The Quotable Equine [Hardcover]

Jim Dratfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003

From the Old West legend of the weathered cowboy and his trusty horse to the urbane athleticism of the hunter and jumper, from the majestic mountains of Montana to the volcanic terrain of Iceland, horses are an integral part of everyday life for many people around the world. In these beautiful sepia-toned photographs, Jim Dratfield captures the spirit, strength, and nobility of horses.

Paired with quotations that include everyone from James Thurber to Amelia Earhart, Henrik Ibsen to Lauren Bacall, and ranging from the inspirational to the absolutely hilarious, The Quotable Equine celebrates these magnificent animals. Jim Dratfield has traveled the world to capture in both candid and portrait photography the essence of the equine, in the most stunning settings, from dancing Andalusians in Spain to workhorses in Mongolia.

Whether it's a child obstinately pulling her donkey, a horse running free in the wild, or an intense moment at an equestrian competition, the images in this book are charming, poignant, gorgeous, and sometimes amusing. The Quotable Equine pays homage to the timeless elegance of horses, to the many disciplines and sports built around them, and to all the people who love them.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From the Old West legend of the weathered cowboy and his trusty horse to the urbane athleticism of the hunter and jumper, from the majestic mountains of Montana to the volcanic terrain of Iceland, horses are an integral part of everyday life for many people around the world. In these beautiful sepia-toned photographs, Jim Dratfield captures the spirit, strength, and nobility of horses.

Paired with quotations that include everyone from James Thurber to Amelia Earhart, Henrik Ibsen to Lauren Bacall, and ranging from the inspirational to the absolutely hilarious, The Quotable Equine celebrates these magnificent animals. Jim Dratfield has traveled the world to capture in both candid and portrait photography the essence of the equine, in the most stunning settings, from dancing Andalusians in Spain to workhorses in Mongolia.

Whether it's a child obstinately pulling her donkey, a horse running free in the wild, or an intense moment at an equestrian competition, the images in this book are charming, poignant, gorgeous, and sometimes amusing. The Quotable Equine pays homage to the timeless elegance of horses, to the many disciplines and sports built around them, and to all the people who love them.

About the Author

JIM DRATFIELD is the photographer-owner of Petography™ (www.petography.com), which travels the country taking fine-art photographs of pets. He is the author of Underdogs, Pug Shots, Dogography, and Catography and coauthor of The Quotable Canine and The Quotable Feline. Dratfield grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, and spent more than a decade acting on stage and the small screen. He now lives in New York City with his dog, Caleb.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400048702
• ISBN-13: 978-1400048700
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,919,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Dissapointing..., February 6, 2006

By 

appaloosa (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quotable Equine (Hardcover)

If you are a horselover seeking a collection of inspirational horse quotes, then don't bother looking in here.

This is a very slim book, (9-1/2" x 7-3/4", 112 pages) with accompanying text that has absolutely nothing to do with horses!

We get perhaps one quote that is directly related to horses, and that is the frontcover photo (which is perhaps the nicest photo in the entire book), repeated on pages 8-9 with the quote: " A lovely horse is always an experience... It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words." (Beryl Markham)

Indeed.

The rest of the book is filled with rather bland and uninspiring sepia photos: a blond haired girl leaning against a blanketed horse, a little girl sitting on a pony chained to a merry-go-round (the pony wearning a muzzle!), a group photo of Mongolian riders sitting on some very decrepit looking horses, a very unflattering image of a horse yawning, mouth agape, tongue sticking out..and, well.. ho-hum...

I could perhaps pardon the uninspiring sepia photographs in this book, EXCEPT; the accompanying quotes are SO off-target, and SO non-horse related, that it left me wondering: what on earth was the author thinking??

Here we have quotes from Yves St. Laurent "Fashions fade; style is eternal" (shown next to a dressage rider). Yes - Yves St. Laurent, a haute couture fashionista in no way connected to horses. But wait, there's more of these little gems: "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first" (Ernestine Ulmer); a photo of a jockey on horseback: "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly" (Robert F. Kennedy); a photo of a carriage marathon driver: "The reputation of power is power" (Thomas Hobbes); a pregnant woman and her horse: "At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet" (Plato). Ho-hum *yawn*

Hello? What am I missing here? Is this a book about humans or horses? Or is the author trying to impress us with his literary scope by including quotes from Plato and Hobbes alongside a prima donna fashionista?

How pretentious and overblown can you get. I see very little relevance here, not to mention uninspiring. This one's going straight into the garage sale bin.

There is another book titled "The Quoteable Horse Lover" which seems to offer the hippophile a much better selection of snippets and anecdotes of horse-related quotes. I have not seen this book yet, but I do have one on order. It will be interesting to compare the two.

~appaloosa
02/2006

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cool book, December 4, 2003

By 

A Horse owner and Lover (San Jose, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quotable Equine (Hardcover)

This book is a very cool book with AWESOME pictures. A great gift for horse lovers. Has some wonderful quotes, and the pictures match perfectly with them. I highly reccomend this book for anyone who is a horse lover like me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore the prior review, June 19, 2006

By 

canadannie (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quotable Equine (Paperback)

And make up your own mind. The review itself was certainly "dissapointing" (sic).
A nice enough book of its kind.