Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America

by Judith Dutson, Bob Langrish (Photographer)

From the Pryor Mountain Mustang to the Tennessee Walking Horse, North America is home to an amazing variety of horses. In this lavish, photograph-filled guide, Judith Dutson provides 96 in-depth profiles that include each breed’s history, special uses, conformation standards, and more. You’ll learn about homegrown favorites like the Morgan, Appaloosa, and Quarter Horse, as well as exotic imports like the Mangalarga Marchador and the Selle Français. Take a continental horse tour without ever leaving your home.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Horses, Animals

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Judith Dutson owns and operates Horsefeather Farm, a care facility for horses recovering from surgery or illness, in Plain City, Ohio. She is also a research assistant in the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department at Ohio State University. Dutson holds a master’s degree in behavior genetics from the University of Connecticut. She is the author of Horse Breeds of North America and Storey’s Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t let the title fool you. This lavishly illustrated, well-researched book by Judith Dutson includes many breeds from around the world that just happen to take up residence in North America. This is not just about breeds created in North America. There are actually about 100 breeds described and not 96, although the book does not have pictures of all 100.

Much of this book was done through Internet research and contacting breed registries. She also borrows from other horse breed books, particularly Bonnie Hendricks' 1995 book International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. The photos are fabulous.

Unfortunately, the very first breed mentioned in this book, the Abaco Barb, has already gone extinct since only five sterile animals are left. (EDIT: The last of these five died in 2015.) But that is not a cause to mourn. Dutson is one of the very few writers of a horse breed book that acknowledges that horse breeds are a man-made concept. Every single horse and pony contains the genetic information of all horse breeds in their DNA, so a breed is never truly lost and can be theoretically re-created.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm writing this as a quick review since I've just gotten it in and have been wandering through it. It's a lovely book, with color photos and decent chapters OF horses IN North America, not just horse breeds created in North America only. The chapters are not big, but they seem to give a decent overview of the creation of each breed, so you get a great basic amount of info. This book will end up well-used and enjoyed in my household!

[Mothman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book! I loved all the pictures and the historical and conformation chapters in the front. My only complaints are that some of the colors and genetic related information was incorrect, especially with buckskins and dun variants. But this book is 10 years old, so I'll say it's because of that.

Also, despite the title, this book includes horses from all over the world, not just in North America. They just happen to live here too. ;)

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America by Judith Dutson (Storey Publishing 2005) (636.1). Great pictures and details of each breed. This also features information about pony breeds as well as mules and donkeys. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 2008.

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes:
used for pictures
5yo daughter loves flipping through it
amazing photos, thick book