HORSES OF AMERICA

A pleasant, orderly, informative introduction to the history of the horse in America and the various breeds today--with, surprisingly for Patent, no particular extension. This, in short, is a book for children who are crazy about horses, not youngsters with an interest in animals. (There is nothing, for instance, about the anatomy of the horse.) But what Patent sets out to do, she does effectively. The brief historical section is enlivened with interesting detail: the conquistadors' horses ""were hung in hammocks on the deck of the ship""; ""an expert Comanche warrior could slide down on one side of his horse so that only the very bottom of his moccasin could be seen"" while he shot arrows ""from under the horse's neck."" The profiles of each breed specify the traits that make that breed desirable for certain purposes--from the ""All-Around"" Quarter Horse and Saddlebred, to the ""Flashy and Fast"" Thoroughbred and Standardbred, to such ""Powerful Workers"" as the Clydesdale and those breeds (like the Appaloosa and the Palomino) known best for their colors. Ponies are included too, and the final section briefly describes the different uses of horses today. It's all pretty mild (and on disputed show-ring practices, rather evasive)--but with plenty of good pictures, it should satisfy the intended audience handily.