30 of the Best Horse Films

Below you will find the most comprehensive list of horse movies on the internet. We have included a wide spectrum, with everything from movies for kids, documentaries, those based on racing, true stories and even what you can watch on Netflix. So no matter your age, or preference of cartoon or reality, Horseclicks has collated some of the best horse movies around for you to browse!

War Horse

2011 PG-13

Although there are no horse TV shows like Heartland on Netflix, Netflix offers the rather recent horse-film-fans drooling favorite, War Horse, in its online selection of movies. War Horse guides you between the lives of a gentle-eyed bay and a young, passionate soldier as they experience first-hand the life of man and beast during World War I. If you loved reading Black Beauty as a kid, you will most likely enjoy this film (along with the movie adaptation of Black Beauty, too)!

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmeron

2002 PG

What’s not to love about an animated, kids horse movie with a romantic twist between a charming buckskin stallion and an elegant, flashy paint mare? Set in America, before the “Best was won” as herds of horses roamed freely across the continent, Spirit, the main horsey character experiences for the first time friendship with mankind, befriending a young Lakota warrior and love for Rain, a pretty paint mare. This Dreamworks animation is a modern horse classic not to be missed!

The Magnificent Seven

1960 NR

You don't have to run barrels or wrangle goats to enjoy an old western classic like Magnificent Seven, full of cowboy humor and really good horsey costume (i.e. gritty western saddles, spurs and chaps). Watch this pistol-baring-bandit movie before its remake in 2016 starring a talented Hollywood cast including Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke.

BoJack Horseman

2014-Present PG-13

A featured Netflix Original TV series, BoJack Horseman is a Simpson-like animated adult sitcom. Cartoon horse “Bojack” is a former TV-star turned burn-out where he struggles with day-to-day things like writing his best-selling biography, keeping a girlfriend and other realities. A recommended laugh-out-loud series if you liked Futurama, American Dad and Family Guy.
 

Dark Horse

2015 PG

Not a dark horse at all but rather a charming chestnut thoroughbred, born from a long line of steeplechase racehorses stars in this 2016 horse documentary about a small mining town in Wales and their dreams of producing a successful racehorse. This true story starts and ends with a group of working-class people coming together and buying and training a racehorse collectively, beating the odds and surprising the world with their working-class steeplechase racehorse..

Racing Stripes

PG 2005

This is the best horse movie to include a zebra in the cast. And it is not just any ordinary zebra, he is a racing zebra. Like Babe, the talking pig, all the animals in this kids horse movie have voices, with a great cast of voice overs, including Whoopie Goldberg, Jeff Foxworthy, Dustin Hoffman and even Snoop Dogg! Actress Hayden Panettiere stars as the determined young jockey, convinced that the orphaned Zebra her family rescued can beat the finest thoroughbreds at the local racetrack.
 

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

2005 PG

A family of struggling thoroughbred breeders and trainers finally connect and reunite as their rescued horse goes on to win many prominent horse races. The love for the unsuspecting mare begins with the daughter, a young girl determined to convince her family that the horse was worth every expense.

Seabiscuit 

2003 PG-13

An underdog sports story with a horse twist makes this one of the top 10 horse movies of all time. Plus, this is a true horse story with a very accurate narrative of what really happened behind the scenes of the American horse hero. Seabiscuit, a knock-kneed, short-legged thoroughbred was not credited to be a successful racehorse, and his oversized jockey was never quite accepted among his peers, but as fate would have it, they would win races time and time again, break track records and win the hearts of thousands of supporters across the United States.

Phar Lap

1983 PG

Phar Lap, one of the best horse movies from the '80s is a true story about a New Zealand racehorse. His glory on the racetrack in New Zealand brought him to races in the United States and Mexico, where untold conspiracies of gambling fraud and racetrack mafias surround his mysterious death. Considered a kids horse movie, it is also a family favourite found free on Youtube.

Hidalgo

2004 PG-13

Not one of the typical movies about race horses, Hidalgo is a story of a paint horse and a retired Cavalry soldier, invited to travel from the United States to race in a world famous endurance race, the “Ocean of Fire” by a competitive sheik. The 3,000 mile race through the Arabian desert is a grueling test for the American pair, but it is a close race and popcorn-bowl-gripping movie until the end. The variety of tack, costume and beautiful horses in this horse film makes it easily one of the best horse movies ever produced.
 

