2. The Horse Whisperer (1998) A traumatized girl is brought to a horse whisperer for help. The horse whisperer uses his unique methods to help the girl and her horse overcome their fears. EIE Insight: Robert Redford captures the way Monty Roberts understands horses in a movie that has scenes filmed near Saratoga Springs, NY.
3. Seabiscuit (2003) A down-on-his-luck trainer and a jockey team up to train a racehorse to win the Triple Crown. The story is based on the true story of Seabiscuit, one of the most beloved racehorses of all time. EIE Insight: We had the privilege of knowing Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt who orchestrated the match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, a race which otherwise wouldn't have taken place.
4. Hidalgo (2004) The movie is based on the true story of Frank Hopkins, who rode his mustang horse Hidalgo to victory in the "Ocean of Fire": an annual 3,000-mile race across the Najd desert region. EIE Insight: Several American Paint horses were used to portray Hidalgo. The actor Viggo Mortensen later bought RH Tecontender, one of the horses used in the film. The screenwriter John Fusco bought Oscar, the main stunt horse, and retired him at Red Road Farm, his American Indian horse conservancy.
5. National Velvet (1944) A young girl dreams of winning the Grand National Steeplechase. She trains her horse, The Pie, to compete in the race, and they win, but are disqualified when it is discovered that the jockey is a girl. EIE Insight: Elizabeth Taylor did most of the riding scenes herself. In one scene, however, she took a bad fall that actually broke her back. After production was completed, Elizabeth Taylor, age 13, was allowed to keep the horse until he died when she was 24.
6. War Horse (2011) A young boy in England befriends a thoroughbred horse named Joey. Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the Western Front during World War I. The movie follows Joey's journey as he is passed from soldier to soldier, and eventually finds his way back to his original owner. EIE Insight: War Horse was also a play on Broadway and so moving, we knew a veteran horse trainer who was moved to tears by this emotional story.
7. Let It Ride (1989) A nosy cab driver (Richard Dreyfuss) gets a hot tip on a race horse and wins big, but he can't seem to stop gambling. Will he go broke or walk home with a pretty penny? EIE Insight: This is the top movie horse players reference when they hope for a winning day!
8. Black Beauty (1994) The fates of horses, and the people who own and command them, are revealed as Black Beauty narrates the circle of his life. EIE Insight: The movie based on the 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell chronicles a time prior to animal welfare and portrays the stark reality of the treatment of horses by various owners.
9. Dreamer (2005) Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) believes that a severely injured racehorse deserves another chance. He and his daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning) adopt the horse mare and saved her from being sacrificed by the owner (David Morse). Helping the mare heal also serves to be the perfect opportunity for both father and daughter to reconstruct their lost familiar bond. EIE Insight: The film was inspired by the true story of Mariah's Storm, a promising horse who fractured her left front cannon bone in a 1993 stakes race, but returned to the track a year later, winning eight more races. Later sold in foal to Storm Cat for $2,600,000, she produced famous racehorses/stallions Giant's Causeway and Freud.
10. Phar Lap (1983) This movie chronicles the life of the much-loved Australian racehorse Phar Lap, who raced to stardom in the 1930s, and the gentle groom who loved him. Despite having to carry increasing amounts of weight, the horse is unbeatable. Phar Lap’s tale ends tragically when he dies under mysterious circumstances soon after winning his most important final race—the Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico. EIE Insight: In 1930, Phar Lap the shortest priced favourite in history and the only favourite to win the Melbourne Cup at 'odds on' (8/11), a race established in 1861.
What is your favorite movie? Here is a list of many more we'd recommend in our Movie page on EIE!
