International Encylopedia of Horse

If you love horses and want to know as much as you can about them, then The International Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies is the book for you. This book is full of fascinating information about the equine and its closest relatives, like the zebra and the donkey, and some unlikely ones, like the camel!

But before it takes you on a magical tour of the world, to show you the more than one hundred breeds and types featured, it explains how the horse came to evolve over the course of millions of years from a tiny creature not much bigger than a fox into the magnificent animal we know today. You will meet, perhaps for the first time, Przewalski's Horse, the only truly wild breed still surviving to the present day that is closely related to the ancestors of the domestic horse. And you will learn about the behavior of this very social animal and how it interacts with other horses and people.

You'll gain an understanding of why horses and ponies act as they do and just how strong the herd instinct can be. No longer will such words as skew-bald, piebald, and strawberry roan puzzle you.

You will learn the meaning of these terms and dozens of others—all used to describe the incredible variety of body colorings and markings of horses and ponies. You may find that you have the same fondness for grays as did Napoleon, who would never ride a horse of any other color. Or you may agree with old-time cowboys who thought only dun-colored horses had the stamina for cattle herding.

With this as background you're ready to read about and appreciate even more what is special about all the breeds and types this book features. America's own Morgan Horse and Appaloosa, France's Camargue and Selle Francais, Australia's Brumby and Waler, and a hundred more magnificent equines are all here.

ith over 450 color pictures showing you every one of them, you'll have a hard time picking your favorite. You'll also learn how people every-where have made horses and ponies a part of their lives, whether in work or play, or as part of great celebrations and pageants.

This book will take you to the plains of Asia and the deserts of North Africa for exciting contests on horse-back, to England for the Grand National and steeplechasing, to Germany for the great horse show at Aachen, to Canada for the Calgary Stampede, and to breath-taking events like them all over the world. The International Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies not only gives you a wealth of knowledge, it also gives you immeasurable pleasure and much to savor every time you turn through its pages.

Jane Kidd, Consulting Editor, has ridden internationally in both show jumping and dressage. She is the author of Practical Dressage and Festival of Dressage and the editor of A Young Rider's Guide to Horse and Pony Care, A First Guide to Horse and Pony Care, and Learning to Ride.

BOOK: Hard Binding
PAGES: 205 Pages Pages
Pub Date: 1995
List Price: 29.99
Sale Price: See listing.
Item #: 087