Horses trotting across the frame, massive historical battle scenes, or rolling carriages – all are inseparable parts of the film world. Horses seen in movies are specially trained, and on set they are cared for by horse coordinators. One of them is Marijonas Raila, not only a professional in equestrian sports but also someone who looks after actors, stunt performers, and others working with horses in films. In a conversation initiated by the Vilnius Film Office, he talks about preparation, horse psychology, and the most interesting scenes.
Marijonas, how did your career in film begin? Did films come first, or horses?
My father, Almutis Raila, has been working with horses in cinema for several decades: first at the former Film Studio, later independently. He also founded the company “Vilniaus Žirgynas” which remains the base for operations to this day. I started on film sets as support staff, helping to maintain the horses and assisting riders or actors in mounting them. I clearly remember my first shoot in Rumšiškės – I was 16 and had to face 14 shifts. But it hooked me. Many of the films were historical, requiring actors who portrayed soldiers or knights to appear older. To appear on screen, I had to grow up – I wanted to, but couldn’t act yet.
Had you been riding since childhood?
The set is not the place to learn – I started riding intensively at twelve. Initially, everything was focused on sport: show jumping, later carriage driving, competitions in Lithuania and abroad. Many would be surprised to know that many experienced riders and carriage drivers end up on film sets. Equestrian sports aren’t as popular as basketball or football, so you don’t always recognize the riders, but you can see many familiar faces from the field in movies.
What does a horse coordinator do on set? What are your main responsibilities?
The work begins long before filming. Before each scene, it’s important to know how many horses are needed and what they will do – these things must be determined before visiting the location. Various situations arise: for example, arriving at a meadow and realizing it isn’t suitable for horses to trot. In Vilnius, when filming on certain surfaces, hooves must be prepared to avoid damage. Not all riders can ride all horses, so you need to assemble the right team of people and horses to complete the tasks correctly. On set, the main job is risk assessment, ensuring everything is filmed and both horses and actors return home safely.
Can any horse be used in filming, or do they need specific character or physical traits?
Horses are large but naturally timid animals. In the wild, their tactic is to flee from danger, so it’s crucial that a horse trusts the rider rather than following instinct. You can’t bring an untrained or unprepared horse onto a set, so we train them at the equestrian center. Animals must also be ready for smoke or fire used in scenes.
Sometimes a scene requires a horse of a specific appearance, which means sourcing from other stables. Requests may specify color – white, black, or bay – or a particular marking on the forehead. For documentaries, horses are found based on historical photographs. Finding such a horse and then training it takes effort. If filming is intense, horses have doubles. In my experience, one horse has been portrayed by three different horses on the same day.
Are actors specially prepared for such scenes?
Usually, if a scene is complicated, we rehearse with the actor in advance. Some actors are afraid of horses, others enjoy them. Interestingly, finding riders is often a bigger challenge than finding horses. Riding is more popular among women, so if a battle scene requires men as soldiers, it can be quite challenging.
What is important when working with horses? How is their work made easier and their safety ensured?
Horses need breaks on set. If people are used to eating a few times a day, horses eat constantly, so they cannot work for long without rest – food and water must be provided. Horses are herd animals, so being alone can cause them stress. Even if only one horse is needed on set, we bring several so that the horse doesn’t feel abandoned.
What types of scenes are horses most often used in?
The most impressive in cinema are, of course, battle scenes. They are planned carefully – the exact paths for horses must be known, as there are various objects on set and stunt performers working. People acting on the ground must be prepared for a horse to pass by, since not everything always goes according to plan.
Horses are also often used in the background: if a director wants action in the background, they might invite ten actors or bring a few horses, whose size and movement naturally fill the frame. Sometimes horses perform specifically choreographed actions – for example, in one commercial, a horse had to approach a person lying on a sofa and act as if waking them up.
Who takes care of the horses’ appearance – they need bridles, saddles, sometimes even armor?
We coordinate these issues with the art department, but we also have certain equipment in the stables, while other items need to be rented. For example, horse tack hasn’t changed much over the past few hundred years, so the same equipment is used in multiple films. At the Vilnius Equestrian Centre, we have carriages, carts, bridles, saddles, and tack from several different periods.
Thank you for the conversation.
