Archive for November, 2009
Come Meet “Secretariat” Dec 5 at Windrock Farm
Of course I know Secretariat died in 1989 at the young age of 19 from complications with laminitis. Rex Peterson will have his horse Harbor Mist, who portrays Secretariat and his mother, Somethingroyal in the upcoming Disney film “Secretariat” (2010) at Windrock Farm December 5 to meet his fans. Harbor Mist is also the main horse in “Dreamer”. (2005)
Rex will perform with Harbor Mist at Windrock Farm, December 5 at 1:00pmm
contact Windrock Farm for directions
Secretariat was the Muhamad Ali of racehorses, a brash and charismatic champ and the breakaway winner of the 1973 Triple Crown. In 21 career starts, the big chestnut stallion finished first 16 times and earned a total of $1,316,808. He set a track record of 1:59 2/5 in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, and won the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, by an astonishing 31 lengths. After his three-year-old season he was retired to stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky.
Teaching Kids to Ride with Confidence
Diego has no fear of horses because he is growing up around them and loves to sit on the biggest horses in the barn. Fiona is riding Peadar who is a kind gentle horse and Simon is on Shadow, with Lauren giving him some pointers.
Droid Commercial with Tye
Rex received a last minute call from a production company in LA to bring horse to a commercial for Verizon. Originally they requested a horse to rear under saddle and then gallop off into the desert. When we arrived on set, the director decided he wanted something entirely different. Tye was the Directors pick of the 3 horses Rex brought including Tuff and Copper. You can see in the final commercial his performance is nothing like the original story board. Fortunately the client loved the look and result of the cowboy being knocked to the ground. After the first couple takes I think Tye thought he was supposed to knock the cowboy to the ground, so with each new take he gave it more drama and gusto. Rex and his son Ryan, worked Tye from the ground while I rode a pick up horse with another outrider so that after e we could bring Tye back to the set after each take. Special effects had some difficulty blowing up the explosives, with several duds and a few times of only a black cloud which created a wall so that Tye ran the wrong direction, circling back behind camera to his stablemates. It was a long hot day in the desert, but in the end everyone was thrilled with the result you see here.
Silver and The Lone Ranger
I am fascinated with the history of horses in films and have been researching the horses used in The Lone Ranger. Recently I came across the following from a beautiful book Hollywood Hoofbeats by Petrine Mitchem.
The Lone Ranger began as a radio serial in 1933. The famous fictional partnership between the masked hero and his “fiery horse with the speed of light” began when the Lone Ranger saved Silver, a wild white stallion from a buffalo attack. Clayton Moore portrayed the Lone Ranger in the television series that debuted in 1949. His trademark cry “Hi Yo Silver!” preceded wild gallops in defense of good. The original Silver, formerly White Cloud, was a Tennessee Walker standing 17 hands tall. The twelve year old even-tempered Silver was a natural picture horse.
A second Silver was purchased as a four-year-old in 1949. He was half Arabian and half Saddlebred. He was extremely high strung and required the magic touch of Glenn Randall, Sr. who trained the horse until 1952. Silver number two was used to double the original in the action scenes, often performing the signature Randall famous near vertical rear.
Zenyatta -A Super Horse
I could not believe the power and beauty of this mare running in the Breeders Cup. I found this video of her on youtube that will give you the feel of what it is like to ride her with her mane flying in the wind. Notice how relaxed she is with her ears flopping. Enjoy a unique experience from the back of this outstanding athlete.
Jonathan Groff Meets RJ
Jonathan Groff meeting RJ with Ang Lee on the set of “Taking Woodstock” in Millerton , NY. Jonathan learned to ride with me with only 2 weeks to prep for the scene. I started teaching him on my schoolmasters before having him ride RJ who is a seasoned Hollywood star. RJ was one of the horses who played Hidalgo in the Disney classic film of the same name. RJ spent months on the set in Morocco, Montana and California honing his craft. Trained by Rex Peterson, RJ learned to work like a pro on set with tthe cast and crew. Jonathan quickly learned to ride with the help of his background in dance and music, after all riding is all about rhythm and balance. Jonathan’s riding experience helped secure a role in Robert Redford’s new film “The Conspirator”, currently filming in Savannah, Georgia.
This photo was taken on this mud field for the last scene of the film. The groundskeeper watered the fields with fire hoses for two days to create the feeling of Woodstock after 4 days of rain. The ground was so sloppy that RJ refused to walk in it. The crew had to lay rubber stall mats to create a path for him to have secure footing.
His Holiness the Dali Lama
I recently heard from an old friend, Norbu Tenzing, that this years Annual dinner is fast approaching. I have had the honor to meet His Holiness the Dali Lama several times and I would highly recommend attending if you are in the area,
American Himalayan Foundation Announces
Infamous Annual Dinner
Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 in San Francisco, CA.
A special evening in tribute to Tibet, AHF is proud to honor Richard Gere, a longtime champion of Tibet and its people, and Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for their lifetime of dedication carrying the flame of the Tibetan cause.
Good food, great friends, wonderful cause. Don’t miss it.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please call 415-288-7250.
Ed Harris in “Appaloosa”
Rex Peterson trained the horses for this western “Appaloosa” which is fun to watch, filled with humor and raw emotion. Rex used many of his horses for this film including Tuff, Harbor Mist, Cache, Copper and Tye. To learn more about these incredible actors visit the Equine Stars in Film