A New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Book Review
Editors' Choice
A Best Book of 2015, The Wall Street Journal
Love is the driver for Wendy Williams's new book, The Horse . . .
[an] affectionate, thoroughgoing, good-hearted book. --Jaimy
Gordon, The New York Times Book Review
Charming and deeply interesting . . . Ms. Williams does a marvelous job.
--Pat Shipman, The Wall Street Journal
The book horse-lovers have been waiting for
Horses have a story to tell, one of resilience, sociability, and
intelligence, and of partnership with human beings. In The Horse, the
journalist and equestrienne Wendy Williams brings that story brilliantly
to life.
Williams chronicles the 56-million-year journey of horses as she visits
with experts around the world, exploring what our biological affinities
and differences can tell us about the bond between horses and humans,
and what our longtime companion might think and feel. Indeed, recent
scientific breakthroughs regarding the social and cognitive capacities
of the horse and its ability to adapt to changing ecosystems indicate
that this animal is a major evolutionary triumph.
Williams charts the course that leads to our modern *Equus--*from the
protohorse to the Dutch Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, and cow ponies of the
twenty-first century. She observes magnificent ancient cave art in
France and Spain that signals a deep respect and admiration for horses
well before they were domesticated; visits the mountains of Wyoming with
experts in equine behavior to understand the dynamics of free-roaming
mustangs; witnesses the fluid gracefulness of the famous Lipizzans of
Vienna; contemplates what life is like for the sure-footed, mustachioed
Garrano horses who thrive on the rugged terrain of Galicia; meets a
family devoted to rehabilitating abandoned mustangs on their New
Hampshire farm; celebrates the Takhi horses of Mongolia; and more. She
blends profound scientific insights with remarkable stories to create a
unique biography of the horse as a sentient being with a fascinating
past and a finely nuanced mind.
The Horse is a revealing account of the animal who has been at our
side through the ages, befriending us and traveling with us over the
mountains and across the plains. Enriched by Williams's own experience
with horses, The Horse is a masterful work of narrative nonfiction
that pays tribute to this treasure of the natural world.
