Movie/TV Cowboy Horses - The Wild West Movie/TV Cowboy Horses Movie/TV Cowboy Horses Buckshot - TV Wild Bill Hickok Wild Bill Hickok's horse in the 'Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok' TV show running from 1951-58. Guy Madison as Hickok rode Buckshot and Jingles rode Joker. Buttermilk - Dale Evans Horse Buttermilk (1941-1972) was a light buckskin Quarter Horse made famous in American Western films with his owner/rider, cowgirl star Dale Evans. The horse was ridden by Dale in a 1950s television series with her husband Roy Rogers who rode his Golden Palomino, "Trigger." Both horses were extremely popular and became a marketing success with cast iron and plastic replicas, lamps, and dozens of other products purchased by adults and children alike. After Buttermilk died in 1972, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California which has since been relocated to Branson, Missouri.

Champion - Gene Autry’s Horse Champion appeared with Gene Autry as his partner and sidekick throughout their legendary career in film, radio, and television. Pictured here is the Original Champion in Autry's 1939 "Home on the Prairie". Actually, there were three "official" Champions that performed in Autry films and several specialized horses, such as Little Champ, Lindy Champion, Touring Champion, and Champion Three. Other horses served as doubles for movie stunts and personal appearances. The Original Champion was sorrel-colored, had a blaze down his face and white stockings on all his legs except the right front. His first onscreen credit was for 1935's Melody Trail. He died while Autry was in military service. Champion was the only horse of a western film hero to have a TV series. “The Adventures of Champion” was produced by Autry's Flying A production company, and starred Barry Curtis as Ricky North, Jim Bannon as Uncle Sandy North, Francis McDonald as Will Calhoun, and Ewing Mitchell as Sheriff Powers. The program first aired on the CBS television network, and ran from September, 1955 through February, 1956.

There was also a Champion comic book (but Gene's horse wasn't the only one to have a comic series - Roy Rogers' Trigger also had a comic book run). Duke - John Wayne Duke is John Wayne's horse in the western, 'Ride Him, Cowboy' (1932). John Drury saves Duke, a wild horse accused of murder, and trains him. When he discovers that the real murderer, a badguy known as The Hawk, is the town's leading citizen, Drury arrested on a fraudulent charge. Loco and Diablo Pancho and the Cisco Kid's horses. Scout - Tonto’s Horse Tonto, who rode Scout the pinto horse, was the sidekick of The Lone Ranger, the popular Western character created by George W. Trendle (in collaboration with others). Tonto himself was created by writer Fran Striker for the original radio series which began in 1933; Tonto made his first appearance on the twelfth show (which aired on station WXYZ in February 25, 1933). Though he became as iconic as his friend, Tonto was originally created just so the Lone Ranger would have someone to talk to.

Throughout the radio run (which spanned twenty-one years), with only a few exceptions, Tonto was played by American actor John Todd. Over the years, Tonto's horses names were White Feller, Paint and Scout. Before September 1935 (on the radio series) Tonto rode double with the Lone Ranger. Silver - The Lone Ranger’s Horse Silver was the name of the hero's horse in the long-running radio, and later, television program The Lone Ranger. Silver was a magnificent white stallion, named after his being found near a silver mine also found by The Lone Ranger and his Indian sidekick, Tonto. (In a later, retcon version, The Ranger saved Silver from a raging buffalo and then adopted him.) Silver's exploits almost made him the equivalent of another character in the series, as he was extremely intelligent and well-trained (this could also be said of Tonto's mount, Scout). Silver won the Award for Excellence (Patsy) in 1957. This award is for animals who are outstanding actors in the television and motion picture industry. Target - TV Annie Oakley's horse Target was Annie Oakley's horse in the western adventure series 'Annie Oakley'.

Target was owned by sharpshooter and rancher, Annie Oakley (Gail Davis) who lived in the old west town of Diablo. She later owned a horse named Daisy. The two horses used to play the role of Target were rental horses from the Ace Hudkins Stables. Annie's younger brother Tagg (Jimmy Hawkins) rode the Amigo colt Pixie and Deputy Lofty Craig (Brad Johnson) rode Forest. Topper - Hopalong Cassidy's horse Topper, the Arabian white stallion with black ears was ridden by western cowboy star William Boyd when he starred in the 1930s Hopalong Cassidy movies and TV series based on the stories written by Clarence E. Mulford. Boyd purchased Topper in 1937 for the "Hoppy" movies. Topper is buried at the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas, California. The park is called S.O.P.H.I.E. (Save Our Pets' History in Eternity).

