Both horses had been trained in pre-production to use their mouths to open the latch-type gate. The barbed wire that appears to be around the wooded fence posts was made of rubber. The trainer used hand signals to get him to jump the fence which was only one and one half feet high. It was experienced wranglers who rode the horses and roped the pony who was by then standing still by the fence. Pepper tracks Two Bits to a parked horse trailer and manages to pick the gate and free his little friend who jumps from the trailer just as it begins to pull away. The thieves lasso the pony to take him to market. Pepper escapes by jumping over a fence, but Two Bits is too short to make it over the obstacle. When Two Bits and Pepper are on the trail of the kidnappers, they encounter poachers on horseback who chase them down. The animal was on the table for just a few minutes and no sedation was used. Stage blood was used to give the effect of an actual operation. Several trainers and vets in surgical costumes were on hand to keep the animal in a comfortable position. The trainer was able to get the horse to lay down by gently lifting his front legs and leaning him onto the table which was padded. This scene was shot in an actual equine hospital. The animal is in surgery, wrapped in surgical drapes, surrounded by medical personnel and in the midst of the difficult operation. After the criminals are arrested, we see Two Bits at the Equine Medical Center being operated on for the removal of the bullet. In this scene, as in several other scenes, the pony merely laid down at his trainer’s commands. The appearance of a wound was created using stage blood. The pony is not seen being shot, but is seen lying on his side with a bullet wound in his chest. The car was moving very slowly when the pony appears on the bridge and was never close to the animal. To get the pony to rear up, the trainer used verbal and hand commands. We see the wounded pony lying down being stroked by Tyler. He inadvertently hits him and runs away just as the sheriff and his men appear on the scene. The frustrated criminal gets out of the car and fires a gun in the direction of Two Bits in order to make him move. Toward the end of the film, Two Bits stops the kidnappers on a bridge by rearing up in front of their car. The speed of the car was increased in post production. A special effects mirror was used on the vehicle to make it appear as though the car was very close to the horse, when in reality, the car was never closer than four feet from any animal. The horses were not actually present when the car crashed through the fence. The two horses were placed in the field by their trainers who used hand signals to get the horses to both stay in place and to react. This memory dream wakes Two Bits from his sleep. She and her little pony are grazing in a field when a drunken driver crashes through the fence and hits the mare. In one dream sequence, we see a flashback of the accident that killed the mother of Two Bits. Although the horses are seen talking to each other through the use of voice overs, no attempt was made to make the mouths of the horses move in synchronization with the dialogue. Horses are seen throughout the film along with background animals which include cows, pigs, an owl, a cat, a raccoon and an opossum. However, the thugs manage to burn down Katie's house and nearly kill Two Bits before they are brought to justice. We discover that Two Bits and Pepper are not only talking horses, but show great intelligence and bravery in saving the girls. What they did not plan on was that these two bright little girls have two smart horses as friends. When they find out that Katie's wealthy parents are traveling outside the country, they make a plan to kidnap her for a large ransom. As this is enfolding, two bumbling thugs with a record of kidnapping drive into town with mischief on their minds. In defiance, Tyler runs away to spend the night at Katie's house. Tyler's mom spots them and reprimands her daughter. Cleverly, the girls find a way through a tunnel that runs under the highway and proceed to take the horses into town. Mom remembers when a drunk driver drove off the road hitting and killing Two Bits' mother and she fears the ride into town would be too dangerous. Tyler and Katie want desperately to ride Two Bits and Pepper into town, but Tyler's mom is adamantly against it because they would have to cross the highway to get there. When kidnappers come to their small rural town, the horses become heroes and save the two girls from harm. She spends every day with her best friend, Katie, who gets to ride Pepper. Both horses are owned by Tyler who has a special love for Two Bits. Two Bits and Pepper is a family film about two nine year old girls, Tyler and Katie, who adore a pony named Two Bits and a horse named Pepper.
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