What better way to end the Christmas holidays than with a movie marathon? Settle down with our pick of equine film stars and we can (almost) guarantee that your New Year's Eve hangover will be a distant memory by the time the credits role...
Shadowfax from The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Move over Orlando Bloom — we’re all just looking at the horse. Shadowfax, also known in the films as the “Lord of all horses” is a firm favourite in The Lord of the Rings. The gorgeous grey Shadowfax struck up a powerful bond with the great wizard Gandalf earning Gandalf the title of “The White Rider”. Shadowfax was capable of understanding human and speech and was said to run faster than the wind. The battle scenes just wouldn’t have been the same without him…
Silver from The Lone Ranger
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Critics said that Silver stole the show in this 2013 Johnny Depp re-make of the classic The Lone Ranger — and we don’t disagree. Claimed to be the Lone Ranger’s spirit animal, Silver saves the Lone Ranger throughout the film and provides us with some top entertainment at the same time.
Lightning from Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken
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Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken is a film demonstrating the magical bond between horse and rider — based on a true story of a runaway orphan who becomes a stunt rider with the great horse Lightning, an unbroken horse won in a game of cards. Lightning allows his owner to continue pursuing her dream even after disaster strikes…
Seabiscuit from Seabiscuit
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This film is loosely based on the life of the thoroughbred champion Seabiscuit — a heart-warming tale of an overlooked racehorse and his unexpected success on the track. By the end you’ll be wondering if you have what it takes to train your very own Seabiscuit…
Warning: tissues not included. The multi-award winning film Dances with Wolves stars Kevin Costner as First Lieutenant John J Dunbar who, for his bravery in battle is awarded the horse that carried him — the beautiful buckskin Cisco. The first ever Western film to win an Oscar, this film has moved audiences since its release back in 1990. The epic buffalo hunt will keep you on the edge of your seat. And did you know Kevin Costner did all his own riding scenes?
And if you get yourself through all of the above and you still can’t move from the sofa, standby for another tear-jerker — this time telling the story of Joey, the brave World War One horse. You will be madly in love with Joey (all four of the Joeys who actually played him during filming…) by the time the 2 hours and 26 minutes is up.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
