50 Greatest Horse Movies Of All Time Ranked

Technically the main animal star of this film isn't a horse; it's a friendly, happy-go-lucky zebra. But at the end of the day, "Racing Stripes" is sure to evoke the same inspirational feelings as a film featuring a single-colored four-legged hoofed mammal. A classic underdog story, "Racing Stripes" is also a talking animal movie, and features an incredible ensemble cast of both onscreen performers and voice actors who give life to the animal stars. The film concerns a zebra named Stripes (Frankie Muniz) who is mistakenly left behind by his traveling circus and adopted by Nolan (Bruce Greenwood), a racehorse trainer. 

His daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere) bonds with the young zebra, who also becomes friends with other animals on their farm including a rooster (Jeff Foxworthy), a pony (Dustin Hoffman), a goat (Whoopi Goldberg), and a bloodhound (Snoop Dogg). Stripes is convinced he's going to become a prize racehorse and sets out to prove he's got what it takes to compete and win against the best horses around.

A delightful family film, "Racing Stripes" mixes elements from the best racing films like "Seabiscuit" with fun animal movies like "Charlotte's Web" or "Homeward Bound." Incidentally, it's also a testament to the power of Hollywood nondisclosure agreements; Panettiere had to keep a scary zebra-riding-related neck injury secret for years until finally spilling the beans on the Graham Norton Show.  

Loosely based on real events, 1999's "Shergar" is an account of the dramatic tale of Shergar, a thoroughbred racehorse born in Ireland and trained in Britain. After a winning season, Shergar was abducted by a gang of criminals who held the horse for ransom in 1983. Though the real story of Shergar has been shrouded in mystery for decades, the film starring Ian Holm and Mickey Rourke portrays an incredible fictionalized conclusion.

Kidnapped and held hostage by IRA operatives Gavin O'Rourke (Rourke) and Dermot Concannon (Andrew Connolly), Shergar's life appears in peril as the Irish government refuses to pay the $5 million ransom for his safe return. With nobody else willing to stand up for Shergar, it falls to a stable boy and jockey named Kevin (Tom Walsh) to save the derby-winning racehorse. The reform school runaway must invade the enemy's camp, attempt a daring rescue, and stay hidden from his pursuers. With guts, guile, and determination, Kevin does whatever it takes to save the horse he calls friend.

With thrilling chases, harrowing escapes, and plenty of excitement — plus a dash of romance — "Shergar" is a satisfying and dramatic adventure that adds a positive ending to a tragic true story.

In 2021, Dreamworks Animation delivered a new modern equine classic in "Spirit Untamed," a grand adventure featuring the voice talents of Isabela Merced, Marsai Martin, and McKenna Grace, with Jake Gyllenhaal, Walton Goggins, Julianne Moore, and Andre Braugher in supporting roles. A sequel to the 2002 film "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron," "Untamed" is set some years later and sees young Lucky Prescott (Merced) relocate with her family to a quiet frontier town called Miradero where she meets the mustang son of the original Spirit. After she names the young horse Spirit after his father, the two form a strong bond.

Lucky has a difficult home life, but she soon embarks upon an adventure allowing her to temporarily forget about her shaky relationships with her parents. When a nefarious nearby wrangler named Hendricks (Goggins) and his gang plan to steal Spirit along with the rest of his herd, Lucky must push the wranglers off the plains. 

The final film in the career of "Everybody Loves Raymond" cast member Peter Boyle, the 2008 family drama "All Roads Lead Home" sees 12-year-old Belle (Vivien Cardone) deal with personal tragedy after the death of her mother in a horrific car crash. While father Cody (Jason London) fights to keep the family together, Belle resents him and believes her mother's death is his fault. Belle is soon sent off to live with her ailing grandfather (Boyle), who continues to deteriorate after the loss of his daughter.

