[HairOfTheDog]

The horse was an Andalusian stallion named Demero. He has a story... a bit sad... his days are limited now, as all of ours are...

• Horse with Melanomas – Demero, the light grey Andalusian horse that plays Shadowfax, was purchased with a known diagnosis of melanoma. This is not uncommon in pale gray and white horses. The horse’s condition worsened toward the end of the shooting schedule. While the Production veterinarian was determining the appropriate treatment, a veterinarian from the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) examined the horse. MAF issued an “Instruction to Mitigate Suffering” and stated a recommended course of treatment. The Production veterinarian followed the recommendation. In May 2002, AHA arranged for an independent veterinarian to examine Demero. At that time, Production indicated that they had no intention of working Demero in the future due to the melanomas. The findings by the independent veterinarian were “generally consistent with the history and previous management of the case...The lack of pain or signs of irritation and general condition of Demero indicate that there is no welfare issue at present. Regular monitoring that Production has instituted is appropriate and should continue.”
  
  Upon completion of filming, the production company arranged for Demero to be retired where he will continue to receive the prescribed, on-going care. The horse will not be used in any additional filming for the completion of subsequent sequels. Demero has been confirmed to be alive and well cared for as of the date of this review.

That Excerpt was taken from here:

American Humane Association Movie Review... The Two Towers

I am an animal lover, so I was interested in the humane treatment report. As you can see, the film did not get an AHA endorsement that they could run in the credits. That is too bad. If you read the report, you can see that the reason is mostly political. Since the film was made in New Zealand, the AHA was not invited on set. The New Zealand Humane association was on set though. Beyond some quibbling over training methods and one horse that was lame and sent to slaughter (he should have been put down), their actual report is more positive than negative..

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

That is sad about Demero, I had not heard about the melanoma before.

[RMDupree]

Thanks for the info, Hair.

I knew that if anyone had the details on Shadowfax, it would be you.

So sorry to hear about the melanoma in Demero. I'm certain that he is retired in style and will be comfortable until his end. It's the least he deserves after such a fantastic performance. Why, he's more handsome than Haldir or Elrond! :)

[HairOfTheDog]

I love this description of Brego's training for the "Breath of Life" scene, from the AHA link above:

"In another sequence, Aragorn is found by his horse after being left for dead. The horse in this instance was trained to complete a very complex series of behaviors. The prep time for this was three weeks during which the trainer worked exclusively with one animal to get the horse to perform the sequence at liberty. This training and filming took place during re-shoots in 2002. The horse was required to walk up to the unconscious Aragon, nuzzle him, roll the actor over and lay down so that Aragon could grab its withers, be pulled up onto its back and carried off. The behaviors were taught in stages until one led seamlessly to another. The actor also took great effort to work with the horse for 10 days prior to shooting so that the lift off from the prone position could be a choreographed movement, comfortable for both the human and equine actors. This created great trust between the man and the animal. The actual hero horse also had to be partially trained for the close-up necessary as the horse nuzzles Aragon. Over six days were needed to get the frisky stallion to learn the gentle nuzzle. The remarkable result is the depiction of a human/animal bond that instills in the audience the sense that this intelligent animal is Aragon’s true companion, not just his horse."

Makes me [snif!]

I must go hug my horse now.

[Alylonee]

That's terrible. What a beautiful Horse. I have never heard of an Andalusian. What are they like? I do mostly Mountain riding, and our primary choice of horses are Quarter Horses, but that was when I was younger and I'm a little out of touch with the different breeds now.