Carl Hester is one of the greatest British dressage riders of all time, with his biggest accomplishment coming when he helped the Great Britain Dressage team to gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The 58-year-old has done a lot for the sport in the country, and now he’s set to get his own biopic. This dramatized offering could help to get more people into dressage and keep the sport alive in the modern age.
Horses Have Become Hugely Popular in Entertainment
The upcoming Carl Hester biopic is just one of many horse-related offerings in the entertainment market, and there’s clearly a lot of interest in equestrian themes. The iGaming industry is a great gauge of what’s hot in popular culture, and there are various horse racing casino games to choose from there. These include titles like Big Bass Return to the Races, Big Racing, and Ruby Walsh: Champions Gold.
There have been numerous horse-themed titles on streaming services in the last few years, with Rivals attracting a lot of interest on Disney+. It follows the competitive world of polo and high society in the 1980s, and is set to get a second season in 2026. There are also various documentaries to choose from, such as Race for the Crown on Netflix. The series was made by the same team as Drive to Survive, and took viewers behind the scenes to see what goes on at major horse racing events.
What Do We Know About the Film?
Many people describe Hester as the greatest equestrian of all time, and most certainly the one worthy of getting the Hollywood treatment with a biopic. He was the youngest British rider to compete in the Olympic Games, and his career since then has included many outstanding achievements.
The biopic will be called Stride, and will detail Hester’s early days with horses through to some of his career highlights. The offering is likely to make dressage more accessible to modern viewers, as they get to see how Hester became such a force in the sport through years of time spent with horses. There’s also a strong chance that the picture will explore some of the rider’s romantic entanglements to give viewers some additional enjoyment alongside the horses.
What Other Great Equestrian Biopics Are There?
The Hester biopic will join various other equestrian biopics that have enjoyed success in the past. One of the best examples of a successful horse-themed film is Seabiscuit, which was about an undersized racehorse that rose to prominence during the Great Depression.
There was also Secretariat, which detailed the true story of the 1973 Triple Crown winner and its owner, Penny Chenery. These films show that there’s a widespread interest in seeing great horse-themed stories on the big screen, and Stride is likely to be a welcome addition to these.
There’s no official release date for the Hester biopic, but it is on the way. Along with telling a story of one of the UK’s greatest sporting legends, the film could also help to get more people into dressage.
