Hey! No! Silver! Away!
"#$%& the saddle and then wax it with your ass."
~An Experienced Rider
I'm not sure if you'll find such instructions in your standard how-to-ride-horses handbooks but the previous statement certainly does get the message across.
I have spent the last three days on horseback, the most I have been in the saddle in over thirty years. It was a crash course in basic horsemanship which, gratefully, did not result in a crash. I survived.
We wrapped on Legends and Lies: Into The West yesterday as grey skies and frigid temperatures rolled into the valley where we'd been shooting. Sometimes forces greater than you make the decision to keep rolling or wrap. As much as the director likes to think they have the final word, sometimes a bigger voice says how things are going to go. Yesterday a bigger voice said: "Go home."
I learned a great deal over the last few days.
I learned a lot about Frederick Benteen, the man I had been portraying.
I learned button fly pants are a pain in the ass.
I learned when it's 20 degrees out it is very difficult to cry. Normally I'm a pretty decent cryer. I can usually make myself tear up on cue. A frozen face and frozen tear ducts make such a feat virtually impossible however. Lesson learned. I can only cry on screen when it's above freezing.
I also learned a lot about myself these past few days, as a human being and as an actor. I learned, for instance, that the thought of racing downhill on a horse scares the shit out of me. I'm not too proud to say that. It's the truth. The first step to overcoming a problem is admitting you have a problem.
For the record, I am not afraid of horses. I actually like them very much. I think they are beautiful animals. I just have limited access, and therefore, limited experience with them.
The script for this particular episode of Legends & Lies called for my character, Frederick Benteen, to be on a horse a great deal. I accepted the role and therefore I accepted all that came with it. There was no backing out.
Toes Up And Heels Down
Now, it must be said I wasn't just thrown on a horse and left to fend for myself during this production. I was given good, basic training.
It's curious how, to me, some of the basic of horseback riding was counter intuitive to my own instincts. For example, when you mount a horse, you don't grab the saddle horn. You don't. It's right there staring at you saying "Here's a nice solid object to wrap your fingers around and pull yourself up into the saddle," but it's lying to you. Grabbing the saddle horn would most likely result in you pulling the saddle over the side of the horse. Do that and nobody will be thrilled with you.
No. Instead you grab a handful of mane (Sounds like bad, Western porn doesn't it?) and...foot in the stirrup (I love stirrup on pancakes) pull yourself up and over.
Up and over.
Sounds so easy, doesn't it?
Just a simple little Up and over!
Well, when it's in the 20's and your arthritic knees have locked up, there is no up or over. There is grunting and shame and humiliation as grown men lift you into your saddle. Luckily there were directions in the script for Benteen to majestically climb into his saddle.
Whew.
I did learn that if you can find a higher piece of ground, you can literally step into the stirrups and then just swing your leg over the saddle and sit your ass down.
By my second day on set I was Up and Over-ing all by myself.
Getting on the horse is just part of it though. Once you're up there, you have to know what you're doing. You have a thousand pounds between your legs and even though you're not exactly sitting in the cockpit of a Harrier jet, there are some basics that can save your life.
Here's the first thing you have to get over if you are an inexperienced rider:
Trust me.
Secondly, the horse knows. You'll see it on their eyes as you sit down into the saddle and they look back at you. They'll stare into your eyes, your soul, and sum you up right then and there.
On movie sets, every day, newbies get on horses because that's what their characters are scripted to do. The trainers and wranglers, whether they like it or not, have to work with them. It's their job. They're used to it. They aren't going to just let you onto one of their animals without making sure you understand what's expected of you.
I first met Todd, the head trainer and wrangler, on an earlier episode of Legends and Lies. Todd is big guy who has probably been riding since before he could walk. Todd has one of those faces, and mustaches, perfect for a western.
Todd knew the first second he met me it had been years since I had ridden a horse. He didn't judge me though He did his job and trained me. He gave me some shit, I gave some back and we came to some kind of understanding.
I'm sitting here typing this today, so I guess it all worked out pretty well.
I did suffer some good-natured abuse during my days on set, but it's all good. Those scars heal quickly. It's the bruises on my inner thighs that will require a few more days to disappear.
Todd and his guys were patient with me. I did finally become more comfortable on the two horses I rode. I can walk my horse, trot and spin it around with a sharp tug on the reins for dramatic effect.
