Rubber shoes and dye jobs – facts about Bridgerton’s equine stars that’ll powder your wig

Photo credit: Netflix

It’s the lavish period drama that saw everyone hoofing it to Netflix for a dose of corsets and courtship. We delve behind the scenes with horse master Sam Dent for the scoop on Bridgerton’s most noble cast members

There’s no denying that Bridgerton’s a very horsey series – heaving bosoms and scandalous pamphlets aside, that is. The eight-part sensation transported us back to regency England and has been binged-watched by, well, pretty much everyone since its release on Christmas day – in fact, it’s broken TV records with over 82m household views and counting.

As well as exquisite gowns, elaborate fanning and several lessons in the impropriety of promenading unchaperoned, the series’ expansive cast of equine stars was a real feast for the eyes. But, when tasked with training horses, actors and managing up to 30 four-legged stars behind the scenes, how do you keep everything in order – and what goes awry? Sam Dent, daughter of renowned stunt co-ordinator Steve Dent, reveals all.

1. Looks can be deceiving

We love a gleaming grey at Team H&R – who doesn’t love a head-turning, eye-catching steed to call their own? But alas, they’re often pooh-poohed by producers for this very reason. But how to get round this when a quarter of your 80-strong team are as white as the driven snow? Sam has a simple solution. “You can dye any horse jet black,” she says. “In fact, two of our team of four light bay carriage horses in the series are actually greys – we’d just previously dyed a pair of our greys black and as it started to fade they matched our other pair.”

2. The Duke of Hastings learned to ride in just six weeks

When Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page) cantered onto our screens in episode one, his position and poise in the saddle had us all fooled. In reality, his straight back and flawless lower leg were a product of just six weeks’ intensive training. Sam recounts: “The actors would come to us three times a week and they all came on so quickly. Phoebe, who plays Daphne Bridgerton, had the additional challenge of learning side saddle but she was cantering by her second session. The aim is to get them comfortable and confident, so we took them all cantering around the fields. When it comes to filming, they’re all on their own with the horse, which is massive for them, but they absolutely smashed it.”

3. Rider malfunctions are a thing

When your actors’ riding experience is a matter of weeks in the making, mishaps are inevitable. Sam tells us: “There was one scene where the whole family were leaving Greenwich House in carriages and on horseback. A lot goes into each take and it takes a while to set everything up. Once we were ready to go everyone trotted off – except Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). Bless him! He was just sat there on our Friesian, Arthur, going ‘I can’t make him move!’while everyone else disappeared.”

4. Colin Bridgerton’s horse was the biggest troublemaker

Arthur’s horsey hijinks didn’t end there. As well has his feet-planting antics, he was also one to play with his food. “Arthur’s older than some of the others and his teeth aren’t what they used to be, meaning while the other horses munch on their haynets he gets a hay replacer in a slop bucket,” Sam says. “Obviously the horses have to be kept immaculate, but Arthur’s in the habit of picking up his bucket and chucking it around, covering his castmates in slop! He’s retired now, but still has a cheeky side.”

5. The horses wore rubber shoes

“You never know what kind of surface you’ll come across,” says Sam. “You can be on cobbles one minute, marble the next as we found at Hampton Court Palace, so rubber shoes give them amazing grip.” Clip-clopping must be added in post-production, then.

6. The carriages are authentic regency vehicles

Sam and her team don’t just supply horses – the have a tack room full of over 1,000 pieces of tack, armour and period carriages. “We have one of the largest collection of exquisite horse-drawn carriages in Europe, all overseen by our carriage master, Heydn Webb” she tells H&R. “Some of them are original 19^th century carriages. We also had to build two new ones just for the series due to the scale of the production.”

7. Horses on set could munch their way through four bales of hay per day

When the actors are horse-sized, so is the scale of the catering. “We obviously keep the horses well fed, they’ve always got haynets on the go,” says Sam. “They’re all so good on set and stand very quietly. We’re so lucky to have such a fantastic team of horses.”

Want to delve deeper into the world of horses on the silver screen? Follow @SteveDentStunts on social media and read more of our exclusive with Sam in April Horse&Rider, on sale 4^th March.