I'm talking about towards the end when Joseph gets a new horse right before the landrush and the horse won't listen to him and then he just goes -wham!- and punches the horse in the face. It seemed like the most random thing and it just seemed ridiculous and cruel. I can't believe the horse would just listen to Joseph after that. Does anyone know if a horse would do that in real life? and was it really necessary to the plot for him to do that?
shareI think the director watched 'Popeye'(1980) for his cues regarding belligerent, short-tempered Irishmen who pick fights at every turn and molest animals for comic relief.
shareIt must be Ron Howard's nod to Mongo punching the horse in Blazing Saddles.
shareAnyway it's the same move he does with all his "opponents".
He says he doesn't want to fight them then punches them by surprise.
And the horse doesn't do what he wants afterwards. He's still trying to throw him off when he gets back on and the horse won't stop when he wants it to either. The only thing Joseph can do with the horse is to steer it in the direction he wants to go.
shareA horse has to be taught the "whoa" thru training. The horse he was on was "green broke" & not finished w his training. Throw in the fact that you have a young horse that's going @ top speed, you can pull your arms off & the horse will "run through" the bit. Believe me, been there, done that. :)
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I'm from Oklahoma and half my family is ranchers or farmers and I can attest that yes, punching a horse in the nose can be a very effective way to get it to straighten up and listen to you. Much like giving a misbehaving child a spanking. Of course it doesn't always work with every horse in every situation, but it does work a lot of the time.
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