Ben Waber reviewed The Horse by Timothy C. Winegard
A Somewhat Anachronistic but Occasionally Insightful History
3 stars
The vast majority of this book is mostly a synthesis of other popular histories, and unfortunately goes to the well frequently with widely discredited books written by non-academics (e.g. Guns, Germs, and Steel). There is also a fairly concerning dismissal/sidelining of the genocide of indigenous people, and an anachronistic view of Western superiority is present throughout. However, the chapter dealing with "peak horse" - not reached until 1915 in the US - is not to be missed. This is such recent history and details about it are scattered across other sources, and I would highly recommend reading this chapter.
The vast majority of this book is mostly a synthesis of other popular histories, and unfortunately goes to the well frequently with widely discredited books written by non-academics (e.g. Guns, Germs, and Steel). There is also a fairly concerning dismissal/sidelining of the genocide of indigenous people, and an anachronistic view of Western superiority is present throughout. However, the chapter dealing with "peak horse" - not reached until 1915 in the US - is not to be missed. This is such recent history and details about it are scattered across other sources, and I would highly recommend reading this chapter.