Casting an animal of any kind in a prominent role in a Hollywood movie can often see its box office takings skyrocket as a result.
And it is not just the fans who end up falling in love with the animals, with Hollywood’s good and great often finding themselves drawn to the innocence and kindness of animals as varied as monkeys to horses.
In this article we take a look at the latter, and the stars who can’t get enough of equine activities.
Steven Spielberg
Spielberg is, of course, one of the most decorated directors in Hollywood history, with his body of work stretching back for decades and, more often than not, breaking box office records along the way.
He has long had an affinity for animals with many of his most popular movies putting them front and centre of the action.
One such motion picture was War Horse, which was a project Spielberg took on after reading the book by the same name by Michael Morpurgo. He is also the proud owner of his very own racehorses, some of which have ridden in famous races like the Kentucky Derby. Indeed, the Hollywood mogul’s impact on horse racing remains to this day, with a rising star of US flat racing – that is highly touted by some of the best online tipsters – being named Spielberg in honour of the director. Look out for him in the starting gates, especially if he makes the trip across the pond.
Brad Pitt
When he is not breaking hearts and wowing cinema-goers, Brad Pitt can often be found on the back of one of the many horses he owns along with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie.
Reports in 2011 detailed the fact he had purchased no less than six Shetland ponies as well as a regular-sized horse, meaning he can take a whole group of people out on a riding adventure whenever he likes.
Julia Roberts
When you spend a large part of your formative years on a New Mexico ranch you are bound to pick up a thing or two about horse riding, and that is very much the case with Julia Roberts, who has also made sure she stars in as many horsy movies as possible, including Wild Horses of Mongolia, Grand Champion, and Runaway Bride.
Despite now being in her fifties Roberts still hangs out on her New Mexico ranch and loves to ride whenever she gets the chance.
Johnny Depp
He may be in the news for all the wrong reasons at the moment, but at least when it comes to horses Johnny Depp is a caring soul.
There are many stories of Hollywood stars saving horses from being put down by adopting them, and Depp did just that with the horse he rode in Sleepy Hollow, who only had one eye and was mischievously named Goldeneye. Depp is known to do most of the riding that is required of the characters he plays on set.
Kaley Cuoco
She is universally known for her role in hit series The Big Bang Theory, but Kaley Cuoco has since switched over into being a Hollywood lead, due to feature in upcoming movie The Man from Toronto alongside the likes of Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson.
Away from the small and big screens, she is also a self-confessed horse fanatic, who competes to a high level in eventing. She is now even married to a professional jockey in the form of Karl Cook, with it being their love of horses that first brought them together.