Miracle of the White Stallions

<1963 NR

At the end of World War II, US General George Patton and his troops saved a barn of prized Lipizzaner stallions from the approaching Soviet Army in Czechoslovakia. This dazzling horse-rescue story depicts the courageous soldiers as compassionate horse-lovers, as General Patton was in real life. Hundreds of Lipizzaners were ridden and driven across Czechoslovakia over 35 miles back to German territory where they were later brought back to their respectful owners.

Black Beauty

1994 PG

As depicted from one of the best books ever narrated through an animal's perspective, challenging the views of animal welfare since its publication in 1877, this is one of the horse movies for kids everyone should see. Black Beauty lives a hard life, saying farewell to his mother and beginning a life of various owners, some good, some bad, some unprepared for horse husbandry.

The Black Stallion

1979 PG

A tragic ship wreck off the coast of Africa brings the lone survivors, a young boy and a wild, black stallion together before being rescued. The boy built such a strong connection between him and the horse that they are inseparable, returning to America together. Although the boy knows very little about horses or riding, they begin training with a local horse trainer and go on to be very successful and famous in their area with their unique bond.

National Velvet

1944 NR

In this jumping horse movie, a young, horse-loving girl wins an untrained but beautiful horse in a local raffle. Inexperienced, she dreams of entering jumping competitions with the horse. Actress Elizabeth Taylor plays velvet, the excited, energetic teenager who does train the horse, and goes on to win England's most prestigious steeplechase races, defying the odds and shocking the world that a woman has won such a difficult competition.

The Man From Snowy River

1982 PG

Not all great westerns hail from America's wild, wild west but also from Australia- brumby country. With an outback so rugged, it can bring any tough cowboy to his knees. This film proves that and much more, with a soundtrack and series of romantic horse scenes that will have you dreaming of Australia by the end of the film.

Buck

2011 PG

An award-winning documentary horse movie follows the life of Buck Brannaman, a successful horse trainer from Montana. His childhood reveals dark family misfortune but his connection and ability to communicate with people's horses all across the country as he tours as a professional horse clinician has influenced the horse community considerably with his horsemanship methods. This film is a true horse story and is one of many good horse movies to watch when interested in learning about horse training and behavior. Available on Youtube with Spanish subtitles.

Tall Tale

1995 PG

The bright blue ox that accompanies American legend Paul Bunyan in this adorable childrens film may be the animal celebrity of this Disney horse movie, but there are plenty of horses to make up for the mighty popular big blue ox. A young boy travels through the wild west, encountering many heroes and villains throughout his great adventure (P.S. Pretty Friesian alert!).

Into the West

1992 PG

Full of mystery and suspense, a stolen horse from the Dublin slums leads its owners, two poor Irish boys, through a long, tantalizing maze to get him back, fighting against authority and wealthy, undermining horse breeders. The horse is unruly towards everyone except for the boys, the true handlers to the mysterious white Connemara stallion.

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

1991 G

One of the most popular horse movies to come from the '90s and unanimously in the top 10 Disney horse movies is Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, based on a true story. An orphaned teenager joins a small traveling circus where she would eventually earn the prestigious “Horse Diver” position. Diving from a tall platform into a pool of water was one of her biggest talents, rewarding her with nationwide acclaim, a successful career on the road and eventually negative repercussions from a performance gone horribly wrong.

Flicka

2006 PG

A family favorite based off Mary O'Hara's 1941 book starring Tim McGraw, Flicka is a mustang who connects with a young girl despite her concerned father's protests. Strong-willed and passionate about showing her father how she can help run the family's large horse farm in Wyoming, the girl and Flicka experience many adventures together, proving her interest in the family farm.

Moondance Alexander

2007 G

A spunky teenager encounters a lost, splashy-colored pinto pony and with hard work and dedication between the girl, the pony and the ponies' owner, a summer unlike any summer before unfolds for Moondance. This horse jumping movie like National Velvet will have both children and adults cheering on the underdogs as they jump round after round at the “Bow Valley Classic” jumping competition.
 

