I’m not a horse guy. Don’t know much about them. I grew up near a lot of Amish and I’d occasionally see one pulling a buggy that looked the way I thought a horse outta look. Some of the big plow horses they use are quite eye catching when viewed up close.
So…tonight I’m watching a PBS show about the Lippizan Stallions and even I can appreciate how beautiful these beasts are.
So Horsey Folks, tell me about some horses from film or TV that are particularly magnificent and why they stand out to you.
The Black Stallion movie! Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, it’s really a stunning movie. The Black is played by several horses, but the iconic scenes from the film are mainly Cass Ole. He was just lovely. It’s not only being all pretty but the way the horse is a true character in the movie. Like any number of leading men, Cass Ole was often filmed to appear larger than he really was - as in this iconic still.
One movie I love for the horses is a “A Knight’s Tale.” The roan (pinkish, speckled brown and white) ridden by Heath ledger is just adorable. He’s just so very round and has what you call a “kind eye” just an overall gentle expression. I wanna kiss him on the nose. Of course, it’s not a movie about the horse, so he’s only seen at times.
The Black Stallion was the first thing that came to mind for me, too. But a close second is Lady Hawk; the Friesian stallion Goliath ridden by Rutger Hauer is nothing short of spectacular, and in the battle in the cathederal the ‘bad guy’ is riding one of the most beautiful Andalusians I have ever seen. I can watch that scene over and over, just for the horses!
Hidalgo is a beautiful Paint horse, too…
So “roan” is the color pattern?
Next to The Black Stallion, the horses in the movie War Horse.
And the ones in thestage version are even more spectacular. 
They brought one here to promote the play and it had everyone in the theater rapt.
Technically, “roan” is the pattern of white hairs mixed with another color – roan can be different colors, like strawberry roan (light brown and white) or blue roan (black and white). Speaking of unusual colors, a good horse is never a bad color and I’m not normally one to fall for a pretty face but wow.
Oooh, yes, LadyHawke! Great little flick, and who doesn’t love the Freisan?? He almost makes Rutger Hauer attractive (almost).
How did I forget Shadowfax, Gandalf’s horse (and Lord of All Horses) featured in “The Two Towers” and “Return of the King.”
Feel free to throw in links to great paintings, drawings, photos of horses that I can add to my “Animals” slideshow/screensaver folder.
I found this, photo. Must be popular, there’s a lot of results on Google Image Search for Andulasian horses.
Trigger, faithful steed to the King Of The Cowboys.
The Appaloosas in Dances With Wolves. But I confess to a soft spot for Appaloosas. His “smart horse” was great too.
Yup, a Golden Palomino. Also the Lone Ranger’s white horse Silver. Also Rex O’Herlihan’s horse Wildfire in Rustler’s Rhapsody.
Not TV or Movie but I’ve been mesmerized by horse photos done by this person Horse Racing Photography by Jennifer O’Sullivan/ Something about the way she captures the heart and drive of these horses just comes through. She has extensive facebook albums as well (not a plug, don’t know her, just appreciate a good working horse whether it’s a racehorse, hunter or plowhorse).
As far as movies go- although he can hardly be called magnificent - I loved the horse in Seabiscuit. It would have been easy for Hollywood to use a pretty horse to tell the story instead of the plain and very like the real Seabiscuit horse they did use but it wouldn’t have let the truly magnificent characteristic of that horse’s big honkin’ never quit heart shine through.
I saw Seabiscuit and loved it. I don’t remember a lot about it at this point. What was the difference between the horse they used to portray Seabiscuit and a “pretty” horse?
The black horse Colin Firth rides in Shakespeare in Love is absolutely gorgeous. And the horses used in the BBC/AMC 6 part miniseries of Pride and Prejudice are also wonderful.
A pretty horse is an asset to any movie!
Silver. Scout. Trigger. Tonka Wakan. Mr Ed.
I alway thought it was interesting that in movies, horses are used as yardsticks of the power of their owners. There are tons of movies set in the past, and the emperors and warlords rode enormous horses, apparently far larger than their minions were allowed to have.
And someone with a small horse was an indicator that the owner was somewhat of a comical figure, even if he ultimately turned out to be the hero.
A couple of foreign ones I remember from a long time ago:
Seen on Kula Fran & Ollie, White Mane, with some great cinemtography of wild horses living in the marshes in France.
The Polish movie Lotna, has the obligatory scene of the cavlary charging tanks, but my favorite part iswhere they take their georgeous white mare past a church. The old priest asks to ride it, and they indulge him, thinking he’ll break his neck. The priest borrows a coin from the soldiers, which he puts between his knee and the horse’s body, and gallops and jumps around like a pro, holding the coin in place.
Seabiscuit was plain, knobby-kneed and had a funny egg-beater gait. His head was very common looking - it’s the kind of head you’d more likely see on an old ranch horse instead of a winning thoroughbred. Just look-wise, very everyday horse - especially against the War Admiral who represented a very classy, tall and “look of eagles” type of racehorse. It was good storytelling to stick to the truth because the match race wouldn’t have the same impact if it was just one horse against another. It was a perfect horse against a physically imperfect horse and it came down to heart instead of conformation.
Big horses eat more and require more space. If you’re a wealthy lord, having large pastures and hayfields for winter food are no problem. If you’re a poor farmer, having a small, sturdy, easy-keeping horse or pony that can do everything (carry a rider, pull a plow) but doesn’t require a lot of space and feed is more practical.
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