Equestrian Spirit: Top 7 Horse Movies for Children

In a recent beijingkids article, we discussed how horseback riding can help children develop independence, self-esteem, sympathy, fitness, and more. Seeing as it’s the year of horse in China, what better time to introduce young minds to these sensitive, loyal, and spirited creatures.

Before your children understand whether they have a real passion for horses and horseback riding, the following equine children’s movies are good way to get them started. Those movies are also a great way to spend a relaxing evening in with the family.

Black Beauty (1994)
Set in 1870s England, Black Beauty tells the story of a beautiful black stallion who leaves his wonderful first home and is passed between multiple owners, both good and bad, before being finally reunited with the boy he loves.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

A young mustang stallion travels across the frontiers of the Old West, befriends a young human, and finds true love with a mare.

National Velvet (1944)

Liz Taylor plays a young wanderer and opportunist and lives the dream we all had as children — winning a horse in a lottery and turning him into a champion. A jaded former jockey helps her prepare a wild but gifted horse for England’s Grand National and she wins the country’s greatest racing event.

Into the West (1992)

Two Traveller boys growing up in poverty in Dublin are given a horse by their grandpa. When the horse is stolen from them, the two young boys set out to find it, which leads to an adventure through western Ireland’s Connemara in pursuit of the mysterious white horse.

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005)

Horse trainer Ben Crane and his daughter rescue a severely injured racehorse with a broken leg. Renaming her "Soñador" (Dreamer in English), the mare is given another chance to return to racing with the pair’s help.

Danny (1977)

A young girl working at a rich man’s stable, inherits a cute but injured gray pony named Danny who is discarded by the barn owner‘s spoiled daughter. When others lose faith in Danny, the young girl’s love and confidence hold firm and she eventually leads him to victory in a show event.