Customer Reviews

Horse power and magic

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HORSE POWER AND MAGIC is based on a series of oral histories George Ewart Evans conducted with aging East Anglican farmers about their lives with the heavy horses that used to work their farms until mechanization came along.

Before we had trucks and tractors, horses did all that work. Today, we depend upon our vehicles. Turn the key -- or, increasingly, push the button -- and these vehicles "awaken" to take us wherever we want or do what we need to do.

But what if your vehicle had a mind of its own? (Granted, some of us suspect our cars do "have it in for us.")

Still, what if you needed a horse to plow a field, or you lost your home, as is portrayed in WAR HORSE?

Also, today, modern "horse whisperers" amaze us, but a man back then who could take a massive cranky horse needed to do a job was lauded as a magician. Hence, the "magic" in the title. As with today, some horse whisperers used early versions of "natural horsemanship," some used devices like secret oils and training tools.

Especially for horse-lovers and rural history buffs, this book is a pleasant, informative read about an era of history that's long-gone.