Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
History and books are one of my son’s favorite combinations, so we were excited to get a chance to review History on Horseback: The Early Years. This nonfiction book, published by Sonrise Stable Books, shares great stories from history through the eyes of the horses that were present for the events.
The book was written by Vicki Watson. The illustrations included a variety of pictures and drawings of horses from various sources which are credited at the end of the book. The book is a study paperback book with a full colored cover and black and white illustrations on the interior of the book.
The book is recommended for ages 12 through adult and is good for an independent read or as a supplement to a history curriculum. They are also currently working on a study guide that would allow it to be more of a stand alone history curriculum. My thirteen-year-old son chose to review it and used it as a fun read and not a part of our history curriculum.
History on Horseback: The Early Years includes stories from the years 1493 through 1866. There are 53 chapters and each chapter is a short story about a different horse or event. For example, one chapter focuses on several different important horses in the Confederate army, another focuses on a horse named Copenhagen from the battle of Waterloo. Each chapter is relatively short with most of them ranging from two to six pages in length, for a total of just over 180 pages.
“One of my favorite stories is the story about George Washington and his horses Nelson and Blueskin. One of favorite things in this is why he rode the horses for different occasions. He rode Nelson on campaign and in battle because he was much calmer under gun fire. However, he almost always rode Blueskin to formal events as he was a nicer looking horse. I think this would be a good read for anyone who likes history or horses. I think the book is a great book for people between 10 and 15.” Matthew, age 13
While my son enjoyed reading the book for fun, I think it would be a great book to use along side of a history program to help give a different perspective. It would also be a great way to engage a student that loves horses but may not be as interested in history. With the chapters being short and specific to a certain horse or event, you could easily read the chapter or chapters that coordinate with the topics in your history curriculum as an introduction to the various events. You could also use it as the basis for creating your own history curriculum by adding some extra research or projects to the reading.
The book is recommended for ages twelve through adult and I think that is a fairly accurate recommendation. The chapters are interesting but contain a lot of factual information that might be a bit dense for younger readers. If you had a younger student that really enjoyed horses or history, you could use it as a read aloud.
Be sure to check out the History on Horseback: The Early Years if you have a horse lover that would enjoy learning more about history. Don’t forget to click on the graphic below to check out the reviews from other Review Crew members.
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