Many children of the 60s and 70s will fondly remember the television series, The White Horses. Although the series was made in 1965 and featured only 13 episodes, it has gained an army of devoted followers over the years, with appreciation for the series never seeming to wane.
©Pixabay
The production
The White Horses was a joint production effort between RTV Ljubljana of Yugoslavia and Südwestfunk of Germany. The inspiration for the television series came from a book written by Vladimir Carin in 1962, entitled 'Ferien In Lipizza' (Holidays in Lipica). This became the title of the programme in Germany, while in Slovenia it was called 'Počitnice v Lipici'.
Initial broadcasting in Germany and Slovenia took place from 12 September 1966 until 27 February 1967, with each episode lasting 25 minutes. Following its success, the series hit British screens in 1968, where it was known as The White Horses.
A teatime favourite on BBC1, this black and white dubbed version would prove to be much loved by viewers and was regularly repeated over the years. Despite concerns that the dubbed soundtracks became lost as time went by, many of the old reel-to-reel tapes have since been found, much to the excitement of devoted fans.
The storyline
The White Horses tells the tale of a teenage girl called Julia (played by Helga Anders), who visits her Uncle Dimitri's stud farm in Belgrade during her summer holidays. Dimitri (played by Helmuth Schneider) breeds horses with the assistance of head groom Hugo (played by Franz Muxeneder). Each episode follows the adventures that take place on the stud farm and the interactions between the characters and the horses.
Popular scenes
The opening episode is one of the most popular and it demonstrates Julia's love for horses, in particular, a white stallion named Boris. When Boris is snatched from the stud farm by gypsies, Julia and Hugo embark on a mission to find him. Although the thieves dye Boris's white coat brown to disguise him, Julia and Hugo aren't fooled by this when they eventually find him. When Boris is returned to the stud farm, viewers get to glimpse the close bond that forms between Julia and the white stallion, which continues throughout the series.
Although Boris is the main horse attraction, he isn't the only stallion to get a leading role in the series. Another horse named Othello features and takes the limelight in episode 13 - House Arrest for Othello. During this episode, Uncle Dimitri comes down hard on Othello when he discovers the horse has been secretly eating sugary snacks, attempting to show the horse who's boss. Othello has other ideas and tosses Uncle Dimitri off him. Although injured, Uncle Dimitri makes peace with the sweet-toothed animal and manages to successfully win a horse riding competition.
The theme tune
Fans of The White Horses appreciate the simple yet endearing storylines that show a warm relationship between a young girl and horses, but it's the theme tune of the show that's also held with nostalgic reverence.
Although the original theme track was performed by Ivo Robić for German and Slovenian audiences, it was written by Ben Nisbet and Michael Carr and sung by Irish singer Jackie Lee for UK television. So popular was this British version that it reached the top 10 in the UK charts in April 1968, and has since been voted the best television theme in history by The Penguin Television Companion book. It has been covered many times since and has been used in television commercials.
The White Horses series shows the beautiful interactions between humans and horses, and has undoubtedly inspired many people to take to the saddle themselves. If you have a passion for horse riding, make sure you and your horse are fully kitted out. At Griggs Equestrian we stock a wide range of horse wear products and superior quality equestrian clothing for adults and children.