Customer Reviews

The Byerley Turk: The Incredible Story of the World's First Thoroughbred

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"The Byerley Turk: The Incredible Story of the World's First Thoroughbred", is a fantastic story, masterfully told. It is a story of a horse, from his auspicious birth while in the care of his Turkish groom, to his peaceful death while in the care of the wealthy Englishman, Robert Byerley. It is most compelling, and contains a graphic intensity that the author Jeremy James, who has knowledge and experience with horses, weaves into his story.

Jeremy James has the ability to take you inside the landscape, and into the hearts of horses and of men. In fact, the way that this story is told, gives insight into an era that is long gone. Buildings, scenery, attire, relationships, protocol, and events are lavishly described. It gives insight to vastly different cultures in conflict, and yet the element of the human heart, and the heart of the horse are amplified throughout. The author has an uncanny ability to involve the reader, so that the passions, horrors, joys and sorrows, are deeply felt.

This is a story of trust, loyalty, and supreme athleticism, during a time of war and upheaval. There are heroic deeds performed as a matter of fact, and in retrospect, deeds with a seemingly supernatural aura... deeds which connected the events with their destiny. There are elements of beauty amongst the serious gore. Fear and friendship, supreme intellect, slavery, survival, suffering and opportunity are juxtaposed inexorably into the landscape spanning from the Ottoman Empire, to Ireland.

The stallion and his groom inspire awe and change, where ever they go. The relationships that they offer are of such a deep and profound nature, that, whether they are at home, or in a foreign land, at times it seems that they are from a different world altogether.

There are emotionally charged sequences of courage and sacrifice made in the name of love, not war. This story illustrates the power of deep relationships, the power of `home', and the transformative power of understanding.

It is not a story for the faint-hearted. The senses are floridly described in scenes of death, stress and suffering. Partings are painful. Love is not a petty emotion. Devotion is not a fleeting fulfillment of convenience. It is a book of extremes. Extreme beauty and style...extreme dedication, extreme danger, and the fantastic power of a strong-willed and defiant stallion, and the tender moments he creates when the touch of a whisker brings about peace and comfort...

It is the story of how Robert Byerley came to be in possession of the Turkish horse known as the Byerley Turk. Well researched and well presented, it is a wonderful use of the novel in depicting a time in history. It successfully captivates the imagination, and allows the reader to understand the importance of the horse in World History.

Congratulations to Jeremy James.

I asked for this book to be bought for me as a Christmas gift. I like to read history biographies. I assumed this would be in the same vein - with notations of 'records show the Beyerly Turk was in this battle, blah blah. He sailed on this ship rah, rah.'

BOY! Was I WRONG!!

Jeremy James has written this book as a novel, highlighting emotional friendships between animals and humans. I has the feel of an epic movie. About courage, honour and respect of horses and humans.

I have often wondered and dreamed what it would be like to have the sort of connection people would've had with their mounts during battles. Having to rely on each other's strengths and loyalty to make it through horrific times.

I was entranced and delighted with James's beautiful writing and descriptive prose. Having not read much about the wars and battles he covers, I found it interesting and 'googled' some of the details so I could know more.

James has written about the Turkish and their way of life in a non judgmental and poetic way. Revering their customs and traditions that I didn't know alot about. I did not feel his own thoughts or feelings - coloured his narrative of the people (both Turkish and Christian) and the righteousness of why they fought and died all those years ago.

You can feel the emotions and feelings that the characters - (including the horses) have for each other. Also his descriptions of the 'Turks' behaviour - being notably high strung had me laughing as I remembered my own thoroughbred who had similar 'top loftiness' and knew his own worth.

Purchase this book - even if you aren't an avid horse lover. If you love a good story, with terrific writing and like feeling postivie about the goodness in people from all countries and creeds - this is for you !!!!

