Beautiful Horses

Beautiful Horses is an introduction with a short history and a gallery showing the elegance of horses. Originally published in the UK in 2013 this re-format and re-release is due out 3rd March 2020 from Quarto on their Ivy Press imprint, it's 112 pages and will be available in paperback format.

The authors have an accessible and informative (but not dry) style. The book has a good introduction with some history, uses, rare breeds, development of breed standards, and a very short capsule intro to shows. The intros are followed by a gallery listing of 40 horses (some duplicate breeds, such as the Welsh Cob), with a full color detail photo, breed intro with features, uses, related breeds, size/weight, and range/origin. The picture content also helpfully includes the age and sex of the subject (including reproductive status/castration). The end of the book contains some sepia-tone photos from specific show entry winners, along with an index and solid links lists for further reading.

Honestly the completeness of the bibliography and links are probably worth the cost of the book by themselves. Very well done. This would be a very good choice for a 4H or FFA intro to selecting and showing horses or at least starting the necessary pre-purchase research. There is no animal husbandry content included here, this is a compendium of show quality healthy beautiful horses in show condition.

A useful and appealing book and a good introduction to the conformation and looks of standard purebred horses.

Four stars.

Perfect gift book for a horse lover. Beautiful photographs of a variety of breeds accompanied with a page of information on each one. The same format continues throughout the book. A nice coffee table book for this niche group.

Beautifully taken pictures of some of the most Majestic creatures on earth!! A must have for the equine enthusiasts out there and anyone appreciative of beauty!!

I love horses. I’ll never turn down a chance to read a book full of pictures of gorgeous horses and tons of interesting horsie facts. This book features profiles on 40 gorgeous horse breeds, including some that are prettier than some humans- seriously, have you seen the picture of the Friesian horse in this book? That is one gorgeous horse. My only complaint is that my favorite breed of horse – the Icelandic Horse – isn’t featured in this book. Icelandic Horses are the best! They’re super pretty, too. I did like that they included the Fjord Pony, those are some fantastic ponies…but where are my Icelandic Horses at?

Anyway: if you like horses at all, or have an interest in horses, or if you’re just curious about horses in any way, shape or form, you will love this book. So many beautiful horses!

If you are a horse lover this is a must have book! The pictures and descriptions are excellent. I was very moved that it lists a rescue horse (any breed or size of horse that has been abused and rescued) as its own breed because it sheds light on a huge issue that many people are unaware of. Many people desire to own horses not understanding the expense or large amounts of care involved. Or maybe they don’t care who knows. But these majestic beautiful animals are often abandoned when a owner can no longer afford to care for them. This touched my heart asI have loved horses since childhood and I cared for several rescue horses as a teenager.

Not to be confusing this book is simply about the glory of horses and lists many breeds I have never heard of and I devoured it I absolute fascination. I was simply impressed rescue horses is listed. I feel this is an amazing resource for horse lovers or anyone who desires to learn more about them. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Awesome job, has tons of info in the start about horses and their multiple relations with humans. The middle has a lot of info on each breed and a beautiful picture of what the breed could look like.

I will say the copy I revived for free had 1 issue, which wasn't that big of one, but thought I would mention it. At the end (after the index) the book restarted again, and went to the end except for the index.

Either way loved the book though it was very detailed with excellent pictures.

This book would have been a cherished treasure if I had had it as a young girl. The photography is fantastic. Along with each phot, there is a description of the breed, its uses and its origins. I am only giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it was limited to only 40 breeds. This would make a great gift for any horse lover and a fabulous coffee table book.