I love horses a lot so this was great seeing the difdrent breeds! But it was kind of hard to tell the differences look-wise of the horses without reading the descriptions.

The book consists of an introduction, the different types with their origin and lastly some pictures from the competitions.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

AUTHOR

The prolific author and writer Liz Wright edits Smallholder magazine and is the author of several books on small farming. She is a panel judge for the Ponies Association in the United Kingdom (UK) as well as the British Show Pony Society (BSPS). Liz is a regular judge of Gypsy Cobs and retired race horses at horse shows. She also breeds Exmoors and Welsh Cobs on her own farm and has authored articles for many horse publications, among them Horse & Hound.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE

All those epicureans with a leaning towards the equine species should anticipate an ocean of pleasure to be derived from this exceptional publication. Even if your interest in horse flesh is in admiring exceptionally beautiful animals then this is a must have book.

SYNOPSIS

Beautiful Horses is a sumptuously illustrated book dedicated to forty the world’s finest horse breeds. The book is illustrated throughout with spectacular full-page color images resplendent with pertinent details relating to the characteristics, temperament, and breed histories. This manuscript is much more than just eye candy.

I particularly enjoyed the peak behind the curtain as the owners prepare their magnificent chargers for the judgement.

CONCLUSION

Wright’s sumptuously illustrated and expertly collated compendium of pertinent characteristics and facts will have mass appeal for a range of reasons. In short, this book isn’t just another coffee table dust collector but a genuine a thing of beauty in-and-of itself. I heartily recommend this publication to you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Liz Wright, NetGalley, and Ivy Press for affording me the opportunity to review Beautiful Horses: Portraits of Champion Breeds.

Beautiful Horses can be a perfect introduction to horses, as well as a first-rate gift for any horse-lover. The illustrations are high quality, and the amount of information is just perfect: it is enough to whet one's appetite but not so much as to appear dry or boring.

1 star
I was disappointed in this book, of the hundreds of breeds which are common throughout the world, the author managed to be both repetitive, and to mix up breeds and types.
Why were the two shetlands separated by several pages ? The only real difference was the sex (one was a mare, one a stallion I think). So why not put them next to each other, unless you were hoping to pad it out without the reader noticing ?
And then why mix up breeds, breed types, and stamps, such as the all emcompacing 'riding horse'? I mean, honestly, the grey 'riding horse' was gorgeous, I'm sure she could have found a better way to include the picture.
The photography of some of the earlier horsee was a wee bit lacking, also in my opinion. The filthy tails, for one. Although I did enjoy the grotty section D !
Overall, although I'm afraid I wanted to enjoy this book, poor execution prevented me from doing so.
There was some interesting bits of trivia dotted about, which I enjoyed.
I was grateful to receive a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review #Netgalley #BeautifulHorses

This is a lovely little photo book/encyclopedia about beautiful horses.
The e-format doesn't do it justice and it appears the black and white images at the back of the book look a bit spotty on a mobile device.
The text about each type of horse is short and compact with a map.
Thanks Netgalley and Quarto publishing for providing me with a PDF version of this book.

Beautiful Horses is a nice introduction to horses with some information about various breeds and has some nice photos.

Horse lovers will enjoy this book with its lavish illustrations.  As the author notes, horses have served as working animals since ancient times.  They have also afforded much pleasure through disciplines including show jumping, dressage and cross country.  From large horses to ponies there are many breeds, each suited to its job and rider. 

After a section on many aspects of horsemanship, including preparing for shows, the book goes on to show gorgeous photos of breeds, along with information about each horses' features, uses, origin and distribution and more.  The book ends with photos of horses in action.


This is a lovely book for a horse lover, whether new to riding and interested in the breeds of horses. or a more knowledgeable reader who would enjoy spending more time with horses.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book would have been a cherished treasure if I had had it as a young girl. The photography is fantastic. Along with each phot, there is a description of the breed, its uses and its origins. I am only giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it was limited to only 40 breeds. This would make a great gift for any horse lover and a fabulous coffee table book.

Beautifully taken pictures of some of the most Majestic creatures on earth!! A must have for the equine enthusiasts out there and anyone appreciative of beauty!!

I love horses. I’ll never turn down a chance to read a book full of pictures of gorgeous horses and tons of interesting horsie facts. This book features profiles on 40 gorgeous horse breeds, including some that are prettier than some humans- seriously, have you seen the picture of the Friesian horse in this book? That is one gorgeous horse. My only complaint is that my favorite breed of horse – the Icelandic Horse – isn’t featured in this book. Icelandic Horses are the best! They’re super pretty, too. I did like that they included the Fjord Pony, those are some fantastic ponies…but where are my Icelandic Horses at?

Anyway: if you like horses at all, or have an interest in horses, or if you’re just curious about horses in any way, shape or form, you will love this book. So many beautiful horses!

If you are a horse lover this is a must have book! The pictures and descriptions are excellent. I was very moved that it lists a rescue horse (any breed or size of horse that has been abused and rescued) as its own breed because it sheds light on a huge issue that many people are unaware of. Many people desire to own horses not understanding the expense or large amounts of care involved. Or maybe they don’t care who knows. But these majestic beautiful animals are often abandoned when a owner can no longer afford to care for them. This touched my heart asI have loved horses since childhood and I cared for several rescue horses as a teenager.

Not to be confusing this book is simply about the glory of horses and lists many breeds I have never heard of and I devoured it I absolute fascination. I was simply impressed rescue horses is listed. I feel this is an amazing resource for horse lovers or anyone who desires to learn more about them. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Awesome job, has tons of info in the start about horses and their multiple relations with humans. The middle has a lot of info on each breed and a beautiful picture of what the breed could look like.

I will say the copy I revived for free had 1 issue, which wasn't that big of one, but thought I would mention it. At the end (after the index) the book restarted again, and went to the end except for the index.

Either way loved the book though it was very detailed with excellent pictures.

Beautiful Horses is an introduction with a short history and a gallery showing the elegance of horses. Originally published in the UK in 2013 this re-format and re-release is due out 3rd March 2020 from Quarto on their Ivy Press imprint, it's 112 pages and will be available in paperback format.

The authors have an accessible and informative (but not dry) style. The book has a good introduction with some history, uses, rare breeds, development of breed standards, and a very short capsule intro to shows. The intros are followed by a gallery listing of 40 horses (some duplicate breeds, such as the Welsh Cob), with a full color detail photo, breed intro with features, uses, related breeds, size/weight, and range/origin. The picture content also helpfully includes the age and sex of the subject (including reproductive status/castration). The end of the book contains some sepia-tone photos from specific show entry winners, along with an index and solid links lists for further reading.

Honestly the completeness of the bibliography and links are probably worth the cost of the book by themselves. Very well done. This would be a very good choice for a 4H or FFA intro to selecting and showing horses or at least starting the necessary pre-purchase research. There is no animal husbandry content included here, this is a compendium of show quality healthy beautiful horses in show condition.

A useful and appealing book and a good introduction to the conformation and looks of standard purebred horses.

Four stars.

Perfect gift book for a horse lover. Beautiful photographs of a variety of breeds accompanied with a page of information on each one. The same format continues throughout the book. A nice coffee table book for this niche group.