The anatomy of a horse

The Nature of Horses: Exploring equine evolution, intelligence, and behavior (1997); The Free Press: by Stephen Budiansky; 6"X9"; 290 pages; US$30. The author, a professional writer, explains his understanding of current knowledge of evolution, behavior, biomechanics, energetics, perception, learning and genetics of horses. It makes interesting reading as an introduction into the various topics covered, and should fulfill its purpose of sparking an interest in the casual horse owner, or those who simply admire horses. For the veterinarian, and perhaps the professional horse owner, the lack of specific references documenting the ideas and facts presented may render the book as just one person's opinion. There is a suggested reading list for each chapter. The value of this book to the equine specialist might lie in the light it sheds on how the lay public perceives horses. The author attempts to dispel various myths about horses which the professional horse person may never have known about. For the Good of the Horse (1997); Trafalgar Square Publishing; by Mary Wanless; 6"X9"; 317 pages; US$26. The author, a professional riding instructor in England, has for several years conducted a one-day conference entitled "For the Good of the Horse." Each conference brings together key speakers on a wide variety of horserelated issues, and this book draws heavily from those conferences. Here the professional will find the "modern thinking" of horse people, their attitudes, their interests, and the new

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ideas which they have embraced. She has included topics such as: equine dentistry; farriery; nutrition; saddles and saddle fit; physiotherapy, manipulation and massage; complementary therapies versus conventional veterinary practice; herbalism, aromatherapy, homeopathy and acupuncture; the language of the horse; and animal communicators.

The Anatomy of a Horse (1997); reprint of a seventeenth century book with a modern introduction and commentary by Dr. David Ramey; Howell Book House/Macmillan; 9"X11"; 370 pages; US$29.95. This is a reproduction of the first book on equine anatomy published in English in 1683. When Andrew Snape, then farrier to the Crown, wrote this book, there were no trained veterinarians. Farriers were the experts in all aspects of horse care and it was to the farrier that the horse owner-- king and commoner-- turned when his horse became sick. To put Snape's text in perspective for today' s reader, Dr. Ramey provides a commentary, which includes information about the many horse terms that have remained unchanged since Snape's time. Dr. Ramey also introduces the reader to important people whose observations and experiments contributed to modern medicine. "Snape's book describes a variety of the treatments and ideas that were in vogue in the seventeenth century (and holds many of them up to ridicule). For example, while at times you may think that your horse's behavior indicates that he doesn't have a brain, he does; in the seventeenth century many people believed that the horse did not have a brain at all," writes Dr. Ramey.

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JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE