Why Do Horses Have Manes? by Elizabeth MacLeod
c.2009, Kids Can Press
$14.95 U.S./Canada
64 pages

Ever since you were old enough to walk, you wanted to ride. Letters to Santa had one thing at the top of the list. When people asked what you wanted for your birthday, it was the first thing that came to mind. Your school notebooks and artwork are filled with them. You have dreams about them, and you’re glad to have night-mares.

You want a horse of your very own. Or, maybe you’ve got one and you want another.

But what do you know about horses? Do you know the difference between a horse and a pony? How can you tell what a horse is thinking? Learn the answers and lots more by reading Why Do Horses Have Manes? by Elizabeth MacLeod.

If you lived millions of years ago, there is no way you would have wanted to ride a horse. You might have wanted to pick one up and cuddle it, though, because early horses were about the size of cats and had toes on their feet.

When the Earth’s environment changed, so did the horse. Eventually, the horse’s feet evolved into hooves and it grew to the size it is now.

Up until a few thousand years ago, horses were hunted for food. About 6,500 years ago, early nomads discovered that horses could carry heavy bundles, some might accept human riders and some could be tamed. Those discoveries changed history for both human and horse.

If you’ve ever seen a Shetland pony next to a Clydesdale, you know there are lots of different kinds of horses. Believe it or not, there are around 150 breeds of horses and 80 of ponies. Some “breeds” are not really breeds, and there’s only one true wild horse left in the world.

So, what’s the difference between a pony and a horse? Read the book, of course!

And when you finally get that horse of your own, you’re going to want to know all about him, right? You won’t get words straight from the horse’s mouth, but you can learn a lot from his tail, his posture and the way he holds his ears.

You can figure out his age by looking at his teeth. And if he’s flea-bitten with a bloody shoulder, you might have a valuable horse on the end of your bridle.

Does your child long to horse around? Pony up with this book, and you’ll earn some smiles. While Why Do Horses Have Manes? is by no means a fully comprehensive “everything horses” book, it does give young equine enthusiasts a basic overview of the animals they love.

Author Elizabeth MacLeod includes little-known facts and trivia, as well as horse history, steed’s breeds, pony physiology, lots of pictures and fun projects that horse-loving kids can easily do themselves.

Meant for seven- to 15-year-olds, Why Do Horses Have Manes? is a great book to give to any child who begs for a(nother) horse or loves to read books about horses. And at under $15, it’s hard to say “neigh” to that.

Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with a dog and 11,000 books. Readers with questions or comments may write to her in care of this publication.