Cari Swanson

When you have a problem with your horse(s), who are you going to call?

The film industry—aka Hollywood—is the home of the great, and sometimes not so great, story tellers of our times. Every day on the set represents a lot of money spent in an effort to capture some movie magic.

For that reason, working with animals on films is a risky, tricky, and increasingly high stakes business. Directors and producers don’t need to mess around with animals who can’t do their job. They have too much at stake. Rex Peterson has become the gold standard when it comes to horses in film. When Julia Roberts was portrayed galloping through the woods away from one of her weddings in “Runaway Bride,” she rode one of Rex’s horses (that is actually Julia on the horse). See Cari’s blog for many other examples of Rex’s film work, including of course the filming of “Hidalgo” with our own RJ, the star horse of that film.

Have you ever had a problem with your horse that you didn’t know how to handle? If you’ve ever had a horse we know the answer to that question and we are here with many new solutions—most of which are in fact very old and are passed down from generations that preceded ours.

This week and weekend in Massachusetts you will have the opportunity to meet the legendary Rex Peterson in the flesh at the Equine Affaire. Not only that, Swanson Peterson Productions is releasing a new series of training videos available on DVD. More details on that this week.

We look forward to seeing you at the Equine Affaire.

Jim Breitinger is an Arizona-based writer.

EQUINE FILM STAR, HIGHTOWER, IS DEAD AT 26

EQUINE FILM STAR, HIGHTOWER, IS DEAD AT 26

Hightower (1982-2008) the favorite and beloved trick horse owned and trained by Rex Peterson, died peacefully at the age of 26 on October 30, 2008 at Rex Peterson’s ranch in Tehachapi, California.

Hightower starred in dozens of films over his career, most notably as “Pilgrim” in Robert Redford’s THE HORSE WHISPERER, and he was famously FedExed to the East Coast to shoot a scene with Julia Roberts in RUNAWAY BRIDE. Other film credits include WINTER PEOPLE, JILL IRELAND STORY, KILRONE, SIMPATICO, ELIZABETH TAYLOR STORY, BLUE DOG, BLACK STALLION ADVENTURE, BLACK BEAUTY, PRINCESS DIARIES II, AMANDA, LAST BEST PLACE, and BUDDY.

Hightower had a heart as big as the great outdoors and will be remembered as one of the most intelligent and noble equine actors of our day.  He will be universally mourned by all who had the honor to work with him.

Rex Peterson has 35 years of experience working with a wide variety of horses, riders, and riding styles in both the movie industry and the private sector.  He is the owner of Rex Peterson Horse Training in Tehachapi, California, where he developed his world-renowned horse training clinic.  Peterson’s many film credits include All The Pretty Horses, Appaloosa, Back To The Future III, Batman Returns, Black Beauty, City Slickers, Electric Horseman, Far And Away, Geronimo: An American Legend, Hot Shots, Hidalgo, Flicka, Runaway Bride, The Patriot, The Doors, The Horse Whisperer, Three Amigos, The Black Stallion, Wild Bill, and 1941.

Anyone who wishes to share their memories and photographs of Hightower should send them to Rex Peterson (rexpetersonhorsetraining@yahoo.com)  to be included in a book, “Hightower, One in a Million.”

Hightower on the set of “The Horse Whisperer” (1998)
Photo courtesy of Ken Regan/Camera Five

CONTACT: Cari Swanson
914.456.3155
cari@cariswanson.com

Bugatti-9 year old Hannovarian gelding

Bugatti awaits his cue to act in the film “Taking Woodstock” directed by Ang Lee.  Bugatti was cast as a police horse who has to maneuver among hundreds of cars and motorcycles in a traffic jam of hippies in transit to the famous Woodstock concert in 1969.  It is a testament to the character and kindness of this horse that he calmly walked among the protesters, cars, hippies and camera crew on location at the set in East Chatham, New York.  It is even more amazing when you realize his pilot was an extra who could not ride at all, and was able to appear to be riding under my instruction.