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Major coverage of the LOTR movies horses hits the Web - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

July 05, 2000 at 11:33:38

Both Ringzone.Net and Herr Der Ringe have copiously transcribed an article with pictures from New Zealand Horse and Pony Magazine.

The article discusses how the horses are being treated and trained in great depth, and also talks about the "star" horses and their doubles.

Aragorn will apparently be riding his horse bareback (in "Elf" fashion, although this is a departure from the book and may, perhaps, indicate a misunderstanding of just which Elves rode bareback and when).

Attention to detail is again emphasized, and it appears that the Rohirrim will send 6,000 Riders of Rohan to Minas Tirith as in the book. Many horses will also apparently sport wounds, and the gore level among horses may quite severe, unless the desired rating forces Peter Jackson to edit out much of the harm done to the animals in the story (after the Battle of Pelennor Fields, nearly half the horses from Theoden's army are dead or wounded, and Theoden's successor Eomer divides his forces based on who can ride and who cannot).

Fans should expect all future news articles about the LOTR horses to include a discussion of the care given to the animals, and which agencies are being invited to monitor their use in the films (both in the United States and New Zealand), as a precaution against future rumors concering the film production.

Earlier this year rumors spread throughout New Zealand about injured and mistreated animals, and public outrage forced a government agency to inspect the sets and training locations. No cases of abuse or neglect were found, although a few animals have suffered minor injuries, but nothing which alarmed the investigators.