The Homesman (2014)

All horseback riders were stunt riders or experienced actors who were skilled at riding, mounting and dismounting. When teams of horses pulled wagons or carriages, the drivers were experienced and teams of horses were familiar with each other and accustomed to the pulling action. Whenever horses were seen tied to posts/fences, they were attached to lead ropes tied to posts.

In the scene where we see a cow and a horse in a barn near the corral, handlers brought the cow to the set and placed her into the stall. The cow was given grain to eat out of a feeding trough.

In the scene where the actress plows the fields with two mules, wranglers rehearsed the scene numerous times before filming.  The wranglers wanted to condition the mules to walking in a straight line and pulling the plow behind them. On action the actress spurred mules forward and they moved in a straight line.

In the scene where we see chickens grazing in the background, trainers spread feed on the ground before shooting so they would stay in place.

In the scenes where we see dead cows on a ranch and a dead pig on the table, production provided documentation for the taxidermy animals.

In the scene where a blacksmith is filing a horseshoe while the horse’s leg is being lifted by another blacksmith, the horse was accustomed to the action.

In the scene where we see an actor sitting on a horse with a noose around his neck, and the actress rides into the frame and cuts him down, a handler hooked up the mules and the horse to a wagon before the scene started shooting. The actress prepped driving the wagon prior to the scene.  One the day of filming, the actress got up on the wagon and at director’s cue, cut the noose around actor’s neck.
In the scene where the lead actor releases a horse and it rides away leading a group of Indians to chase it, the actor was prepped on how to lead the horse in a circle with a lead rope.

In the scene where two men fight and wrestle near a group of horses, the horses were kept at a safe distance from the action.

In a subsequent scene where we see a man and a woman riding the same horse, the horse was accustomed to having two people on his back.  

In the scene where the actress is slumped on the horse as if she’s passed out, then falls off the horse onto the ground, production filmed the actress slumped on the horse, then had a stunt woman fall off the horse.

When we see the actor on horseback cross the river, production carefully located a riverbank which was shallow, and easy for the horse to cross.

In the scene where the actor sets the hotel on fire then gets on his horse and rides off, production used non-toxic fire bars in the scene. The horse was never close enough to the fire.

In the scene where the actor rides onto a barge, as soon as the horse steps onto the barge, a trainer takes hold of his bridle and holds him in place. Trainers and the AHA rep checked the barge to make sure it was sturdy.