Trigger (1932-1965) - Roy Rogers’ Horse Trigger, a 15.3 hands golden Palomino stallion, was made famous in American Western films with his owner/rider, cowboy star Roy Rogers. The horse was ridden by Roy in many of his motion pictures and in Rogers' 1950s television series with his wife Dale Evans who rode Buttermilk. Trigger became the most famous horse in film entertainment, even having his own Dell comic book recounting his exploits. Trigger was bought by Roy in 1938 after he spotted him on the set of “The Adventures of Robin Hood” where he was being ridden by Olivia de Havilland. After Trigger died in 1965, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California. The museum has since been relocated to Branson, Missouri. Buckshot - TV Wild Bill Hickok Wild Bill Hickok's horse in the 'Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok' TV show running from 1951-58. Guy Madison as Hickok rode Buckshot and Jingles rode Joker.

Buttermilk - Dale Evans horse Buttermilk (1941-1972) was a light buckskin Quarter Horse made famous in American Western films with his owner/rider, cowgirl star Dale Evans. The horse was ridden by Dale in a 1950s television series with her husband Roy Rogers who rode his Golden Palomino, "Trigger." Both horses were extremely popular and became a marketing success with cast iron and plastic replicas, lamps, and dozens of other products purchased by adults and children alike. After Buttermilk died in 1972, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California which has since been relocated to Branson, Missouri. Champion - Gene Autry’s Horse Champion appeared with Gene Autry as his partner and sidekick throughout their legendary career in film, radio, and television. Pictured here is the Original Champion in Autry's 1939 "Home on the Prairie". Actually, there were three "official" Champions that performed in Autry films and several specialized horses, such as Little Champ, Lindy Champion, Touring Champion, and Champion Three.

Other horses served as doubles for movie stunts and personal appearances. The Original Champion was sorrel-colored, had a blaze down his face and white stockings on all his legs except the right front. His first onscreen credit was for 1935's Melody Trail. He died while Autry was in military service. Champion was the only horse of a western film hero to have a TV series. “The Adventures of Champion” was produced by Autry's Flying A production company, and starred Barry Curtis as Ricky North, Jim Bannon as Uncle Sandy North, Francis McDonald as Will Calhoun, and Ewing Mitchell as Sheriff Powers. The program first aired on the CBS television network, and ran from September, 1955 through February, 1956. There was also a Champion comic book (but Gene's horse wasn't the only one to have a comic series - Roy Rogers' Trigger also had a comic book run). Duke - John Wayne Duke is John Wayne's horse in the western, 'Ride Him, Cowboy' (1932). John Drury saves Duke, a wild horse accused of murder, and trains him.

When he discovers that the real murderer, a badguy known as The Hawk, is the town's leading citizen, Drury arrested on a fraudulent charge. Loco and Diablo Roy Rogers Trigger, along with dog Bullet, sold to Nebraska TV network at auction - CSMonitor.com Roy Rogers Trigger, along with dog Bullet, sold to Nebraska TV network at auction Roy Rogers Trigger, his faithful steed, along with his dog Bullet, were sold at auction this week to a Nebraska TV network that plans to air Roy Rogers fare this fall. By Associated Press Save for later Saved Gil Perez, right, a doorman at Christies auction house, wears an outfit and holds a guitar belonging to Roy Rogers as he stands alongside the preserved remains of Rogers' horse 'Trigger' and dog 'Bullet' at the New York auction house, July 9. AP Photo/Richard Drew View Caption of New York — After sitting stuffed and mounted for more than 40 years in a museum, Roy Rogers ' horse Trigger and dog Bullet will be TV stars once more. Rural cable network RFD-TV bought Bullet for $35,000 on Thursday and Trigger for $266,000 a day earlier at an auction in New York City .

