Das letzte Jahrhundert der Pferde: Geschichte einer Trennung

by Ulrich Raulff

Seit Urzeiten war das Pferd der engste Partner des Menschen. Es war unverzichtbar in der Landwirtschaft, verband Städte und Länder, entschied die Kriege. Doch dann zerbrach der kentaurische Pakt, und in nur einem Jahrhundert fiel das Pferd aus der Geschichte heraus, aus der es jahrtausendelang nicht wegzudenken war. Furios erzählt Ulrich Raulff die Geschichte eines Abschieds – die Trennung von Mensch und Pferd.
Der Exodus des Pferdes aus der Menschengeschichte ist ein erstaunlich unbeachteter Vorgang. Ganze Bibliotheken zur Geschichte des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts schweigen sich aus über das Pferd, das gleichwohl in Europa und Amerika allgegenwärtig war – bis das letzte Jahrhundert der Pferde in der Zeit Napoleons anbricht und mit dem Ersten Weltkrieg ausklingt. Ulrich Raulff zieht in seinem neuen Buch alle Register der Kultur- und Literaturgeschichte und beschreibt mit beeindruckender Erzählkunst eine untergehende Welt – ein Kapitel vom Auszug des Menschen aus der analogen Welt.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Animals, Horses, Nature, Historical, Natural History

461 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Mehrsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems like it was a LOT of fun to write. It feels much like a conversation with a really smart and interesting person who knows everything there is to know about horses as they relate to literature and world events and man. And during this long and random conversation, there are points where you sit up and listen because you have never thought about things that way and certainly never thought to consider human history through the horse.

But just because it was fun and interesting to write does not make it fun and interesting to read. It was a slog. I mean, the writing is beautiful and thinking in certain parts is superb, but it just doesn't come together in a way a book should. It's just random glittery objects that are interesting to look at scattered on a canvas, but that don't make a complete picture.

[Sebastián Morales Arbeláez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinante y rigurosamente documentado recorrido por la historia del hombre y el caballo y su vínculo irrompible y conveniente (más para los humanos que para el temeroso animal).
Cómo el caballo dejó de convertirse en un instrumento para transportar culturas, mercancías, conocimiento, alimentos, también para combatir en guerras y cometer genocidios, para pasar a ser poco menos que un símbolo de estatus. Cuenta anécdotas como cuando, en La Gran Guerra, quedaban varios animales vivos después de una cruenta batalla, se unieron de ambos bandos y huyeron a todo galope.
El libro está ilustrado a todo color con fotos magnificas como la de Tolstói haciendo en su caballo blanco el recorrido diario acostumbrado.
El autor aborda con nostalgia esta separación, cosa que yo no comparto porque es el avance inexorable de la tecnología para bien o para mal, además la conciencia de las personas no es la misma que era hace ciento veinte años, cuando era natural que los cocheros apalearan a sus caballos en las calles y los transeúntes no se daban por aludidos siquiera.

[Willoyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointing. This started really well and promised much with some fascinating insight into the importance of the horse and its impact on the long nineteenth century world. However, it soon started its descent into an unstructured and verbose mess of largely unrelated mini-essays, much of which didn't even relate to the defined time span. It became harder and harder to keep reading as the book became more and more self-indulgent, until eventually I felt almost driven to give up. Utterly frustrating as this could have been such a good read.

[Ellen Cutler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. This is the whitest, malest and possibly weirdest book I have read maybe ever. Three and a half stars from GoodReads peers? Well, I will just have to read your reviews.

It was a gift from my husband last Christmas (2019) because he knows I adore all things equine. Or, as Raulff might say, "hippological." He sat through two hours of rehearsal at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna for me, fastest two hours of my life, probably the slowest of his. The cover of the hardback is gorgeous, the head and arched neck of a copper chestnut against an indefinitely black space. Kudos to Andrew McGibbon, the photographer.

