War Horse Farrier: Lights, Camera, Hoofcare! Who Shod Joey?

Enjoy this Hoof Blog audio interview with War Horse location off-screen and on-screen 

farrier Brendan Murray, thanks to Samantha Clark and War Horse News. You might want to read 
the text before you watch the "video".

Napoleon once said that an army moves on its stomach. But the cavalry moves on its hooves, and it took an army of farriers--called "shoeing smiths" by the British military--to keep the horses moving in World War I.

But what about a film crew? And what about the production of Steven Spielberg's film War Horse in England in 2011?

Does Hollywood understand the role of the farrier in the big picture of horse moviemaking? Just try making a movie without one.

DreamWorks Pictures learned the importance of a farrier, especially when Roger, a plow-horse double for star horse Joey, kept stepping on (and thereby pulling off) his shoes in the furrow.

"Cut!" "Get the farrier up here!" "Where's the farrier?"

Stills from the farrier's forge scene are hard to find. Here you can see some horseshoes hanging on racks. It's interesting to note that there is very little mention of farriers in the original book except for Private Warren, a farrier apprentice who replaces Captain Nicholls in Joey's saddle. He's a bad rider which isn't good for a horse on a long march, but he takes very good care of him and knows more about horses than the others. The entire ending of the book features a veterinarian in a fantastic description of a horse hospital but the vet and all that went on in the hospital was deleted from the film. (DreamWorks photo)

In the case of this well-seasoned location farrier, he might have been in the makeup trailer, or having his apron smeared with mud to match the horse he'd be shoeing.

Or maybe he'd be explaining to the wardrobe mistress that split aprons designated an employee or apprentice farrier and that he'd prefer an unsplit master's apron with the customary fringed bottom to wipe the face of the anvil. He'd notice that she's taking notes for her next horse film.

You get the picture: not only did the farrier have to keep putting shoes back on in the midst of many shoots that were mired in mud, he had to step in front of the camera, too. Director Spielberg put location farrier Brendan Murray to work in the forge in the smoky shoeing scene; he and his apprentice are hard at work in the crucial background shots where Joey meets Topthorn while waiting to be shod.

You'll hear all about it in this interview with Great Britain's international eventing team farrier Brendan Murray, a seasoned veteran of both shoeing and riding for film productions!

Brendan was interviewed by Lexington, Kentucky's freelance equestrian media pro Samantha L. Clark of eventingnation.com and many other audio, video and web projects for the horse world.   

British eventing team farrier Brendan Murray "kitted out" for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. (Photo links to Brendan's Zimbio page)

About Brendan Murray 

Brendan has been associated as eventing team farrier with the British Equestrian Federation and Team GBR for many years. He has served at five Olympic Games, three World Equestrian Games, and many European championships. He was flag bearer for Great Britain and led his country into the arena in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 WEG in Kentucky, as chosen by the athletes.

Brendan is retired as a farrier in the British military's esteemed King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery; among his duties was serving as brakeman for the gun carriage loaded with the casket of Princess Diana at her funeral in 1997. Brendan's film on-screen credits include Gladiator, Robin Hood and 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman.

You might enjoy a video interview by Samantha Clark with Brendan at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

About Samantha Clark

Who is she? Then: eventer, NPR news anchor, and (most recently) co-host of the 2010 Radio Show about the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Now: armed with social media, camera, video and a smart phone, she knows no bounds. 

Samantha says of herself: "I'm thrilled to have my blog on EventingNation.com as an excuse to pursue an incurable curiosity about anything to do with horses (especially eventing), satisfy my wanderlust and aid in my determination to cling to my English roots. I'm often accompanied by two small children--sometimes helpful, sometimes a hindrance--and almost always by a beautiful, black Labrador who is perfect company!" 

Samantha's blog is a must-read on the web and she is equally a must-follow on Twitter: @samanthalclark for great horse tweets from Kentucky and the eventing world.

More about Samantha Clark

Story, video and audio © Hoofcare Publishing, all rights reserved. 

Still images in video © DreamWorks Pictures and Disney Studios.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

New from War Horse: Off-Screen Actors Speak on the Film (and the Horse)

A new two-minute trailer from Dreamworks Pictures juxtaposes the off-screen stars of the new Steven Spielberg film War Horse with their on-screen characters. What do the actors have to say about the film, what it means, and what's at the heart of a horse's journey into the swirling maelstrom of war?

The momentum is building for the premiere of this film in the USA on Christmas Day. To learn more, follow @warhorsenews on Twitter.


Speaking of World War I, which this blog will be doing often in the runup to the premiere of War Horse, here's a fascinating artifact from the National Army Museum in London, which is currently hosting a War Horse exhibit.

They named this object "Jim's Hoof" and describe it this way: "Trumpeter W H Barrett rode Jim throughout the First World War (1914-18). Unlike so many other horses, he made it back to Britain alive and in 1919 was presented to Queen Alexandra by the British commander-in-chief, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig."

I'm sure it must be the photo, but it doesn't look silver on my computer screen. And do you notice anything about Jim's hoof? You're right: no nail holes. How is the shoe attached to the hoof? Why did they choose to cover the heel bulbs that way?

Perhaps this priceless artifact was the inspiration for the Shoe Secure heel guards from Scotland.

