Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BC. The breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited “hot bloods” with speed and endurance; “cold bloods”, such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and “warmbloods”, developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. There are more than 300 breeds of horse in the world today, developed for many different uses.
These stunning animals exhibit a diverse array of coat colours and distinctive markings. The basic coat colours are black, bay, chestnut and brown. Other colours include dun, buckskin, grey, pinto, white, leopard and brindle. There are many others!
The height of horses is measured at the highest point of the withers, where the neck meets the back. This point is used because it is a stable point of the anatomy, unlike the head or neck, which move up and down in relation to the body of the horse. The height of horses is often stated in units of hands and inches: one hand is equal to 4 inches (101.6mm).
The size of horses varies by breed, but also is influenced by nutrition. Light riding horses usually range in height from 14-16 hands (142-163 cm) and can weigh from 380-550kg. Larger riding horses usually start at about 15.2hands (157cm) and often are as tall as 17 hands (173cm), weighing from 500-600kg. Heavy or draft horses are usually at least 16 hands (163 cm) high and can be as tall as 18 hands (183cm) high. They can weigh from about 700-1000 kg.
At The Animal Talent, we do provide horses for event work with specialist riders and handlers; equally they can be hired for film and television work. However, in rural life, modern horses are often used to reenact many of their historical work purposes and are popular animal companions for those with land.
Horses are used in various live action historical reenactments of specific periods of history, especially recreations of famous battles. Horses are also used to preserve cultural traditions and for ceremonial purposes, such as weddings and funerals. Here in the United Kingdom we still use horse-drawn carriages to convey royalty and other VIPs to and from certain culturally significant events.
Horses are frequently used in television, films and literature. They are sometimes featured as a major character in films about particular animals, but also used as visual elements that assure the accuracy of historical stories. Both live horses and iconic images of horses are used in advertising to promote a variety of products. Some relatively recent examples include famous adverts from the following brands: Lloyds Bank, Scottish Widows and let’s not forget the award winning surfing horses Guinness commercial.
We think there is no animal more elegant and elite as horses in the traditions of Great Britain. They suit our identity and are clearly linked throughout British heritage. Yet the horse symbol frequently appears in coats of arms and the image of a horse is used widely globally. The mythologies of many cultures, including Greco-Roman, Hindu, Islamic, and Norse, include references to both normal horses and those with wings or additional limbs and multiple myths also call upon the horse to draw the chariots of the Moon and Sun. The horse also appears in the 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
Horses serve as the inspiration for many modern automobile names and logos, including the Ford Pinto, Ford Bronco, Ford Mustang, Hyundai Pony, Mitsubishi Starion, Volkswagen Polo, Porsche, Rolls-Royce Camargue and Ferrari.
An incredibly versatile and durable animal, horses are known for strength and stealth. They often appear gender neutral in their anthropomorphism and are largely a respected animal with few negative connotations. This makes them particularly suitable for commercial branding work. As animal social media influencers, their status is also high, and again negates issues surrounding gender, race and religion bias.
The horses on our roster here at The Animal Talent have high levels of training; some are used as therapy animals and visit care homes, schools and more. Some participate in large scale events. Many are horse and trap trained (which is particularly useful for PR and event work). All of our horses are suitable for film and TV work; they’re used to loud noises, large crowds and equipment such as cameras, boom mics and more on set or on location. Some horses are capable of being ridden by actors and models, whereas others should be ridden by our trained professionals.
We supply professional animal location handlers around the world to ensure you get all the shots you require and, as overseers to ensure the wild is not disturbed, the crew will always be safe and no welfare regulations are ever breached.
It isn’t just the animals that are well trained, our team including our handlers are also highly experienced and fully qualified experts in the field.
Your handler will take full control of any animals on set and ensure the entire shoot runs properly. They will also fully manage the welfare of all the animals both on and off set; the safety and welfare of the animals is their prime concern. All of our handling is strictly force-free and only positive, reward based practices are deployed. This way you can have total confidence that by booking With The Animal Talent everything is taken care of legally, professionally and ethically.
The Performing Animals Licence is no longer relevant (it was scrapped in 2019) and has been replaced with the Animal Activity Licence, which we hold.
Different breeds, sizes and characteristics of horse will be more suited to some work than others, particularly in relation to working with models and actors. Our handlers can inform you which horse is best suited to which role. We have a huge variety of breeds and colours to choose from.
Please keep in mind that horses need to travel in large vehicles so appropriate parking arrangements (and overnight stabling) needs to be organised.
If any species of animal listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are required, special measures will need to be put into place for the shoot. Precisely what is appropriate will vary species to species, but may include sectioned off areas where only trained handlers are allowed. In the event of large and dangerous carnivores, a specifically built green screen studio can also be supplied.
Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BC. The breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited “hot bloods” with speed and endurance; “cold bloods”, such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and “warmbloods”, developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. There are more than 300 breeds of horse in the world today, developed for many different uses.
These stunning animals exhibit a diverse array of coat colours and distinctive markings. The basic coat colours are black, bay, chestnut and brown. Other colours include dun, buckskin, grey, pinto, white, leopard and brindle. There are many others!
The height of horses is measured at the highest point of the withers, where the neck meets the back. This point is used because it is a stable point of the anatomy, unlike the head or neck, which move up and down in relation to the body of the horse. The height of horses is often stated in units of hands and inches: one hand is equal to 4 inches (101.6mm).
The size of horses varies by breed, but also is influenced by nutrition. Light riding horses usually range in height from 14-16 hands (142-163 cm) and can weigh from 380-550kg. Larger riding horses usually start at about 15.2hands (157cm) and often are as tall as 17 hands (173cm), weighing from 500-600kg. Heavy or draft horses are usually at least 16 hands (163 cm) high and can be as tall as 18 hands (183cm) high. They can weigh from about 700-1000 kg.
At The Animal Talent, we do provide horses for event work with specialist riders and handlers; equally they can be hired for film and television work. However, in rural life, modern horses are often used to reenact many of their historical work purposes and are popular animal companions for those with land.
Horses are used in various live action historical reenactments of specific periods of history, especially recreations of famous battles. Horses are also used to preserve cultural traditions and for ceremonial purposes, such as weddings and funerals. Here in the United Kingdom we still use horse-drawn carriages to convey royalty and other VIPs to and from certain culturally significant events.
Horses are frequently used in television, films and literature. They are sometimes featured as a major character in films about particular animals, but also used as visual elements that assure the accuracy of historical stories. Both live horses and iconic images of horses are used in advertising to promote a variety of products. Some relatively recent examples include famous adverts from the following brands: Lloyds Bank, Scottish Widows and let’s not forget the award winning surfing horses Guinness commercial.
We think there is no animal more elegant and elite as horses in the traditions of Great Britain. They suit our identity and are clearly linked throughout British heritage. Yet the horse symbol frequently appears in coats of arms and the image of a horse is used widely globally. The mythologies of many cultures, including Greco-Roman, Hindu, Islamic, and Norse, include references to both normal horses and those with wings or additional limbs and multiple myths also call upon the horse to draw the chariots of the Moon and Sun. The horse also appears in the 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
Horses serve as the inspiration for many modern automobile names and logos, including the Ford Pinto, Ford Bronco, Ford Mustang, Hyundai Pony, Mitsubishi Starion, Volkswagen Polo, Porsche, Rolls-Royce Camargue and Ferrari.
An incredibly versatile and durable animal, horses are known for strength and stealth. They often appear gender neutral in their anthropomorphism and are largely a respected animal with few negative connotations. This makes them particularly suitable for commercial branding work. As animal social media influencers, their status is also high, and again negates issues surrounding gender, race and religion bias.
The horses on our roster here at The Animal Talent have high levels of training; some are used as therapy animals and visit care homes, schools and more. Some participate in large scale events. Many are horse and trap trained (which is particularly useful for PR and event work). All of our horses are suitable for film and TV work; they’re used to loud noises, large crowds and equipment such as cameras, boom mics and more on set or on location. Some horses are capable of being ridden by actors and models, whereas others should be ridden by our trained professionals.
We supply professional animal location handlers around the world to ensure you get all the shots you require and, as overseers to ensure the wild is not disturbed, the crew will always be safe and no welfare regulations are ever breached.
It isn’t just the animals that are well trained, our team including our handlers are also highly experienced and fully qualified experts in the field.
Your handler will take full control of any animals on set and ensure the entire shoot runs properly. They will also fully manage the welfare of all the animals both on and off set; the safety and welfare of the animals is their prime concern. All of our handling is strictly force-free and only positive, reward based practices are deployed. This way you can have total confidence that by booking With The Animal Talent everything is taken care of legally, professionally and ethically.
The Performing Animals Licence is no longer relevant (it was scrapped in 2019) and has been replaced with the Animal Activity Licence, which we hold.
Different breeds, sizes and characteristics of horse will be more suited to some work than others, particularly in relation to working with models and actors. Our handlers can inform you which horse is best suited to which role. We have a huge variety of breeds and colours to choose from.
Please keep in mind that horses need to travel in large vehicles so appropriate parking arrangements (and overnight stabling) needs to be organised.
If any species of animal listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are required, special measures will need to be put into place for the shoot. Precisely what is appropriate will vary species to species, but may include sectioned off areas where only trained handlers are allowed. In the event of large and dangerous carnivores, a specifically built green screen studio can also be supplied.