Hallmark & Horses

~ As lifelong horse lover and former rider, I am always up for a good horse-related movie. I'm also a devoted Hallmark movie fan, however they really need to hire a dedicated consultant when diving into the horse world. Three cases in point: 1) Taking the Reins - set in the show jumping world (although not at the elite level) the fault that I could not get past was the rider's hold on the reins that was so reminiscent of many beginners and certainly not the position that one would expect to see in a jumping class. Hands way too high and static. I suspect the actress was not a rider and had only rudimentry skills taught to her as it was obvious when the jumping started that there was someone else in the saddle. Close ups only, please. 2) Hats Off to Love - set in Lexington with a fictional Lexington Derby as the main event. There is a scene where the trainer of one of the horses entered (the eventual winner, of course) is leading the horse having apparently just come back from a training session. Sadly, the saddle on the horse is a standard jumping saddle and not a racing exercise saddle. Just a simple detail overlooked, that the casual viewer would never notice. 3) Kentucky Roses - the latest, set against the spectacle at Churchill Downs at Kentucky Derby time. Early in the movie, the main character and her trainer friend are at the Derby draw where the friend's horse draws post 17. Yet when raceday arrives and the horses hit the track in the post paraade, there are at most 10 horses on the track. Did the other 5-6-7 scratch? (Highly unlikely.) Just my observations and a hope that in the future there may be better attention payed to the details.