One well-known movie horse didn’t actually exist! ‘ A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!’ is Richard III’s cry when he desperately needs a horse to escape from those who would kill him on Bosworth Field.The horses in these movies are, however, a far cry from Shakespeare’s evil Richard and the horse - any horse - he so desperately needed. Everyday life in Richard’s time was sufficiently dangerous that things like [1] horse insurancewould have come at an incredibly high price!

The Black Stallion
Produced in 1979 - some 400 years after Shakespeare - this film deservedly won many awards.How Alec and a high-spirited Arabian stallion interact provide the narrative of this film. Especially memorable is the shipwreck scene and Alec’s subsequent rescue from drowning by the horse and the ensuing time on a desert island where they learn to overcome the mistrust they previously felt for each other. They become inseparable as they develop this total trust. It’s a wonderful portrayal of the deep bonds that can exist between man (well,’boy’) and horse. I’ll refrain from telling you what happens because maybe you haven’t seen it yet. One critic described it as possibly ‘the greatest children’s movie ever made’.But adults too can find much to relish in the film.

Black Beauty
What! Another black horse!. ‘Piebald Beauty’ as a title looks a bit flat. Anyway, it’s through Black Beauty’s eyes and voice that the plot in this 1994 film develops. One of the problems is that the voice shows no signs of reflecting an equine outlook. This isn’t a complaint about the nature of the voice; if it sounded like a horse, any cinema would soon lose its audience. No, it’s the content of what the horse says that’s so human. Black Beauty presents herself as a naively self-opinionated and not very likeable human. Making a horse think and speak as though it were a human is not at all convincing. Notwithstanding what one critic described as the ’soppiness’ of the film, there is much to enjoy both in the scenery and the numerous scenes where Black Beauty expresses her joie de vivre.

The Horse Whisperer
This is a more recent film - 1998. Following a cruel accident, Grace and her beloved horse, Pilgrim, are seen slowly but surely regaining their confidence and health. Annie, Grace’s mother, wants to find a way to bring about the recovery of Grace and Pilgrim so she takes them to Montana where Tom, known for his understanding of animals, lives in open country. His ability to get emotionally close is not, however, confined to horses; it extends to troubled females. It doesn’t take long for both Annie and Pilgrim to become devoted to him. The film is not, though, only about the recovery of Grace and Pilgrim and the love that dawns between Annie and Tom; it’s also about the differences between city life (Annie came from a hectic metropolitan life in Manhattan) and country life. Annie is faced with choosing either the down-to earth Tom or her high-flying lawyer husband. No problem in guessing which she’ll choose!

It’s not only the horses that are moving - whether galloping, cantering, or trotting - it’s also some of the more emotional scenes. Whilst some of the ‘emotional’ scenes might make you laugh or cry, many of the other scenes are truly beautiful. But in each movie you will get more than mere equine movement: the horses carry not only a rider but also a message. You will have to make up your mind as to what this message is and whether or not its conveyance is a burden to the horse. The answer can be obtained by a phone call to your local DVD store!

This article has been published for the millions of horse enthusiasts all over the world by Animal Friends Equine Insurance - the UK’s only not-for-profit [2] horse insurance provider. Horse rider insurance can be bought today online or by phone, and all net profits go to benefit troubled animals all over the world. You can read more about the many charities helped by Animal Friends on the charity support pages of their ethical [3] pet insurance website.