Mario Luraschi

A wholehearted passion for the American Natives led him to the horse world. Undoubtedly naturally gifted, he quickly handles the horses with great ease and their schooling becomes another real passion. Pushed by an instinct, which rarely betrays him, he soon realizes that his life will be led at the full gallop of the horses and it is far from the classical equestrian paths that he'll start his career as a horse trainer and gain the fame that honours him today. Visiting stud farms and trainers' barns, he shows interest for all forms of equitation and horse breeds. To improve his knowledge, he studies under the great Spanish and Portuguese Masters. He sets off to discover the huge American land (he was one of the first ones, a few years later, to organize a massive import of American horses into France) and regularly meets with the famous French horsemen.

At the age of 20, Mario opens a riding club. He hosts many young horses and their training becomes his main activity. Always creatively motivated, he orients some friends towards Cossack trick riding. He creates a small company with them and starts providing attractions for horse shows. The public discovers then the "equestrian entertainment" which Mario made continuously more brilliant and more spectacular. Horses on the loose, ridden and driven are soon added to the vaulting tricks as well as all sorts of actions and stunts.

It doesn' t take long for the movie producers in search of equestrian actions to see in Mario a valid contributor. Directors call more and more on "specialists" and Mario is one of them!

In the early 70's the movie industry opens its doors to the Luraschi cavalry. Mario's stables offer simple walk-on horses, fully tacked horses for riders in costumes, actor's mounts and the pride of the stables: the stunt horses. From then on Mario dedicates his life to the cinema, without ignoring horse shows for all that.
Mixing an original use of the horse training with a taste for calculated risks, Mario has trained hundreds of horses, performed the most unbelievable actions and his cavalry benefits today of international renown. Talent, seriousness and efficiency conferred on Mario and his horses a place in the very first rank of the movie world. This indefinable "feeling" that enables him to obtain with an apparent ease the most incredible things from his horses has also brought him the highest esteem of the horse world where people sometimes envy the marvellous bond he establishes with his horses! He loves them passionately! Trainer at the stables, stuntman and equestrian technical advisor on the movie sets, director of equestrian entertainment, Mario has recently also stepped behind the camera as a second unit director and already counts some 10 films to his credit...

If one adds to the horseman a strong and endearing character, an undeniable charm and a faithful friendship, one can easily understand the strong relationships Mario has woven all along the years with many actors, producers and directors, with his collaborators and all those who, like him, love horses and great equestrian actions.