OUR DARK HORSE

A Documentary Feature Film

FILM SYNOPSIS

When ex-racehorse Kitty is pulled from the slaughter pipeline, she’s given a second chance by rescuer Susan Kayne at a sanctuary for misfit animals. Among gentle companions—cats, donkeys, and fellow discarded horses—Kitty begins to trust again and heal from her racing past. As unlikely friendships bloom, her story becomes one of resilience and renewal. But when her long-lost colt resurfaces in Oklahoma, bound once more for the track, Susan must confront the heartbreaking cycle that endangers horses after their final race and fight to prove their lives hold meaning far beyond the finish line.

THE PROBLEM

More than 20,000 foals are bred into the U.S. horse racing industry each year, though a racehorse’s career typically lasts only three to four years, with many retired after just two. While elite stallions can continue earning through breeding, sometimes worth millions per season, most horses face an uncertain future once their racing days are over.

The annual cost of caring for a horse exceeds $10,000, and those who are no longer profitable often enter the slaughter pipeline. At livestock auctions, kill buyers purchase these unwanted horses at a fraction of their value and transport them across the borders to Canada and Mexico. There, the animals are slaughtered for human consumption and zoo food.

According to a report by Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy, and Animals’ Angels, roughly 20,000 U.S. horses are sent to slaughter abroad every year. More than half are ex-racehorses, many arriving directly from the racetrack.

THE SOLUTION

What struck us most while making Our Dark Horse wasn’t the cruelty of the racing industry’s underbelly (though it’s impossible to ignore), but the quiet, everyday wonder of the horses themselves. Their capacity for connection, their gentleness, their ability to build community. The problem isn’t only what we take from them; it’s what we fail to see.

The film became a celebration of those unseen lives: the gentle nudge between pasture-mates, the protective instinct of a mother reunited with her foal, the unspoken language that passes between them in the stillness of dawn. Our Dark Horse doesn’t ask viewers to feel guilt. It invites them to feel awe.

Now is the moment to tell this story. With renewed national attention on the SAFE ACT (legislation that could finally ban the export of horses for slaughter), the need for awareness and empathy has never been greater. By revealing the emotional lives of these animals, our film aims to shift public perception and inspire action toward a more humane future. One where horses are valued not for what they can do for us, but simply for who they are.

Meet the Team

  • Grace Oathout

    DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

    Grace is a documentary filmmaker with an interest in exploring the symbols, stories, and questions that define what it means to be an American. She spent nine years at Tripod Media honing her skills in production and direction, where she developed and produced documentary shorts, features, and series.

  • Dominique Hessert Owens

    DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, PRODUCER

    Dominique is an Emmy-nominated cinematographer and producer known for her vérité-style and character-driven storytelling. She is best known for her work in Come See Me In The Good Light (Apple TV), Pamela, a love story (Netflix), State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith (Netflix), Good Night Oppy (Amazon).

  • Zosia Mamet

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Zosia is an actress and producer best known for HBO’s Girls and Max’s The Flight Attendant, and a lifelong horse lover and equestrian advocate who brings her passion for animal welfare to her work as an Executive Producer.

  • Ryan White & Jessica Hargrave

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

    Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave are a director and producer team specializing in documentary projects and founders of Tripod Media. Their projects have been Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning, as well as garnering the Directing Award at Sundance.

The Film’s Status

After three years of filming alongside Susan and following Kitty’s extraordinary journey, production on Our Dark Horse is now complete and the film has been fully edited. With the gamble of production behind us, we are now urgently raising the final $35,000 needed to finish post-production (color, sound and music) and bring the film into the world.

The project has already attracted exceptional creative partners. Zosia Mamet (Girls, The Flight Attendant) joins as Executive Producer, alongside Ryan White and Jessica Hargrave, the Oscar Nominated filmmaking team behind Come See Me In The Good Light. Together, this team brings creative vision, credibility, and momentum to a film with the power to reshape the way audiences see horses and themselves.

Our Dark Horse is poised to make a meaningful impact and reach wide audiences. Your contribution could be what brings this film across the finish line.

DONATE