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The Genetics of the Horse . A. T. Bowling and A. Ruvinsky (eds).CABI Publishing, Wallingford.2000. Pp. 527. Price £85.00, hardback. ISBN 0 85199 429 6. This book is an excellent, well
researched and comprehensive reference work for all areas of equine genetic. It covers topics from phylogeny to the measure of performance traits and will be a useful source of information
for years to come. It is written in a style that is straight forward, easy to read and never superfluous. The layout of each chapter is very clear and the chapters are organized well in
relation to each other according to subject area. The list of references at the end of each chapter is very thorough. In the early chapters, photographs of the various examples of the
_Equus_ subgenera and the not so familiar horse breeds, such as the ‘Yakut’, would have been a welcome addition to the written descriptions, which tend be tedious at the best of times. In
addition, a picture of the skeleton and musculature of the horse at the beginning would have been helpful in those chapters that include descriptions of research on particular muscle areas,
etc. The chapter on ‘Genetic Resources and their Conservation’ was particularly relevant, as breeders often do not consider the implications of their present breeding goals in the context of
their use of only a few selected families in the production of sport horses. Perhaps this should have been the concluding chapter, as it summarizes the types of constraints and challenges
that are facing horse breeders world-wide. As a teacher, I feel that this is not necessarily a book for undergraduates because some of the material requires a good knowledge of genetics in
order to understand particular chapters, for example those covering the topics on ‘Immunogenetics’, ‘Cytogenetics’ and ‘Physical Gene Maps’. Most importantly, this book highlights the wealth
of research that has been carried out in equines and also emphasizes the research that still needs to be done, for example in the chapter entitled the ‘Genetics of Conformation, Locomotion
and Physiological Traits’, where the importance of conformation on breeding selection is discussed. The glossary is a very thoughtful and useful addition, especially for those who are not
directly involved in horses. However, the index is disappointingly short and at 11 pages really needed to be increased in size. In conclusion, this is a book that covers all relevant areas
of equine genetics in a useful and comprehensive manner and it is one that any person involved in teaching, research or development within the horse industry should have on their bookshelf.
AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * The Irish Horse Board, Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin, 2, Ireland Lynn I Aldridge Authors * Lynn I Aldridge View author publications
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_Heredity_ 85, 509 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2540.2000.0827a.x Download citation * Published: 01 November 2000 * Issue Date: 01 November 2000 * DOI:
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