10 Insane War Movie Facts You Won't Believe Are Real
2. 13 Different Horses Were Used In Bringing Joey To Life In War Horse
Based on Michael Mopurgo's 1982 novel of the same name, 2011's critically acclaimed outing War Horse captures a devastating snapshot of the First World War. The Academy Award-nominated film plays out through the eyes of Joey - a bay Irish Hunter who finds himself thrust to the forefront of the fighting after being bought by the British Army and separated from his beloved rider Albert.
In addition to the 300 horses used during production, Steven Spielberg used no fewer than 13 different horses to bring his version of Mopurgo's equine character to life. While the animals are indistinguishable from one another onscreen, eight separate horses were tasked with playing the adult version of Joey - an additional four colts and a foal were used to portray the stallion during his adolescence in the Devon countryside.
While all of this may seem slightly excessive to play one horse, the wide array of animals used in filming all brought unique traits to the table. Most notably, Spielberg used slightly shorter horses in the sequences where their riders had to tumble off them, in order to reduce the risk of injury for the stunt performers.