Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.:
I didn’t expect Earl R. Farshler’s The American Saddle Horse to feel like a conversation, but that’s exactly what happened when I read Jody’s copy. There’s something about older horse books — the paper, the smell, the tone — that pulls you into a different time. Farshler writes with quiet confidence, evident that he spent a lifetime watching horses move, thinking about why they move the way they do, and caring enough to write it all down.
The book was first published in 1934. It’s part history, part instruction, part love letter to a breed that Americans shaped with intention and pride. Farshler traces the Saddle Horse from its earliest foundation stock through the influences of Thoroughbreds, Morgans, and Standardbreds. He talks about conformation, temperament, training, and the cultural place the Saddle Horse held in American life — not as a museum piece, but as a partner.
One line summarizes this title: “Tracing the evolution of the Saddle‑bred horse reveals not only a breed shaped by careful selection, but a tradition shaped by American ideals of beauty, usefulness, and spirited performance.” It’s just one sentence, but it captures the whole heart of the book — the idea that horses don’t just happen; they’re shaped by the people who love them, and in turn they shape the people who ride them.
Farshler himself remains a bit of a mystery. Early twentieth‑century equine historians didn’t always leave much behind besides their work, and his biography is thin in modern records. But his writing tells you what mattered to him: accuracy, tradition, and the Saddle Horse’s rightful place in American equine history. He writes like someone who believed the breed deserved to be understood, not just admired.
The book’s publication history is its own little journey. The original 1934 edition has been reprinted several times, most notably by Kessinger Publishing, which released facsimile editions in 2007 (ISBN‑13: 978‑1432561161), 2008 (ISBN‑13: 978‑1436689830), and 2010 (ISBN‑13: 978‑1163149539). The original text is old enough to be in the public domain in some places, though the modern facsimile editions carry their own copyright on the reproduction and formatting. It’s a reminder that even old stories need caretakers.
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