In history, in literature and on the screen, black horses have held a place in various affections throughout the years.
Black Horses of History
The horse of Alexander the Great, Bucephalus, is described as having a black coat with a white star on his forehead. Said to be untameable, Alexander won Bucephalus’ trust and rode him in many battles until the horse's death after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC. In the film Alexander, released 2004, a Friesian horse portrayed the legendary stallion. Another great black battle horse was Rienzi, whose name was changed to Winchester by his rider, General Sheridan. Becoming a partnership in 1862, the general went on to ride Winchester in nearly every engagement he participated in for the remainder of the American Civil War. Following his death in 1878, Winchester was mounted and is on display to this day in the Hall of Armed Forces History, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty
First published in 1877 and reprinted countless times since, Anna Sewell’s ‘autobiography of a horse’ has been read by thousands and inspired in many a love of horses. The book has been filmed several times with various deviations from the original story, including versions in 1946, 1971 and 1994. The 1946 film starred black stallion Fury, a saddle-bred. The star of the 1994 film which tells Beauty’s story from the horse’s point of view was Doc’s Keepin’ Time, a black American Quarter Horse Stallion whose illustrious onscreen career also includes an appearance as 'Gulliver' in 'The Horse Whisperer' and ‘The Black’ in the American television series ‘Adventures of the Black Stallion’. There were also TV series inspired by, but not based on, Black Beauty. ‘The Adventures of Black Beauty’ was filmed in the UK and shown in the 1970s and 80s, and a follow up series ‘The New Adventures of Black Beauty’ was filmed in New Zealand and screened in the early 1990s.
Walter Farley’s Black Stallion
Published in 1941 The Black Stallion was the first in a series of books about a magnificent black horse and his adventures. A film, ‘The Black Stallion' was released in 1979, and the part of ‘The black’ was taken by the beautiful Cass Ole, a Texas bred Arabian stallion, who also appeared as the star in ‘The Black Stallion Returns’. He shared his role in the 1983 sequel with El Mokhtar, another black Arabian Stallion.
Lloyd's Bank Black Horse
The bank used a black horse as its logo and he came to life for a series of television advertisements first filmed in the 1980s, in which he galloped riderless and unbridled down a beach. Two horses played him in these adverts, firstly Beatos, then Downlands Cancara, both black Trakehner stallions.
The Queen’s Household Cavalry
The soldiers of the Queen’s household cavalry ride black horses of no specific breed. The horses may have white markings.
Performance Notes
2009 proved to be the year of the Black Stallion at Hickstead Royal International Horse Show, thanks to two remarkable animals:
Moorland’s Totilas
The World Dressage Masters saw a world record score for Edward Gal on Dutch Warmblood stallion Moorland’s Totilas. They achieved an unprecedented 89.5% for their freestyle to music test on Sunday the 26th July.
Murkha’s Pall Mall H
On the same day as Moorland’s Totilas’ success the prestigious showjumping class the King George V Gold Cup was secured by Murka's Pall Mall H, a Black Scottish sports horse graded stallion ridden by Peter Charles.
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