Book Review: The Age of Horses — A Wild Ride Through History with Bananaking, Your Silly Historian

Hello fellow history cowpokes and curious steeds! It’s me, Bananaking — part historian, part goofball, full-time lover of all things horsey. Today, I’m saddling up to review The Age of Horses by Susanna Forrest, a book that gallops through human history with horses galloping right alongside us. Spoiler alert: It’s way more exciting than your average history textbook (and definitely smells better than old parchment).

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Forget boring timelines—Susanna Forrest doesn’t just trot around the facts; she charges through six “ages” of our complex relationship with horses: wildness, culture, power, meat (hold your dinner plates), wealth, and war. Horses shaped our culture, fueled our empires, and maybe even judged our fashion choices with their majestic necks turned just right.

What really gets me is how Forrest turns horses from simple beasts of burden into key players in our historical soap opera—partners in crime (well, war and farming), symbols of status, and maybe the original influencers of “horsepower.” You learn that horses aren’t just animals; they’re co-authors of civilization.

Now for the juicy gossip: When did humans actually start bossing horses around? The old story says Kazakhstan’s Botai people domesticated horses over 5,000 years ago. But here’s the twist—a big genetic plot twist! Those horses were actually their wild cousins, the Przewalski’s, not the great-great-grandfathers of modern nags. The real story is more like a mystery novel, pointing to the wide-open Eurasian steppes (think Russia and Ukraine) around 2200 BCE as the birthplace of our domesticated horses.

Horses aren’t just passive players: their breed and behavior were shaped by the vast steppes, seasonal changes, and available grazing land. Smaller spaces meant tighter social dynamics—imagine packing a bunch of drama queens (aka stallions) in a tiny corral. Humans adapted by tweaking breeding strategies and herd sizes. It’s like nature and humans partnered in a really complicated dance—somewhat like me trying to moonwalk—awkward but effective.

This book isn’t just for nerdy historians (though, bonus for you). It’s for anyone curious about how horses helped build the modern world—whether by bolstering armies, boosting trade, or shaping culture. History with hooves is history with soul—and this book delivers it with a wink and a nicker.

If you enjoyed this silly trot through The Age of Horses, don’t just gallop away! Join the herd by subscribing to the HistoryGoBananas newsletter. We bring you history served with a slice of humor and a slice of banana (because, why not?). Follow us on socials, and let’s keep this historical hoedown going!

Q: When did horses start living the domesticated life?
A: Probably around 2200 BCE in the Eurasian steppes, not the earlier Botai culture as once thought. Science keeps kicking up dust!.

Q: Why is the Botai culture still famous?
A: They loved horses and used their wild cousins intensively but didn’t quite tame the modern horse family tree.

Q: What’s so special about horse habitats?
A: Vast grasslands gave horses room to roam and humans the resources to herd, breed, and party accordingly.

Q: Can history really be fun?
A: Absolutely! Especially when Bananaking is narrating with a horse pun every other sentence.

Brought to you by Bananaking, your history-loving, pun-wielding pal. Giddy up and gallop into history with us!