First published 2024
Timothy C. Winegard traces the extraordinary partnership between humans and horses that began over 5,500 years ago on the Eurasian Steppe. When the first human tamed the first horse, this single act transformed the trajectory of civilization itself. Winegard demonstrates how horses became the driving force behind human progress, serving as transportation, farming tools, weapons of war, and companions. The author follows horses through Alexander the Great's cavalry charges, the Great Manure Crisis that overwhelmed New York streets in 1894, and countless moments between. He shows how horses revolutionized hunting, trade, travel, agriculture, warfare, and worship. They altered the human genome, redrew linguistic boundaries, established international borders, shaped cultures, powered economies, and built empires. Horses spread diseases and enabled medical breakthroughs. They influenced architecture, inventions, furniture, and fashion. Winegard reveals how this remarkable animal dominated human existence for millennia and continues to cast shadows over our modern world.
Genres: history, science, animals, non-fiction
Vibes: educational, informative, thought-provoking
Tropes: informative-non-fiction
Period: 5500 Years Ago, 19th Century, 20th Century, 21st Century
544 pages · Hardcover · Dutton