Horse Illustrated Magazine

This is it. This is the year we’re all going to get in shape to be healthier, more effective equestrian athletes. But those first few steps into any new healthy lifestyle regimen are always the toughest, and no one knows this better than Vinnie the Dreamer, a Mini Horse in Sweden whose quest is to become a champion harness racing horse.

This video doesn’t have subtitles, but I think it’s safe to take away the message that everything is easier with a little help from your friends. Training is tough for Vinnie until his friend Ravi shows up, and they work together to achieve their goals. So find a training buddy, and make 2017 the year you become the fit athlete you always knew you were destined to be.

Vinnie the Dreamer is the central character in an advertising campaign for ATG, a Swedish gaming company that allows players to bet on Thoroughbred and harness racing in that country and returns profits to the equine industry. Vinnie’s story plays out over a series of ads that show his beginnings on a country farm and his journey to follow in his mother’s footsteps to become a great trotting horse, despite his diminutive stature (yes, he’s a Mini Horse born of a Standardbred, but he also talks, washes dishes, and works out in the gym so we’ll just suspend our disbelief in the name of entertainment.)

If your New Year’s resolution was to spend less time on the Internet, definitely do not go check out ATG’s YouTube account, which includes Vinnie’s saga along with several other side stories starring the Mini Horse and his friends. There are even some behind-the-scenes videos. Some of the episodes in the Vinnie series do have subtitles, in case your Swedish is a little rusty. Just make sure you get your barn chores done and squeeze in a workout before you start your binge-watching. And Happy New Year!

Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com