As a horse crazy girl who grew up reading anything and everything she could find on horses, not to mention contributed to horse focused magazines as an adult, I was psyched to get this book. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting but, well, this wasn't it. It isn't that there isn't an abundance of information, but perhaps in the way that it's presented. Even the b/w drawings mentioned on the cover weren't quite what I was expecting.
Rather than cartoon or simple drawings, they are old engraving/drawings of horses at rest and moving. This was my first hint that this book probably isn't intended for casual readers. Instead, while the topics, listed as questions as simple as how horses show expression and even the meanings of the horseshoe as a symbol, the answers frequently delved into history and background, making for tougher reading for those looking for quicker bites of info. That is in itself not a fault, but I wasn't expecting the depth it'd dive into. Some of it was fascinating. Other times I found my eyes glazing over. As I said, not what I went into the book expecting, so it obviously influenced my reaction.
Despite my reaction, if you have an interest into delving more into detail about certain aspects of horse history and nature, you may find this book totally fascinating. Just beware, there's definitely negativity toward racing, albeit some interesting tidbits did grab my attention such as the why of the shape of the traditional jockey cap and, for that matter, the likely origin of the word jockey itself. Thus, the fault may be my own.
Bottom line, this book was a mixed bag for me, partly because of the info I came to the book with, partly because it seemed to zoom from horse behavior to racing without much transition. It also ends rather abruptly, too, no wrap-up, unless my review copy was lacking some pages. I do thank #NetGalley and #RowmanAndLittlefield for allowing me to spend some time revisiting my horse crazy girl days. I even learned a few things. 3.5rounded to 4 stars.
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