Warhorse: The Real Story

Told using rare archives, testimonies and the latest historical research, Warhorse begins with the mass call up of horses from every farm and country estate in the land.

Brough Scott evokes the world of Downton Abbey as he tells the tale of his aristocratic grandfather Jack Seely and his courageous horse Warrior who would become the most famous horse of the war. In a new era of mechanised trench warfare, the deep bond that developed between man and horse helped both survive the hell of the Somme and Passchendaele.

The finest hour of the cavalry came in spring 1918 when, led by Warrior, they broke through the German lines and helped win the war. But there was heartache for the horses when the war ended. 85,000 of the oldest were sold for horse meat. Half a million were sold to French farmers to help rebuild the countryside. Only 60,000 made it back to Britain. Six black horses that survived the war would pull the body of the unknown warrior to its last resting place in Westminster Abbey. But the most famous war horse of all to return in glory was Warrior. His story, like the million other British horses who served, should never be forgotten.