Ask Cari

Learning to ride is fun, especially at Windrock Farm when one of the trainers is the man who trained the horses for The Horse Whisperer.  Rex has a special gift teaching kids to be confident and accomplish goals they never dreamed of.  Here is Fiona standing on RJ’s four year old filly after a long hack at Wethersfield.

Cari and Rex working with Mr. T and Lizard on the set of Arthur in Long Island.  The weather held out for the filming to be a success.  Every scene had three cameras on to maximize the coverage for each set up.  The horses worked well and the actors progressively improved with their riding skills as the day progressed.  The film stars Jennifer Garner and Russell Brand.

We have to rear Mr. T for an upcoming scene in a film with the two main actors on the horse.  To demonstrate how easy this is on a well schooled horse, we put a novice young rider behind Cari in the saddle and asked T to stand up.  He lifts up effortlessly and waits for Rex to let him down.  There will also be stunt doubles for the main actors if they are not comfortable with the scene.

Bard Summerscape is like a rural version of the Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It brings together visual and performing artists as both presenters and audience, creating a cultural center of gravity for the Hudson Valley.  Rex is visiting from California and met up with a colleague, David Straithearn.  They worked together on the film Temple Grandin.

We recently took a trip to horse country in Virgina to teach a clinic and were hosted by Rex’s old friend Bobby Duvall and his lovely wife Luciana.  Bobby met RJ/Hidalgo, enjoying watching Rex work him through all his paces.  The two famous actors have a great deal in common.  Rex’s son, Ryan looks on, enjoying all of the family stories Bobby remembers from years of knowing the Peterson’s in Nebraska.

Congratulations to Chip for his first foal of the season, this handsome colt is beautiful, smart and has a great sense of humor at one month old.  We just returned from a quick road trip to VA to drop off a horse and pick up a pony and have a quick layover at Chip’s farm in Berryville where Spring is in full bloom.

Trigger and all of his doubles were trained by the great horseman, Glenn Randall, Sr.  Rex had the honor to learn from this master horse trainer for nearly two decades.  Glenn could train a horse to do anything, including “empty out” on command.  This video is a great tribute to the legendary horse and his partner.

I have been watching old John Wayne and Roy Rogers movies and recently found this hilarious video on youtube showing the Cowboy is everywhere.

You can see how Cache Jr. is gaining more and more confidence walking the plank, he is very careful to put his feet on secure footing.  This kind of extreme training takes hours of practice and patience….it is amazing what you can teach your horse if you take the time to explain to him what you want and give him the opportunity to learn to have the confidence.

Harbor Mist affectionally known as T, has a pivotal scene in the new HBO film, Temple Grandin.  Don’t worry if you missed the premiere, just check the schedule on HBO for listings.  Claire Danes gives a stellar performance as Temple Grandin.  The story of this remarkable woman is fascinating and a must see for anyone interested in the humane treatment of animals.  Rex worked with T on the film for a pivotal scene where the horse called “Chestnut” is wild and fights everyone until Temple meets him.  Later in the script “Chestnut”  dies and Temple is very upset when she sees him lying under a tarp.  You can see him rear, fight and play dead.  T lies absolutely still, fooling everyone on the set.  T was discovered on the racetrack where he won three races in his career.  He was cast as the lead horse in Dreamer.  T is a remarkable Hollywood horse who always delivers a solid and convincing performance.

QUESTIONS FOR REX PETERSON

1. When did you realize you had a special gift with horses? When working on the  Black Stallion I realized that I had more ability than others
2. What was first movie you worked on – and have any of your training methods changed (along with the demands of filming)  Electric Horseman, I continue to learn and hone my skills learning from each horse in each situation, each horse is an individual and teaches me something new
3. What part of training a horse for TV/Movies would you say is something every horse owner should know?  The meaning of the word Whoa
4. What was the most difficult scene with a horse you had to especially train for? Burying a horse alive for a  Procol Harem music video
5. How hard is it to find the “right” horse for TV and movies? Sometimes it is extremely difficult, sometimes they just show up when you need them
6. Have there been any truly special horse(s) in your life? Hightower (read articles under press on web site www.swansonpetersonproductions.com) Justin, RJ
7. Who was your mentor and why? Glenn Randall, Sr.  because he trained horses to do what was thought impossible and taught me to do the same
8. Where can we find information about the training videos you make?  web site, www.swansonpetersonproductions.com
9. Is it harder to work with horses or actors riding them? Without question the actors because they do not always listen or do their homework, the horse can read their energy, I can control the horse at all times not the actor

