Duvall falls off his horse in preparing for Western

Robert Duvall fractured several ribs in a horse-riding accident while preparing for a new Western.

The 71-year-old actor fell off the horse on Monday while rehearsing for the film "Open Range," a publicist said Thursday.

Duvall was treated for his injuries and is recovering at home in Virginia, his publicist said.

Duvall, who won a best-actor Oscar for 1983's "Tender Mercies," has had a lot of experience around horses in other films.

He will next appear as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Civil War drama "Gods and Generals," and previously starred in the Westerns "True Grit," "Joe Kidd" and the TV miniseries "Lonesome Dove."