Horse facts from TV, entertainment, the arts and culture

Horse have featured heavily in film, television, literature and the arts. There are some fascinating facts about the roles of equines in entertainment.

For example, that the cream horse in Gone With The Wind was the same steed used by the Lone Ranger? It was called 'Silver'.

Or did you know that the book Black Beauty written by Anna Sewell was originally written as a protest at the appalling conditions in which working horses were kept in Victorian London?

Here are some the most interesting and little-known facts about horses in entertainment. If you happen to know any others that could be added here, message me or leave a comment below.

The cream horse ridden in the movie Gone With The Wind by Thomas Mitchell later became the Lone Ranger's horse, Silver. Scout was the horse of the Lone Ranger's sidekick, Tonto.

The Red Pony is a book of four related stories by John Steinbeck. The book takes its name from the first story which tells of a young boy who is given a red pony by his father.

Fictional cowboy Pecos Bill rode a horse called Lightning, also known as Widow-Maker

In the Bible, the colours of the horses ridden by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are white, red, black and pale

The quickest Pony Express ride took seven days, 17 hours and it carried Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address

In Norse mythology, the god Ordin and the giant Hrungnir pit their horses against each other in a race. Sleipnir, Odin’s mount, beats Hrungnir’s steed, Gullfaxi

One of the earliest extant writings about horses in on horsemanship by Xenophon from 350 BCE

The horse is one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Those born in the year of the horse are supposed to be intelligent and independent. They are good with money, enjoy travelling, and are most compatible with people born in the year of the dog or the tiger.

In Greek mythology, the horse was the sacred animal of Poseidon

Celtic goddesses and queens, such as Epona, Macha and Rhiannon, were often identified with horses

One of the earliest known works of art is a 350,000-year-old ivory sculpture of a wild horse found in Vogelherd Cave in Germany

Peter Shaffer’s plpay Equus focuses on the story of a boy who blinds horses. It was originally staged in London in 1973

Eurpean traveler Marco Polo reported that Mongolian horseman drank their horses’ blood. This allowed them to ride for long periods without stopping to eat

Gringolet was the name of Sir Gawain’s hard-charging, fearless steed in Arthurian legend

The book Black Beauty by Anna Sewell was the author’s protest against the poor treatment of horses during the Victorian era in England

Movie cowboy Roy Rogers’ horse was a Palomino stallion named Trigger

According to ancient legend, the Greeks won the Trojan War by presenting the people of Troy with the gift of a large hollow wooden horse. Inside were soldiers who, led by Odysseus, snuck out of the Trojan horse and attacked at nightfall