A Horse is a Horse

There is a saying in the entertainment industry that goes, "The hardest type of film to work on is one with animals or children." The reason for this is because kids and animals are, well, unpredictable-- Even when they are trained. (The animals... Not the kids.)

Toby is a wonderful 29-year-old thoroughbred that lives in Melville, NY. he first appeared in the film Joy & Hope, which is currently streaming on PureFlix. His latest silver screen appearance will be in a film entitled A Holiday Homecoming, which will be released on PureFlix later this year. Both of these films were produced by Gemelli Films Incorporated, a female-run production company based out of Brookhaven, New York.

Toby likes to be in the thick of things. He is a very particular, extremely nosy horse. Toby is most interested in the camera equipment, and demonstrates this by bothering the crew in the camera department. More often than not, he follows the Director of Photography, attempting to get a closer look at the camera. He even poses for the camera when he sees someone taking a photo or shooting a scene.

Other times, such as in this photo, he will try to get someone's attention to take his picture-- Which is exactly what he did in this photo. Toby is a ham. He has a "HEY, LOOK AT ME!!!" attitude whenever anyone pulls out their photo to snap a shot of their surroundings. It is surprising that Toby isn't already some sort of Tik Tok or other social media star.

Today, Toby lives a quiet, retired life at a private home on a large amount of property with a Tennessee Walker names Mr. Deeds as well as a miniature horse named Brody. Toby has the center stall (which he loves) in the barn, and free reign in in a large paddock. He does, however, prefer the left side of the paddock, separated by a metal guard from the side that leads into the backyard of the private home. The right side belongs to Mr. Deeds, who also has free reign throughout that side of the paddock. Toby shares his side of the paddock with little Brody.

Toby does have a little bit of anxiety, though, especially when he is removed from his side of the paddock. He has no problem letting everyone know that he isn't a happy camper, running and jumping around people, deliberately scaring them. Toby is a relatively large horse. When he rears up on his hind legs and whinnies, it is a pretty frightening sight to behold. He reminds everyone around him of exactly how powerful he is.

Even though Toby loves running around the paddock and even attempting to escape every now and again, he hasn't been ridden in years. He doesn't seem to enjoy being ridden anymore, but truly does love being around people. Toby is an old man, though he doesn't look it. He lived his life answering the demands and directions of humans. At this stage of his life, he knows that he can be in charge and has a wonderful caretaker to tend to his every need.

Toby is now "immortal," appearing in different films. In A Holiday Homecoming, the name of Toby's character is Jericho. He has quite a lot of screen time at the very end of the film. Toby didn’t have a name in Joy & Hope, but appeared in almost all of the scenes that were filmed at his home in Melville. The audience will be able to recognize him immediately, as he is the only horse that looks directly at the camera.