Providing Horses for The Hobbit
Gypsy Royal Stud provided three horses for use in the Hobbit films after discovering a message on their answer machine from the production crew.
“I thought it was a joke so I did nothing about it,” Lynda says. “The next day they rang again and it was for real. They said they had been searching for a particular looking horse and found [the Gypsy breed] on the internet. They apparently thought they would be perfect for what they wanted and googled gypsy horses in NZ which brought up my stud.”
“We took three of our mares for almost six weeks on set and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.”
Lynda says that Savannah was chosen for a lead role, but can’t say who rode her because of non-disclosure agreements.
All three were chosen because they’re quiet, hairy, safe, well-behaved and black and white. Two had just been broken in… two-and-a-half years old; the other was a six-year-old.
“We spent the first couple of weeks training through the usual de-spooking programme they normally do with the horses on movie sets. The [Gypsy Vanners] are so quiet that it was really a waste of time!”
“We had to ride through flapping plastic curtains, through stacks of drums, crack stock whips off their backs, throw things through and around their legs, clamber all over them, drag things, drape tarpaulins over their faces,” she says.
“The biggest test was the helicopters hovering just above our heads for aerial shots.”
“They had Animal Protection there and an ambulance, but the gypsy horses never batted an eye at the choppers, even my two year olds just stood and watched it land right in front of them.”
“We were treated extremely well and so were the horses. Peter Jackson came and met us and our horses and thought they were the most beautiful horses he had ever seen.”
Gypsy Royal Stud loves visitors and can accommodate international visitors who would like to see their horses. They offer ‘bring your own’ horse trail rides and are considering expanding to use their horses for guided treks of their property. Contact Gypsy Royal Stud at gypsyroyal@maxnet.co.nz or visit their website http://www.gypsyroyal.co.nz/