Also from the National Army Museum, but pre-dating World War I is a memorial to a favorite polo pony of Captain Sherer of the 49th (Bengal) Native Infantry in India. He is often credited with bringing the sport to Europe.

The museum tells us that though there is no inscription to suggest that it was awarded as a trophy, it is among the earliest examples of polo memorabilia (1865) belonging to a British Officer; they assure us that both hooves are from the same pony.

Looking at this photos, do you think that Captain Sherer commissioned a silversmith or a farrier to make the  silver horseshoes?

 TO LEARN MORE

War Horse Television Commercial (November 2011)
First War Horse Movie Trailer (June 2011)

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). 

Read this blog's headlines when you "like" the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Spielberg's War Horse Movie Television Commercial: Here Comes a Great Film!

It doesn't open in theaters until Christmas, but the television commercial is ready to roll. We all know Santa Claus is coming to town, but so is War Horse; Mr. Spielberg's epic story of what war looks like through the eyes of a horse opens on Christmas Day. Two tickets and a promise to buy the popcorn will make a great gift for anyone you know.

Back to the commercial: Hoof Blog readers will notice immediately that the horse is lame, which may 1) spur your interest in seeing the film, or 2) make you wonder how a horse trainer gets a sound horse to limp on command.

Click on the arrows at the lower right to watch the clip in full-screen mode. It's worth it.

The Hoof Blog will have much more information about War Horse as the launch approaches. the interest in the film is unearthing all sorts of information, images and film footage about hoofcare and farriers in World War I that the Hoof Blog is hoping to share.

Until then, as they say in the film: be brave!

 TO LEARN MORE

Put this amazing reference book at the top of your Christmas wish list!
Call to order 978 281 3222.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media on equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email: blog@hoofcare.com.  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

War Horse: The Movie! Trailer of Spielberg's Film Premieres; Meet His Equine Artistic Adviser

War Horse. Steven Spielberg. Dreamworks. Disney. Get ready to put it all together! Watch for the Disney/Dreamworks Hollywood film version of the hit London and Broadway stage play. You'll be able to see it in about six months; the tentative release date is December 28 in the United States.

The War Horse story took on another dimension today, with the release of the first trailer promoting the film version of the hit stage play.

If this trailer is any indication, it looks like Steven Spielberg's amazing directing talents easily extended themselves to showing horses in a very realistic and appealing light. And that's not easy to do!

Sure, the story of War Horse is epic, and a great one. But the horses could easily have ended up looking like stick figures, or limp two-dimensional background objects. Not every film with a great horse-related story line succeeds in showing horses both realistically and inspirationally. The Black Stallion and Phar Lap are two from the past that I think did do it well.

What did horses look like during World War I? How could today's horses be made to look like yesterday's? What about their manes and tails and tack? Yes, even their shoes? Spielberg needed some help there. (©Disney/Dreamworks publicity photo)

When they went looking for a horse to play Joey, the star horse of the film, I think they went to eventing yards. What do you think? Irish-bred? Yes, the mane is too long, you're right. But could it be that's intentional, to make the horse look like he would have during World War I? Ali Bannister would have had a hand in that. Who's she? Keep reading!

Note: for some reason, only the first minute or so of this audio file is playing. I'm sorry. The full file is playing on the Hoofcare and Lameness Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/hoofcareandlameness); I'll try to fix this file if I can.

Take a break and listen to this BBC Radio interview with British equestrian portrait artist Ali Bannister, who literally woke up one morning to find herself and her artwork and her design talents on the set of War Horse. Ali's title was "Equine Artistic Adviser". And while there may be no Academy Award for makeup and hair styling of horses, there is no question that the authenticity of this film rests on the portrayal of the horses as looking like they would have for the time period, and for their work on English farms and in the war. Ali shares her experiences in this first of many interviews.

Here's a sample of Ali Bannister's horse portraiture; watch Theo come to life. You'll see why Spielberg chose her! You can see lots more, and commission Ali to paint your horse or dog, at http://www.alibannister.com.

This video shows scenes of the making of the film in Devon, England last year. Note: the release date is mentioned as August, but it has now been pushed back to December.

If you're new to War Horse, it's both a play and now a film-in-progress based on a best-selling children's book by Michael Morpurgo.


The synopsis, from Disney/Dreamworks Films publicity: The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. War Horse is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

Translation: Yes, of course. But there's more to it than that. War is too painful a subject sometimes to tell from the human perspective. People have built-in defenses in their subconscious selves, to protect them even for the time spent viewing a Spielberg film like Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's List. But when you can show how war affects an animal that has no choice in the matter, people allow themselves to feel something--about animals, about humanity, about themselves--they might not otherwise let slip.

That's War Horse, in a nutshell. You feel it slip, and you let it. It's about a horse, so it's safe to let it slip. But of course it is about much, much more than a horse.

Special thanks to Kentucky equine photographer (and friend of Hoofcare and Lameness) Wendy Uzelac Wooley of Equisport Photos and her late, great ex-racehorse Jaguar Hope, who even after his death is doing amazing things. A sketch of Jaguar Hope by Ali Bannister appears on the Dreamworks crew logo caps for the War Horse film. I highly recommend Wendy's Racehorse to Showhorse blog for anyone who wants to see great photography presented in an upbeat format. Her contributions to this blog have added a lot and there wouldn't be a Hoof Blog without the support of generous, creative, collaborative-spirited people like Wendy.

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© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.