RFD-TV owner Patrick Gottsch said the Omaha , Neb. -based network will begin airing old Roy Rogers movies on Saturdays starting November 6. The movie cowboy's son, Roy Jr., will introduce each film, as Trigger and Bullet stand in the background. Photos of the Day Photos of the day 02/08 Trigger and Bullet were part of a Christie's auction of items from the now-closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Mo . On Thursday, more than 1,000 items hit the auction block, including the Rogers family dining set, which sold at $11,875, triple the presale estimate; Trigger's flower-bedecked straw hat, which fetched $2,750, compared with the $500 to $1,000 estimate; and the hand-drawn music and lyrics to "Happy Trails," which sold for $27,500, compared with the estimate of $500. All sale prices include the buyer's premium of 25 percent for most items, or 20 percent for prices in excess of $50,000. The total sale realized $2.98 million, according to Christie's.

No items went unsold. Auctioneer Cathy Elkies said Rogers' silver Jeep Nellybelle was the most anticipated item up for auction, with an estimated sale price of between $20,000 and $30,000. Pam Weidel, a horse trainer from New Jersey , went home with Nellybelle for $116,500. She said she always felt a special attachment to Nellybelle when she watched Roy Rogers Westerns as a child. "I called all my cars that over the years. I'd say, 'C'mon Nellybelle,'" she said. Now that she has the real Nellybelle, Weidel says she's planning to keep it in the private museum of businessman John B. Haines IV, who is in the construction industry, in Pennsburg, Pa. Julie Ann Ream, the niece of another famous singing cowboy, Rex Allen , said she and others in the audience were nervous about where the pieces of the collection would end up. She said the crowd cheered when an item went to a collector they knew would put the item back in a museum for public viewing.

"A lot of it, you just don't know where it's going," she said. Trigger's new owner said he's heard from thousands of relieved Rogers fans. "Over the last 24 hours, I've received so many e-mails of thank you, just wonderful letters, saying 'Thank you for saving Trigger,'" Gottsch said. With a Western icon on the line, Gottsch said the auction was heart-pounding. RFD-TV CFO Steve Campione sat at Christie's auction hall Wednesday night while Gottsch yelled into Campione's headset from Omaha. "We almost lost Trigger at $200,000," Gottsch said. "Steve couldn't hear me, and I was yelling on the phone, 'Hit him! Hit him! Hit him!' and he was saying 'What?'" But they snagged the golden palomino after all. Gottsch said children will be able to come to RFD-TV's new headquarters in Omaha to visit the famous horse. The other two preserved horses up for sale, Rogers' wife Dale Evans ' steed, Buttermilk, and Trigger's body double, Trigger Jr., both went to private U.S.

buyers for $25,000 and $18,750. Elkies, the auctioneer, said it was the "most colorful, emotional and sentimental" sale she had experienced in her 20 years at Christie's. At the end of the auction, the audience broke out spontaneously in a rendition of the Roy Rogers theme song "Happy Trails." Related: Trigger - "The Smartest Horse in the Movies" Trigger "The Smartest Horse in the Movies" By Illustrations Soon after Roy Rogers signed a contract with Republic and before he began production of his first film, he started searching for a suitable horse to ride in his films. Back then, the ï¿½Bï¿½ cowboy stars all rode beautiful ï¿½leadï¿½ horses as compared to ordinary ï¿½castï¿½ horses. Republic sent out a casting call to the rental stables that provided horses to the movie companies. Roy tried out a couple of good horses but as soon as he got on a big golden palomino stallion sent over by the Hudkins Brothers Stable, he knew that he had found the horse he wanted and did not need to look any further.

In truth, it was a match made in heaven! While discussing a name for the horse, Smiley Burnett, Royï¿½s sidekick in his first two films, commented that the big horse was sure ï¿½quick on the trigger.ï¿½ Roy decided that would be a good name for him and that is how Trigger got his name. Smiley was right, Trigger was very fast; in fact he was the fastest horse on the lot. The beautiful golden horse was very athletic and could stop on a dime and give you nine cents change. He could cut and spin so fast that a less experienced rider could be left in mid air and yet his disposition was such that Roy could put three or four kids up on his back at the same time without any worry they would be injured. Royï¿½s eye for horses proved to be excellent. Trigger was without doubt the greatest horse ever to appear in motion pictures. Truly, he was ï¿½one-in-a-million,ï¿½ an exceptional animal that captured the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, all over the world. Trigger was a contemporary of Seabiscuit, and more recognized and popular than the great racehorse.

