Ultimate Horse

Rating:
Summary: Great for horse lovers
Review: Being a registrar for a breed listed in this book, I/we was/were not contacted for input, verification of facts stated or comments in any respect. This makes the quality of the book highly suspect.

One part indicates the breed does not breed consistant from generation to generation. We have registered 6 continuous current generations and can document each is as true as any offspring can be ... certainly as clearer as the large breeds of today.

Rating:
Summary: Bad research
Review: Being a registrar for a breed listed in this book, I/we was/were not contacted for input, verification of facts stated or comments in any respect. This makes the quality of the book highly suspect.

One part indicates the breed does not breed consistant from generation to generation. We have registered 6 continuous current generations and can document each is as true as any offspring can be ... certainly as clearer as the large breeds of today.

Rating:
Summary: Great for horse lovers
Review: I really loved the photography of this book- each horse is photographed against a white background so you don't miss any detail. I wish there was more information about the temperament of each horse- it is listed for some, and not for others. Overall a great read. I was not looking for a lot of text about the history of the horse, etc. so this was the book for me. This book provides a wonderful tour of horse breeds from all around the world!

Rating:
Summary: A decent introduction to the horse for beginning equestrians
Review: This book is a fairly good introductory reference to horses, suited for younger riders and horse enthusiasts just entering the horse world. It is well written and easy to understand. The first section of the book is entitled "The Essential Horse," and covers its evolution, domestication, the basics of conformation (including several very nice diagrams), the gaits (with nice photographic sequences of the walk, trot, canter, and gallop), the coat colors, the horse's senses, and behavior and communication. Most of this information is good, but the reader should disregard almost everything the author says about color genetics, as the majority of the information here is vastly outdated and has since been proven false (the book was published in 1991, so this is not surprising). A better reference to horse color would be Phillip Sponenberg's "Equine Color Genetics," though that text is not aimed at younger readers.

The bulk of the book is devoted to profiles on several different breeds of horse. Only a small sampling of breeds are included, but most of the major, most popular ones are covered. Each profile page includes information on the history of the breed, its influence on other breeds, its use, conformation, temperatment, and any other interesting facts. Most of the basic information is good, though there are occasional errors. There is a large, bull-body profile picture of each breed, often a headshot, and sometimes a few other photos or drawings. The breeds included are (in order):

Arabian, Barb, Andalusian, Thoroughbred, Anglo-Arab, Shagya Arabian, Lusitano, Akhal-Teke, Lipizzaner, Budonny, Kabardin, Don, Morgan, Quarter Horse, Hackney, French Trotter, Orlov Trotter, Standardbred, Friesian, American Saddlebred, Missouri Fox Trotter, Tennessee Walking Horse, Peruvian Paso, Mustang, Irish Draft, Norman Cob, Cleveland Bay, Gelderlander, Dutch Warmblood, Fredericksborg, Selle Francais, Danish Warmblood, Trakehner, Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Maremmana, Murgese, Oldenburg, Camargue, Rocky Mountain Horse, Furioso, Nonius, Knabstrupper, Pinto*, Palomino*, Australian Stock Horse, Appaloosa, Bashkir Curly, Landais, Ariegeois, Haflinger, Italian Heavy Draft, Norwegian Fjord, Icelandic Horse, Caspian, Falabella, Exmoor Pony, Dartmoor Pony, Welsh Mountain Pony, Welsh Pony, Welsh Cob, Dales Pony, Fell Pony, Highland Pony, Shetland Pony, Connemara, New Forest Pony, American Shetland, Shire, Suffolk, Clydesdale, Percheron, Ardennais, Breton, Jutland, Boulonnais, and Belgian.

* = the Pinto and Palomino, while presented in this book as breeds, are NOT actually breeds, but just colors. There are registries for these colors, but they accept horses of any breed, and are not actually breed registries.

There are also pages detailing the different "types" of horse (regardless of breed), suited for different tasks and disciplines: the hunter, the polo pony, the hack / riding horse, the cob, and the riding pony.

The third section is entitled "You and Your Horse" and covers the various aspects of horse ownership and care. Topics include how to buy a horse, stable maintenance, equipment for riding and care, riding clothes, grooming, shoeing, feeding, health care, pregnancy and birth, and foal development. This information is very basic, and you should of course consult experts before buying your first horse - other horse owners, veterinarians, farriers, etc. The clothing styles represented are a little outdated, as fashion in the horse world changes just as it does elsewhere, so it's best to talk to other riders and tack store employees if you are unsure.

The final section of the book, "The Horse and Man," discusses the various uses of the horse for both work and sport. It begins with the history of the horse as a labor animal, including the horse in war, as transportation, as a construction implement, and as an agricultural tool. It then goes into the different sporting disciplines: driving, classical equitation, western riding, hunting, dressage, show jumping, eventing, racing (including flat racing, steeplechase, and harness racing), polo, endurance riding, and sidesaddle. At the end of the book there is a glossary of key terms. Though this book isn't perfect, it's a good place to start. The topics covered are comprehensive, and the photography is good. Overall, a nice place for younger horse lovers to begin learning about their favorite animal.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Gives so Much Info.
Review: This book was very informative and I would recomend it for any horse lover, young or old.

Rating:
Summary: Great pictures, not much detail
Review: This is a must have picture-book of horse breeds, but it will need to be supplemented by other books for adequate information on choosing, caring for and breeding your horse.