The title was melancholic: "Farewell to the Horse: A Cultural History." Jacket text claimed it was going to be about the waning days of our relationship with horses. It's not, except in parts. I finally realized--and it took me the best part of a year to read the thing because it was an utter slog--that it was meant to be some kind of idea of a love letter to the horse in western society. Yeeeeah. Well. I suppose.

But this author, or his translator, or his publisher, or all of'em don't know the front end of a horse from the back. Literally. In the discussion of the establishment of the Thoroughbred stud, Raulff describes the "croup" of the Godolphin Arabian as being famously high. Well, the crest of the Godolphin Arabian was famously high (see Marguerite Henry, "Gone With The Wind"), and the animal's neck was frequently described as "deformed." The croup is the high point on the horse's rump. Other end.

The book was littered with typos and I just hate that. Maybe I ask too much, but can't we revive the venerable careers of copyeditor and proofreader?

But the stuff that simply made me crazy was the not so hidden racist, antisemitic and mysogynistic language throughout. Apparently Raulff is a whoop-de-doo scholar. Verlyn Klinkenborg, whom I adulate, reviewed it in 2018 for the New York Book Review, but I can't get the whole article without subscribing and, well, you know how how that is. But I gotta wonder what he thought of it and will try to use a library to see if I can track it down.

Raulff is unsurprisingly steeped in German history and theory. He loves to show off his erudition and command of different languages; heavens the man does love to listen to himself talk. (You know the feeling when you need to pee and someone has you locked in a corner, carrying on about something?) But is sources are hardly modern and his preference are for Dead White Males prominent from the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century. And Dead Greeks, of course. His thinking, his arguments, his vocabulary, everything is flavored by the kind of arrogance and privilege that we more recent thinkers have learned to identify and, in my case, loathe.

Most of all--and I am an art historian so this will come as no surprise--he cherry-picks art history to come of with pictures he can misconstrue to prove whatever point he is belaboring. Arggghhhh. Of course you can find a picture from any time of any kind and set it up to prove whatever you want to believe. I mean...they're PICTURES. I am perfectly happy to let him cling to his interpretations of these works. I actually believe that a piece of every aesthetic experience is personal and private meaning. That doesn't suggest, however, that a person speaking from an ostensibly authoritative place can force that interpretation down the throats of the innocent and unsuspecting.

I could rant endlessly. I am absolutely sure I have already bored anyone who happens on this review to tears. But this is truly one of those books I should not have squandered precious living hours on it. Maybe I was worth a couple or three hours to read through a couple of midlly interesting sections. Just not the whole damn thing. If if hadn't been a loving thoughtful gift from my husband, I probably would have tossed it aside.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot going on in this. On the whole very enjoyable, but either some of it was too dense for me or I was too dense for it!

[Mary Monro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've given up on this book. It is well written but the basic premise is wrong. Sure, horses no longer work but, as the author acknowledges, their numbers have increased massively in the last 4 decades as they have found a new role in the sport & leisure world. This is similar to the shipping story - overtaken as a means of transporting people and freight, ship passengers have increased from half a million in the 70s to 25 million now as the cruise market has taken off. I don't see any books titled 'farewell to the ship'.

Also, the author clearly knows nothing about horses. It would be like me writing a book about pianos, when I can't play one and know nothing about music.

[Jasmin Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-researched and educational read. I enjoyed the breadth of knowledge found in the pages. Unfortunately, the execution of this great history makes it all fall short. Often scattered, often repetitive, and sometimes downright dull with ramblings.
I toyed with giving this book four stars. It really did contain a good deal of captivating stories and histories about the horse. But since I had to force myself to keep reading so often throughout, I couldn’t justify more than three.

[Kris McCracken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a horsey chap, but there is enough here to keep a history buff's attention. It certainly makes a strong case for the centrality of the horse in the growth of societies, and the impact of that growth on our world today.

Well worth a look.

