Movie Spotlighting Mississippi College Horses Debuts at Madison Theater

Mississippi College horses and MC equestrian team riders are among the stars of a new movie making its March 18 premiere at a Madison theater.

The setting for the family-friendly film “A Gift Horse” is Providence Hill Farm, the MC equestrian team’s Central Mississippi headquarters.

Horse lovers are invited to enjoy a free screening at the Malco Grandview Cinema beginning at 7 p.m. that Wednesday evening.

The movie tells the story of a 10-year-old girl, Amanda, who struggles to cope after the death of her mother. Her close bond with her horse, Misty, played by Mississippi College’s own Hale Bopp, gives her renewed hope and inspiration during troubling times.

“Hale Bopp is our star, my favorite actor,” film producer Matt Keith said during filming at Providence Hill Farm in June. “Boppie” reacted on cue and the powerful white horse even displayed a “certain grunt” when scenes called for it, noted the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native.

Other stars in the film include actor John Schneider of TV’s “Dukes of Hazzard” fame and 11-year-old actress Kyla Kenedy of the AMC hit series “The Walking Dead.”

Hale Bopp was the first horse donated to Mississippi College in 2008 from a family in Charlottesville, Virginia as the Baptist-affiliated university launched its equestrian team.

Providence Hill Farm provided a perfect backdrop for the movie. A 20-minute drive from the Clinton campus, the 2,000-acre farm is home to a scenic lake, stables for three dozen horses, a cozy upstairs apartment, wooded areas for clay shooting, dining facilities and much more.

MC equestrian team leaders are eager to see the film’s debut in the Magnolia State.

“We are excited to see our team horses on the big screen,” says Tina Davey, the equestrian team coach and program director. “It was a great opportunity to have the movie filmed at Providence Hill Farm.”

MC student riders like Erica Reynolds and Erin Steffey took part in the production, too. There were plenty of extras involved, including student riders from Jackson Prep.

An administrator at the Christian university, Jim Turcotte joins movie patrons looking forward to the film’s Madison premiere.

The vice president for enrollment management and dean of services, Turcotte oversees the MC equestrian team, including other outdoor sports like clay shooting, bass fishing, and archery.

“A Gift Horse highlights the beautiful setting for our equestrian team and features one of our horses,” says the MC alumnus from Clinton. Tina Davey’s extraordinary skills as a coach and longtime rider proved invaluable to film crews on the set, he added.

“A Gift Horse” is the latest piece of positive news for a Mississippi College equestrian team that ranks among the finest collegiate squads in the South. Several leading MC equestrian riders are competing in the South’s zone competition March 28, and hope to punch their tickets to the national championships this spring.

BIC Media Solutions, the Mississippi College Equestrian Program and Providence Hill Farm are partnering to sponsor the movie’s screening in Madison.

For more information on the movie or the MC equestrian team, contact Tina Davey at cdavey@mc.edu