Trigger was four years old when Roy started using him in his films. He was born and raised on a small ranch near San Diego. Bing Crosby was reported to be a part-owner of the ranch. Originally named Golden Cloud, in honor of his owner and original trainer, Roy Cloud, he was the offspring of a palomino stud named Tarzan and a light chestnut half-Thoroughbred mare. He inherited the color from his sire, speed and sweet disposition of the mare. Prior to coming to Roy, he had been ridden by Olivia DeHavilland in the Errol Flynn film, The Adventures of Robin Hood. Over a period of almost 20 years, the original Trigger appeared in each of Royï¿½s 81 starring films at Republic and all 100 of Royï¿½s television episodes. This is a remarkable record unmatched by any other motion picture animal! Roy did have doubles for Trigger that were used in long shots and for some of the chase scenes. Making Western pictures can be very hard on horses as they may have to retake a scene several times to get it just right.

Each of Royï¿½s films featured one or more ï¿½running insertï¿½ close-ups with Roy and Trigger following the camera car at a high rate of speed, and when Roy leaned down, patted his neck and spoke to the big horse, he would accelerate, often faster than the camera car. In scenes where they were following the camera car in a fast riding close-up, it is obvious to any knowledgeable observer that they had a true unity and partnership unmatched by any other cowboy star and his horse. Roy eventually purchased Trigger from the Hudkins Brothers, for $2,500 on time payments. When Roy was not making films, he was touring the country making personal appearances. Royï¿½s fans demanded to see Trigger at these personal appearances. It quickly became obvious that Trigger could not keep up with the heavy schedule of movie making and traveling on personal appearance tours. So Roy purchased another horse, Little Trigger, a stocky Quarter-type palomino that looked a lot like Trigger except that he had four white stockings and was not quite as tall.

He was trained by Royï¿½s wrangler, Jimmy Griffin, and used primarily for personal appearances throughout the ï¿½40ï¿½s, although he does show up in some scenes of Royï¿½s movies from time to time, notably Donï¿½t Fence Me In, Heldorado, and especially Son of Paleface. He was given a starring role in Trigger Jr. (1950). Griffin left Roy to go to work in the better paying defense industry during World War II so Roy then hired a young cowboy and horse trainer from Nebraska, Glenn Randall, to take care of and help train his horses. Randall was perhaps the foremost horse trainer of all time and worked for Roy for many years. Roy spent a lot of time working with Randall to become the very best horseman he could possibly be. Over time, he became perhaps, the finest horseman of all of Hollywoodï¿½s leading men.

When William Witney, veteran Republic action director (he directed 27 of Rogers films) and noted horseman was asked, ï¿½Which of the cowboy stars was the best horseman?ï¿½ He replied without hesitation, ï¿½Roy Rogers.ï¿½ He went on to explain that good horsemanship is not in the seat or legs but in the hands. He said, ï¿½Roy had excellent soft hands.ï¿½ Glenn Randall stated that Trigger was very smart and a fast learner. He could learn tricks for bits written into the movies after being shown a time or two what was expected. Trigger was a star performer and became quite a ham. He quickly learned the movie business and when he heard the words, ï¿½Quiet on the set,ï¿½ he would perk up, sometimes from dozing in the sun, ears alert, waiting on his cue, ready to work. Likewise when he heard ï¿½cut,ï¿½ he would relax. He was fearless and had what horsemen call ï¿½a lot of heart.ï¿½ He would do stunts in the movies that other horses would balk at and refuse.

He had starring roles in three of Royï¿½s films, My Pal Trigger (1946), The Golden Stallion (1949) and Trigger Jr. (1950). Trigger even had his own series of Dell comics in the 1950ï¿½s. In the late 40ï¿½s, Roy bought a beautiful palomino Tennessee Walking Horse stallion that he named Trigger Jr. Randall taught this horse a full range of crowd-pleasing tricks and even taught him to dance. Roy used him occasionally in films and extensively in personal appearances throughout the 50ï¿½s and 60ï¿½s. Roy used Trigger Jr. as a stud and raised some good palomino foals on his Happy Trails Ranch in Oro Grande, CA. Randy Travis owned a grandson of Trigger Jr. and Triggerson, the performing horse Val Kilmer led onstage as a tribute to Roy during the Academy Awards show in March 1999, was a grandson of Trigger Jr. For a time, Roy used a whole herd of highly trained palomino horses owned and trained by Randall that Roy used in a circus type liberty horse act.

A liberty horse is one that works without bridle and reins - at liberty. Roy used this act in some of his personal appearances at rodeos and state fairs. The fact is that Roy owned and/or used many palomino horses throughout the years, some that he bought and some that he borrowed or bred and raised. To the casual fan and observer, they were all Trigger! Dale also had a beautiful palomino named Pal that she used in personal appearances around 1950. She used this horse in a pilot film that she made for television, Queen of the West. This show never aired because Roy made the decision to go into TV in 1951 and Dale joined him in the highly successful and long running Roy Rogers Show. She didnï¿½t use Pal in that show because he looked so much like Trigger, it was felt that the audience would get the two horses confused. Glenn found a nice buckskin Quarter Horse, Buttermilk, for Dale to use in the show. As a side note, Glenn earlier had looked at a beautiful chocolate colored horse with a white mane and tale for Dale to ride but determined that the horse was a little too spirited for her to handle comfortably.

When Rex Allen was looking for a horse, Glenn remembered the chocolate horse and told Rex about him. Rex bought the horse and he became Koko, billed as the ï¿½Miracle horse of the movies.ï¿½ For many years, Roy raised and trained Thoroughbred racehorses at his Happy Trails Ranch at Oro Grande, CA, near Victorville, and he always bred and raised a few good palomino foals each year. In October 1993, he sold at auction the last of his horses, which included grandsons, and granddaughters of Trigger Jr. Trigger, Trigger Jr., Buttermilk and Bullet, Royï¿½s wonder dog, have all been beautifully mounted and were on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, MO till it closed in December 2009. Also on display were Royï¿½s beautiful Bohlin silver mounted saddles and his unique plastic saddles along with his guns and many other items of interest including Nellybelle, the Jeep that Pat Brady, Royï¿½s comical sidekick drove in the Roy Rogers TV series.

Beginning at the High Noon Auction in January 2010, the entire contents of the museum including Trigger were sold in a series of auctions, culminating with Christiess auction on July 14 and 15, in New York. Trigger and Bullet were purchased by Patrick Gottsch, founder and President of RFD-TV, a cable network based in Nebraska. Illustrations (images will open in new window) Horses of Famous Western Movie Stars and Their Sidekicks | ReelRundown Horses of Famous Western Movie Stars and Their Sidekicks Horses of Famous Western Movie Stars and Their Sidekicks Updated on August 29, 2016 Joined: 4 years agoFollowers: 75Articles: 103 4 6 months ago ROY ROGERS' HORSE, TRIGGER Trigger first appeared in the film, The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938 starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland under the name, Golden Cloud. He was Miss de Havilland's horse in the film. Roy Rogers bought the Palomino stallion and renamed him Trigger. Trigger was never bred as many think. Therefore, Trigger, Jr. was not his descendant.

Roy rode Trigger in many of his films and in his television series. He is the most famous horse in film history. Trigger died in 1965.﻿ Advertisement BUCK JONES' HORSE, SILVER Silver made 73 films from 1922 until 1942 and was Buck Jones' horse in approximately 50 of those films. Buck died in a tragic fire along with 491 others in the 1942 Coconut Grove fire in Boston. A party was being hosted at the club for Jones.﻿ Advertisement Advertisement ALLEN ROCKY LANE'S HORSE, BLACK JACK Black Jack was originally called Thunder and was ridden by Will Bill Elliott when Elliott was making films as Red Ryder. Lane would take over the part played by Elliott with the same horse. When Lane became Rocky Lane, he bought the horse and renamed him Black Jack. They appeared in almost 100 films together.﻿ DALE EVANS' HORSE, BUTTERMILK Buttermilk lived from 1941 until 1972. He was a buckskin quarter horse and appeared with Dale in many of her films and throughout her television series.

Many sites on the internet list Dale's horse as Buttercup. Buttercup is a flower that will kill a horse if eaten.﻿ Advertisement Advertisement GENE AUTRY'S HORSE, CHAMPION Champion appeared in over 70 films with Gene from 1935 until 1953 as well as Gene's television series. Champion had his own television series following Gene's titled, The Adventures of Champion in 1955. However, there were three Champions. The first died in 1947. The third lived to be 42 and died in 1991.﻿ ﻿ REX ALLEN'S HORSE, KOKO Koko performed in over 30 films as Allen's horse and Rex took him with him to his ranch when he retired.

