So a year ago, Hubby gave me this book. I couldn’t read it because I knew horses would probably die. It is called HORSE SOLDIER by Doug Stanton. Now a movie is coming called, ’12 Strong’, starring Chris Hemsworth among others.
Hubby gave me this book last year… I couldn’t read it. I was afraid that horses would be suffering.
BUT THEN… I SAW THE TRAILER… AND I NOW KNOW THIS IS A VERY VALUABLE STORY.
As you all know, Hubby is an officer in the Navy. He did two tours in Iraq. Living with a war veteran has taught me so much…
Well, during my movie marathon day over the recent holiday, one of the pre-movie trailers shown was “12 Strong”.
OMGosh. The trailer was so powerful. 12 men, after 9/11, fighting for their lives and for freedom…on horseback!
What got me about this movie was that they used horses to infiltrate the area. Cavalry. It was the horse, again, that carried these men.
(Horsegods, please bless the horses. They have worked so hard for us.)
The movie isn’t out yet… so I’m not reviewing it. But, I wanted you to know about it.
Here is the trailer.
Click image to watch the trailer.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE…
On a lighter note, I often want to see historic horse movies just so I can look at the tack. Do you do that?
I always wonder if they got it right… or if they just used whatever gear that maybe looked close enough but was actually whatever the wrangler/trainer needed for that horse to work correctly.
Having been on many commercials that used animals, I found it often amazing how animals are trained for particular stunts. (Don’t worry, I was the producer… I’d never let any animals be hurt on my set.)
Many years ago, I interviewed Rudy Ugland for my TV show, HORSE AND MAN. He was a well known (legendary) horse trainer. His brain knew more about horses than I could even imagine. Rudy was one of the last trainers to train 8Ups. 8Ups are horse teams of 8 who pull stage coaches. He had an arena the size of a football field, which is what you need when working these teams. Rudy Ugland was amazing.
Anyway, if things get too intense in big time horse movies, I always remind myself that ‘its a movie’. Someone, like me, was standing there, making sure it all worked safely. 99.9% of the time. I promise.
I said the same thing when I saw the trailer for 12 Strong–“I don’t think I can watch that because I’ll bet some of the horses die.”
I don’t look for historical accuracy, but I look for “horses being horses”–trying to eat when an actor dismounts, etc.
Oh yes, I also look for historical accuracy and simple cringe when I see shiney horse shoes! When did blacksmiths start that trend?