Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilizations [Hardcover]

J. Edward Chamberlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2006

Drawing on archaeology, biology, art, literature, and ethnography, this singular study illuminates the relationship between horse and human throughout history. From the Ice Age to the post-industrial age, horses have provided sustenance, transportation, status, companionship, and the ability to establish and expand empires. Included are stories of horses at work, at war, at play, and in art, film, and books, starting with the first equestrian encounters in which early humans in Asia and Europe hunted native horses for food. The dualities in the horse–human relationship are explored, such as humans' ability to both care for and slaughter horses, and the travel benefits that horses have provided that have enabled devastating warfare. Training techniques and breeding practices are examined from a global viewpoint, discussing cultures as varied as the Persians and the Nez Perce and looking at breeding stock that range from Lippizaners to quarter horses. Written in lucid prose full of wisdom, passion, and wonder, this far-reaching story explores a vital shaping force in the history of the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Historian Chamberlin's desire to convince readers that horses are the most significant element in uniting people-"more than paper and printing, more than the telephone and the television"-is hobbled by grandiose claims, overwrought prose and personified horses. The book opens with a brief overview of the evolutionary history of horses from the perspective of a 1930s-era horse named Big Bird who learned of the Bering-Strait crossing from her ancestors and, wearing a bell around her neck, "felt like a milk cow." Regaining readers' trust, then, is not an easy task. Although the book piles on historical equine episodes, it is burdened by statements such as, "Realizing that horses have that space...on which a piece of bone or metal could rest was one of humanity's great discoveries." Instead of arguing for the importance of horses to human history, Chamberlin stakes his book on shakier terrain and fills it with inane vagaries ("Horses are both a walk in the storm and a shelter from it, and they take us closer to the world by taking us further away"). The result may repel even horse-loving readers, though those of the patient variety will find a feedsack's worth of horse trivia in these pages.
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Review

"A philosophical history and a lyrical essay...especially eloquent on the paradox of the horse as domestic animal that also represents wildness."  —Washington Post

"Clear, precise, poetic, and thoroughly original....This is a landmark book." —David Larkin, author, Country Wisdom

"Poetic and personal, but also learned and reflective. Chamberlin combines equine magic with horse sense."  —Felipe Fernández-Armesto, author, Civilizations

"[Readers] will revel in this account of how the horse evolved. Insights, knowledge, wit, and verve on every page."  —Richard W. Slatta, author, The Cowboy Encyclopedia

"Will satisfy those interested in the horse in world culture....A must read!"  —Sander L. Gilman, author, Making the Body Beautiful

"This remarkable and engrossing book will provide a wealth of unexpected knowledge about the role of horses in human history."  —Michael Korda, author, Horse People

"A genuine labor of love and awe and a treasure trove of equinalia, Horse is bound to find many delighted fans."  —Los Angeles Times

"If you come along for the ride, you will never look at horses or humans the same way again."  —Teresa Jordan, author, Riding the White Horse Home and Cowgirls

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bluebridge (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974240591
• ISBN-13: 978-0974240596
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Serious Scholar, February 26, 2010

By 

Houyhnhnm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilizations (Paperback)

Like J. Edward Chamberlin, the author of _Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilizations_, I am a college English instructor. I am also a passionate trainer of and student of the horse. Right now I have close to 300 books on horse training, horse breeding, horse history, and horse everything else in my private collection. I live and breathe horses. I do not think this is the case with this author. He's obviously fairly well acquainted with them, but this book smacks of casual not dedicated research.

I was disappointed the second I opened it. The text covers 271 pages, but there's a lot of white space between lines. Worse yet, once I started reading I realized it was written at about the junior high school level. Since today's typical college freshman enters reading at about the 9th grade level, this means the book is quite basic in vocabulary and style.

In other words, I was expecting a more scholarly work, not a low level, general audience work. As to style, I was totally unprepared for so much Native American hoo-ha. I mean no offense to the Sioux, the Nez Perce, and other fine Native American horsemen. What bothered me was the author's reliance on simple story telling rather than supported information on horses as shapers of civilization. I was also annoyed by unhelpful analogies and anthropomorphism.

Then the real troubles began. As I turned pages, small slips in word choice and facts added up.

On page 138, Chamberlin says, "[T]he Hittite horsemaster Kikkuh wrote his famous horse-training manual."

The use of "horse-training" will mislead many. Kikkuh deals not with the training in the sense of teaching horses to obey commands but with a remarkably modern method of conditioning horses. Obviously, interval training is a lot older than many of those who resurrected the method think.

On page 145, Chamberlin says the Germans are now eschewing "national types" and producing "regional breeds" of Warmblood.

Chamberlin's use of "type" and "breed" was confusing at best. I suggest anyone interested in Warmblood breeding buy Charlene Strickland's _The Warmblood Guide_.

Here again is an example of dubious assumption: "Many of the draft horses we now think of as bred for peaceful purposes--like the Percherons and the Belgians--began their careers as war horses and only later turned to farm work . . . (Chamberlin 147).

First of all, the Percheron, as a breed, came into existence in the late 19th Century, well past the era of the heavy charger. Furthermore, from my reading and from talking to French horsemen, I'm convinced that the French added hot blood into draft stock not to create a war horse but a "fast freight" horse. That is, they wanted an animal heavy enough for plowing and general farm work, but also quick and active enough to haul produce to market at a trot rather than at a typical draft horse walk.

In the same vein, Chamberlin's explanation of the origins of the Thoroughbred (TB) also perpetuates some common misconceptions about the foundation stallions of the breed. Recent DNA research show the modern TB has no links to modern Arabian horses. The TB has however definite connections to the modern Akhal-Teke. Anyone wanting a history of TBs should buy a copy of Alexander Mackay-Smith's _Speed and the Thoroughbred: The Complete History_.

Overall, Chamberlin's book might be a fun read for non-horsie children, but it's not worthwhile for students of the horse.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Written..., April 2, 2006

By 

Willie Dell Tillmon (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilizations (Hardcover)

This book is the best cultural history of horses and humans from earliest times to the present that I am aware of. I especially liked the passages on horse racing and horse games around the world, from the Scythians to the Sioux and from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the quarter horse races of the Old West. The author makes connections between ancient and modern races, and describes race courses, audiences, and horse breeding techniques around the world over thousands of years. I had no idea that so many cultures played on horseback, from the tournaments of medieval knights and the polo of India's Moguls to the pato of the gauchos in Argentina and the chicken fight of the Navajo. This is both great fun and food for thought!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Love Story . . ., April 5, 2006

By 

Ryan P. Alford (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilizations (Hardcover)

Chamberlin's book describes the deep emotional connections between human beings and horses, which transcend civilizations. His discussion of the historical artifacts and art forms depicting horses reveals that our respect for the horse has existed since long before recorded history, and extensively details the strong positive feelings horses have consistently evoked among 'horse people'. I also particularly enjoyed Chamberlin's selection of historical anecdotes, which included vignettes illustrating Genghis Khan, Napolean and Alexander the Great's enduring relationships with their horses (among others.)

As a whole, the book was a charming portrait of how humans have seen and loved horses, which changed and broadened my view of the most important of inter-species relationships. The stories, images and facts related comprise a fascinating whole, one that I plan to revisit in the near future. This is a book that I will read and re-read.