Liam Neeson and the horse he’s working with on the set of the new Coen brothers film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs go way back.
The working actors recently got to catch up on set where Neeson says that the horse remembered him from a previous film.
“I play a traveling impresario. We filmed in New Mexico. The odd thing is the horse who pulls my wagon knew me,” the actor said at the New York Film Festival, according to Page Six.
Neeson didn’t directly name the movie set they met on but Den of Geeks came up with four movie horses that might know Liam Neeson:
- Horses from Rob Roy (1995)
- Shindler’s List (1993)
- Krull (1983)
- Ethan Frome (1993)
But Vulture suggests that it could be 2014’s A Million Ways to Die in the West or 2006’s Seraphim Falls.
“You won’t believe it. I’m saying this horse knew me. He actually remembered me from another Western we made a while back,” Neeson said. “I love animals. When we worked together before I took special care of him. I fed him treats. Gave him apples.”
While some publications are mocking Neeson for his kinship with the horse, Neeson knows that what he says is true.
“He whinnied when he saw me,” Neeson said. “And pawed the ground.”
Both Page Six, Vulture, and Den of Geek made snide comments regarding Neeson’s statements.
Joe.co even posted “an interview” with the horse that remembered Neeson.
However, science says that they are ignorant of the research regarding horse intelligence.
A study by the University of Rennes found that horses never forget their human friends.
The study found that horses can understand words and have excellent memories that allow them to recall human friends after periods of separation.
They can also remember complex problem-solving strategies for a decade or more.
Their bond with humans can likely be attributed to how horses act in the wild where they value horse relatives and friends.
They are also open to new non-threatening acquaintances.
“Horses maintain long-term bonds with several members of their family group, but they also interact temporarily with members of other groups when forming herds,” Ethologist Carol Sankey, who led the research, told NBC News.
“Equid social relationships are long-lasting and, in some cases, lifelong.”
Neeson actually grew up caring for horses on his aunt’s farm in County Armagh, according to Men’s Journal.
He also fought against New York City’s ban on horse-drawn carriages and advocated for the drivers hosting stable visits to show how these horses were cared for. Some criticized him for promoting animal cruelty.
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