I #$%&ed the saddle and I waxed it with my ass. As I said, I have the bruises to show for it. Over the course of the three days I shot Legends and Lies I became more and more proficient. Even my fellow riders said so.
Going fast is another story though.
I did not feel the need for speed at one point and bowed out on a scene.
The script called for the mounted calvary to race downhill towards a native settlement. I'm sure you noticed two key words here: race and downhill.
That's enough to put the fear into the heart of any novice rider and I was about as novice as you can get.
It's a little unnerving to be sitting on the back of a horse at a steep angle, feeling the ground under you suddenly drop out. Your gyroscope becomes a little unsettled. Your sense of up and down is tested and even though instinct tells you to lean forward, following the lines of your horse's neck and head, that's the last thing you want to do. You want to lean back in the saddle. I would imagine it's a lot like surfing which is awesome because I don't know anything about surfing either except for that sometimes big waves come along, knock you off your board and then you get eaten by a shark.
I was really conflicted about having to race downhill towards the teepees below but it took only a minute of deliberation to decide. I wasn't anywhere ready for racing on horseback, especially downhill.
I was intimidated. I'll be honest. I looked down that hill and all I could think of was...(click on the words below)
Holy Crap!
Okay. Okay.
The hill we were on wasn't that steep or that high or that Australian. It just seemed like it was. Steep and high, that is. I've never been to Australia.
Even though the horse I was on, Diva, was a mild-mannered ride, I had a hunch that once the other horses started to race downhill, she would want to keep pace to stay with the pack. I didn't trust she would slow down or even stop when I wanted her to, which I'm pretty sure I would.
My suspicions were confirmed.
I made the call.
I would bow out of the scene. Todd radioed down to our director Kevin and told him I wasn't comfortable. I got the okay to sit the scene out and slowly trotted Diva away from the pack, a safe distance away.
Here's the thing: You never know when the final scene airs, if it airs, how the shots will be edited. I knew, more than likely, the faces on those horses racing downhill will be blurred. You won't be able to tell who's who on horseback. In the end did was it going to make or break the whole episode if I didn't do the scene? No.
This was a question of safety for me. Mine (mostly) but also the horse's and that of my fellow players. I didn't want to be that one guy in a NASCAR race that causes a ten car pile up.
I also wanted the scene to look good. Honestly. I am a professional actor after all. It wasn't just about me being terrified of being thrown by a horse at 30 miles per hour. I didn't want to stand out from the rest of the experienced riders with a panicked look on my face. Especially since I was a playing an experienced rider. I didn't want Frederick Benteen to look like a dandy. Regardless of your feelings of Benteen's role in history, he certainly deserved better than to have some city-boy, wanna be rider making him look like a sissy.
#$%& The Hat
There's nothing less cool than being on horseback and constantly losing your hat. It's so...so...uncowboy-like. We were working in some pretty horrendously windy conditions. Hats were flying everywhere! Wardrobe finally put a strip of heavy duty double-sided tape in the hat. I lost a two inch strip of skin when I pulled my hat off at the end of the day, but it didn't blow off my head anymore.
Trick of the trade. So much better than a four inch drywall screw too.
Here's probably the most important thing I learned. Horses are big animals. They're not made of China. If you need to get them moving, and they won't, give them a good kick. You're not going to break them. Let them know who is in charge. Don't abuse them by any means, but let them know you're the boss.
I imagine, somewhere on set, somewhere in the world, there are horses gathered in a stable. The horses are in a circle. One, probably the head horse, is speaking to them about the day ahead.
"You know boys," he will say, "there are probably going to be some new guys on set today. Some of them have probably never ridden a horse before in their lives. They're going to come over to you and try to show their dominance over you."
There will be snickers from the other horses.
"They're going to climb on top of you and at the slightest hint of hesitation or independence from you, they're going to give you a good kick in the side. Remember boys. Just trot on over to the nearest steep hill and just look like you're going to race down it. They'll start whimpering and before you know it you know it you'll have their ATM pin number and recipe for their mother's chocolate chip cookies."
I know it happens.
You know when you play cowboy as a kid, you have visions of yourself on horseback chasing the bad guys into the sunset, sitting tall in the saddle, guns blazing. I know I certainly did.
It's a totally different story, however, when you're sitting on a horse for real staring down from the top of tall, steep hill.
All those visions you had when you were seven are quickly erased.
The thundering of hooves and the William Tell Overture are replaced by a panicked voice in your head screaming: "OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!"
Just keeping it reel.
