Novelas and...Horses?

Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

If the title to this blog seems a little weird, let me explain. 

Today, as I started watching reruns of Niña Amada Mia (2003) on TeleFutura, I realized that not only are novela writers infatuated with including horse-racing and horse-breeding as part of their plots, but audiences love horse on-screen as well. 

Assuming that morning reruns on TeleFutura are chosen on the basis of their popularity the first time they were aired, we can assume that Hispanic audiences do actually enjoy seeing wealthy people on-screen who own horses. After all, this is not the first time that a novela like this is aired on a Hispanic network.About 14 years ago Univision aired a Venezuelan production called Quirpa de Tres Mujeres (1996). "Quirpa" was the same exact story as Niña Amada Mia, except 7 years earlier and a Venezuelan cast. Thus, in both productions we watch as the protagonists--the three daughters of an important horse owner--deal with impossible love scenarios and the daily struggles of associated with being part of a horse-breeding family. 

If you're keeping count, so far we have seen two novelas somehow focused on horses.But wait,  there's more. A couple of years ago, Univision showed Niña Amada Mia for the second time. It is now 2010 and we are watching it again--a third time. 

More recently, Telemundo has also caught on with the horse love-fest in El Fantasma de Elena (2010). Not only are the protagonists, Elena Lafe and Eduardo Giron, competitive equestrians, but their families are in the horse-breeding business. Horses have become such an important part of the plot that, in a relatively recent episode, Eduardo brought the horses into the living room to take revenge for Elena's harsh behavior.

As I reflect on why horses would be included in novelas as often as they are, I figured that two potential reasons could explain this phenomenon: The first is that audiences enjoy horses (and the rural setting, for that matter) because of its potential familiarity. We must keep in mind that some--not all--Hispanic immigrants to America came from rural backgrounds. Watching the horses and the rural setting on-screen may bring back memories from their past. The second is that audiences may enjoy seeing the wealth and power associated with characters who belong to the horse-breeding elite.

Whatever it is, the truth of the matter is that horses are on-screen quite often! Do you have another idea as to why this might be so?