[J M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent / Erudite

[Stephen Howell · Rating 3 out of 5]

At points, very informative, interesting and compelling. But elsewhere, it was dull and laborious. A mixed bag not consistent but still worth the effort, although I did skim read through some parts.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raulff breaks this book into four parts covering 6,000 years of human-horse history.

The Centaurian Pact or energy which talks about the bond between horse and man as it was used to transport cargo and merchandise until man realized that their pack animal could also carry them. Focus points include transportation through draft horses and wagons, carriages with pastoral life, military use via cavalry and transport munitions along with agricultural use and in the depths of mines.

The Phantom of the Library or knowledge which talks about the breeding, painting, racing, betting and use of horses in hunting. There is also several critiques of paintings which include horses. Many leaders - especially in the nineteenth century - had propaganda photos and paintings done with them stride a horse.

The Living Metaphor or pothos with the symbolism of the horse in folklore, dreams, and psychological theories. Literary interpretation and death ceremonies as in military and state funerals. Sexual representations from Nietzche and Freud.

The Forgotten Player or histories symbolism of war victims and the lack of empathy for the brutalized and overworked animals which slowly shifted to the emergence of compassion not only for animals but for human suffering. The pale horse and its connection with Death.

Admittedly, there are nearly 100 black-and-white illustrations of photos, drawings, sculpture, paintings and other artifacts which go with the 31 color plates. Understandably, the color plates are special printed signatures but the b&w are throughout and unfortunately, in many cases, the example and written parts are multiple pages apart.

It's interesting but I felt that there was too much focus on the psychological and sociological aspects of the human connection to horses and not enough actually history. The author would start talking about an aspect - say the development of the stirrup or reins and how it affected human mobility and control of the animal before drifting off into some artistic critique about a painting with horse being led by naked youth in stance as if he had reins but there are none.

There's also a lot of historicity or the study of sources and methods rather than the history itself.

2021-263

[J.R. Alcyone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not every book is for every reader. And I look at reviews from the standpoint of am I the type of reader who would like this book? So I am going to write this review that way. I became aware of this book through a Bookbub newsletter that made it sound like this was a book for mainstream readers. Drawn in by the cover’s gorgeous bay horse, trust the BookBub recommendation, I didn’t bother to read the sample before I bought the book. So, in terms of me, as a reader coming to the book -- my interest can be summed up simply: I love horses. As a kid, I read Walter Farley’s Black Stallion books until they literally fell apart; one of the first books I can remember my mother reading was Black Beauty. And my profile picture on Twitter is me with Hall of Fame racehorse Silver Charm.

So how did this book do with a reader like me? Not well, I'm afraid. This is not a mainstream book for people who love horses. This is more of a philosophical rambling where horses are a means for the author to show off his knowledge and how many names he can drop.

And reading-wise — this book was the very definition of a slog. Again, not every book is for every reader, but considering I was a history and philosophy major, this book shouldn't have been such a big miss. I will say it didn't start out horrible. But it quickly devolved into a mess -- repetitive, poorly organized, and strangely structured. And when the author made forays into talking about sex, it came across as unnecessary, voyeuristic, and creepy. Even with a background in history (albeit I took mostly American history courses), literature, and philosophy, I found many of the author's references to be obscure. I don't know if this was he was cherry-picking to fit his thesis or just wanted to show off. What I can comment on is there was at least one big error I caught, as did another reviewer -- the author describes the Godolphin Arabian as having a high croup. The croup refers to a horse's hindquarters. What the Godolphin Arabian had was an unusually high crest (a horsey term for the arch and thickness of the animal's neck). It's also an odd error considering it was such an easy one to avoid. Even someone who knows nothing about horses would note in a picture how unusually developed the Godolphin Arabian's neck is. Or, you could go to Wikipedia where it's noted that the G.A. had an unusually large crest. Or, you could just take a look at a picture of the Godolphin Arabian's most famous tail-male line descendant, Man O'War, and the way he carried his head unusually high. Anyway, this is like writing a book about cars and confusing the hood with the trunk, and it's a big error considering the author is trying to hold himself out as an expert on horses.