Jeremy has written that awfully difficult thing to do, a book of history that reads as a terrific novel. He presents the Byerley's story as something that is real and relevant to the modern world, which it is. Both to the Thorougbred breed, and to the way Europe was shaped by the Ottoman empire, for without their wonderful horses, the Turks would never have dared to invade Europe.

But, I wander. In this book we see the Turkish groom (never named) and his relationship to the beautiful bay stallion, born under a lucky star with a hair whorl that meant luck in battle. And he was, for he was never wounded in his several military actions. It is a romantic story of a remarkable animal, woven through with the history of the founding of the Thoroughbred breed, during the author dispells some 300 year old beliefs that the Thoroughbred is descended from the Arab!

Another reviwer has suggested this reads like an epic movie, I suggest it would make a blockbuster of a movie in the vein of Hidalgo and Seabiscuit, and like those two, it is a true story.

What a fabulous read! This is the moving story of the bond that develops between a poor victim of circumstance and a powerful horse as they miraculously survive every battle they are forced to ride through from the Balkans to the Boyne. In so doing they witness the fracturing of Europe that has haunted the world for the last three hundred years and continues to trouble even more of the world today. It is a vivid portrait. It reeks of the brutality of the age but it sparkles with the beauty of a rich yet all too forgotten culture.

The novel is clearly born of thorough historical research but what makes this such a compelling read is the writing. It's stunning! Jeremy James possesses a wonderful eloquence. He is capable of generating tremendous suspense and, sometimes even in a single sentence, of pushing emotions to their extremes. He never lets the pace slacken as it flashes through images and scenes that are breathtaking and cinematic, yet he never glorifies the horrors he describes, be it the pillaging of nomadic villages by the Mongol hordes or the monumental battles of Buda and the Boyne. And throughout it all he spins the thread of the horse's captivating sense of destiny woven with the quiet perception of his remarkable groom.

Read this book and gain from the author's deep understanding of the relationship between an intelligent horse and a sensitive man. Read this book and hear the true whisper of the horse. Attend it closely too. It is conveyed by the central character, the Ghazi groom, whose insight and thoughts shimmer with the thinking of the Sufi. And because of that, this book contains the light touch of great wisdom. Allah Kerim indeed!

What a book. I know very little about horses and thought I would be in over my head, but I was hooked from page 1. The relationship between this mysterious horse and his groom is told with fierce, humane intelligence. I will never look at a horse the same ever again. This writer's knowledge of equine behavior is mesmerizing. The historical drama is beautifully paced. Just when I'd had enough gore and battle, there I was in the serenity of a beautiful stable heaped with barley. Just when I'd had enough desert, I was in a stream. Just when I needed to get off this putrid boat, there I was in an English meadow. I see movie written all over this book -- the instincts of the Turkish groom, the intelligence of the English gentleman and the soul of this 17th century horse, played out against a violent and vibrant ancient world. Finally a book about destiny. Tired of the usual domestic urban or suburban drama? So was I.

For anyone interested in the history of horses or in the history of life during the 16th century this book is a must read. The author details what it was like to be a warhorse and his rider when the Christians and Muslims were engaged in bloody battles for control of the Holy Lands. Then the plot follows the man and his horse up through Europe and into England and Scotland where this warhorse founded the dynasty that is now the Thoroughbred horse.Well researched and beautifully written it is a cannot put down read.

This book is the closely, thoughtfully imagined history of the Byerley Turk, one of the three foundation sires of the Thoroughbred. It is an historical novel with nearly equal emphasis on story and history. There are explanatory end notes and a bibliography. Or you can skip all that and just love the tale.

You don't need to be horse mad to love this book. The Turk was participant in the fall of the Ottoman empire in 1686, captured as booty by the English, acquired by Byerley and participated in the Ireland battlegrounds between King James and William of Orange in 1689. I am not strong in Ottoman history but the clash of cultures as well as battle is all here, with footnotes tucked into the back of the book to inform the reader when the detail is believed to be true.

