Matt Crawford speaks with author Timothy Winegard about his book, The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity. For millennia humans and horses have been inextricably linked. Horses were our primary mode of transportation, essential to farming machine, a steadfast companion, and a formidable weapon of war. The automobile has only recently replaced our most trusted accomplice in evolution.

Winegard brings us back to our roots and details how horses have been integral to every facet of our history. Horses revolutionized the way we hunted, traded, traveled, farmed, fought, worshipped, and interacted. They fundamentally reshaped the human genome and the world's linguistic map. They determined international borders, molded cultures, fueled economies, and built global superpowers. They decided the destinies of conquerors and empires. They were vectors of lethal disease, and contributed to lifesaving medical innovations. Horses even inspired architecture, invention, furniture, and fashion.

This is a fast paced and interesting read that will change your viewpoint and just maybe have you looking for a trail ride.