Field Guide to Horses

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

Good guides like this one are always welcome. The opening reference
section summarizes 124 breeds of horses in small but good-quality
colored drawings. The introduction helpfully reviews the history of the
association of horses and humans, equid evolution, anatomy, gaits, and
husbandry. The rest of the book is organized into sections on ponies,
light horses, draft horses, horse types (e.g., an RCMP horse), and other
equines. Breeds range from the small Falabella to the huge Breton, from
the tropical Sandalwood to Mongolia’s Przewalski’s horse. Each breed
is well depicted and described in terms of its history and features. The
quantity and variation of breeds is most impressive, although some
discussion of genetics would have been welcome. A glossary and an index
are included. All in all, a very useful volume for animal lovers.