The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity

This is not the book I expected to read. Rather than a sweet little horse story galloping through time, this is a horror story about man’s treatment of animals. During WWII, the Germans marched 750,000 horses into Russia to pull their equipment out of the snowy mire and serve as pack animals. Only 150,000 remained after that campaign. Similarly, horses changed the face of battle throughout history, allowing men to ride into war through marching troops of men. Indeed, the author tells us that there are no wild horses remaining; all of the existing horses have been domesticated, even those left roaming freely. The book’s blurb says to know the horse is to understand the world. The horse has been used for entertainment, food, competition, transportation as well as workhorse, plow puller, hunter and companion.At one time, to own a horse was to gain mobility to explore, settle and dominate landscape which could not otherwise be traversed. Like many histories which reveal man’s inhumanity, this is not an easy read.