But Belle makes new friends on her grandfather's farm in the form of a dog named Atticus, and a former racehorse. Anguished by her grandfather's resentment of the animals on the farm as she bonds with Atticus and her horse, Belle must find the strength to overcome her grief. The reviews are not promising, but we can definitely say that Patton Oswalt is also in the movie "All Roads Lead Home."   

The 1997 movie "The Princess Stallion" stars Ariana Richards as Sarah, a girl in California who moves away after the untimely death of her mother. Now living with her estranged father (David Robb) in the Scottish Highlands, Sarah is unhappy to be so far from home until she meets a local recluse named Fergus (Andrew Keir).  A noble animal lover, Fergus has taken it upon himself to protect the wildlife from poachers. 

While visiting Fergus, Sarah has a fateful encounter with a mysterious, shimmering white horse of legend that is nearly too remarkable to be real. As the girl and horse begin to bond, they soon become targets of devious trappers who want to use her to capture the stallion for themselves. With Fergus' help, Sarah must fight to protect her new friend and learn to stand up for her own independence. An endearing family adventure, "The Princess Stallion" is sure to warm the heart of anyone who's ever had a close animal friend.

Starring Gabriel Byrne, the 1997 family film "Virginia's Run" introduces Virginia Lofton (Lindze Letherman), a 13-year-old girl still haunted by the death of her mother in a horse-riding accident years before. Fearful for his daughter's safety and worried that she may meet the same fate as her mother, Virginia's father Ford (Byrne) sells the family horse named Twister to a nearby friend and forbids Virginia to take up riding.

But when Twister dies delivering a foal, Virginia defies her father's wishes and takes it upon herself to raise the young horse, learning to ride it when he isn't watching. The horse named Stormy is eventually trained to race for the neighbor's son Darrow (Kevin Zegers). Seeing the love she has for the horse, Ford eventually comes around and buys Stormy back as a gift to his daughter. As Ford realizes what his wife would have wanted, it's not long before the father and daughter work together to prepare Stormy for a big race with the hopes of defeating Darrow. Despite its well-worn premise — for some reason, a lot of these movies are about teenage girls who adopt horses after one of their parents die — "Virginia's Run" delivers good family fun and a touching, feel-good story.

A surprisingly worthy remake, the 2006 film "Flicka" reimagines "My Friend Flicka" and is also based on the same 1941 children's novel. Alison Lohman stars as Katie, a young girl who harbors the hopes of one day running the ranch owned by her father Rob (Tim McGraw). But her father has other ideas, and he's instead preparing his son Howard (Ryan Kwanten) to take over the ranch himself, as he doesn't believe his daughter has what it takes to be a cowboy.

But the rebellious upstart Katie wants to prove her father wrong. When she meets a wild and uncontrollable mustang she names Flicka, she sets out to tame the beast against her father's wishes. Hoping she can show her father just how tough she really is, Katie successfully breaks Flicka — keep in mind "break" is horse-trainer phrase that means "teach how to be safe to ride" — and the two become close companions. But her love for Flicka is tested when Rob sells the horse out from under her, and declares that she'll never run the ranch.

A crowd-pleasing horse tale of pride and independence, "Flicka" was followed by two sequels, including "Flicka: Country Pride" starring another country music star, Clint Black.

The comedic romp "Stablemates" is a 1930s farce starring the iconic Mickey Rooney. The story centers on a foolish former veterinarian named Tom Terry (Wallace Beery) who exists in a perpetual stupor and gets little respect from his peers. But he nevertheless manages to inspire Mickey, a young stableboy (Rooney) who's hoping to be a professional jockey. He strikes up a companionship with an ailing horse named Lady Q, and the pair dream of triumphing together in various races and derbies.

Mickey needs Tom — who gets hammered and adopts Mickey as his son at one point, for some reason – to fix up Lady Q up so they can participate in a race, which in turn helps the disgraced vet regain his self-respect. While the film is little more than lighthearted kid-friendly fare, it's bolstered by a strong comedic cast and an age-old premise in which two underdogs unite to revive their dreams.

Due to complications surrounding movie theaters and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the latest adaptation of the classic novel "Black Beauty" was released directly to the Disney+ streaming platform. This iteration of "Black Beauty" stars Mackenzie Foy as Jo Green, a teenager who adopts the eponymous horse voiced by Kate Winslet. This version departs from the novel by making Black Beauty a mare instead of stallion, but otherwise it's pretty faithful to the source material. Black Beauty is born in the wild plains of Utah before being separated from her family by cowboys who wrangle her herd and is eventually brought to a farm where she befriends a kind horse trainer (Iain Glen).

After the trainer's sister is killed in a car crash, his niece Jo comes to live on the farm where she and Black Beauty bond over their shared trauma of a lost mother. But when Black Beauty is sold to a nearby farm, Jo is forced to act as caretaker just to maintain a relationship with her equine pal. While Black Beauty's new owners are unfriendly, Jo begins a romance with the family's gentler son, George.

A sweet, basically saccharine family film based on a story that's been told several times before, the 2020 version of "Black Beauty" nevertheless has a charm all its own.

A horseracing drama based on the true story of the underdog racehorse Mine That Bird who took home the Kentucky Derby crown in 2009, the film "50 to 1" was released just two years after MTB's epic win. The movie begins with a brawl in a bar that, according to The Washington Post, is pretty much how the horse's owner and trainer first became acquainted. In the film, the team makes a long journey from unwitting business partners to unlikely horseracing champions.  

Together, the two men assemble a ragtag group of cowboys, trainers, and caretakers to help nurture and strengthen the thoroughbred MTB. Of course, the journey is filled with small victories, bigger setbacks, and unbelievable twists and turns before MTB achieves his ultimate glory. Though it sticks to many well-worn sports movie tropes – MTB literally overcomes 50 to one odds of winning the Kentucky Derby, so hardly anybody believes in him before his championship run — "50 to 1" forges its own path as a rousing and satisfying story of impossible success.

A Netflix original film made in Germany, "Rock My Heart" opens on Jana (Lena Klenke), a teenager with a terminal genetic heart defect who is reckless and dismissive of her parents' rules. Knowing she's going to die sooner rather than later, Jana engages in dangerous behavior and winds up in the hospital after a motorcycle chase from police.

After she recovers, a dream guides Jana to meet a mighty stallion belonging to the aging farmer Paul Brenner (Dieter Hallervorden). Like Jana, the mustang is a wild and uncontrollable, but they find a peace they have never known before in each other's company. Seeing their connection, the beleaguered Paul allows Jana to spend time at the farm, training the horse and becoming a part of his own life. If he's lucky, Jana might even be able to train the horse to win a race that could save his farm and help turn his life around.

Inspired by the story of a real-life British steeplechase jockey named Bob Champion — yes, that was really his name — the movie "Champions" stars John Hurt as the famed horse rider. Released in 1984 just a few years after his miraculous win at the 1981 Grand National, the film dramatizes Champion's heroic battle to win the biggest race as well as his well-documented battle with cancer.

Resolved to overcome his terminal diagnosis, Champion refuses to give in. Not only does he recover, but he climbs to the top of the sport. A movie that would be trite and predictable if it wasn't based on an entirely true story, "Champions" puts British screen icon Hurt in the central role in one of his finest performances as the suffering jockey. A powerful story of grit and determination, Bob Champion defied the odds, won the race, and went on living, which makes just about anything look possible. 

A Western adventure with a Native American perspective, the 1958 Walt Disney movie "Tonka" sees a Sioux warrior named White Bull (Sal Mineo) corral a wild stallion in the 1870s. He names the steed Tonka — meaning "Great One" — and trains the feral beast himself. Sadly, White Bull is forced to hand Tonka over to the nastier, unkind Yellow Bull (H.M. Wynant) due to his higher rank in the tribe. Mistreated by his new owner, Tonka manages to escape with the aid of White Bull, then he comes into the possession of the U.S. Cavalry.

From there, Tonka is ridden by the noble Captain Keogh (Philip Carey), who forms a unique bond with his new horse. All the while, Tonka's old friend White Bull never loses track of him, and soon strikes up an unlikely friendship with Keogh, who rides Tonka into the Battle of Little Bighorn. 

With some similarities to the 2011 film "War Horse," this 1950s tale was a brisk, family-friendly Western and another film in the long line of Hollywood stories of a horse's relationship with his warrior rider. We should clarify that we are definitely not suggesting this late '50s Disney movie in which the very clearly Italian Mineo plays a Native American should be lauded for its cultural sensitivity or historical accuracy. We only mean to state that it's a movie with a horse in it that people seem to generally enjoy. 

A German twist on a classic tale of a girl who becomes best friends with a horse, the 2013 family drama "Ostwind" (or, "Windstorm") starts when rebellious teenage Mika (Hanna Binke) is sent off to live with her much stricter grandmother far out in the country. There she finds a horse ranch that she initially wants no part of until a horse called Windstorm comes to her attention. A prized stallion, Windstorm is considered untamable and even occasionally violent, but Mika's attention proves to be just the solution for the horse's volatile nature. 

Based on a series of books that have since become a major franchise in Europe — with their own line of video games, believe it or not — the film sees Windstorm and Mika form a bond that borders on a magical connection. A big hit in its native Germany, "Windstorm" has been followed by three sequels.

The first of two movies on this list starring Robert Redford, "The Electric Horseman" was directed by Sydney Pollack and co-stars Jane Fonda. The 1979 Western comedy sees Redford in the role of Sonny, a championship rodeo rider who sells out and becomes a pitch man for a new brand of breakfast cereal. As it turns out, hawking corporate food is no life for the onetime champion cowboy. Sonny is generally unsatisfied with his life during an appearance in Las Vegas where he discovers a horse called Rising Star is the victim of abuse.

Disillusioned with everything his life has become and looking for a new purpose, Sonny steals Rising Star and embarks on a noble quest to set the noble steed free. As he searches for a far-off region where Rising Star might find a new home, Sonny is joined by intrepid reporter Hallie (Fonda), who wants to write the story of this heroic cowboy and his majestic horse. Together they crisscross the country and stay under the law's radar in the hopes of saving Rising Star from man's cruelty. Technically, "The Electric Horseman" isn't Redford's best Western or his best horse-centric movie, but it might be one of his most underrated.

An Australian production, the 1993 drama "The Silver Brumby" stars Russell Crowe and was released outside of its native continent as "The Silver Stallion." For those unfamiliar, the term "brumby" refers to the wild horses in Australia, and the film — based on a classic novel of the same name — centers around a mighty stallion born during a thunderstorm who fights off cruel men attempting to capture his herd. 

Crowe stars as the villain of the picture, a wrangler intent on having the titular silver brumby named Thowra for himself. Narrated by a young mother who is penning the story for her daughter, the film has few human characters and audiences are led on a magnificent adventure by one of nature's most majestic animals.

A breathtaking film, "The Silver Brumby" has been lauded by The Guardian for its "natural beauty" that remains captivating and triumphant while it showcases man's desperate need to conquer nature. Perhaps the truest horse movie on this list — there's no teen girl with a recently deceased mom or dad in this one, it's all about the horse — "The Silver Brumby" is a visually splendorous cinematic tale.

Another version of the classic novel, 1994's "Black Beauty" was directed by frequent Tim Burton collaborator Caroline Thompson and stars Sean Bean and David Thewlis. Black, the stallion himself, is voiced by Alan Cumming who narrates the story from his early days on an English farm before he is eventually sent to live on a large estate owned by a wealthy family. There, he gets his name Black Beauty and becomes friendly with the other horses, including a mare named Ginger. He also becomes fond of the stableboy Joe Green (Andrew Knott).

Eventually, Black Beauty and Ginger are moved to another home with a cruel owner. But shortly after, Black Beauty meets Jerry (Thewlis), a gruff Londoner who employs him as a taxicab horse in the big city. Across his many adventures from place to place across the country, Black Beauty never forgets the boy who raised him. After many years, the two are finally brought back together with Black Beauty spending the rest of his life on a quiet farm with his old friend. The best of the many adaptations of the original novel, 1994's "Black Beauty" remains a classic to this day.

Inspired by the story of horse-riding historical heroine Calamity Jane, the 2020 animated film "Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary" comes to us by way of France and tells the story of a girl determined to prove herself every bit as capable as the boys and men around her. She starts out on a caravan riding along the Oregon Trail in the 19th century as a bright-eyed pioneer who must fight to lead when her father is injured, and a rival boy is put in charge instead.

Training herself to ride a horse and to use a lasso, Martha Jane soon befriends a passing soldier who offers her counsel and support in her fight to be taken seriously. Along the way, she meets a number of new friends including a headstrong gold miner named Madame Mustache. Martha Jane learns that while being a woman may be tough in the Wild West ... she's even tougher.

Another movie inspired by a true story, the 2005 film "Dreamer" stars action hero Kurt Russell in a role that's a little more down to Earth than Snake Plissken or Jack Burton. This time he's Ben Crane, a devoted horse trainer who has sadly overlooked his fatherly duties to his daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning). Crane works hard in the stables tending to his boss' horses, including one thoroughbred named Soñador. When the prized mare is seriously injured, he's told to put the horse down. Ben can't bring himself to do it, so he buys the horse himself and brings it home for his daughter.

Together, Ben and Cale nurse the horse back to health. Against all odds, Soñador makes an incredible recovery and eventually becomes a part of the family as well as a successful racehorse. At the same time, the experience of caring for Soñador brings the distant father closer to his rambunctious daughter. A heartwarming feel-good movie, "Dreamer" has become a largely well-liked addition to the roster of horse-based American movies.

Set during the late 1800s on the wide-open plains of the Wild West, the 2002 animated gem "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" follows a mustang stallion named Spirit (Matt Damon). A wild horse and leader of his herd, Spirit encounters a U.S. Cavalry squad who find his noble stature and powerful presence impressive and decide to capture him for themselves. But Spirit refuses to be broken and when the Colonel (James Cromwell) who rides him mistreats him for his wild ways, Spirit escapes with the help of a friendly Lakota man named Little Creek (Daniel Studi).

Taken in by the Native American tribesman, Spirit meets and falls in love with a mare named Rain before he is recaptured by the Colonel. In the employ of a train company amid the building of a new railroad, Spirit vows to set the rest of his kind loose and lead a revolt because no matter who tries to tame and possess him, Spirit refuses to be anything but free.

A visually breathtaking adventure of pride, power, and independence, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" could be one of the most underrated animated films of the 2000s.

Teresa Palmer stars in the moving 2019 Australian drama "Ride Like a Girl" — the true story of jockey Michelle Payne (Palmer) who becomes the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup in 2015. She accomplishes this major feat atop her long-time horse Prince of Penzance. The film also stars Aussie original Sam Neill as Payne's father who believes in her while the whole world is telling her to quit. Meanwhile, Payne's real-life brother Stevie plays himself in a handful of emotional scenes. 

Raised alone by her father after the death of her mother in a car crash and the tragic loss of her sister in a riding accident years later, Payne's real-life story is painfully reminiscent of many fictional dramas that have come before. But as we watch her journey from haunted hero to rebellious rider to triumphant champion, it's all the more remarkable for being a true story. Facing every possible obstacle, and a system that wanted her to fail, Payne passed every test and took a literal victory lap that inspired a whole new generation of future champs.

There have been many movies about characters with borderline supernatural bonds with their horses, but few are as beloved as 1998's "The Horse Whisperer" directed by and starring Robert Redford. Based on the novel by Nicholas Evans, the film follows the story of Grace (Scarlett Johansson) who experiences a terrifying horse-riding accident that kills her best friend and seriously injures her equine companion, Pilgrim. 

While Grace is left partially disabled and Pilgrim remains traumatized from the accident, they are both taken by Grace's mother Annie (Kristen Scott Thomas) to a remote ranch in Montana where a horse whisperer named Tom Booker (Redford) offers his services. As the mother and daughter get to know Tom through his work with Pilgrim, Annie is drawn to this enigmatic horse whisperer and forced to re-evaluate her life and her marriage to Robert (Sam Neill). At the same time, Tom must come to terms with his own past while helping Grace and Pilgrim learn to live again.

Based on one of the sport's most famous racehorses, 2010's "Secretariat" stars John Malkovich and Diane Lane. In the story, Penny Chenery (Lane) returns home following the death of her mother and follows through on her elderly father's unique deal with a leading horse breeder. They will match each of their best horses — her father's finest mare with the breeder's best stallion — and will each claim a foal from their union. Mixing the fastest steed with the most durable mare, a coin flip leaves Penny with the apparent lesser foal, a young horse named Secretariat.

Thrust into the high stakes, male dominated world of horse racing, Penny — together with a stout trainer named Lucien (Malkovich) and a talented jockey (Otto Thorwarth) — turns Secretariat into a prize winner. Even when besieged by financial difficulties at one point in the movie, Penny refuses to sell her horse and rejects a very lucrative offer. But with a little ingenuity and elbow grease, she sees Secretariat to victory after victory. Penny and Secretariat's racing careers culminate in the conquest of the Triple Crown, the sport's highest honor.

"Secretariat" was met with many rave reviews upon its release, particularly one from noted critic Hannah Goodwyn who anointed it the finest horse racing movie she'd ever seen.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, "War Horse" debuted in 2013 to applause from both critics and audiences. The film begins in 1912 with the birth and auction of English sporting horse named Joey to a farmer who uses him to help plow fields instead of participating in athletic competitions. Joey ends up bonding with the farmer's son Albert (Jeremy Irvine). 

When World War I starts, Albert is forced to sell his horse to the army where he becomes faithful companion to Captain Nichols (Tom Hiddleston), fighting under the command of Major Stewart (Benedict Cumberbatch). Eventually, the horse is captured by the Germans, where he is matched with Gunther, a deserter who takes Joey to a French farm. All the while, as Joey has moved from place to place and owner to owner, Albert never stops searching for his beloved animal friend. 

Nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture, it was a rousing return to form for Spielberg after the financially successful but extremely polarizing "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" in 2008. With an all-star cast and a majestic directorial effort, "War Horse" is both a great war movie and an engaging story about the emotional life and journey of a horse.

Voted the best horse-racing movie by the horse experts at Deep Hollow Ranch, 2003's "Seabiscuit" put "Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire into the role of an underdog jockey in an enthralling story set during the Great Depression. Blinded from his career as an amateur boxer, Red Pollard (Maguire) struggles but is nevertheless hired to ride a horse purchased by a similarly struggling stable owner, Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges). Though he comes from a noble lineage of racehorses, Seabiscuit is not expected to be any kind of a prize winner, with a fiery demeanor and smaller-than-average size. 

But it isn't long before Red, Charles, and Seabiscuit turn around their fortunes. Buoyed by his horse's sudden success, Charles challenges the owner of Triple Crown-winner War Admiral to a race against Seabiscuit. When Red is injured in a riding accident, he is left hospitalized and Seabiscuit might have to compete in the race of the century without his best rider. 

An Academy Award nominee for best picture, "Seabiscuit" was a decent hit at the box office and instantly beloved by horseracing aficionados. It's since become the gold standard of racing films with a strong cast, thrilling races, and an uplifting message of hope and determination.