The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity

The NYT bestselling The Mosquito author’s new book in the same vein, now using the horse as a way to understand human history

The Horse is an account of the horse’s relationship with the peoples of the world, as a mode of transportation, a means of farming, a companion, and a weapon of war. It covers the profound impact of the species in an extraordinary story of evolution, revealing just how much of our existence we owe to this amazing animal.

Six thousand years ago, humans domesticated one animal, and have relied on it as a key tool in everything from military influence to agriculture: the horse. The horse’s strength and speed is crucial to its role in the history of humankind, lending a hand in expanding trade networks and colonial conquests, and acting as an agent of disease and even as a source of energy.

Horses are markers of civilization, and their populations have been used to track people’s movement and settlement around the globe. After the horse was introduced to the Americas by the Spanish during the Columbian Exchange, there was an immediate and total adoption of horse culture by the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains, forever transforming the development of the United States.

About the Author

Dr. Timothy C. Winegard holds a PhD from the University of Oxford and is a professor of history and political science at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado. Winegard served as an officer with the Canadian and British Forces, has lectured on CSPAN, and has appeared on televised roundtables. He is internationally published, including his four previous books, in the fields of both military history and indigenous studies.

Author Residence: Grand Junction, Colorado

Author Hometown: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada