Which Book Vastly Improved Horses’ Lives?
Now a children’s classic, this book was the first to generate interest in animal anti-cruelty organizations. To learn how it improved horses’ lives, check our Just-for-Fun Trivia question.

callipso88/Adobe Stock Images

Which work of fiction first generated interest in animal anti-cruelty organizations and greatly improved the lives of working horses in the 1800s?

Please scroll down for the answer.

Keep scrolling.

Just a bit more…

Almost there…

(Honest! Keep going.)

ANSWER: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. First published in 1877, it was intended to send a message to adults who used—and often abused—carriage horses and other working equines. The book, written from the perspective of a handsome black gelding who experiences both kind and cruel owners in the course of his lifetime, went on to become a children’s literature classic.

In an interview with National Public Radio in 2012, bestselling author Jane Smiley said the book helped changed the notion that animals are belongings you can do with as you please.

[RELATED: How *your* perspective can contribute to horse abuse.]

Black Beauty helped people see animals in a new way,” she said. “As soon as you say that an animal has a point of view, then it’s very difficult to just go and be cruel to that animal. The book showed readers that the world is full of beings who should not be treated like objects.”

Black Beauty helped turn public sentiment against the common use of a “bearing rein” that forced carriage horses to carry their heads and necks unnaturally high. This style, considered fashionable in 18th- and 19th-century England, impeded horses’ breathing and kept them from fully engaging their forehands to pull heavy loads.

A Quaker, Sewell wrote Black Beauty toward the end of her life while suffering ill health; she died five months after its publication.

LIKE TRIVIA? Sign up for The Ride, Horse&Rider’s free newsletter, which brings you trivia questions plus a wealth of other great information.

CATEGORIES
TAGS
Related Articles
H&R_Trivia-Challenge
Trivia Time!
Trivia Challenge: Test Your Equine Osteoarthritis Knowledge!
HR_25BON_Horsekeeping_Routines_01
Routines to Bookend Your Ride
sparky
DIY
Advice from A DIY Competitor
warm up pen safety
Be Safe in the Warm-Up Pen
Newsletter
Receive news and promotions for Horse & Rider and other Equine Network offers.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Additional Offers
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Horse and Rider
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.