Gus

1976 G

If you thought Air Bud was good, Gus the Football-playing-Mule is even better. Too skilled to be just a mascot, this mule helps out a team of struggling high school football players get out of their losing slumps in this Disney comedy.

Misty

1961 G

Misty, a wild pony filly on the wild Chincoteague Island is captured in the annual round-up along with her beautiful mother, Phantom and is trained and handled by two young orphans who saved their precious pennies to buy a wild pony with their grandparent's permission. Phantom is a stunning mare but is unhappy living off of her island. The children taking care of her have to make many hard decisions on what to do with their beloved pony. Based off the famous children’s horse book first published in 1947, Misty of Chincoteague by Margaret Henry, it one of many classic kids horse movies.

The Saddle Club

2001 PG

The Saddle Club is a children’s TV series found easily through Youtube as the final episode aired in 2009. Originally an Australian-Canadian TV show adapted from a very successful book series, it covers the adventures of three close friends, young girls who have met through a local riding stables. Every episode is a new adventure, a new problem for the girls to solve.

A Sunday Horse

2016 PG

Based on a true story, a teenager from a modest household aspires to be a show jumping superstar with an unruly, untrained horse. For a new horse movie from 2016, it is a definite “keeper”; many young equestrians can relate to the enduring tale of professional show jumper Debi Walden and tells a strong tale of working hard and enduring through hardship and pain.

The Fall

2006 R

Not known for being one of the best horse movies, this visually exciting movie holds a complex storyline full of horses in action. An injured and depressed stuntman, a horseback rider, is bedridden in a countryside hospital where he befriends a young girl, sparking her imagination with stories that come alive with beautiful landscapes, costume and music. If you have seen everything three times over on this list of horse movies, surely this movie will come as a great surprise into your horse movie library.

The Mask of Zorro

1998 PG-13

Fact: Friesians make great actors. Friesians who rear on command and work with some of the finest actors in Hollywood such as Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones produce the most wonderfully romantic movie with horses filling many dramatic scenes- a sword fight between Catherine and Antonio in a horse stable included.
 

The Horse Whisperer

1998 PG-13

A tragic accident leaves both a teenage girl and her horse deeply scarred until an intuitive horse trainer steps into their lives and helps heal their deep, unseen wounds. Based off of the best-selling book by Nicholas Evans, Robert Redford, both lead actor and director of the film plays an excellent gentle cowboy and the film debuts a young Scarlett Johansson as a very serious and talented actress. A definite tear-jerker and top horse movies of all time.
 

A Knight's Tale

2001 PG-13

Not specifically known as a horse film, it will still have horse-film fans blushing at the sight of Heath Ledger riding a horse throughout the movie! Based on English author Geoffry Chaucer's book, The Night's Tale, the blockbuster film includes many great medieval horse scenes as Heath Ledger falls in love and off of horses in this romantic (and very funny) drama.
 

Ladyhawke

1985 PG-13

'90s kids will be surprised but not disappointed that Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) left Chicago for Medieval France, the setting of this fantasy-drama. An escapee from prison, hours before his execution is helped by the most unusual characters- a captain guard, a hawk, a wolf and a beautiful, enchanting woman from the woods. On the film's cover is a dark horse, a Friesian, whose role was crucial in this film as well as for the increase in Friesian popularity across the united states after the film was released.

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Are you interested in viewing all films in a particular category? See how we've broken them down below:

Horse Movies on Netflix

War Horse

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmeron

The Magnificent Seven

BoJack Horseman

Horse Racing Movies

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

Dark Horse

Seabiscuit

Phar Lap

Hidalgo

National Velvet

Horse Movies Inspired by True Events

Dark Horse

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

Seabiscuit

Hidalgo

Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken

Moondance Alexander

Misty

A Sunday Horse

Older Horse Films (Pre 2000)

The Magnificent Seven

Phar Lap

Miracle of the White Stallions

Black Beauty

The Black Stallion

National Velvet

The Man from Snowy River

Tall Tale

Into the West

Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken

Gus

Misty

Horse TV Shows / Documentaries