Ride a Wild Pony (1975)

Directed by Don Chaffey
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Walt Disney)

Sentimental tale set in turn-of-the-century Australia. Little Scotty lives in the bush and can't get to school. He's given a wild pony and patiently breaks him for the long ride to school. The horse turns up missing one day and after an exhaustive search he never finds him. Meanwhile, little rich girl Josie is crippled and needs a pony to get her around. They catch a wild pony and train it to pull her trap. Could it be the same missing pony? They both claim ownership, and a rather far-fetched trial ensues. The judge forces the pony to decide between the two kids, leading to some typical Disney-fied anthropomorphism. The ending teaches a lesson, but was otherwise unsatisfying. Good location shooting in the Australian outback.