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Hoof Beats

How Horses Shaped Human History

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Journey to the ancient past with cutting-edge science and new data to discover how horses forever altered the course of human history.

From the Rockies to the Himalayas, the bond between horses and humans has spanned across time and civilizations. In this archaeological journey, William T. Taylor explores how momentous events in the story of humans and horses helped create the world we live in today. Tracing the horse's origins and spread from the western Eurasian steppes to the invention of horse-drawn transportation and the explosive shift to mounted riding, Taylor offers a revolutionary new account of how horses altered the course of human history.

Drawing on Indigenous perspectives, ancient DNA, and new research from Mongolia to the Great Plains and beyond, Taylor guides listeners through the major discoveries that have placed the horse at the origins of globalization, trade, biological exchange, and social inequality. Hoof Beats transforms our understanding of both horses and humanity's ancient past and asks us to consider what our relationship with horses means for the future of humanity and the world around us.

©2024 William T. Taylor (P)2024 Highbridge Audio Animals Biological Sciences Environment History History & Philosophy Outdoors & Nature Science World
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This is a great book, packed with detailed information covering a huge topic. I’ve read hundreds of horse books, but none quite like this, so it was super interesting to get this perspective on the shared past of horses and humans.

Unfortunately it took me ages to get through, and this was partly because it’s pretty grim if you’re like me and can’t help thinking about the horses’ experiences as they were used and abused by humans in all kinds of ways, and also partly because the style of narration was hard for me to listen to.

The narrator has a great voice and is very good at their job, but the choice to read this in a dramatic style really didn’t work for me. Sometimes I found it distracting, other times exhausting. It’s an amazing skill maintaining that style for hours, but if the tone had conveyed “this is pretty interesting” rather than “*this*… is the most *amazing* thing… *anyone*… has *ever* said…” for every sentence, that might have been easier to listen to. I guess I just couldn’t handle the *drama*.

So definitely listen to the sample first, and imagine the same style continuing for hours. It’s a good book, hopefully the narration style will work better for others than it did for me. I’m considering getting the paperback as I’d like to have a copy on hand as a reference book.

Very interesting

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