Koko lived from 1940-1967.﻿ PANCHO'S HORSE, LOCO Loco only appeared in just two films with Pancho in 1949 and 1950, but continued to be his horse in the television series, The Cisco Kid from 1950-1956.﻿ ﻿ LONE RANGER'S HORSE, SILVER Silver was in the only two films as the Lone Ranger's horse that can still be found. More were filmed on the back lots of Republic Pictures, but are not available. Silver would continue to be the Ranger's horse in the television series of the same name.﻿ LASH LaRUE'S HORSE, BLACK DIAMOND/RUSH I can not find the dates of the horse's birth, or death. However, I can tell you that LaRue's horse was Black Diamond and at a later date the name was changed to Rush.﻿ ﻿ JOHNNY MACK BROWN'S HORSES, SCOUT/RENO & REBEL Johnny started out on a white steed called Scout.

Later, he changed to a Palomino first named Reno and then changed to Rebel.﻿ SMILEY BURNETTE'S HORSE, RING EYE Smiley made over 62 films with Gene Autry. He left Gene to make 56 films with the Durango Kid and came back for Autry's final six films. He also spent time with Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson. His horse through all this went through three name changes; Black-eyed Nellie, Ring-eyed Nellie and finally just Ring Eye. TOM MIX'S HORSE, TONY Tony made his debut with Tom Mix in 1917 and they would make 181 films together. Tony did his own tricks and was referred to as, The Wonder Horse. Tony was the most famous horse in the world until Trigger came along. Tony was born in 1899 and died on October 12, 1942.﻿ TEX RITTER'S HORSE, WHITE FLASH White Flash appeared in 20 films with Tex. In Tex's later films, they used different white horses and still referred to them as White Flash, but the real White Flash was too old to play the part.

He was put to sleep in 1961.﻿ WILD BILL ELLIOTT'S HORSE, THUNDER Will Bill played Red Ryder in the 40's with his black horse, Thunder. Later, Allan Lane would ride the same horse when he took over the role of Red Ryder. Later, when Allen became Rocky Lane, he changed the horse's name to Black Jack.﻿ SUNSET CARSON' HORSE, CACTUS Cactus was actually Buck Jones' horse, Silver. Jones died in a tragic fire and Carson decided to change the name from Silver to Cactus. The two made dozens of films together in the 40's before Sunset was fired for showing up at the studio drunk with an under-aged girl. He would never gain back his popularity.﻿ BOB STEELE'S HORSE, BROWNIE Bob actually used dozens of horses of different colors. Brownie was just one of many. Others were Flambow, Boy, Shiek and Sacks. Brownie may have been his favorite. One can only guess.﻿ DURANGO KID'S HORSE, RAIDER When dressed in disguise as the Durango Kid, he rode a white horse named Raider.

When out of disguise as Charles Starrett his brown horse was Bullet. There were two horses playing Raider. One was the real Raider; the other was backup, El Granito. Raider made 20 films from 1940 to 1952.﻿ HOPALONG CASSIDY'S HORSE, TOPPER Hoppy's original horse, King Nappy was injured in 1939 and replaced by his double, Topper. Topper would be with Cassidy throughout his film and television career until 1954.﻿ WHIP WILSON'S HORSE, SILVER BULLET Whip's horse, Silver Bullet was later shortened to Bullet and then changed to Rocket because Roy Rogers had a dog in his films named Bullet. Whip and Bullet only lasted three years as a western film cowboy.﻿ GABBY HAYES'S HORSES Gabby didn't even learn to ride until age 40. In his films, he rode three horses including Calico pictured here, Eddie and Blossom. Gabby Hayes was the most famous sidekick in western film history.

Since he did not ride that much, his horses were never that famous.﻿ ANDY DEVINE'S HORSE, JOKER I never could find a photo of Andy on a horse in his western films and to tell you the truth, I don't remember ever seeing him on horseback in any of the films that I watched. This is a picture of his horse, Joker in the television series, Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. This article is about horses ridden by stars and sidekicks in the old B westerns, but since Andy was a major part of that genre, I could not leave him out.﻿ KEN MAYNARD'S HORSE, TARZAN There were as many as 4 backups for the real Tarzan who was a trick horse and called Wonder Horse by Ken. He worked with Ken during the 20's and 30's in films and into the 40's in a circus tour.﻿ ﻿ TIM HOLT'S HORSES Tim rode Duke prior to his entering the military. When he returned to pictures, he rode Shiek, Lightning, Steel and Sundance. The horses pictured here are Duke and below, Steel.

