Horses Past and Present

Spanning more than a millennium, this compact history traces the horse’s journey from the earliest chariots mentioned in ancient texts to its pivotal role in England’s wars, farms, and pastimes. The author opens with the animal’s first domestication in Asia and Africa, then follows the gradual spread of riding and driving techniques across the British Isles, highlighting how the beast became the most prized possession of early societies.

Continuing chronologically, each chapter pairs a monarch with the evolving uses and breeds of his era—from the armored chargers of William the Conqueror to the refined sport horses of Queen Victoria. Richly illustrated plates bring to life the distinct light and heavy types that emerged, while brief notes on breeding societies and recent advances round out the narrative. Listeners will come away with a clear sense of how horses shaped, and were shaped by, English history up to the close of the nineteenth century.