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved
~An Experienced Rider
I'm not sure if you'll find such instructions in your standard how-to-ride-horses handbooks but the previous statement certainly does get the message across.
I have spent the last three days on horseback, the most I have been in the saddle in over thirty years. It was a crash course in basic horsemanship which, gratefully, did not result in a crash. I survived.
We wrapped on Legends and Lies: Into The West yesterday as grey skies and frigid temperatures rolled into the valley where we'd been shooting. Sometimes forces greater than you make the decision to keep rolling or wrap. As much as the director likes to think they have the final word, sometimes a bigger voice says how things are going to go. Yesterday a bigger voice said: "Go home."
I learned a great deal over the last few days.
I learned a lot about Frederick Benteen, the man I had been portraying.
I learned button fly pants are a pain in the ass.
I learned when it's 20 degrees out it is very difficult to cry. Normally I'm a pretty decent cryer. I can usually make myself tear up on cue. A frozen face and frozen tear ducts make such a feat virtually impossible however. Lesson learned. I can only cry on screen when it's above freezing.
I also learned a lot about myself these past few days, as a human being and as an actor. I learned, for instance, that the thought of racing downhill on a horse scares the shit out of me. I'm not too proud to say that. It's the truth. The first step to overcoming a problem is admitting you have a problem.
For the record, I am not afraid of horses. I actually like them very much. I think they are beautiful animals. I just have limited access, and therefore, limited experience with them.
The script for this particular episode of Legends & Lies called for my character, Frederick Benteen, to be on a horse a great deal. I accepted the role and therefore I accepted all that came with it. There was no backing out.
Toes Up And Heels Down
Now, it must be said I wasn't just thrown on a horse and left to fend for myself during this production. I was given good, basic training.
It's curious how, to me, some of the basic of horseback riding was counter intuitive to my own instincts. For example, when you mount a horse, you don't grab the saddle horn. You don't. It's right there staring at you saying "Here's a nice solid object to wrap your fingers around and pull yourself up into the saddle," but it's lying to you. Grabbing the saddle horn would most likely result in you pulling the saddle over the side of the horse. Do that and nobody will be thrilled with you.
No. Instead you grab a handful of mane (Sounds like bad, Western porn doesn't it?) and...foot in the stirrup (I love stirrup on pancakes) pull yourself up and over.
Up and over.
Sounds so easy, doesn't it?
Just a simple little Up and over!
Well, when it's in the 20's and your arthritic knees have locked up, there is no up or over. There is grunting and shame and humiliation as grown men lift you into your saddle. Luckily there were directions in the script for Benteen to majestically climb into his saddle.
Whew.
I did learn that if you can find a higher piece of ground, you can literally step into the stirrups and then just swing your leg over the saddle and sit your ass down.
By my second day on set I was Up and Over-ing all by myself.
Getting on the horse is just part of it though. Once you're up there, you have to know what you're doing. You have a thousand pounds between your legs and even though you're not exactly sitting in the cockpit of a Harrier jet, there are some basics that can save your life.
Here's the first thing you have to get over if you are an inexperienced rider:
The trainers and wranglers know you're not a rider.
You can bullshit all you want. They know.
Secondly, the horse knows. You'll see it on their eyes as you sit down into the saddle and they look back at you. They'll stare into your eyes, your soul, and sum you up right then and there.
On movie sets, every day, newbies get on horses because that's what their characters are scripted to do. The trainers and wranglers, whether they like it or not, have to work with them. It's their job. They're used to it. They aren't going to just let you onto one of their animals without making sure you understand what's expected of you.
I first met Todd, the head trainer and wrangler, on an earlier episode of Legends and Lies. Todd is big guy who has probably been riding since before he could walk. Todd has one of those faces, and mustaches, perfect for a western.
Todd knew the first second he met me it had been years since I had ridden a horse. He didn't judge me though He did his job and trained me. He gave me some shit, I gave some back and we came to some kind of understanding.
I'm sitting here typing this today, so I guess it all worked out pretty well.
I did suffer some good-natured abuse during my days on set, but it's all good. Those scars heal quickly. It's the bruises on my inner thighs that will require a few more days to disappear.
Todd and his guys were patient with me. I did finally become more comfortable on the two horses I rode. I can walk my horse, trot and spin it around with a sharp tug on the reins for dramatic effect.
