Wendy Williams's The Horse is "a scientific travelogue, a biography of the horse, and a worldwide investigation into the bond that unites horses and humans." The opening scene with Whisper--a trustworthy companion who can open stalls and water spigots at will--provides a bridge between science and emotion. With this scene, Williams illustrates why horses have been beloved friends, riding partners and even family members for centuries, and then poses questions horse lovers have asked many times: Do horses have a "theory of mind" that allows us to discern what they may be thinking? Do horses enjoy some sense of themselves? Why are they willing to share their lives with us?
To answer these questions, Williams begins with a carving of the Vogelherd horse, found in a cave in Southern Germany and created by Aurignacians 35,000 years ago, and then traces the amazing evolutionary path of the horse: "the evolution of the horse's eye is connected to the evolution of the horse's teeth, and the evolution of the teeth is connected to the evolution of grass, and the evolution in grass is connected to changes in global temperatures, and the changes in temperature are connected to tectonic movements and changing ocean currents...." Throughout The Horse, Williams intersperses her research with narrative--the squabbles of stallions jockeying for position and trying to attract mares upends many myths of how horses behave in the wild. The result is a compelling look at why horses and humans have maintained a bond throughout history. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics