Discusses the use of horses in films and television, their training and care both on and off the set, and the American Humane Association's monitoring of their treatment.

The horses that captured the moviegoers' hearts are the common denominator in Hollywood Hoofbeats. As author Petrine Day Mitchum writes, "the movies as we know them would be vastly different without horses. There would be no Westerns;no cowboy named John Wayne;no Gone with the Wind, no Ben Hur, no Dances with Wolves;" no War Horse, no True Grit, no Avatar! Those last three 21st-century Hollywood creations are among the new films covered in this expanded second edition of Hollywood Hoofbeats written by the daughter of movie star Robert Mitchum, who himself appeared on the silver screen atop a handsome chestnut gelding. Having grown up around movie stars and horses, Petrine Day Mitchum is the ideal author to pay tribute to the thousands of equine actors that have entertained the world since the inception of the film medium.From the early days of D.W. Griffith's The Great Train Robbery to Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, this celebration of movies promises something for every Hollywood fan; the raucous comedy of Abbot and Costello (and "Teabiscuit") in It Ain't Hay, a classic sports films like National Velvet starring Elizabeth Taylor, a timeless epic with Errol Flynn, and films featuring guitar-strumming cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.INSIDE HOLLYWOOD HOOFBEATSMovie trivia and fascinating anecdotes about the stars of yesterday and todayAn inside look at the stunts horses performed in motion pictures and the lingering controversiesHundreds of illustrations, including rare movie posters, movie stills, and film clipsUpdated, expanded text including coverage of new movies and photographsChapters devoted to action films, Westerns, comedies, musicals, child stars, and moreFamous TV programs and their horses including Mr. Ed and Silver (Lone Ranger)

Lights! Camera! Action! In this exciting new addition to the Horse Power series, readers will take a walk down the red carpet with classic horse celebrities such as Trigger and Mister Ed. Children will learn how Hollywood horses are trained to do stunts and how they stay safe on the set. With vivid full-color photographs and an exciting narrative format, Hollywood Horses is sure to inform and entertain every reader.

From his first time riding as a child, Shatner has felt a deep love for horses. He shares his joy-- with children, veterans, those with disabilities, and many more-- through the annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show. Here, he speaks from the heart about the effect horses have had on his life and on the lives of others. The anecdotes are paired with classic horse stories, including retellings of the Pegasus myth and the feats of the most famous war horses throughout history. Celebrate the connection between humans and horses-- and the power, courage, mindfulness, and healing that they can inspire in us.

Despite the prevalence of horses in some of Hollywood's biggest movies of all time, their role in cinema has gone largely unsung. In fact, film might not exist without horses. Motion picture technology can trace its origins back to photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose rapid succession of photos of a running racehorse was used to demonstrate the medium's potential. In Horses of Hollywood, Roberta Smoodin gives equine film stars the credit and recognition they have long deserved. Smoodin goes behind the scenes to feature the trainers, actors, and directors who brought some of our favorite horses into the spotlight. From silent movie horses like Gallant Bess, to John Wayne and his four-legged sidekicks, to the origins of the "horse girl" trope in National Velvet, to equine actors in Ridley Scott films, Horses of Hollywood ensures that no self-proclaimed horse whisperers detract from the real stars of the show. Smoodin—who was for many years a horse breeder and caretaker—explains what went right and amiss in films featuring horses, including factual discrepancies and unrealistic depictions of human-equine relationships. She sheds light on filmmakers, celebrities, and film crews who mistreated equestrian actors and failed to utilize these marvelous animals in more expressive ways. At every turn, Smoodin offers a reverence and adoration for Hollywood's horses that is often reserved for human celebrities, balancing this perspective with humor and her own firsthand knowledge. Bringing horses' personalities to the forefront, Horses of Hollywood serves as a veritable hall of fame and honors the vital, intertwined history of motion pictures and equine legends.

In Hollywood Hoofbeats, author Petrine Day Mitchum tells stories in page-turning detail, covering topics such as behind-the-scenes portraits of both famous movie horses and those virtually unknown; personal accounts from their trainers, owners, and costars; simple and complex horse stunts, from a fall in mid-gallop to a race across a bridge during a live explosion; and historic black-and-white photos and richly colored contemporary stills.

From the bestselling author of The Hearts of Horses and The Jump-Off Creek, an absorbing, plainspoken, elegantly rendered novel about a young cowboy who escapes a family tragedy and travels to Hollywood to become a stunt rider in the movies