Reviewed by Francine:
Heather King’s Volume 1 - THE HORSE –
An Historical Author’s & Reader’s Guide is an invaluable simple and perfect reference book for the
uninitiated, absolute novice, to horses and their requirements. From dreams of every little girl wanting her first pony, to the realms of haute ecole (High School Equestrian Training of the 17th-18th century - better known today as dressage) in which the reader will learn of breed heritage
to colour ranges, from feed to housing and healthcare, from saddles to harness
and equipage, and much more in between. No historical author can be excused for
misrepresenting horses at their finest when transitioning from gait to gait, nor
can the finer aspects of equestrianism be ignored when books of this nature are
on offer to guide authors through the mire of common horse jargon etc. This is a quick reference guide for readers and authors and well worth keeping to hand!
Bear in mind this is not a book
about horses in harness, the schooling of carriage horses, and carriages. Apparently Ms King's Volume
2, will be a reference manual to that secondary aspect so essential in
historical novels. I dare say it will include correct equipage, correct terminology, etc. Indeed, the pitfalls of driving four-in-hand aside are numerous, and yet, many
gentlemen engaged in that very skill and every bit as well as their coachmen. And oh the joy of driving a curricle, single, double, or in tandem, to dog carts, to traps, and governess carts, not to mention high-top Regency phaetons (death traps) so oft favoured by ladies! But I digress in a sport in which I trained horses to ride 'n' drive, and indulged in other equestrian pursuits so relevant within historical novels. Love 'em or hate 'em, horses were prized animals, and only fools mistreated them.