Moving on to the writing ... as I was reading this, I had flashbacks to college philosophy courses. This book was translated from German, like many of the philosophers we read, and it reminded me a lot of those philosophers in terms of how the text was very dense and very dry. Think like reading a textbook. But at least I felt like when I was struggling to get through Kant or Hegel that there was a good reason why I was struggling (the concepts they are exploring are difficult ones to grasp at eighteen, let alone, well, ever), and at least when I’d get bored with Nietzsche, I knew I just had to hang in there because an epic, foaming-at-the-mouth and offensive rant was sure to come. (Nietzsche is nothing if not entertaining.) Here, however, I was mostly just flat-out bored. The author seems very intelligent - I'm sure he's probably a lot smarter than I am - but this reads more like an academic paper than a good nonfiction book. True, every so often there would be something that would catch my eye and I’d read closer, but I mostly skimmed this book and watched the time until finish go down oh ever so slowly on my iPad. Was this only written for fellow academics? If so, it really should be marketed that way.

There was one particular omission that struck me as odd. For all the name-dropping in this book (and there's a ton of name-dropping...), the famous novel Black Beauty was strangely absent. In fact, literature, in general, seemed mostly absent from the author's ramblings, with the big focus being on horses in art, photographs, and philosophy. In omitting Black Beauty, perhaps the author is simply showing that he didn't deem a children's book written by a woman to be worthy of his time. (Quick aside: I am not a feminist by any means, but this author managed to really rub me the wrong way several times in terms of coming across as a sexist.) That's too bad because if he had read some children's books written by women he would not have made the faux pas with the Godolphin Arabian. (I'm referencing here Marguerite Henry's Newbery Medal winner, King of the Wind.) Haha! Anyway, one would have thought given his heavy emphasis on the mistreatment of horses — and there is a LOT here on that — as well as his overly narrow focus on Europe and the 19th century that he would have discussed a book set in London which was, and remains, enormously popular and is sometimes listed next to books like Uncle Tom's Cabin for the influence it has had. But I have digressed — I guess the author has rubbed off on me that way!

TLDNR ~ I’m sorry - I just can’t recommend this one. It’s not a book that’s intended for a mainstream audience or just for people who love horses. In terms of an audience, I am not sure who this was written for. Maybe an audience of one, the author? This comes across as one of those ivory-tower type books written for other ivory-tower types. If that's your sort of thing, if you've got grad degrees in the right areas and like dense books, then give it a try, you might like it. Otherwise, I would skip this book. I wish I had.

[Letterrausch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das erste Kapitel ist definitiv fünf-Sterne-würdig, danach fällt zwar nicht die Qualität ab, aber doch die Relevanz der Erzählten für einen Großteil der Leserschaft (nämlich Pferdemenschen). Rauff verhaspelt sich dann zunehmend in philosophischen Sidequests und seitenweisen Beschreibungen/Interpretationen von Kunstwerken. Auf das letzte Jahrhundert der Pferde (nämlich das 20.) konzentriert er sich dabei auch nur im 1. Kapitel. Ansonsten ist von Herodot über Streitwagen über Mongolen und besoffene Droschenkutscher im 18. Jahrhundert alles dabei.

Es gibt hier also einige wilde Jagden übers Stoppelfeld, die wirklich Spaß machen. Dazwischen muss man aber lange Strecken im Schritt über Schotter. Ich habe den Ausritt trotzdem nicht bereut.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book was not easy to read, it was chock full of insights about the symbiotic relationship between man and horse over the course of history. The originality of the author’s thesis was led me to give this book 4 stars.

