The Horse Encyclopedia

by Elwyn Hartley Edwards

From tiny ponies to heavy draught horses and rapid thoroughbreds, explore the history and variety of this noble animal that helped shape human history.A stunning celebration of the equine world, The Horse Encyclopedia is a fully illustrated book about horses and ponies, featuring over 150 breeds and types, including all those recognized by national horse societies.First domesticated around 6000 years ago, horses rapidly became invaluable to humans. They pulled chariots and ploughs, and became essential to transport and war. In this comprehensve volume, you will discover breeds from all over the world, from imposing Shires whose ancestors carried knights in chainmail into battle, to thoroughbreds bred to run like the wind, and Lipizzanas that can execute exquisite dressage moves such as the capriole where they jump with all four feet off the ground.The Horse Encyclopedia gives concise details of each breed, including its origins and anatomy, as well as famous individuals such as Secretariat, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all.This dazzling guide also includes expert advice on horse care, feeding and grooming, and horse health, making this a truly wonderful gift for all horse riders and equine enthusiasts.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Reference, Horses, History

360 pages, Hardcover

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Captain Elwyn Hartley Edwards, MC, was an equestrian writer and editor, born on 17 April 1927 on a boat between India and Britain, and his birth recorded in North Wales. He died on 9 December 2007, aged 80.

Elwyn Edwards was the editor of Riding magazine for 18 years. And the consultant editor for Horse & Hound for five years, he also served as a regional chairman of the British Horse Society and as a member of the BHS council, receiving the society's Award of Merit in 1993. He was also a vice-president of the Riding for the Disabled Association and vice-patron of the Horse and Pony Protection Association.

He used to regularly judge horse shows in the UK. He had written more than 30 books on horse-related subjects and was an authority on lorinery and saddlery

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a large book w/stunning pictures of horses. It also talks about the care & feeding of different horses.

[Lily Scarlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains lots of helpful information. The pictures are good.
I open it any time I have a sudden desire to learn more about a certain breed.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photos, and lots of information. A must-have for anyone passionate about horses!

[Emmaby Barton Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

learned lots of fun facts reading this one!
- different horse breeds have different ratios of slow and fast twitch fibres (endurance v speed)
- a good refresh of dif parts of the horse
- other equus species
- frog (hoof) pushes blood back up leg to heart when touches ground
- horses digestive system: cannot vomit, small stomach, must eat continuously, caecum - specialised organ to get cellulose (sugar found in plant cell walls), two 180 bends in intensives - easy for food to get stuck -> colic
- a reminder of horse colouring: genes influencing white on horses legs and faces aren’t understood, grey horses are born black/brown, fleabitten - grey with flecks, bay - red w black points (lower legs), chestnut - red without any black, blue roans (murgese)
- fave colourings: greys!!, paint/pinto, palomino/cremello, appaloosa, roans
- horses and senses: not much known about taste, 6th sense - perception/read body language, not good depth of field
- horses and humans have a v long history - domesticated in ukraine, horse drawn trams, in so much mythology/literature etc
- hoof care: horseshoes can result in frog shrinking -> reduced shock absorption and blood flow; barefoot but with rubber boots if needed can work quite well
- didn’t realise how many species there were and how many of them came about bc of humans? sounds stupid but i never really think about the impact we’ve had on so many domesticated animals, intentionally developing so many different breeds, and how many breeds have disappeared/endangered now etc
- so many cool horse tourism stuff/unique games and breeds in different countries i want to check out!! - norway, england, kokpar in afghanistan, side saddle, argentinian head collar
- some of my favourite breeds: tersk (grey arabs), marwari and kathiawari (indian horses w cool ears, dorsal stripe and zebra bars on legs), irish sports horse (megan jones!), camargue (what can i say, i have a soft spot for grey ponies hehe), friesian, danish horses! (knabstrupper, jutland, danish warmblood), other scandi horse breeds (dole trotter, finnish horse), haflinger, lipizzaner (spanish riding school, cool airs), aussie horses (brumbies), hokkaido, connemara, shetlands, highland ponies (cool colourings/markings), eriskay (grey scotland), welsh mountain pony, ariègeois (so beautiful - all black), icelandic horse (in iceland horses outnumber people more than two to one!), pony of the america’s (spotted!), falabella ( so cute, <3333, best known miniature, low numbers :(, only up to 8.3hh)
- a hack was once described as a horse to be ridden with one hand while its owner flirted
- some breeds being described as “naturally popular with children due to their spotted colouring” - feel attacked lol i love a spotted horse
- feathery legs helpful for going through snow
- estonian horse used in environmental protection programs + landowners are paid subsidies to use these horses
- kladstrupers used by danish royal court
- capsians have 65 chromosomes instead of 64
- cloned horses!
- bashkir - curly hair can be used to make yarn!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book for anybody who has the slightest interest in horses: riders, owners, those who appreciate their good looks. I'd love to have this book.
Gorgeous photos of LOTS of breeds of horses, apparently showing always stallions, in profile of the whole horse, a portrait profile of the head, and a view of the rear, showing good points and sometimes weaknesses of each breed. The entries state how the breeds are used: riding, driving, farm work, racing, etc. Most breeds get a double-page spread, some only a single page, a few half a page shared with another breed. Many get an additional small paragraph with photo in working gear
Chapters are: Introduction to Horses, Horses and Humans, Catalog of Breeds and Types (heavy horses, lighter horses, ponies), Care and Management, Glossary.
Only drawback is size (10x12") and weight (almost 5 pounds), but both are necessary to present the admirable content.

[Khajiit J'jirra Roudhari]

Never been near horses irl before but I did own a Gen 3 My Little Pony toy and this book made me understand + appreciate horses more, though not to the level of being a Horse Girl. I'm just too goddamn poor to be into horses.

[Lizzy Bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best horse encyclopedias out there. It is very informational about the breeds and it explains the history of horses. Amazing book. Have read it numerous times.

[Roan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, with a satisfactory amount of information and detail. It was fun to read, especially learning about less known breeds.

[Huck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read this entire thing, by the way 😂

[Lavendermist ❀༉‧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thick encyclopedia full of beautiful images. I keep going back to it even when I don’t need to, simply to take a look at the horses. It’s also very helpful if you’re an artist studying horse anatomy.