HORSEPOWER
with MARTIN CLUNES
Martin Clunes travels the world to unlock the secrets of man’s partnership with horses in
Horsepower, a new documentary series for ITV1.
His fascinating journey takes him from remotest Mongolia to the deserts of Arabia; to see
the enigmatic wild Mustangs in Nevada, and watch the thrills and spills of rodeo in Las
Vegas.
He finds out what life in the saddle is like for cowboys out west and rides into battle on
horseback in a suit of armour at Warwick Castle and joins the pomp and ceremony as
horses and carriages are prepared for the State Opening of Parliament.
Martin is a special guest at the world’s most glamorous and lavish racing event in Dubai,
and watches the colourful Palio horse race in Italy, which dates back to the 1200’s.
No animal has changed the course of human history as profoundly as the horse. For
6,000 years there was no faster way to travel. It helped us to win battles and build
empires. It carried kings and emperors. It also pulled our carts, ploughed our fields and
carried our heavy burdens. It’s been called the best slave we humans ever had – though
that does not do justice to the rich and mutually rewarding relationship that’s possible.
Martin unravels the story of how man and horse first got together, what the horse has done
for us through the ages, and what the horse still means to us today.
“I wanted to find out how this animal became so important to us. How did we manage to
tame such a huge, fearful prey animal and make it both our servant and our friend,” says
Martin.
Martin is passionate about horses, and keeps 12 of them at home on his farm. He
regularly rides his favourite horse, a huge Hanoverian called Chester. His wife Philippa’s
mare Bea gave birth to a foal, Alice in June and Martin’s production company, Buffalo
Pictures, owns a thoroughbred, Buffalo Stampede.
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Horsepower follows the success two documentaries presented by Martin Clunes for ITV1:
Martin Clunes: A Man and his Dogs, and Islands of Britain.
The series is made for ITV1 by ITV Studios and Buffalo Pictures. The producer is Ian
Leese. The executive producers are Bill Jones and Philippa Braithwaite.
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MARTIN CLUNES TALKS ABOUT HIS LOVE OF HORSES
The highlight of this summer for Martin Clunes has been the arrival of a new addition to his
family; a beautiful bay foal called Alice.
The birth came after months of filming the two part documentary Horsepower which
explores his own passion for horses, and the partnership between man and horse.
With a camera rigged in the stable where mare Bea was awaiting her happy event, the
birth was recorded for viewers to share.The whole family gathered in the stable to watch
as Martin helped to deliver the foal.
“That night we all went to check on her as we always did before we went to bed and she
was acting strangely,” Martin explains.
“Then it all happened. It was as if she had been waiting for us to arrive before she gave
birth. I helped to deliver the foal, who we have called Alice. She looked at me as she was
coming out. It was a magical moment. Having little Alice seemed to make sense of
everything.”
Martin admits that his own passion for horses wasn’t an instant one even though he had
riding lessons as a child and was surrounded by them at his childhood home in
Wimbledon.
“Now I genuinely do turn my head whenever I see a horse and want to look at it and want
to know about it.
“They had always been there in my childhood. Apart from having riding lessons, we used
to live next door to a pub and the drays used to pull the carts to deliver the beer and the
rag and bone men came round on horse drawn carts.
“Living near Wimbledon Common there were always horses around. But strangely I didn’t
engage with them ever.
“Making this documentary has definitely increased my horse sensitivity, not to mention
improving my riding.
“It has been an incredible journey. It has changed the way I look at horses, and change
the way I ride my horse Chester, it has changed all sorts of things.
“I have learned that there are other ways to ride. A lot of old schoolers say ‘kick it, whip it, I
know it is your friend, but kick it’.That side of things went against my bunny hugging nature
.”
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The world famous horse whisperer Monty Roberts came to Martin’s Dorset home to offer
advice on how he could improve his relationship with his horse Chester. Martin also
travelled to France to meet performer Jean Francois Pignon, whose unique bond with his
horses has brought him international fame.
“Having met Monty Roberts and Jean Francois Pignon I found that there is another way of
getting incredible results with your horse by just having a more courteous relationship with
it. I have noticed with Chester I get so much more out of him than in the old days when I
was just kicking him, and I don’t carry a whip any more.”
“It was a real privilege to have Monty to stay with us, and to meet Jean Francois. I certainly
benefitted. Jean Francois’ theory is that it is all about love; if they know that you love them
and care for them they will do anything you want.
“I ask my daughter Emily for advice on riding all the time because she is so good. A lot of
my basics I’ve got from standing around listening to her lessons when she was tiny; heels
down, thumbs up and all that.
“The worst rider in the family is the one who has been all round the world sitting on horses.
But then I needed to improve the most!”
Martin’s new found passion horses was fuelled by a riding trip he took with his family when
he was filming an ITV1 drama in New Zealand a few years ago, The Man Who Lost his
Head. Chester was in the same livery stables as the family’s other horse and pony. It had
been suggested Chester would be ideal for Martin if he ever decided to take up riding
again.
“Going on that ride in New Zealand, the three of us, was a turning point for me. I knew I
wanted to ride again and I knew Emily and Philippa would love it. So when we finished the
ride we texted the stables in England telling them not to sell Chester.
“When I got back from New Zealand I started having lessons and riding out.The rest is
history. There was a lot of fear and apprehension when I started riding again though.
“After finishing filming a new series of Reggie Perrin for the BBC and this documentary, I
have loved just being at home with the family and all the animals this summer. I ride
Chester pretty much every day. I will keep having lessons.