Raulff takes the reader on a trip through 6,000 years of history shared by man and horse until the rupture of the relationship after the Second World War with the widespread adoption of motorized vehicles. Along the way, we learn of the introduction of the horse to North America by the Spanish, and its eager adoption by the Native Americans of the Great Plains. Raulff interestingly points out that the role of the horse in the Western economy reached its zenith only a short time before the the animal’s disappearance from everyday life. The appearance of draught horses is a relatively recent phenomenon, with pre-1750 Western countries meeting many of their load-pulling needs with oxen.

We also learn about the centrality of the horse to European and American agriculture (all those oats that needed to be cultivated) and urban design (all the mews and urban stables built to house the horses in their off-duty hours), as well as the millions of horses required to power major armies until 1945.

This book took a bit of work to get through, but it was well worth the effort.

[Doctor Science · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very much a *cultural* history, really a collection of horse-related facts and thoughts centering on Europe and North America in the "Long Nineteenth Century" (1792-1914). "Farewell" because after that horses became less and less important as historical and economic actors--though they were still much more crucial on the Eastern Front in WW2 as draft animals than I had realized.

It gave me a lot to think about, but his Eurocentrism makes the history only a starting point.

[Karla Kuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was interesting and a well documented history of the horse. I wanted to like it more, but parts just seemed to ramble and had way too many quotes. It sometimes had the feel of a college paper that needed to make word count. But if you are interested on the impact that the horse has had on culture and history, this is a pretty decent book. So depending on what you are looking for, and your background with horses, you may enjoy it, or you may not.

[Loren Shultz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing was far too sophisticated for my liking. Too many obscure (to me) phrases from obscure (to me) persons, all in foreign languages. Nor have I developed an appreciation for in-depth analysis of paintings and photographs by which history can be inferred. Hopefully, for the author, others are far more worldly than I.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not stay awake through this book. I opened it with great anticipation and really loved the idea of the book but it did not hold my attention. I was not able to finish it.

[Cecelia Conway · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise but difficult to read

[Christen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made myself finish this book but it was much more academic than interesting for someone who loves horses, at least in my opinion.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pferd und Mensch waren seit langem eng verbunden. Ob in der Landwirtschaft, im Krieg oder für den Transport: das Pferd war unverzichtbar. Aber in nur einem Jahrhundert verschwand das Pferd. Nicht nur aus der Geschichte, sondern auch aus unserem (täglichen) Leben.

Mensch und Pferd- das hat für viele einen romantischen Touch. Und zu Beginn scheint es auch so, als ob der Autor eine sentimentale Geschichte darüber schreiben würde. Er beschreibt seine Kindheit auf dem Land, wie ein Großteil der Arbeit von Pferden erledigt wurde und wie krass der Gegensatz zu den heutigen Maschinen ist.

Aber damit hat die Romantik ein Ende. Mehr noch: Ulrich Raulff räumt mit vielen Vorstellungen auf. Amerika als das Heimatland der Pferde? Weit gefehlt. Die Spanier brachten die Vorfahren der Mustangs mit. Auch das Bild der Indianer das man aus Western kennt, malt er neu. Dabei vermischt er trockene Fakten mit kleinen Geschichten, die alle gut recherchiert sind. Immer wieder kommt auch der Ausflug in die Kunst. Obwohl das nicht mein Lieblingsgebiet ist, haben mir auch diese Stellen sehr gut gefallen.

Je mehr sich die Geschichte von Mensch und Pferd der Gegenwart näherte, desto hässlicher wurde sie. Das Pferd als billige Arbeitskraft, das man benutzen konnte wie eine Maschine. Noch schlimmer waren die Zahlen, die sich mit der Rolle des Pferdes im Krieg beschäftigt haben. Das die durchschnittliche Überlebensdauer eines Pferds im ersten Weltkrieg nicht mal zehn Tage war, hat sich mir besonders eingeprägt.

Das Buch ist vollgepackt mit Informationen, trotzdem ist das Buch leicht zu lesen. Es erzählt die Geschichte von Mensch und Pferd aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln und manchmal auch mit einem Augenzwinkern.