10. What is the next TV project or movie you are working on and we can watch for? A Horse Training TV series showcasing extreme horse training along with teaching people how to achieve immediately success in communicating more effectively and clearly with their horse to solve  simple problems such as loading a horse, leading a horse, handling a horse, breaking and training a horse,  Disney’s “Secretariat” with Diane Lane starring as Penny Tweedy

I highly recommend a new film called Temple Grandin on HBO this Saturday at 8pm.  The film is about the remarkable work Temple Grandin has done in the field of livestock behavior and humane slaughter.  Rex worked on the film with Harbor Mist, also known as Mr. T has a pivotal scene in the film. Friends who have previewed the film say that it is very powerful on many levels and is worth watching.  The film has an excellent cast with Claire Danes as Temple Grandin, with supporting roles played by Julia Ormond and David Strathairn.

One day of filming required Mr. T to play dead and lay perfectly still under a tarp.   This would not have been easy on a quiet set and was especially difficult because the scene required Mr. T to lie absolutely still while Claire, as Temple, has a fit standing over him.  As you know horses are highly sensitive to energy and it is remarkable how Rex was able to convince Mr. T to lay perfectly still during the sequence.  This is the result of many hours of training and a tremendous trust between horse and trainer.  Mr. T also has several other scenes where he has to fight and rear as well as being gentle with his co- star.

I also recommend you read the review about the film in the New York Times today.

You can see the trailer here.

Does your horse stand quietly in the cross ties, does he wait patiently at the mounting block, does he step off only when you ask him, is he on your aids when you ask him to go, whoa, move laterally?  If not, come to a clinic this Spring and learn how to teach your horse to be so obedient, even a monkey  could ride him.  Check the web site for dates and availability.

In spite of the cold winter snow day, fans of Hidalgo and Secretariat came out to watch Rex work his two famous equine actors. To find out when you can meet Rex and his horses, check the Clinic Schedule

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

When:  December 5, 2009, 1pm  Open to the Public Where:  Windrock Farm 724 Bangall Amenia Road, Amenia, NY Contact:  Cari Swanson 914.456.3155 cari@cariswanson.com www.SwansonPetersonProductions.com <http://www.SwansonPetersonProductions.com>

More photos available by request

“Secretariat” visits “Hidalgo” in Dutchess County this weekend.  Come meet Rex Peterson, the Internationally acclaimed Hollywood Horse trainer work with two of his famous horses, Harbor Mist (DREAMER, FLICKA, SECRETARIAT) and RJ (HIDALGO, TAKING WOODSTOCK) at Windrock Farm.  Rex is a master horseman who has worked for three decades in the film industry training horses for some of the most complicated scenes with horses, including THE HORSE WHISPERER, BLACK BEAUTY, DREAMER, FLICKA, THE BLACK STALLION, HIDALGO, DREAMER.

HARBOR MIST aka Mr. T is a 10 year old thoroughbred gelding bred to race he was started 51 times he had a career earnings of a little over 40,000 with a lack luster career as a race horse but the right look he was chosen as one of the horses for DREAMER. Schooled to do the lay down hang in the sling follow Dakota Fanning around and play with her I realized he had some charisma about him so after the film ended I took him home and continued to school on him. Mr. T has also worked in commercials and on FLICKA, APPALOOSA, TEMPLE GRANDIN, and most recently in SECRETARIAT.

Rex Peterson will also work his talented RJ, a very famous paint stallion who portrayed Hidalgo in “Hidalgo”, the Disney film co-starring Viggo Mortensen as well as several other films and TV shows.

Rex is one of the requested horse trainers in Hollywood, a favorite of Directors and Actors because of his well-trained horses.  Viggo Mortensen writes: “I have had the privilege of learning about horses and riding from Rex Peterson, and the good fortune to watch up-close the remarkable results he achieves with even the most challenging of horses and riders. He has guided me through the movies “Hidalgo” and “Appaloosa”, and I have been lucky to become his friend and ride many miles in all sorts of conditions with him. He makes his job as horse-master look effortless, but those who have trained under him over the years know it most assuredly is not. He does appear to have a gift for “reading” people and horses, always finding the most suitable teaching approach in each situation, but he works extremely hard every single day, often for many hours at a time”

Come meet Rex Peterson for this rare opportunity to work two of his talented Hollywood horses at liberty and recount many stories about working with horses behind the scene on motion pictures.

Contact:  Cari Swanson 914.456.3155 cari@cariswanson.com www.SwansonPetersonProductions.com <http://www.SwansonPetersonProductions.com>