Book Review - Horses: A 4,000-Year Genetic Journey Across the World - Princeton University Press

      I have just finished reading a quite remarkable book. It deals with science, yet it has elements of a mystery novel, an adventure story, and takes us on a journey of historical exploration. Human avarice and skullduggery are present, too, but that is only as one might expect.

     Along the way, we are witness to the evolution of a dispassionate scientist to a horse lover, a dedicated researcher who scours the world for truth, yet is unabashedly enamoured of the subject of his studies.

     Orlando is able to convey complex aspects of genetic science so that we are able to follow the straight paths, and the sidetracks and meandering lanes of his research, without difficulty, page after page. He coordinates his efforts with world-class experts in related disciplines and we benefit from the combined knowledge of historians, geneticists, linguists, paleontologists and archeologists. The very best of specialized collaboration is on display.

     The domestication of horses is now confirmed to have occurred 4,200 years ago, and all horses extant today have their origins in those domesticated animals. Included are such iconic species as Przewalski's Horses, long considered an "original" species.

     For centuries horses were employed by humans as workhorses, and as a means to cover ground faster, enabling migration, communication between peoples, and warfare. Today, horses are mostly "pets" or sporting animals subject to all the influences that humans bring to bear on them; sadly, not always benign. In the case of racehorses, the size of the purse all too often dictates the measure of conscience. Ethical treatment is readily sacrificed on the altar of monetary gain.

     Transgenic doping has become pervasive and difficult to track. The life of the horse is routinely shortened by such heinous practices, but financial advantage can be substantial. Even consanguine unions are not shunned by breeders. Profit seems to trump everything.

     We have now entered the murky world of cloning in order to replicate champion steeds. Where that will ultimately take us is an open question - but there is no turning back.

     The book is superbly written, and masterfully translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan. It is thought-provoking and informative and perhaps in some ways it is a window into how enhanced science is changing the world around us. 

     Artificial intelligence is not going to make change any less dramatic or swift, so saddle up. I hope the ride is smooth.

Horses: A 4,000-Year Genetic Journey Across the World - Princeton University Press

Ludovic Orlando (Translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan)

Hardcover - US$29.95 - ISBN: 9780691264127

288 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25 cm)

18 colour illustrations

Publishing date: 09 September, 2025