There’s still a bit of winter left, which means it’s too dark to ride after supper when the footing isn’t good. So you might want to curl up in front of the TV. And you might be able to soothe your need for a horse fix. Here’s what I’ve found lately.
Heartland
My eight-year-old niece loves to watch Heartland. But don’t try to watch anything before season six with her, because as far as she is concerned, nothing worth watching happened in seasons one through five. I admit I find Heartland with its squealing and nickering horses, slow motion montages and romantic horse/handler scenes a little dorky. But, then it’s inoffensive, remotely realistic and perfectly safe to watch with an eight-year-old. Several seasons are currently on Netflix, and you can watch them as the roll out on CBC in Canada and according to the Heartland website can be watched on about 200 stations in the U.S. The stars of the show also make appearances at many equine events and are active on social media. If you’re a fan of Minecraft, you may be able to join in the fun too.
Harry and Snowman
After what seemed like a huge buildup to the release of this movie/documentary I felt a bit let down after I watched it on Netflix. Lots of critics disagreed with me. The movie was n NYT Critics Pick, Newsday called it “A Touching Documentary”. It has high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and decent ratings on IMDB. Nevertheless, it was an interesting look at the show jumping world in the 50s, and how one took a farm horse and competed with the best of the best. I found it particularly interesting the contrast between how Snowman was treated compared to the cosseted and protected lives of show horses today. Today, would Grand Prix horses be used as diving boards when they are not competing? And, it was refreshingly nicker, clip-clop and squeal free. Maybe I just wanted more details. Maybe I’m hard to please. So while I found this movie thin in places, it’s still a great family movie on a cold late winter night.
RideTV
I just discovered that RideTV is coming to Canada this year. I’ve already filled out the form to find out how to get it on my TV, but so far no response. But, if you live south of the border from me, you may already have access. The event coverage ranges from rodeo to dressage with a smattering of equestrian lifestyle shows about cooking, decorating and exploring equestrian venues. One show, called This Old Horse looks at legendary horses from every discipline - from war horses to modern day performance horses.
Netflix
Along with Harry and Snowman, search Netflix for Movies About Horses and you’ll find a handful of made-for-tv movies, documentaries, and kids shows. Palio is still running, as is Buck, the documentary about the trainer Buck Brannaman. American users may have access to far more than I do and may be able to recommend something for movie night with a horse theme.
Other Streaming Channels
So beyond Netflix, there a several streaming services with either movies, shows or streamed live events. Streamhorse TV has listings of events that offer live coverage. Horse and Country TV has both live streams and shows such as Backstage Pass with Monty Roberts. You'll have to live in the U.K. to subscribe, but Watch Free seems to be available to all. Total Horse Channel has live event streaming and shows on horse care, training and horse racing.
So what are you watching? Caught up in a series or found a doc worth watching?
When the weather is miserable, and you can’t get out to ride, the next best thing might be snuggling under a warm blanket and watching a horse movie. While you have to pay for most movies online, there are still quite a few that y ...
There aren’t any good horse series on TV, are there? This wasn’t always the case. Over the years there have been many. Some included fictional horses like Black Beauty, Flicka and famous race horses. Others featured horses as fait ...
There was a time when CGI and other complicated special effects weren’t available to movie makers. Back in the ‘good old days’ both rides and horses did all the wild stunts. There is no doubt that the riskiest stunts were performe ...
In Secretariat, as in many horse movies, more than one horse plays the lead role. Often, horse cosmetics are used to disguise this, or a horse with similar markings are used. It’s not unusual to see a horse with four white stockin ...
Movie awards season has come to an end with the granddaddy of all awards ceremonies, The Oscars. By now, the fuss about the big flub has passed and the casts of Moonlight and La-La Land has finished patting each other on the back. ...
There’s still a bit of winter left, which means it’s too dark to ride after supper when the footing isn’t good. So you might want to curl up in front of the TV. And you might be able to soothe your need for a horse fix. Here’s wha ...
Oscar winning Django Unchained is just one of many movies that relied on the skills of horse handlers and trainers, and the horses to capture the sometimes rough and riotous action. This video was released several years ago but il ...
We’ve looked at how horses are often portrayed in the movies before, and know that some of what the public sees on screen is pure fabrication. Horse expert Scott Tarter looks at some of the most popular movies like Hidalgo, Secret ...
Bridgerton is one of the newest Netflix series feeding our binge-watching needs. Set in Regency-era England you know that the characters won’t be jumping and smart cars to get around to their various teas, balls and romantic assig ...
Time to pop the popcorn and get yourself a comforting beverage for some Netflix and chill. Coming soon is a coming of age story called Horse Girl. A young woman who is socially awkward, works at an arts and crafts shop and loves h ...
It’s a hat trick for MH Møder The Jötunn who took the #1 rank, the highest jump and the best win streak in the last week of June beating out the successful Tennessee Walking Horse DixieDE owned by Dixie Diamond Equine for the top ...
Thankfully many first responders are being trained in large animal rescue. The specialized training helps the animals of course, but also keeps the involved humans safer. After a large draft horse made a bad decision about where t ...
We are halfway through 2022 and the mares are dominating the rankings and earnings. Over 104" jumps are not uncommon, but the mares rule the highest jump records, with only a handful of stallions breaking 104.75. ...
There is a saying, desperate times call for desperate measures. And that’s what happened after a farrier was called on to trim up a very neglected pony named Spur. The method and tools used may be unorthodox, but they got the job ...
What happened to this foal’s family? She was found on a mountain road by a field officer for World Horse Welfare. There appeared to be no other horses nearby that could have been her herd. So luckily, the orphaned pony received nu ...
The Tennessee Walking Horse stallion Chemical Warfare sits in the #1 ranking as we enter the middle of June. Chemical Warfare is out of the Dixie Diamond Equine stable. Foaled April 4, 2022 he is 16.1 hands and has 15/15/15/15 con ...
It’s spring in the Fresian foaling barn and the newest addition is Saly’s new filly. This long-legged beauty’s birth was caught on the foaling camera. She doesn’t take long to stand under the watchful attention of her dam and a ca ...
Evelien Deelen, a doctoral student in cultural anthropology explores how human culture affects horse wellness. In this video, part of a series called Webinars With Wendy, she explores the different attitudes towards horses, oftent ...