1962. A 26-year-old bit-part actor lands his first leading role on a Broadway stage. Weekends found him slipping away from rehearsals to ride at a riding school in New Jersey. Sixty-two years later, Robert Redford would take with him the secret of a quiet love affair: that between an actor and his horses. And his favourite was not the one everyone assumes.
The Horse Whisperer (1998): The Pinnacle of an Obsession
To play Tom Booker in The Horse Whisperer, Robert Redford spent 18 months learning non-verbal communication with horses under the tutelage of Buck Brannaman, Montana’s authentic horse whisperer. He refused stunt doubles, rode every horse himself, and directed the film. Hightower, a Quarter Horse and his principal partner throughout filming, would become his companion for the next two decades.
Sundance Resort: 16,800 Acres for His Horses
In Utah, Redford had purchased a vast estate at the foot of Mount Timpanogos since the 1960s. He built the Sundance Resort there, but also stables that would eventually house up to 30 horses. The actor rode every morning, except in winter. Those close to him say he knew each horse by name, temperament and dietary preference. A rare attentiveness for a man whose Hollywood schedule was relentless.
Hightower: Not the Most Famous, But the Most Beloved
Many assumed his favourite horse was Pilgrim, the central character in The Horse Whisperer. They were wrong. Pilgrim was a film horse, ridden by several riders. Redford’s true favourite was Hightower, a golden sorrel Quarter Horse he rode for 22 years until the horse’s death in 2018. “Hightower understood my silences,” Redford confided to Outdoor Life in 2015. “He taught me patience.”
His Campaign for Equine Welfare
Redford turned down several roles where horses were placed at risk on set. He funded protection programmes for wild mustangs in Wyoming. He publicly criticised the American racing industry for its treatment of retired racehorses. “You don’t use a horse, you collaborate with one,” he would repeat to his younger actors.
Scarlett Johansson’s Tribute in 2024
Following his death in September 2024, Scarlett Johansson, who made her debut aged 13 in The Horse Whisperer, paid a deeply moving public tribute. “Bob taught me one thing: if a horse trusts you, you’ve earned your place in the world.” His Sundance ranch, now in his family’s hands, is home today to the descendants of the horses he cherished.
