Famous Horses In TV Shows & Movies
My love of horses started at a young age, and I grew up devouring every horse book, show, and movie I could get my hands and eyes on. Fortunately for my child self (and adult self), horses have been gracing the big screens for almost a century now, and the list of equine TV- and movie stars continues to grow.
What are some famous horses from TV shows and movies? Some of the most famous TV and movie horses include Black Beauty, Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Trigger, and Mister Ed. There are plenty more horses that have earned stardom after appearing in media, however, including both real-life on-screen representations, and equine cartoon characters.
Whatever your generation, you are sure to recognize many of the following 29 famous equine TV and movie stars, in order of oldest to most recent.
Famous Horse #1: Trigger
While Trigger was made famous in The Roy Rogers Show which debuted in 1951, his first big screen appearance was as Maid Marian’s mount in The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938. Trigger famously knew over 100 “tricks”, and was even house-trained.
Famous Horse #2: The Pie
The movie National Velvet came out in 1944, bringing to the big screen the horse named The Pie. The Pie was played by a Thoroughbred named King Charles, who was gifted to the film’s starring actress, Elizabeth Taylor, after filming.
Famous Horse #3: Black Beauty
Black Beauty is a movie that almost everyone has heard of, and the original was filmed in 1946. Since then, it has been remade multiple times, most notably in 1994 and again in 2020. The famous Black Beauty is based on the novel of the same name written by Anna Sewell in 1877.
Famous Horse #4: Silver
The Lone Ranger’s horse Silver first became famous in the original 1949 movie. The character again graced the big screens when the movie was re-made in 2013.
Famous Horse #5: Buttermilk
When The Roy Rogers Show debuted in 1951, Trigger wasn’t the only horse to gain notoriety. Dale Evans, the wife of Roy Rogers, had a horse named Buttermilk who quickly stole the hearts of viewers as well.
Famous Horse #6: Fury
The horse named Fury starred in the show of the same name which ran from 1955 until 1960. The show centered around a wild, untamed horse who would only allow the orphaned boy Joey to ride him.
Famous Horse #7: Mister Ed
“A horse is a horse, of course, of course” is the line made famous from the talking horse Mister Ed, which debuted in 1961. Mister Ed was played by a palomino named Bamboo Harvester.
Famous Horse #8: Misty
Misty was made famous in the 1961 on-screen rendition of the Misty of Chincoteague book series. Misty was the foal of a wild mare that was captured and sold to siblings Paul and Maureen Beebe.
Famous Horse #9: Dollar
Dollar first adorned the big screen in John Wayne’s 1969 movie True Grit. Though John Wayne rode several horses in his movies, Dollar was a favorite mount and starred in seven of his films.
Famous Horse #10: The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion was a 1979 movie based on the book of the same name written in the 1940s. The movie is about a boy and a horse (known as the Black) who survived a shipwreck and bonded with one another on a deserted island.
Famous Horse #11: Applejack
Our first (but not last) cartoon character on this list, Applejack is one of the core members of the My Little Pony franchise. My Little Pony has been re-made several times since it debuted in 1981, and Applejack is one of only two modern characters that were part of the core back in the 1980s (the other is Spike).
Famous Horse #12: Artax
There are a few wonderful movies out there that were also somewhat traumatizing as a kid (or am I the only one who still thinks about Old Yeller?). One of those movies is the 1979 The Neverending Story. Artax is the horse belonging to the young warrior Atreyu, who passes away after sinking into the Swamp of Sadness. I loved that movie as a child, but my heart ached when Atreyu lost Artax.
Famous Horse #13: Phillipe
Phillipe is the Belgian draft horse in the movie Beauty and the Beast, which was released in theaters in 1991. Poor Phillipe spent most of his time in the movie spooked by wolves, bats, and the Beast himself, but was faithful to Belle throughout the movie.
Famous Horse #14: Khan
Khan is another Disney horse – specifically the warhorse mount of Mulan. Khan first made his debut in the animated movie that was released in 1998 and was played by a horse named Dazzle in the 2020 live-action film (though in the later movie, Khan was re-named Black Wind).
Famous Horse #15: Pilgrim
The Horse Whisperer is a Nicholas Evans novel that was released in 1995. It was so popular that it was made into a major motion picture just three years later, in 1998. Pilgrim is the horse who, along with his rider Grace, was injured in a riding accident. The movie details his and Grace’s recovery on a ranch in Montana.
Famous Horse #16: Bullseye
Bullseye is the horse who entered the Toy Story franchise with the second movie in 1999. He is the horse of cowgirl Jessie; they become fast friends with Woody when he finds himself stolen by Al, the greedy toy dealer.
Famous Horse #17: Shadowfax
Shadowfax became famous as Gandalf’s faithful steed in the first installment of the Lord of the Rings franchise in 2001. Shadowfax was played primarily played by a white Andalusian stallion named Domero.
Famous Horse #18: Spirit
The Disney movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released in 2002, and the popular television series followed in 2017. The original film is one of my favorite Disney movies, following Mustang Spirit’s capture and the attempt to “break him”.
Famous Horse #19: Seabiscuit
The true story of the famous racehorse Seabiscuit was brought to life by Disney in 2003. The horse was actually played by ten different horses during filming, as the role was considered to be too demanding for a single horse.
Famous Horse #20: Pinkie Pie
Though My Little Pony came out in 1981, “party pony” Pinkie Pie was not introduced to the cast until 2003. Today, upbeat Pinkie is a favorite among the main cast and part of the core “friendship” group.
Famous Horse #21: Hidalgo
The movie Hidalgo was released in 2004. This is a personal favorite of mine! Based on a true story, it follows the distance racer Frank Hopkins and his Mustang Hidalgo. Several American Paint horses were used to play Hidalgo, including RH Tecontender, who was purchased by the actor who played Frank Hopkins.
Famous Horse #22: Penny
The horse Penny gained stardom in the second movie of the American Girl series Felicity: An American Girl Adventure which came out in 2005. In the movie, Felicity saves the horse Penny from a cruel owner, taming her while bringing her healing.
Famous Horse #23: Flicka
The first movie in the Flicka franchise came out in 2006, based on the 1941 novel My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara. Sadly, two horses died during the 2006 filming – one horse broke her leg during a scene and was forced to be put down; the other broke her neck after tripping over a lead rope.
Famous Horse #24: Secretariat
Another famous racehorse brought to life on the big screen, Secretariat was released in 2010. The lead horse was played primarily by the horse “Trolley Boy”.
Famous Horse #25: Maximus
Maximus gained notoriety in the 2010 Disney film Tangled, and he quickly became a favorite character from the movie, alongside his “rival” Flynn Ryder.
Famous Horse #26: Joey
Joey is the horse from Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, released in 2011. The movie is based on Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel of the same name.
Famous Horse #27: Li’l Sebastian
Another famous horse made his debut in 2011 – TV series Parks and Rec’s Li’l Sebastian. The miniature horse, famous in the fictional town of Pawnee, made his first appearance at the harvest festival in season 3.
Famous Horse #28: Angus
Angus is the name of the Shire belonging to Merida in Disney’s 2012 Brave. Like his rider, Angus was a free spirit who loved to run and didn’t enjoy being contained.
Famous Horse #29: Roach
The most recent horse made famous on television, Roach is the horse of the main character Geralt in the Witcher series. She is known for being skittish yet faithful.
Horses in Television and Movies
Horses made famous in television shows and movies are more than just entertainment – many people, especially children, are first introduced to these magnificent animals through the big screen. In other words, many of the horses on this list can be attributed to the start of a passion for horses for many young girls and boys. For that, I appreciate them!
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