I #$%&ed the saddle and I waxed it with my ass. As I said, I have the bruises to show for it. Over the course of the three days I shot Legends and Lies I became more and more proficient. Even my fellow riders said so.
Going fast is another story though.
I did not feel the need for speed at one point and bowed out on a scene.
The script called for the mounted calvary to race downhill towards a native settlement. I'm sure you noticed two key words here: race and downhill.
That's enough to put the fear into the heart of any novice rider and I was about as novice as you can get.
It's a little unnerving to be sitting on the back of a horse at a steep angle, feeling the ground under you suddenly drop out. Your gyroscope becomes a little unsettled. Your sense of up and down is tested and even though instinct tells you to lean forward, following the lines of your horse's neck and head, that's the last thing you want to do. You want to lean back in the saddle. I would imagine it's a lot like surfing which is awesome because I don't know anything about surfing either except for that sometimes big waves come along, knock you off your board and then you get eaten by a shark.
I was really conflicted about having to race downhill towards the teepees below but it took only a minute of deliberation to decide. I wasn't anywhere ready for racing on horseback, especially downhill.
I was intimidated. I'll be honest. I looked down that hill and all I could think of was...(click on the words below)
Holy Crap!
Okay. Okay.
The hill we were on wasn't that steep or that high or that Australian. It just seemed like it was. Steep and high, that is. I've never been to Australia.
Even though the horse I was on, Diva, was a mild-mannered ride, I had a hunch that once the other horses started to race downhill, she would want to keep pace to stay with the pack. I didn't trust she would slow down or even stop when I wanted her to, which I'm pretty sure I would.
My suspicions were confirmed.
I made the call.
I would bow out of the scene. Todd radioed down to our director Kevin and told him I wasn't comfortable. I got the okay to sit the scene out and slowly trotted Diva away from the pack, a safe distance away.
Here's the thing: You never know when the final scene airs, if it airs, how the shots will be edited. I knew, more than likely, the faces on those horses racing downhill will be blurred. You won't be able to tell who's who on horseback. In the end did was it going to make or break the whole episode if I didn't do the scene? No.
This was a question of safety for me. Mine (mostly) but also the horse's and that of my fellow players. I didn't want to be that one guy in a NASCAR race that causes a ten car pile up.
I also wanted the scene to look good. Honestly. I am a professional actor after all. It wasn't just about me being terrified of being thrown by a horse at 30 miles per hour. I didn't want to stand out from the rest of the experienced riders with a panicked look on my face. Especially since I was a playing an experienced rider. I didn't want Frederick Benteen to look like a dandy. Regardless of your feelings of Benteen's role in history, he certainly deserved better than to have some city-boy, wanna be rider making him look like a sissy.
#$%& The Hat
There's nothing less cool than being on horseback and constantly losing your hat. It's so...so...uncowboy-like. We were working in some pretty horrendously windy conditions. Hats were flying everywhere! Wardrobe finally put a strip of heavy duty double-sided tape in the hat. I lost a two inch strip of skin when I pulled my hat off at the end of the day, but it didn't blow off my head anymore.
Trick of the trade. So much better than a four inch drywall screw too.
Here's probably the most important thing I learned. Horses are big animals. They're not made of China. If you need to get them moving, and they won't, give them a good kick. You're not going to break them. Let them know who is in charge. Don't abuse them by any means, but let them know you're the boss.
I imagine, somewhere on set, somewhere in the world, there are horses gathered in a stable. The horses are in a circle. One, probably the head horse, is speaking to them about the day ahead.
"You know boys," he will say, "there are probably going to be some new guys on set today. Some of them have probably never ridden a horse before in their lives. They're going to come over to you and try to show their dominance over you."
There will be snickers from the other horses.
"They're going to climb on top of you and at the slightest hint of hesitation or independence from you, they're going to give you a good kick in the side. Remember boys. Just trot on over to the nearest steep hill and just look like you're going to race down it. They'll start whimpering and before you know it you know it you'll have their ATM pin number and recipe for their mother's chocolate chip cookies."
I know it happens.
You know when you play cowboy as a kid, you have visions of yourself on horseback chasing the bad guys into the sunset, sitting tall in the saddle, guns blazing. I know I certainly did.
It's a totally different story, however, when you're sitting on a horse for real staring down from the top of tall, steep hill.
All those visions you had when you were seven are quickly erased.
The thundering of hooves and the William Tell Overture are replaced by a panicked voice in your head screaming: "OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!"
Just keeping it reel.
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved
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