Parents' Guide to

A Gift Horse

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Formulaic faith-based horse movie has heavy themes.

Movie NR 2015 92 minutes
A Gift Horse Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Sarafyna2010
Sarafyna2010 Adult
February 12, 2021
age 2+

Terrible film with bad examples

There was not a single good thing in this movie outside of the location being beautiful and it had horses. The acting was terrible, the way they handled the horses was actually dangerous. Not one person exhibited any actual skill at riding and the so called tough course? I was jumping 3 times that height and never got a "silver plate".. For the love of all that is holy, how leads a horse around by grabbing the side of the bridle?or even worst by a hand hooked through the bloody bit?! Do not show this video to kids as it encourages all the wrong things. And last but not least.., why did they let that girl off for almost hitting an innocent horse with a shovel... Wrong the heck away from this junky video

This title has:

Too much violence
heatherm8
heatherm8 Adult
September 5, 2015
age 12+

Wow

The only thing I csn say good about this movie is that it kinda sorta talked about prayer and God. This movie reiterated that it's okay to scream and be mean to people becuase you don't get what you want. That if you get caught about to physically hurt a horse, it's fine becuase you have a sob story about how much you hate your daddy paying for you to be able to ride. The riding was horrendous, unrealistic expectations of competitions and horse care. Dropping reins on the ground?! It was just very poorly done. Could have been so much better!! Acting was eh especially Abigails mother! Will not watch again.
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What's the Story?

Grieving the loss of her mother to cancer, Amanda (Kyla Kenedy) throws herself into caring for horses after school. There, she falls in love with Misty, a horse owned by local entrepreneur Mr. Canton (John Schneider) that needs a lot of work getting ready for the competition. But if Misty can't perform better, Amanda will have to endure yet another loss. Meanwhile, her father has a new girlfriend whom she struggles to accept.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (1):

A GIFT HORSE has some positive messages about faith, family, and hard work, and it takes a very thoughtful approach to giving kids the space to grieve a parent's loss. It's beautifully shot in a great countryside setting, but the heavy themes and sweeping score, as well as the wooden acting and sentimental dialogue, make for a pretty weighted, maudlin viewing experience.

There is a fairly formulaic story about the patience of getting a horse up to competition standards, so this film is best for horse lovers and Christian families looking to have the power of faith enforced.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how A Gift Horse portrays grief. Do you think it's realistic? Why, or why not?

  • What is the film's message about gratitude? What things are you grateful for, and why?

  • What part does religion play in the movie? How does it help the characters cope?

Movie Details

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