Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America by Judith Dutson, Bob Langrish, Bob Langrish

by Bob Langrish Bob Langrish (Photographer) by Judith Dutson

Horse enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels are fascinated by the history, characteristics, and abilities of various breeds. Unfortunately, most current breed books are written for European readers and feature horses that are rare or nonexistent in North America. A truly complete book on all the special horses of North America has never been available—until now. Here is the most comprehensive guide, featuring in-depth profiles and photographs, to 96 breeds that call North America home.Readers will find homegrown favorites, such as the Morgan, Appaloosa, and Quarter Horse, along with the less-known Nakota, McCurdy Plantation, and Florida Cracker horses. They’ll also meet the imported breeds that have influenced native bloodlines and become part of the fabric of our history, such as the Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Percheron, as well as more exotic introductions such as the Mangalarga Marchador and the Selle Français. Covering color breeds, light horses, heavy horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules, author Judith Dutson offers fascinating insight into the purpose each was bred for and where it is now found in North America.More than seven million horses inhabit North America today, with purposes ranging from racing to pleasure, farm and ranch work, shows, search and rescue, and police work. Every region has its breed(s) and every breed has its story — and its fans. This book speaks to all of them, and presents the incredible history of the horse in North America, breed by breed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horses, Animals

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

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