“We are hoping to build a menage so I can get Chester in there to do some schooling and
do some jumps.”
The equine family also includes four miniature shetland ponies. They hope to breed from
one of them next year.
Martin’s exploration of man’s partnership with horses began in Italy shortly after filming
finished on the ITV1 drama series Doc Martin last summer.
“We filmed a Palio horse race in Asti, which is where they race round the streets bare
back. It was very exciting to watch; a real spectacle. There was a huge party and medieval
procession with everyone in costumes from the 21 districts in Asti. Each district has a
horse.”
Martin then travelled to South Dakota to ride with the Sioux Indians at the memorial for the
Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 and onto a ranch in Arizona to spend the day riding
with cowboys. He watched the national rodeo finals in Las Vegas.
“It is good to see naughty horses being cherished and prized. A good bucker makes a
fortune, and may be gets nine outings a year.”
Martin was then a guest at the world’s newest and most prestigious race course, Meydan
in Dubai. The landmark development was the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum. It opened to mark the 2010 Dubai World Cup, and attracts the best horses from
all over the world with its state of the art tracks.
“Seeing this incredible green oval of grass in the desert is amazing,” says Martin.
One of Martin’s favourite parts of the filming came in Abu Dhabi.
“They found an Arabian horse big enough to take me. I went off with this guy and spent six
or seven hours in the saddle, just going through the dunes. I was filmed talking to him as
we rode through the dunes. He trains horses to do incredible things without anyone on
their back; to run, rear up and land on a mark. The horse really worked for me and we got
on well.
“I had never seen those sand dunes and desert like that never mind ridden on them. I felt
safe riding and happy with this horse.
Martin admits to having mixed emotions when he recalls the extraordinary trip to Mongolia.
‘Mongolia was extraordinary on a lot of levels. it was great that Emily and Philippa were
with me and we all got to see it, and great for Emily as well who has come on a lot of very
luxurious holidays with us to see how the other half lives
“It is all very mixed up with Mary (our golden cocker spaniel)dying which happened when
we were away. That for the three of us that was a shocking thing and I still can’t hear the
word Mongolia or see any of the footage without thinking this was shot before we knew
and that after we knew.
“I got a call on my mobile with the news as we were wandering around a market when we
had an afternoon off filming. It was just devastating.
“But I have to remember that it was a mind blowing trip. The people were so kind and nice.
They knew what we were upset about even though they don’t keep dogs in the way we do.
at the end of filming they presented me with a horse. But of course we couldn’t bring back
with us.”
Back to filming in England and Martin got a taste of regal life as he took part in a rehearsal
for the queen’s procession for the State opening of Parliament.
The documentary follows the rehearsal for the for the pomp and ceremony of the state
occasion, which took place in the early hours of the morning through central London, with
empty horse drawn carriages to ensure the event would run smoothly on the day.
Just a few months later Martin donned top hat and tails to ride in the Queen’s procession
to the Royal Ascot race meeting.
“ I sat in one of the empty carriages for the rehearsal which took place in the dead of night,
and watched as a footman opened a carriage for the Queen to step in. But of course she
wasn’t there then. I never thought I would be travelling in the Queen’s procession for real,”
Martin says.
“I was a little overwhelmed by the day at Ascot Races as a guest of the Queen,” Martin
admits.
“My wife Philippa and I were invited to have lunch at Windsor and then watch the races.
We thought there would be hundreds of people and we would just mingle. But when we
arrived there were 22 people, and I sat just two seats away from the Queen.
“After lunch we were whisked by Rolls Royces to the horse drawn carriages to make the
eight mile journey through Windsor Great Park to Ascot where we watched the races from
the Royal box. It was an amazing, unforgettable day.”
Martin was less than comfortable when he dressed in suit of armour to see what it was like
to ride into battle at Warwick Castle.
“The armour didn’t really fit, and it was heavy. I didn’t really enjoy it. I liked it when I could
get off. I could hardly see through the mask. So I couldn’t see where I was going, but
neither could the horse. Fortunately we didn’t actually go into battle. We just rode to see
what it was like and how the weight of my armor and the horse’s armor affected the riding.”
The documentary follows the fortunes of the racehorse owned by Martin’s production
company Buffalo Pictures as it raced for the first time since recuperating from an injuury.
The cameras rolled as Martin cheered on Buffalo Stampede at Fontwell Races on a cold
and wet February day in Sussex. But no amount of cheering could change the result:
Buffalo Stampede came last.
Martin also went to a veterinary hospital in Glasgow to see a foal who had fractured her
leg, and had had a steel plate screwed into it while it healed. He was gowned up for the
operation to take the plate out. It was a poignant moment for everyone when the foal
came round and got straight up, albeit on very wobbly legs, watched by her proud mum.
Back home in Dorset Martin and his wife have been busy organising Buckham Fair, a
country fair with a pony and dog show on their farm, to raise funds for a Dorset children’s
hospice, Julia’s house, which will take place on August 22.
“We had about 2,000 visitors last year. This year everything is going to be bigger and
better; more food stalls and more dog events. We are keeping the funfair and beer tent
open into the evening.It is a tremendous event to organise.”
Martin returns to his ratings winning role in a new series of Doc Martin next year. In the
mean time he is working on two new documentaries for ITV1.
For further information please contact:
Naomi Phillipson
NJPRoductions
naomi.phillipson1@btinternet.com
07917 444524
01273 564409