Shoot the wounded horses! Shoot them! All Quiet on the Western Front 1979 starring Richard Thomas & Ernest Borgnine & Donald Pleasence & Ian Holm & Patricia Neal & Paul Mark Elliott & Dai Bradley & Matthew Evans & George Winter & Dominic Jephcott et al, director Delbert Mann, distressed soldier
100 years ago Britain’s greatest national event was stopped in its tracks by a very public, very shocking and ultimately fatal act of protest. At the height of the 1913 Epsom Derby in front of thousands of spectators a lone figure walked into the path of the galaping horses. Clare Balding’s Secrets of a Suffragette, Channel 4 2018
Rumour has it that somewhere in this bog lie the remains of one of the world’s greatest racehorses: Shergar. Shergar disappeared one winter’s night in 1983 at the height of the troubles taken from its stable by an armed gang, never to be seen again. Now 35 years on Ireland is in a very different place. Searching for Shergar, BBC 2018
After a couple of impressive wins Shergar was chosen as the stable’s Derby runner. ibid.
‘He was one of the best horses over the last 100 years.’ ibid. Lester Piggott
The King George was the first time the shareholders got to see their asset in action. ibid.
1982 was Shergar’s first breeding season and mares were flown in from all over the world. He covered 44 mares at a staggering £80,000 a time. ibid.
‘There was a knock on the door and these gangsters came in with guns.’ ibid. head lad
Since Gypsies arrived in the UK 400 years ago horses have been a key part of their nomadic culture, helping them stay on the move when in the Middle Ages being a gypsy was punishable by death. Tighter regulations on Gypsy camps and stopping points have reduced the numbers who ride on horseback today. Here Come the Gypsies s1e2, Channel 5 2021
His horse became the most famous animal of ancient times. Alexander the Great I, History 2022
Horses were at the heart of the Norman battle plan ... William’s 2,000 mounted knights gave him an awesome fighting machine. Peter and Dan Snow, Battlefield Britain: Hastings, BBC 2004
‘It was a little horse with a big heart.’ Life & Times: Northern Dancer *****, Biography Channel
What he lacked in stature he made up for in attitude. ibid.
Northern Dancer was the greatest sire of the 20th century. ibid.
His influence was felt over the entire planet. ibid.