Customer Reviews

Illustrated Horsewatching

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2 star:		(1)
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When you can't afford the trip to observe herd of wile horses then all you need to afford is this book. Desmond Morris has been the authority on horse watching, people watching, cat watching and many other things. It's only been a matter of time till he took out all the words and kept what mattered...the forms. The pictures. Sure this is a great coffee table book to sit down and look at all the pretty ponies, but more so he captures the pictures that really count...not necessarily the ones where their manes are flowing and they look majestic, but the ones that capture that unspoken herd law.

This book really helped me to know my horse better, to understand what his body language was trying to tell me and what he felt. The photographs are beautiful, and I loved all the little random tidbits of information that the author gives. (such as, where does the word "nightmare" originate and what does it have to do with horses?"

A slim volume discussing horse gestures and behavior, as well as some horse-related trivia.

I found lots of misinformation here -- everything from wild canines being sprint predators (they're distance chasers) to the idea that horses run races because they're frightened of the "monster" attacking them from behind (as a horse can see the jockey and the whip, even a really airheaded animal is unlikely to imagine a cougar) -- mostly in the service of an anti-racing screed. The photos are few and far between and lack captions.

I thought that a much better book on this same topic was Robert Vavra's SUCH IS THE REAL NATURE OF HORSES.

Desmond Morris is a true expert. I have read many of his books and find each one to offer great insight into the mind and behaviors of its subject. Thank you, Mr. Morris, for helping me to understand what these great animals are thinking and how they are communicating with us and each other.