The Horse Book

Kathleen Walker-Meikle is the author of The Dog Book and The Cat Book, Medieval Pets, Medieval Cats and Medieval Dogs. She was awarded her PhD in History at University College London and is currently continuing her research into animals in the Middle Ages.

Hardworking, swift, loyal and capable of great heroism, horses have been our constant companions for thousands of years. Using stunning illustrations, The Horse Book pairs famous historical figures with their faithful mounts including: Alexander the Great's beloved steed at whose death he dedicated the city of Alexandria Bucephala; the cruel Roman emperor Caligula who made his horse a consul; the brave horses in the First World War; and horses of famous figures from El Cid to Napoleon. This is the perfect gift for the horse lover - a guide to the role of horses in history and the people who rode them.

A sumptuously illustrated history of famous horses and their owners from Alexander the Great to Roy Rogers.

Contains famous names that will have appeal in and of themselves, including Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Horses in Greek mythology (Perseus) / Horses in Chinese mythology / Horses in Celtic mythology / Bucephalus, horses of Alexander the Great / Incitatus, Roman Emperor Caligula's horse. Made consul. / Dhuljanah, the horse of Husayn ibn Ali (early Middle Ages) / Veillantif (Roland's horse in the 'Song of Roland', also see Tencendur, horse of Charlemagne in same poem) / Babeica, El Cid's horse / Horses in Arthurian legends (also the fabliau of Favel) / The horse and the Mongol empire / The introduction and development of the horse in the Americas / Horses in the Napoleonic wars: esp. Marengo (Napoleon) and Copenhagen (Wellington) / Horses in the U.S. Civil War, e.g. Cincinnati (Grant), Traveller (Lee), Little Sorrel (Jackson) / Horses in WWI (Also World War I poetry on horses, e.g. 'The horse that died for me') / Historic care of horses (grooming, stabling, feeding) / Veterinary medicine in history (mentioning actually treatment, such as bleeding, and recipes) / Performing and 'talking' horse (e.g. Maracco the 17th c 'dancing' horses, late 19th 'mathematician' horses) / Famous racehorses (Phar lap, Seabiscuit, etc.) / The Pony Express / Horses in TV and movies (e.g. Mr Ed, Trigger) / Horses in literature, Anne Sewell's Black Beauty. Don Quixote's Rocinante, Bayard (Rinaldo's magic horse), etc.