Equine Movie Trivia
What does the Mask of Zorro, Lady Hawk, the Chronicles of Narnia and the movie Alexander have in common? I’m Susan Allen stay tuned for some movie trivia. If incredible horse scenes came to mind in response to the common thread between the movie Lady Hawk, Mask of Zorro, and Chronicles of Narnia your close, but the answer I’m looking for is even more specific. Can you recall the breed of horse featured? Another clue...They’ re always black. The Friesian fad in Hollywood started when a horse named Othello appeared in the 1985 hit Lady Hawk stunning the world by its on screen beauty. Othello was the first time many Americans were introduced to Friesians. The black horse with the flowing mane would soon become a fixture in block buster after block buster given their amazing camera presence. Today’s Friesians originated in the Netherlands 400 to 600 years ago from horses used by armored knights who found that they had the strength to carry great weight and still maneuver very easily. Friesians carried knights who traveled all the way to the Middle East with the Crusaders. The breed became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries as carriage horses for the wealthy. I was enthralled by the antics of Antonio's black horse in Zorro but I have become even more smitten with the breed when I’ve encountered them in person , despite their size, Friesians love people and have funny , quirky personalities... hum sounds like I’m describing most of Hollywoods leading men. Thank you for joining us on Open Range where we love to celebrate the horses contribution to culture.
