Where horses come from

A huge thanks to Deb Bennett, PhD, for her fascinating introduction to “The Origin of Horse Breeds” (EQUUS 439). I couldn’t put it down and sent this letter as soon as I completed it.

I began studying horses and their origins when I first learned to read. It seems there are as many “histories” of the horse as there are horse enthusiasts. Bennett’s well-researched and beautifully illustrated article really clarifies how it all fits together and makes sense of many earlier conflicting theories and fairy tales.

I’m eagerly looking forward to the next installment. Kittee Custer Milton Freewater, Oregon

I always look forward to articles by Deb Bennett, PhD, but this time she surpassed her usual standard of excellence. “The Origin of Horse Breeds” was the best I have ever read in EQUUS in the 20-plus years I have been subscribing.

The research needed to write this article was extensive including all the areas of zoogeography, morphology and biochemical genetics, and Bennett made them fit together so well in a very scholarly work. It brought these three areas together, and they complemented one another beautifully.

As a geneticist, I am of course biased. However, as an equine breeder it was fulfilling to see the depth of this article. I was rewarded with being shown a wonderful passage through time and being able to see the evolution of the equine into the horses we have today. I am so looking forward to reading the further installments in this series. Loretta Brown, MD Grand Blanc, Michigan