There is horse sense and horsemanship throughout. Author James is a 'long rider'--an explorer on horseback who has ridden through Turkey all the way to Wales, an experience that adds more verisimilitude to the tale and gives his imaginings as firm a footing as his research. Turkish detail abounds, although not always explained, which adds to the sense of participating in a story whose essence is true, even if it has been polished into a novel.

James imagines with enormous, but never boring, detail what it is like to raise a horse with respect and skill, to live in the stables of the Sultan, to ride into battle with rubies and emeralds encrusting the tack, the salt and blood and horror and skill of battle grabs the back of your neck, and the relationship between a man and a horse becomes the symbol of man and nature with the potential for harmony broken by the failures of sympathy. 'Seyis' is Turkish for groom, which apparently meant a lot more in ancient turkey than in modern barns. The otherwise nameless hero, the seyis, is the breeder of Azarax (the horse)and his trainer and best rider. He is also a horseman archer whose skill in battle becomes legendary. Nonetheless, the seyis is a peaceful man who tries to embrace a philosophy of accepting fate, of reading the character of man by the way he treats a horse, the calm of respecting the nature of others, human or horse. This character is wholly of James imagination but the seyis is enthralling and admirable, reflective of James' respect for Turkish horsemen and the horses they raised. Byerley is similarly heroic and like the seyis, nearly flawless. Nonetheless, their adventures are gripping.

Literate teenager or adult readers will enjoy it. The pacing is terrific, the descriptions very well done and the choice of language(s) more than up to the task.

You will not like this book if you want the breeding history of the original thoroughbred, the mares he bred to and foals that resulted. There is only one race in the book, told indirectly, and breeding discussions are only mentioned in passing.


I did not expect to love this book or to be unable to put it down (Note: I have now read it at least 5 times.) This is an historical novel and act of imagination, which is usually not my genre. Jeremy James is a horseman, and while horsemen may have poetic souls, most are not able to express their love of the animal in words. I expected something a little pedantic but informative. I have not read a horse novel since I was a child (all of those Marguerite Henry and Walter Farley classics) and I get impatient with fawning, adoring unrealistic approaches to nearly anything. And still I loved this book. You will too. You may never look at any horse in just the same way again.

Byerley Turk happens to be a gem of a surprise. Not simply for a horse racing fan that could deem the story as being not focused on Racing. It surely isnt. But the Racing follower is intrigued by the title, a well known (one of three) foundation stallion for the Thoroughbred breed. A person that loves the horse for what he is will be enthralled with the read. If you combine the love of a horse with the love of adventure, travel and history then this story will captivate you. Obviously well researched by the author with a bibliography longer than some chapters, Jeremy james also reveals what he knows about horses in overland travel, especially long distance rides. Once you start this novel, dont be dissuaded by the use of multiple foreign terms. There is a handy glossary for use and you will become familiar with the terms. The extensive footnotes only add to the adventure and should not be missed or overlooked. This is a book you will take your time reading, and enjoy !
For the historical horse person, Im not convinced that the Byerley Turk was an Akhal Teke or that he was not Arabian. I dont know and I dont think anyone does, but the research into where this horse and his groom came from along with the Eastern horsemanship methods are realistic and believable. I'll warn though that to attempt, and succeed in reading this book one must be a horse lover, enjoy history and at least armchair travel. oh, and I cant forget to warn those sentimental about a horse, the last chapter may require a tissue handy

This book was a little hard to get through the first half but it really picked up for the second half. Very interesting reading for a horse lover.

Congratulations on this book Mr James. and the research which went into it. The data on the Byerleys of that era is rather obscure, and the horse has always been referred to as an Arabian rather than the Turk it was. Thank you for clearing up many of these questions, and reading about the Colonel (I share his name and lived near Goldsborough in my youth when talk of the Turk was frequent)was a great thrill. I understand that the Byerley line died out with his children, but thats another story.....