This Week in Horse History - July 19th Through July 25th

This Week in Horse History - July 19th Through July 25th

July 20th, 1946 - Misty of Chincoteague, the mare after which Marguerite Henry wrote her famous book, was born. Misty was born on Assateague Island and was a palomino pinto with a marking in the shape of the United States on her side. Marguerite Henry traveled to Chincoteague in search of inspiration for a children’s book and purchased Misty from the Beebe family to bring back home to Illinois with her. Misty lived with Henry for ten years before she was sent back to Chincoteague to have her foals. The book Henry wrote, Misty of Chincoteague, was published in 1947 and quickly became popular among horse-loving children and adults, alike.

Information courtesy of History of Misty

Photo courtesy of Misty of Chincoteague

July 24th, 1963 - Famous female jockey Julie Krone was born today in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Krone's mother, a dressage rider, introduced her to horses, and at the age of 15 Krone got a job galloping racehorses at Churchill Downs. Krone is the only female rider ever to have won a Breeder's Cup race, which she won in 2003 on Halfbridled. Krone was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2000, a tremendous achievement as she was the first female rider to ever have been inducted.

Information courtesy of Breeders Cup

Photo courtesy of Moni Maker and Julie Krone

July 25th, 2003 - The movie, Seabiscuit, opened in theaters today. Starring Tobey Maguire as jockey Red Pollard, Jeff Bridges as Charles Howard, Chris Cooper as Tom Smith, jockey Gary Stevens as George Woolf and jockey Chris McCarron as Charley Kurtsinger, the film follows the career of famous racehorse, Seabiscuit, and how his unexpected rise to fame affected the lives of those around him. The movie was shot in multiple locations which included Keeneland Racecourse, Saratoga Racecourse, and Santa Anita Racecourse. Special life-size model horses were created for scenes in which Tobey Maguire had to appear as if he were racing. The models were mounted on a flat car which could then be driven around the racecourse. Real jockeys Gary Stevens and Chris McCarron rode the real horses in scenes which required racing at top speed.