I love horses, and Jill Greenberg makes them look like works of art. The horses in her photographs look so majestic that they do not look real. She has some spectacular photographs of equines, and she masterfully uses light to accentuate the horses. The horse on the cover looks almost fluorescent.

Greenberg also photographs distinct body parts of the equines. For example, you can see the muscle rippling on the horses' shoulders on the insides of the front and back covers of this hefty tome. Other pages feature portions of a horse's mane, glistening in the light.

Greenberg uses white or black as a background for her horses. She tends to use white for photographs of stationary horses, while she uses a dark hue to make dynamic horses in motion steal the spotlight.

Horses in this book have lovely manes braided in a variety of styles; it reminds me of how the kids at the barns I have ridden at played hairdresser with the horses.

The photographer also features horses in nature. Horses are pictured hanging out with their buddies in the field, surrounded by leaves made shimmering green in the light. Horses are in the sunshine, walking through bright yellow grass during sunrises. There are also beautiful pictures of an adorable chestnut foal. This book makes you love and appreciate horses more than you did before, and also appreciate their grace.

Horses by Jill Greenberg, 2012

When I was a kid, one of my relatives introduced me to Robert Vavra, and I was entranced by his photographs of horses. Sometimes it is hard to believe that these horses are real when you are used to dealing with their zany behavior.

• Horse photography books
• Equine Photographers Network
• Books by Robert Vavra