Where grace is laced with muscle

Real or fictional, horses have the power to change lives, society and mass opinion. Red Rum, Frankel, Black Beauty, The Pie: Paul Hayward considers his top 12 transformational equine stars

- Paul Hayward

HUMANS shape the lives of horses. Yet horses, too, guide the lives of people towards triumph, enlightenment and, sometimes, tragedy. No animal has been more influential outside its own realm than the racehorse, workhorse or equine messenger in popular entertainment.

In a new book—Nicky Henderson: My Life in 12 Horses—the author Kate Johnson describes in intimate detail one of the great National Hunt trainers and his relationship with some of his sport’s finest champions. Jockeys, stable staff, owners and friends reveal the interactions that turn horses into winners. At the heart of the tale beats Mr Henderson's intuitive understanding of the animals in his care and what it takes to make them want to race. A horse can’t talk, but he gives you a signal and signs a horseman can read that other people can’t, jockey Eddie Ahern tells Miss Johnson. Mr Henderson is a master of this psychology.

However, in the stories of transformational horses, some break free of their human controllers and convey a bigger message about Nature, war, friendship, love and loss. For that reason, Black Beauty, The Pie and Joey (the War Horse’) are included in this list of 12 horses that changed lives, society or mass opinion. They are a distinguished dozen.

See You Then

The Cheltenham Festival-winner factory that is Mr Henderson’s Lambourn yard opened for business with a horse whose box people entered with trepidation. He’d grab you and while you were turning to get out of his way, he’d kick you!’ Mr Henderson writes.

See You Then was anti-social—but, once he left his box, his domineering nature had another use. In 1985, he was the first of the trainer’s 72 Festival winners in later years and is one of only five horses to win three Champion Hurdles. Mr Henderson calls him the horse who put me on the Cheltenham map’.