Horse Color Explored - by Vera Kurskaya (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Everyone stops and stares at a horse with a beautiful or unusual color. So striking are the variations of bay, gray, chestnut, black, solid, and spotted that many people breed for specific combinations. This has led to a marked increase in international interest in the study of horse color genetics--as well as a need for an easy-to-use reference suitable for the layperson who also wants to understand the science behind it all.

In these pages, horsewoman and genetics specialist Vera Kurskaya puts forward a guide that aims to not only provide basic information about horse color appropriate for a general audience, but also explore the specifics of inheritance and recent color genetics research certain to inform serious aficionados worldwide. With 200+ color photographs in handy reference sections throughout, as well as an in-depth look at special hair features, the evolution of horse color, and the effect of color on performance, fertility, and character, Horse Color Explored is a fascinating and valuable resource for the modern horseperson.

Review Quotes

"Everything you need or want to know about horse color is including in this volume, making it a must-have for anyone who loves horses or science."--Catskills Horse

"Genetics specialist and author Vera Kurskaya ... dedicated her life to the professional study of horse color genetics, and wrote the in-depth book Horse Color Explored to help breeders and laypeople understand the science behind it all. ... A fascinating read. The many color photographs serve as fine examples of just what the author hopes to convey about the evolution of horse color and the effects of color on the animal's performance. This is a valuable resource."—Cowgirl Magazine

"In Horse Color Explored horsewoman and genetics specialist Vera Kurskaya provides a guide that aims to not only outline basic information about horse color appropriate for a general audience, but also explore the specifics of inheritance and recent color genetics research certain to inform serious aficionados worldwide."--Northwest Horse Source

About the Author

Vera Kurskaya discovered horses as a teenager, but at the age of 20, an injury forced her to give up riding. Horses have never left Kurskaya's life, however. She has degrees in law (2006) and in Russian language and literature (2010), and worked as a freelance journalist for the popular Russian equestrian magazines Konnyi Mir ("The Horse World"), "My Horse," and "Alpha Kentavra," eventually serving as editor at Konnyi Mir in 2010. Horse color was always one of Kurskaya's greatest interests, beginning as a hobby and evolving into professional study of horse color genetics, as she first wrote articles online and in print magazines, and eventually published a book ("Horse Colors") in Russian. In 2013 Kurskaya began researching the Silver gene in horse breeds originating in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union, and soon discovered it in Soviet Draft and Byelorussian Harness breeds. Today Kurskaya is a lecturer of social sciences at the Moscow State University of Railway Engineering and a post-graduate student at the Russian State Agrarian University. She is finishing her doctoral thesis in biology concerning horse colors, continues to research the Silver gene, advises as a consultant in Dun gene research in Russian Don and Budyonny breeds, and is working on her second book on horse genetics. She lives in Moscow.