacted (or sustained) ecosystems in various parts of the world.
The Horse is as much a gallop through human history as it is a story of horse evolution over the past 5,000 years. Winegard’s storytelling of our interaction with these horses through good times and bad is well-researched and very effective.
MY RATING: 5
