"From the author of The New York Times bestselling The Mosquito, a sweeping account of the way the horse changed human history. The Horse is a chronicle of the horse's relationship with the peoples of the world, as a mode of transportation, a means of farming, a companion, and a weapon of war. It covers the profound impact of the species in an extraordinary story of evolution, revealing just how much of our existence we owe to this amazing animal. Six thousand years ago, humans domesticated the horse, and have relied on it as a key tool in everything from military influence to agriculture. The horse's strength and speed is crucial to its role in the history of humankind, lending a hand in expanding trade networks and colonial conquests, and acting as an agent of disease and even as a source of energy. Horses are markers of civilization, and their populations have been used to track people's movement and settlement around the globe. After the horse was introduced to the Americas by the Spanish during the Columbian Exchange, there was an immediate and total adoption of horse culture by Plains Indians, forever transforming the development of North America. Filled with fascinating revelations and insights, The Horse is a riveting narrative of the animal that has shaped the world as we know it today."-- Provided by publisher.