Humans were having a mare...until the horse came along

Hoof Beats by William T. Taylor (University of California Press £25, 360pp) With the creation of the car in the late 1800s came the decline of the horse. Yes, they were still used in the First World War and kept as pets, but their speed, 'horse power' (for want of a better phrase) and maintenance couldn't compete with these new machines.

Given that in 1880 the 150,000-strong horse population of New York produced 1.8million kg (283,451st) of manure and 15,000 litres (4,000 gallons) of urine, it is of little surprise that people wanted a more sanitary mode of transport.

This is just one of the many fascinating snippets of horse history to be found in Taylor's book.

It begins roughly 66million years ago and canters past Genghis Khan's great horsemen, Viking colonisers and American bison herders, all the way through to the horse today.

Like most creatures, the early horse evolved and diversified with its environment. Zebra-like species thrived in Africa, and creatures more like today's horses populated cooler Asian and European climes.

Temperature, terrain and vegetation all affected how adaptable each species was to its environment. Primitive humans living half a million years ago saw horses as prey rather than helpmates.

Nothing went to waste. Taylor notes how 'parts of the pelvis and other bones were also used to make "soft hammers"'.

It was only when humans learned to domesticate horses that they saw their value outside the food chain. Ironically, the taming of an animal we went on to use largely for transportation occurred only when man ceased his nomadic ways. About 12,000 years ago, those living in the 'Fertile Crescent' of western Asia began cultivating grains, and the horse proved very useful in this endeavour.

The domestication of horses was the key that opened the stable door to our progress as a society.

More robust and with an easier temperament than the donkey or zebra, the horse inspired the evolution of carts, chariots, saddlery; opened up a whole trade and communication network otherwise thought too vast; and brought forward military advances and farming developments.

The only sadness of this book is that our effect on horses has often been far from positive. We witness the impact the bridle had on the bones of a horse's jaw, and the 'cracking, fusion, and bony growths' formed after being ridden.

But evidence of our growing love for horses is found as well: originally their bones were dumped in massive graves but later they were carefully buried, even with funerals.

At times this book is heavy-footed – the intricacies of evolution and species classification are hard work. But Taylor's persuasive narrative leaves you with the humbling feeling of how integral horses have been to our civilisation.

On their backs we have built empires.