Horses have been baked into the DNA of cinema from the very beginning. In fact, the first ever “motion picture” was produced by a man by the name of Eadweard Muybridge. His job? The impossible. Capture the incredible athleticism of a racehorse.

Cameras, of course, existed at the time. However, prior to Muybridge’s involvement, there was no way to document motion authentically.

To figure out how thoroughbreds moved the way that they do, he developed a technology that we’ve since all come to appreciate: tools that could take multiple pictures and shuffle them in a way that replicates motion.

Since then, horses have gone on to have a starring role in hundreds of films. In this article, we look at the rich history of equine cinema.

The Golden Age of Horse Cinema

In the 1930s, horse movies hit their stride. Unsurprisingly, this is also when racing was one of the biggest national stories in circulation. The real Seabiscuit overcame a Triple Crown Winner, War Admiral, in 1938, to the delight of millions of people all over the world.

Many dozens of horse movies were made in the following years. Most are forgotten. “A Day at the Races.” “Kentucky.” “Stablemates.” That last one included real footage of Seabiscuit in action.

In 1939, a popular documentary, “Seabiscuit,” told the true story of America’s favorite underdog using real race footage. The story would be fictionalized in 1949. The movie “The Story of Seabiscuit” starred Shirley Temple in one of her final appearances.

All of these movies naturally enough focused on the grace of the animals themselves. Throughout history, horses have been used as a symbol of power. Determination. Perseverance.

Equally present, however, in the horse racing films of the mid twentieth century, were smaller stories of friendship. Excitement. The energy of fun times had at the track.

Mid-20th Century Fade

As the golden age of horse moviemaking came to an end, there was a mid-20th-century lull on the horizon. While the occasional horse movie like “Casey’s Shadow” was still getting made, blockbusters began to take center stage.

“Jaws.” “E.T..” “Star Wars.” The Indiana Jones films. Horse movies were put on the back burner thanks in no small part to the work of Steven Spielberg. Fortunately, they would soon return. Because, though the sixties, seventies, and eighties saw a lull in horse-related movies, “Seabiscuit” and “Secretariat” were right on the horizon.

Seabiscuit and Secretariat

We earlier described the way that the real Seabiscuit captured the attention of Depression Era America before making its way to the big screen.

Horse racing’s second most famous film was also inspired by a true story. Secratariat was in many ways the opposite of Seabiscuit. His success was more a lesson in inevitability. The horse came to national prominence in the 1970s. Not only did Secretariat win the Triple Crown, but he did so in such a commanding fashion that his performance at Belmont is widely considered one of the best in the history of the sport.

Both horses were brought to the attention of a wider cinematic audience in the early 2000s. “Seabiscuit” came first in 2003, helmed by Gary Ross. It was an instant success. The film is actually based not off the original movie, but Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling novel. The movie was an enormous box office and critical success.

“Secretariat” arrived in theaters seven years later. The story it told was a little different. Where “Seabiscuit” represents the underdog, “Secretariat” is a story that affirms the inevitability of greatness. Though less successful than “Seabiscuit,” the story was effective at bringing horse racing once again to a wider national audience.

Equine Cinema Is Here to Stay

It has been a while since the last equine-centric blockbuster. Perhaps we can blame Marvel for that. Nevertheless, horses are continuing to show up on screens both big and small. In April of 2025, Netflix debuted a six-part documentary called “The Race for the Crown.” The show takes an in-depth look at some of the biggest events in racing, including the Kentucky Derby.

It even looks at the upcoming Breeders’ Cup, which will take place in November of this year. People all over the world are looking for Breeders’ Cup betting advice, and while the docuseries doesn’t provide picks, it does give you an interesting look into the behind-the-scenes mechanics of the event.

Hulu, meanwhile, released a harder-hitting docuseries called “Broken Horses” in 2024, focused on some of the less-than-savory practices that go on behind the scenes in racing: doping, corruption, and fatalities that have happened as a result of unethical practices. There’s also a string of Hallmark-style made-for-TV movies concerning horses that are released periodically.

Moral of the story? Equines have always fascinated moviegoers. And while their role in cinema has fluctuated over the years, interest in some ways remains as strong as ever.

photo by Max Zaharenkov