Speed and the Thoroughbred

Rating:
Summary: Excellent History of the Evolution of the Thoroughbred Horse
Review: I loved reading this book. I read it at home, at work, while driving... It is the best history of the origin of the thoroughbred I've read. Everything imaginable is compiled into one book. All racing nuts have heard "The" story of the origin of the thoroughbred: in the 17th and 18th centuries, English nobility imported a handful of Barb, Turk, and Arabian stallions, crossed them on non-descript local mares, and found that because of the enormous "prepotence" of these fabulous foreign studs, the offspring were stamped with their sires great speed and beauty. Mackay-Smith's great contribution is telling the history of these local mares, showing that they were not just empty vessels waiting to be filled, but were powerful sources of speed themselves, having been bred for racing for generations in England and Ireland. Indeed, they may have been faster than the imported stallions, with the Arab/Barb/Turk sires adding conformation and endurance, more than speed itself. The sires are the source of "speed that can carry", not speed per se. Fun book -like a little trip to a museum everytime you flip through it.

Rating:
Summary: Very Intriguing
Review: I was dreadfully sad to read a review of this book which thought that it was too difficult and not well edited. I'm only 21 and found this book to be fascinating, with much knowledge and information that captivated my interest. It is a text that has to be thought over and studied, making it much more valuable than simply a child-view of such a distinct history of the Thoroughbred horse. It was well written and planned out. I found this to be a brilliant construct of the details of such a beloved tradition as these creatures.

Rating:
Summary: It's in there somewhere...
Review: This book is not a good read but full of interesting bits of information. It is drastically in need of editing. Published posthumously, the format gives the sense that the author's notes were simply printed as they were found with information oddly organized or repeated.