Horses and Hollywood

Hollywood and horses mix better than you might think.  Other than Tab Hunter, there are quite a number of people, past and present, who love horses and either found time to ride or own them, often both.  When I used to show in Vermont, we would see Glenn Close and her daughter at shows. She apparently rides with professional Lendon Gray.  Other than Ms. Close, look who else loves equines:

Fred Astaire owned race horses. Astaire, who died in 1987, romanced Robyn Smith, a successful, 37-year-old jockey who had not seen him in films. They were married in 1980.

(Pinterest)

Bing Crosby was also a race horse lover and owner.

(Wikipedia photo)

He bought his first racehorse in 1935 and by1937, he was a founding partner of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and a member of its Board of Directors.  Crosby and partner Lindsay Howard formed Binglin Stable to race and breed thoroughbred horses.  They also established the Binglin stock farm in Argentina, where they raced horses. A number of Argentine-bred horses were purchased and shipped to race in the United States.  The Binglin Stable partnership came to an end in 1953 as a result of a liquidation of assets by Crosby.

Tommy Lee Jones rides and plays polo.  He just put his Florida estate on the market for $22M.  He also owns a ranch in Texas.

Robert Duvall owns a farm in Middleburg, Virginia (which I have been to) but I would not say that he is a big time rider. He is rumored to have taken lessons with Joe Fargis (an Olympic show jumping veteran who also lives close-by).  His property houses many cows and the upper part of his large barn has been turned into a dance studio.  He is an accomplished tango dancer.  But he must love horses since he lives right in the middle of Virginia's best horse country.

Linda Blair, the star of The Exorcist is also rumored to be an accomplished rider who used to show the A circuit.

(Wikipedia Photo)

William Shatner is an accomplished saddle horse owner and rider.

 (UK Daily Mail)

(Wikipedia)

Supposedly, Mel Gibson rides and Barbara Eden has an estate with horses.  Stephanie Powers plays polo and actress Shannon Dougherty trains with Susie Hutchinson.


Director and actor John Huston became Master of the famed Irish hunt, the Galway Blazers.  Yes, it's true. You can read about it in his own book here.

Apparently he became an Irish citizen and hunted with them and was later asked to be Master.  Who knew?