When Nick Skelton was crowned Olympic showjumping champion in 2016, there was a lot of talk about a film being made of his phenomenal life story.
All the ingredients were there for a Hollywood classic — a much-loved horse and rider showing courage and tenacity, a from-the-brink comeback after Nick broke his neck in a fall, ending with the fairy tale of Rio when the 58-year-old stepped up on the podium to receive his gold medal, wiping away a tear as he did so.
“I suppose mine is a good story,” Nick said. “And the same with Big Star – he was out injured, didn’t really compete for two years and the last competition he won was the Aachen grand prix in 2013. So to come back and do all that is a good story, too.”
It turns out that Bobby Kraut, the 21-year-old screenwriter son of Nick’s partner Laura Kraut, has taken up the mantle to write the screenplay. All it needs now is the green light from Hollywood to potentially take this epic tale to the big screen.
“Bobby is hoping to go in to the film industry so he wrote the film all on his own, pretty soon after it all happened — he just hasn’t done anything with it yet,” Nick told H&H. “Now we just need someone to look at it and decide if it’s feasible to make a documentary or a film from it.”
According to Nick, they showed the script to American actor and filmmaker Robert Duvall, who read it and “really liked it”. The screenplay tells Nick’s story and ends with the record-breaking rider’s seventh Olympic appearance in 2016 where he won his second gold medal with the mighty Big Star.
Continues below…
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“Bobby has done a really good job of it,” said Nick. “It’s all there, we just need to find someone to take it on.”
So who would Nick like to see playing him on the big screen?
“One step at a time – we need someone to give it the go-ahead first!” he said.
We continue to publish Horse & Hound magazine weekly during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keeping horseandhound.co.uk up to date with all the breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions (six issues for £6) and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
