The Horse in New Zealand

Elaine Power & Len Mcelland.

Hardback, second hand, every page filled with beautiful drawings. 

When Samuel Marsden arrived here in 1814 he brought with him 'a horse, two mares, a few sheep, and poultry of different sorts'. By 1889 there were officially 187,382 horses in New Zealand, ignoring wild ones, and those owned by Maoris. Despite the replacement of most of the working horses by cars, motor cycles, trains and tractors, there are still a lot left, mainly involved in various sorts of recreational activities.

This book ranges from the past to the present, from a twenty-seven inch high pony to the massive Clydesdale, from high country musterers to city pony clubs, from stage coaches to racing, polo and hunting. No attempt has been made to write a history or to put the chapters in chronolo-gical order, but basically the arrangement is simple. First, the working horses of past and present, then the various ways in which the horse is, and was, used in recreation. Although essentially a book to be read and looked at for pleasure, it contains a great deal of very useful and inter-esting information. Do you know, for example, how big a polo field is? How high a horse can jump? How quickly a horse can cover a mile? What a Timor pony is? Why dressage training is good for any horse? What is the difference between trotting and pacing?

The drawings and paintings are very varied, not only in technique, but also in style. Some are serious and realistic portraits; some are impressions; some have a deliberate flavour of the early days; some are the artist's equivalent of family 'snaps'; some are just for fun.

The artist and author are enthusiasts who draw and write with knowledge, affection and humour. The result will be a delight to all people, young or old, who have even the slightest interest in horses.