The Horses of Sable Island

Patrick Colgan is the executive director of the Canadian Museum of
Nature in Ottawa.

This study of the horses of Sable Island combines natural history (the
biology and breeding of the horses, and their exploitation through
importations and drives to market) with social history, tales of
shipwrecks and settlements, and accounts of the governance of the
Island.

Horse lovers will revel in the abundance of details on pedigrees,
gaits, and coat colors; others may be disappointed by the sketchy
treatment of such issues as coastal development and comparisons with
other feral populations. With a clarity and crispness that stand in
sharp contrast to all that has preceded it, a postscript by Zoe Lucas
provides an excellent overview of the contemporary natural history of
the horses and of the Island generally. The book is illustrated with
photographs and historical drawings, and includes a bibliography and
glossary of equine terms.