Working or famous horses, Cortez, anyone else?

[TT55]

I have no claim to fame at all but as I live in the same country as Cortez I'll take a bit by proxy Just staying on the same kind of theme, what is your favourite horse/bit of horse footage? I liked Seabiscuit, hated Warhorse, didn't mind the Horse Whisperer (Robert Redford, so no brainer), but the bit that gets me a little teary is when Gandalf whistles Shadowfax in 'The Two Towers' - I think it's that part of the trilogy. That beautiful, white horse that gallops up to the wonderful Shadowfax theme music and then puts his head in Gandalf's hands kills me every time! I know there's probably a horse treat in there somewhere but I'd love to know who owned/trained that horse. Also, do they use the same horse or doubles? Like when Shadowfax is galloping through Gondor - is it the same horse. Kudos though, to the trainers.

I know the guy that was Gandalf's riding stunt double on LOTR. I believe there were several Shadowfaxs... The guy has some funny stories, particularly of the scene where he's galloping across the open country. Apparently they asked him if he wanted a bareback pad and he said he didn't need it... he ended up hanging on for dear life on an uncontrolable 'Shadowfax' (which he described as, I quote, "a c**t of a thing"!) whilst being chased by a helicopter over terrible ground!

 

[sidewaysonacob]

The very mareish mare I learnt to ride side saddle on turned up in a few episodes of Emmerdale last year - playing Wilson the colicky gelding

 

[Penumbra]

My RI used to do some film and TV work and a few summers ago did some film work with a german production company. A lot of it was standing around and providing cob type horses to stand in the background of shots to make things look more period. She has one who is really nicely marked and good looking, and was perfectly happy to stand around for ages in the background of shots and be led around in the background, who the production company really liked.

However, she won't do riden work anymore, as some of the things she was asked to do in the past ended up being very dangerous, and while it is fairly well paid, it is not that well paid. I get the impression that to do well in film you have to have very little fear, or else be very confident in saying no when something has reached your limits.

 

[Spring Feather]

not querying what happened...but isn't silver supposed to be a stallion?...film makes crack me up sometimes

Yes he was, and there were a couple of geldings used for some scenes too. She was the only mare used afaik.

 

[MissGee]

I own Shearwater Mikado's mum - does that count? lol

I also knew the Milky Bar Kid's pony...

 

[shadeofshyness]

When I was 10 I met Desert Orchid and MILTON on the same day. They were both surprisingly normal looking - Milton licked my hand which made my life at the time. I have a bit of both their hair in a camera film case still.

 

[fatpiggy]

My old girl appeared in Horse magazine, the Daily Mail, Farmers Guardian and Manchester Evening News. I got some really nice photos out of it!

 

[Floxie]

My old boy was on the cover of H&H before I knew him, ridden by the huntsman of the Bramham Moor I wish I could find my copy, it was long before scanners and I wouldn't have a clue which issue to order a back copy

 

[doriangrey]

I know the guy that was Gandalf's riding stunt double on LOTR. I believe there were several Shadowfaxs... The guy has some funny stories, particularly of the scene where he's galloping across the open country. Apparently they asked him if he wanted a bareback pad and he said he didn't need it... he ended up hanging on for dear life on an uncontrolable 'Shadowfax' (which he described as, I quote, "a c**t of a thing"!) whilst being chased by a helicopter over terrible ground!

That's priceless!!

 

[SueM67]

When I was a kid a photographer came to the yard and borrowed 3 of us to take our photo riding through the village. Gave us a pound between the three of us and we thought nothing of it.

It turned up on calendars, birthday cards and a jigsaw which I still have.

OMG - I'm also in this picture!!! Something made me think about this jigsaw, went online searching for it and found this post... I'm Sue, riding Puff in this picture... And I tell the story exactly the way you do - we thought a pound between us was a great deal, until we saw the jigsaw in the shops!

 

[Beausmate]

Nice thread revival! My college lecturer owned some of the horses (the fire mares I think) that were in Krull. Apparently it took a lot of encouragement to get them to gallop. Killaire (event horse) lived at the yard I worked on, he was owned by the boss's wife. Funny old horse, fat, hairy and very nervous. He was virtually uncatchable, lived out with the broodmare and looked absolutely nothing like an eventer!

I have seen Desert Orchid close up and he really wasn't a looker. He did have something about him though.

 

[monte1]

Cortez, what you do is fascinating ;-) loving this thread!

well, a very very small claim to fame, my daughter and our wonderful Fjord mare won a lesson with two show jumpers based in Buckinghamshire a couple of years ago , with South East Rider magazine there was an article with photos in the magazine and then, much to her delight, they were both subsuquently featured on the front cover of the August 2012 issue. very proud mummy moment and also very strange to walk into the local tack shop and see loads of magazines with daughter and pony all over them... Yes I kept about six copies.......

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I think my earliest claim was to teach little ones to ride on 'Puff' - the Magpie pony. It was manic when filming was taking place & he has to be with the stars of the show - Jenny & Mick were really good to the girls on the yard then
The last programme that had Puff in, was filmed at easter in 1980 (think it went out in the June) but we didn't know this was the last one. By then Puff was about 28ish, but still very sprightly & looked well for his age

(Magpie had a pony before Blue Peter did )

 

[Lanky Loll]

Great thread -missed it first time around
Couple of tenuous links - mum was given Mill House to hunt after he was retired from racing (but before I was born ), there are some fab pics around of my grandad (who couldn't ride) sat on him, apparently he was THE best hunter ever
We also sold a lovely black Welsh D cob mare to Stevie Dent and she was used in a few films - used to play spot Kara whenever there was a film on that SD had worked on I used to compete against his daughter many many years ago and they picked the mare out as she was rather flash but very safe, and a bit limited at jumping. Apparently she was extremely trainable though

 

[cambrica]

Brilliant thread! I know theres a lot of standing around BUT Cortez I would still love your job!

