My Favorite Horse Movies

Secretariat
(Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Plot Premise:Plot Premise:The story begins with the return of a daughter to her family thoroughbred farm. Her father's health is ailing and so she begins to look into running the place and eventually becomes bound to a young stud colt whom she believes will be a great racehorse. This is the story of Secretariat, one of the greatest racehorse horses to ever live.

Plot Premise:Favorite Quote Penney Chenery "This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can run unless you run. "

Black Beauty

Plot Premise: Based on the book of the same name by Anna Sewell. The movie chronicles the life of Black Beauty from birth until retirement. He passes through many hands. Some are loving while others are cruel. The story is told in the narrative of Beauty himself.

My Favorite Quote From This Movie
Where Black Beauty Says: Oh! If people knew what a comfort to horses a light hand is, and how it keeps a good mouth and a good temper...

National Velvet

Plot Premise: Velvet Brown a young girl wins a horse in the town lottery. He's a headstrong horse but with her gentle loving hand and the help from a former jockey, they not only tame him but prepare him to participate in the Grand National, England's greatest racing event.

My Favorite Quote From This Movie
Velvet Brown Says I want it all quickly 'cause I don't want God to stop and think and wonder if I'm getting more than my share.

The Black Stallion

Plot Premise: Alec Ramsey and his father are traveling on a ship. In Alec's wanderings he discovers a beautiful stallion, black of course that is wild and unruly. The ship sinks and the only two survivors are the boy and the horse. They manage to get to a small desert island where they remain for quite awhile. They bond and when rescued Alec keeps The Black. Upon discovering that the barn manager where he keeps the Black was previously a jockey Alec gets it into his head to race his horse. And for the rest you'll have to watch it.

My Favorite Quote From This Movie Um . . . I don't really have one for this. Again conversations are really kept at a minimum.

Seabiscuit
(Widescreen Edition)

Plot Premise: The movie is primarily about the race horse Seabicuit. Though born of champion bloodlines he is very small and of a gentle nature. He suffers abuse at the hands of a few and becomes mean and dangerous. The wealthy Charles Howard who following the loss of his son got divorced and wanted to start a new life. He decided that was to be horses and racing. He gathers up an old cowboy for his trainer and a battered, down on his luck jockey and together they set out make horse racing history.

Favorite Movie Quotes:
Tom Smith says to Charles Howard about an injured horse You don't throw away a whole life just 'cause it's banged up a little. and later Howard says it back to Smith about Red Pollard the jockey.

and another

Charles Howard says at a press conference Our horse is too small, our jockey too big, our trainer too old, and I'm too dumb to know the difference.

Hidalgo
(Widescreen Edition)

Plot Premise: Frank T. Hopkins is the son of a cavalry scout and an Indian princess. Set in 1890, he and Hidalgo compete in many endurance rides as well as work as a dispatch rider for the US Cavalry. Frank does not look of his native ancestry and so blends in with the white mans world. When he delivers the message that brought about the massacre at Wounded Knee he begins to struggle with his identity.

Frank and Hidalgo eventually winds up working with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Being a man of two worlds he struggles with the guilt and shame over Wounded Knee and also as to how the Indians are treated at the Wild West Show. He falls to drinking to cope. When Hopkins is billed in the show as "the world's greatest endurance rider." a great sheik challenges him with an invitation to participate in the race of 3,000 miles across the desert known as the "Ocean Of Fire." If he refuses he needs to withdraw his claim. So of course he goes and the movie is essentially about the trials of the grueling race which I won't cover because I want to leave some mystery yet to be discovered in the watching of the movie.

My Favorite Quote From This Movie where Hidalgo collapses from exhaustion and Frank is about to shoot him. He pulls out his gun and puts it to his horse's temple. And as he builds his courage to actually shoot the horse, he begins to talk about a race they had run in Missouri where they were 3 days in the lead and there was nothing but a sea of green. He says (paraphrasing here)

" . . . If there is a heaven on earth that was surely it. And if there's a heaven on earth, well then there must be a hell. We just couldn't cross it, partner."

The Horse Whisperer

Plot Premise: The movie opens with Grace, a young girl and her friend going riding. There is a terrible accident which kills her friend and leaves both Grace and her horse Pilgrim, physically and emotionally scarred. In an effort to make them whole again Grace's mother Annie takes them to Montana to seek help from a man talked of as a "horse whisperer," Tom Booker.

My Favorite Quote From The Movie:
Annie: I've heard you help people with horse problems.
Tom Booker: Truth is, I help horses with people problems.

Dreamer
Inspired by a True Story
(Full Screen Edition)

Plot Premise: Ben Crane and his daughter Cale undertake to return a wounded racehorse horse to soundness and perhaps to race again. The mare's name is "Soñador" or Dreamer in English. The healing and mending of te horse mimic that of the healing of the family.

My Favorite Quote From This Movie
Cale says When you ran, the ground shook, the sky opened and mere mortals parted. Parted the way to victory, where you'll meet me in the winner's circle, where I'll put a blanket of flowers on your back.

Studio: DreamWorks
Release Date: 2005
Rating PG
Primary Cast:
Kurt Russell as Ben Crane
Dakota Fanning as Cale Crane
Kris Kristofferson as Pop Crane

The Man from Snowy River

Plot Premise:After his fathers death Jim Craig a mountain man moves to the low lands to earn a wage and hires on with Harrison. Jim falls in love with Harrison's daughter Jessica. A roundup of the brumbies (wild horses) is organized after Harrisons prize colt disappears. Jim sets out to capture the horses an Jessica's heart, as well as win Harrisons approval.

My Favorite Quote From This Movie I can't say I have a favorite quote fro this one. But the horse sequences are so spectacular it doesn't really need one.

Spirit:
Stallion of the Cimarron
(Full Screen Edition)
[Animated]

Plot Premise:Spirit a young stallion is captured by the cavalry and later escapes with a young Lakota warrior who was also a captive. Spirit is tamed through the warrior gentle practices and the help of his mare. A cavalry raid on the Lakota camp put Spirit back in the hands the army. Spirit comes to understand that these men plan to destroy his wild home where his herd family still roam and that he must escape to save them.

My Favorite Quote From This Movie Spirit Says There was no end to the strange ways of the two-leggeds.