[Renata Shura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly where to begin. The stunningly gorgeous cover photo had me so excited for a topic which I feel is so very much needed to be heard by the general public. Most people today don’t give the significance of the role if the horse in history a single thought. However, knowing what academic European books can be like (my sister does translations) I should have known this would be no different. It’s an incohesive collection of random essays, some of which glorifies corpses and sexualizes equines. I almost gave up on the mass of gobbledygook numerous times.


Reading this book elicited very strong emotions and reactions for sure. The author belittles the Poles and Jews and glorifies the Germans. It’s obviously a western Eurocentric book. He dwells on warfare and equine carnage, yet there’s not a peep about Sergeant Reckless, a Korean War equine hero. He claims to be a lover of horses yet knows nothing about riding and makes some of the most ridiculous statements as fact.

Horse lovers should just skip this one.

[Joan Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Translated from the German, Raulff’s book is an exhaustive and intellectually brilliant study of the horse’s impact on human industry, agriculture, war, art, society and pleasure. The dependence on the horse for transportation, farming, battle, racing, hunting and so on was a lengthy one that gave way in many respects to the industrial revolution and development of the machine. Numerous occupations were associated with the horse: veterinarian, farrier, equine artist, trainer, jockey, cavalryman, grower of oats and hay, breeders, bloodline experts, grooms, drivers, et al. Many of these continue to exist with the horse now primarily used for sport or pleasure. Farewell to the Horse is extensively illustrated and any equine enthusiast as well as the general reader interested in how social and economic change was affected by the horse’s role will find this book a masterful accomplishment.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sprawling, mostly Eurocentric view of history through a unique lens. Raulff flits about through various loose themes, picking up odd facts and interesting asides while occasionally reminiscing about his own life.

When the book moves on to the horse's influence beyond the aesthetic into literature, the book becomes a bit more shaky, with an extended treatise on Nietzsche I feel no one could learn anything from. Raulff has a tendency to fixate for long stretches on literature interpreatations that become numbing, rather than the more interesting sociological and technological histories which give the book its value.

But it's a fun, light read with horse facts. You can't really go wrong.

[Tailsmo · Rating 2 out of 5]

My overwhelming feeling about this book is sadness at the way humans have treated horses throughout history. This author seemed fascinated by the horror of war and its impact on the horses, and the book contains graphic descriptions and photographs of that horror. The author is focused on philosophical narrative and seems to use that to justify the cruel treatment of horses. For me, this meant the book was very heavy going and not enjoyable. I never got the impression that the author liked horses. They were just a subject to him. The blurb promised so much, and the book failed to deliver.

[Jeanne Rewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book. It had powerful information and visuals and thought-provoking insights. I most enjoyed sections 1, 2, 4. Unfortunately this book focuses on a Western perspective that makes some of the premises and conclusions difficult to accept. I would love to read a similar historical treatment of horse-human history that takes a more global perspective. At minimum the book would be improved by being more cognizant and transparent about the scope and gaps throughout.

[Stacy Blomquist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Raulff's book is filled with tons of facts about horses. I'd never thought about the economy that grew up around supplying cities with oats and hay for their horses. The huge numbers of horses lost during WWI and WWII is also addressed. But despite the interesting details, they are lost in such a dry, dry, dry text.

[Susan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep look at how horses have shaped the world. From helping to conquer new places to innovations in movement and speed. From chariot, to saddle, to motion pictures. and art. Horses have been by mans side through history in so many ways. As a tool in war and agriculture, as well as a symbol of strength & status. We owe them much.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. VERY academic. Took me a long time to finish. I appreciated some of the literary references and have looked up some of those books mentioned. However, the conclusion of the book contradicts the title; not sure if author was trying to ironic. Alas, I’m just a simple-minded reader, but this was a very scattered experience for me.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched and written book that bolts right out of the starting gate but, some how down the stretch loses its way to the post A lot of art and literature related research in here with a bit of economic and military research as well.