Here's a pic of my daughter at Pinewood with The Devils Horsemen. I think it was Les Miserable. She spent an entire day chatting to Gerard Naprous. When he asked her if she wanted to be an actress she said quite matter of factly NO, I'm going to work for you!
Sadly all both my son and daughters film/tv work came to an end once their exams loomed but they had a fab time on quite a few film sets.

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[Mongoose11]

My mare features in the Dengie website under their 'Good Doer' range. Poor lass

 

[Tern]

Umm.. I featured in a few magazines after being told it would only be in a french magazine and then friends saw in English books too - I don't have any pictures though as never been able to find.

I knew Opposition Buzz's half brother. Went to Laura B's yard and met her horses as a like Year 1 child without realising it. Know quite a few of Carl Hester's horses (Ones that didn't quite make it or were too difficult)

 

[mairiwick]

Not my own but 8 of the lovely trekking horses I groomed for in NZ were in Lord of the Rings as steeds for the riders of Rohan, does that count?! I got some interesting stories about the filming whilst working out there! If I can find a picture I'll post it later.

On holiday in NZ I rode a horse called Laddie/Laddy, who was the first horse that you see Gandalf ride in the first LOTR film - lovely chestnut gelding

 

[melbiswas]

When I was a teen over 30 years ago my father sat me on the most expensive racehorse ever at that time, and for many years to come. He was called Snaafi Dancer and had cost many millions of Guineas.
He had been pumped full of steroids for the US sales and arrived looking good but it was very quickly realised he was a useless racehorse. My father would have to ride him on a Sunday morning so that no one would get wind of it. It was decided to send him to stud, but he was practically infertile!
My Dad very rarely put me up on a horse (he generally had the problem ones to sort out) but Snaafi Dancer was very quiet!

 

[Fun Times]

My mare features in the Dengie website under their 'Good Doer' range. Poor lass

oh no, next she will be on the front page of "OK" with an enormous red circle drawn round her bum and an arrow pointing to her!

 

[Elsbells]

A teeny tiny claim to fame. My mare is the horsey face of Staffordshire horsewatch.......bless her x

 

[Beausmate]

When I was a teen over 30 years ago my father sat me on the most expensive racehorse ever at that time, and for many years to come. He was called Snaafi Dancer and had cost many millions of Guineas.
He had been pumped full of steroids for the US sales and arrived looking good but it was very quickly realised he was a useless racehorse. My father would have to ride him on a Sunday morning so that no one would get wind of it. It was decided to send him to stud, but he was practically infertile!
My Dad very rarely put me up on a horse (he generally had the problem ones to sort out) but Snaafi Dancer was very quiet!

Whatever happened to him in the end? Poor horse, first famous for being the most expensive, then for being the most useless! Nice looking colt though...

 

[showpony]

Cortez, any chance you do day visits to your yard to let people watch you train your horses????

 

[littleshetland]

Ooh - what a lovely thread (apart from the little spat in the middle...).

I used to own a big black horse called Percy who I bought from a film/stunt provider of equines. He would stand rock still under all circumstances, until told otherwise. I put him out on loan for a while to a guy who wanted to use him for battle re-enactments, particularly Roman ones. To demonstrate his trustworthiness I had to gallop about on him wearing a big helmet, shield and sword in a strange Roman saddle, shouting a lot. He loved it! Before I got him, apparently he'd appeared in Braveheart! I sold him some years ago, he's still going aged 24!

I've now got a young Friesian, who certainly looks like a movie star, but not quite behaving like one yet!

btw - Cortez, really impressed with what you do!

 

[onemorehorse]

I worked on some film sets with horses, Sense and Sensibility was one. Greg Wise was amazing, he'd had something like 6 lessons on how to drive a pair of horses and there he was cantering flat out! Not something I would have done and it was my day job lol. He was also great while we were standing around with the horses he would bring us tea and biscuits and the horses apples. Same when my friend and colleague met Brad Pitt on the set of Interview with the Vampire!
There was a lot of standing about though, I remember one day we started out at 5am, got home at 9pm, the horses were bored, had chewed through their lead ropes, we had run out of hay and our scene was jot even used! I also remember waiting about for 4 hours on Dartmoor waiting the the right light. Then there was the time when we filmed a scene were the horses were clean, then a scene were the horses and carriage had to be covered in mud, followed by another clean scene!?
But it was very interesting.

 

[onemorehorse]

If I can work out how to post pictures I will lol!

 

[fiwen30]

Oh, I've got one!

My loan horse, Lola, played the part of Daenerys Targaryen's silver mare in Game of Thrones - the pink-nosed mare in first few eps of season 1, when the Dothraki portion was filmed in Northern Ireland (before the shooting moved to Malta, and she rides a grey-nosed horse).

Apparently Emilia Clarke isn't much of a rider!

 

[charlimouse]

Well at the risk of making everybody else's claims to fame seem irrelevant ;-), my Shetland pony and one of my horses is being used for a programme on Cebeebies !

 

[PorkChop]

What a fantastic thread - can't believe I missed it the first time round!

Cortez, I bet you have sooo many interesting stories, very jealous

 

[Pinkatc]

Ditto, can't believe I missed it either! My only claim to fame is my horse and I being featured on the poster for the National Equine Health Survey conducted by the Blue Cross a couple of years ago. He was such a poser, I think he loved all the attention!