Table of Contents

Introducing the horse 6–11

Chapter 1 
Evolution & Development 
Ancestors of the modern horse  14–15
Related species & distant cousins  16–19
The full breadth of species  20–23
Conquering the globe  24–7
First links with humans  28–31

Chapter 2
Anatomy & Biology 
The horse as a mammal  32-3
Life cycle of the horse  34-5
The mechanics of breeding  36-9
The skeleton  40–43
The teeth & jaw  44–7
How the hoof developed  48–9
Eating & digestive system  50–51
Hearing & smell  52-5
Coat & color  56-7
Horse sense—how horses think  58-61
Equine illness  62-3
The horse genome  64-5

Chapter 3
Society & Behavior
Eating & sleeping  66-9
Courtship & mating  70-73
Birth & parenting  72-3
Foals & early life  74-7
Social groups & behavior  78-81
Horse-horse communication  82-85
Horse vocalization  86-7
Cognition in horses  88-9
Memory in horses  90-91
Learning in horses  92-3
Wild vs. domesticated horses  94-5

Chapter 4
Horses & People
Early relations: before domestication  96-7
The first herders  98-101
Many uses: early horses  102–105
Riding horses: the story of tack  106-109  
The history of training  110-15 
The war horse  116-19
The sporting horse  120-123
Early breeding science  124-7
Breeding for specifics  128-131
Centers of breeding worldwide  132-35
Horses for profit: the economy of horses  136-39 
Ethology & ethics  140-45
What we know about how horses think  146–49

Chapter 5
Horse Breeds
Historic breeds  150–53
The range of modern breeds  154–7
Directory of horses  158-213
The future of breeding  214-17

Useful Resources
Author biographies  218
Bibliography  219-220
Index  221–23
Acknowledgments  224
 

About the Author

Debbie Busby is an equine behaviorist with degrees in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare and Psychology. She is certified by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and runs the Evolution Equine website.