Accessibly written and featuring full-color photographs and illustrations throughout, The Rise of Horses is the complete chronicle of the evolution of the equids.

Everyone who loves horses will be amazed to see the many forms these creatures have taken since their first appearance over 50 million years ago. Thirty images range from the very first horse, which was no bigger than a house cat, to the familiar animals of today.

The horse has frequently been used as a classic example of long-term evolution because it possesses an extensive fossil record. This book synthesizes the large body of data and research relevant to an understanding of fossil horses from perspectives such as biology, geology, paleontology.

A comprehensive, richly illustrated introduction to the fascinating natural history of the horse, from prehistory to the present There are countless books about keeping and riding horses. The Horse is different: it looks not only at the natural history of the horse in the context of its use by humans, but also at its own, independent story, describing the way horses live, think, and behave both alongside people and on their own. Beautifully designed and illustrated, The Horse provides an engaging and accessible introduction to these beloved animals. Beginning with evolution and development, The Horse tells how horses came into being more than fifty million years ago and were first domesticated more than five thousand years ago, eventually spreading across the globe. Chapters on Anatomy & Biology and Society & Behavior explain equine anatomy and how it has affected the lives and social structure of horses, and outline current scientific thinking on their behavior as individual and herd animals, including information on communication between horses. A chapter on Horses & People provides a thorough overview of the horse’s many important roles in human history and today, from pack animal to sporting champion. Finally, the book ends with an engrossing and visually stunning photographic gallery of some fifty popular breeds of horses and ponies with essential information about each. Filled with surprising facts and insights, this book will delight anyone who loves horses and wants to understand them better. Provides a comprehensive, richly illustrated introduction to the evolution, development, domestication, and behavior of the horse—from life cycle, breeding, coats and colors, and the senses to courtship, parenting, communication, emotions, and learning Tells the full story of horses, from their earliest fossil ancestors to the modern-day Equus Offers a detailed survey of how horses and humans have interacted since horses were domesticated, including their use for work and war in the past and recreational and competitive riding today Features infographics, diagrams, and more than 250 stunning color photographs Includes a beautiful photographic directory to some 50 popular breeds

Little work has been done to explicate the motivational factors of agency, particularly in cases where an artifact initially deemed ineffective or superfluous becomes an everyday necessity, such as the automobile at the turn of the twentieth century. Farmers saw it as a "devil wagon" but later adopted it for use as an all-around device and power source. What makes a social group change its position about a particular artifact? How did the devil wagon overcome its notoriety to become a prosaic mainstream device? These questions direct the research in this book. While they may have been asked before, author Imes Chiu (PhD, Cornell University) brings a different and refreshing approach to the problem of newness. Preexisting practices and work routines used as explanatory devices have something interesting to say about diffusion strategies and localization measures. This innovative study examines the conversion of users. To understand the motivating factors in mass adoption, the study focuses on perceptions and practices associated with horses and motorcars in three different settings during three different periods. All three cases begin with the motorcar in the periphery: all three end with it achieving ubiquity. This multiple-case design is used for the purpose of theoretical replication. Results in all three cases show that a contrived likeness to its competitor-the horse-contributed to the motorcar's success. The motorcar absorbed the technical, material, structural, and conceptual resources of the technology it displaced. This book, which includes several rare photographs, will be an important resource for those who wish to study the history of transportation and technology adaptation.