Advertisement CNN - Roy Rogers, 'King of the Cowboys,' dead at 86 - July 6, 1998 Roy Rogers, 'King of the Cowboys,' dead at 86 Web posted on: Monday, July 06, 1998 11:19:56 AM VICTORVILLE, California (CNN) -- Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys who appeared in more than 100 films and rode atop his trusty horse named Trigger in most of them, singing his theme song "Happy Trails," died Monday morning at the age of 86. The singing television and movie star passed away at his Apple Valley home after suffering from congestive heart failure, a statement from his publicist said. Funeral services are being planned. Following news of his death, the entertainment world tried to put in perspective what Rogers stood for in his films and TV shows, and in life. "He just seemed to be the ultimate good guy," film historian Leonard Maltin told CNN. "He was a good looking man, a good singer.

There was just something easy-going and likeable about him." RELATED VIDEO 56K Go West, young man Born Leonard Slye on November 5, 1911, in Ohio, Rogers worked on his family's farm until 1929. With the Great Depression sweeping the country, Rogers packed up a guitar that he bought for $20 and headed west for Hollywood. "You couldn't beg, borrow, or steal a job in 1931, 1932," Rogers once said. "It was really tough." But Rogers survived and thrived. He worked as a truck driver, peach picker and country singer. Forming a band called "Sons of the Pioneers," Rogers enjoyed moderate success, appearing on Los Angeles radio. His big break came in 1937 when he snuck onto the lot of Republic Pictures and landed a $75-a-week contract. "The funny part of it is, I say I must be where God wants me or I wouldn't be here," he said.

"I just got in the door and a hand fell over my shoulder." Rogers rode Trigger in all his films and on his television show Roy and Dale Rogers appeared in his first film, "Way Up Thar," in 1935. By the late '30s, he had changed his name to Rogers, was playing himself in each movie -- a singing cowboy in a white hat -- and would soon earn the nickname "King of the Cowboys," a title that, in the eyes of his fans, placed him above his friend and Hollywood cowboy rival Gene Autry. It was while making the 1944 film "The Cowboy and the Senorita" that Rogers met Dale Evans. They married three years later, 14 months after his first wife, Arlene, died. Evans became the reluctant queen to his cowboy empire. Through the 1940s and into the 1950s, Rogers career rode the crest of an incredible wave. For 12 straight years he was the No. 1 Western star at the box office in a magazine poll of theater operators. His television series, which ran from 1951 to 1957, and thereafter in reruns, had similar appeal.

Rogers with his wife, Dale Evans, who became known as the "Queen of the Cowboys" The Roy Rogers theme In films and on TV, Roy Rogers' style of entertainment followed his theme song, "Happy Trails." He played the good guy who would shoot the gun out of the villain's hand, rather than shooting and wounding the villain. "When I was a boy, our parents taught us that hitting below the belt was a cowardly thing," he once said. "I don't believe this kind of thing is 'entertainment' no matter how you look at it." In his films, Rogers was often accompanied by his trusty sidekick, bewhiskered George "Gabby" Hayes, and his dog Bullet. Evans often played the female lead. Rogers bought his first guitar for $20, left his parents' farm in Ohio and headed west Trigger happy And then there was Rogers' horse, Trigger, who reached heights of popularity paralleling that of his famous rider. Billed as "the smartest horse in the movies," Trigger often received billing over Evans.

"Cowboys weren't allowed to kiss girls in pictures, so one time I gave Dale a little peck on the forehead and we got a ton of letters to leave that mushy stuff out," Rogers recalled. "So I had to kiss Trigger instead." Trigger appeared in all the films and TV shows in which Rogers starred. When the horse died in 1965, at age 33, he was stuffed and remained a fixture at Roy and Dale's museum in Apple Valley. "So many people loved him through the years, that I just didn't have the heart to put him in the ground," Rogers said. At first, Evans tried to talk Rogers out of it. "I told him, 'OK, when you die I'm going to stuff you and put you on him," she said. Evans later had a change of heart and even had her own horse, Buttermilk, put on display. The golden years The couple spent their later years greeting fans at the museum and enjoying life with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In 1993 they were honored for their humanitarian efforts.

Rogers' rodeo grossed $425,000 on a tour of state fairs, and he estimated it cost $30,000 in 1960 just to answer his fan mail. "I'm an introvert at heart," Rogers once said. "And show business -- even though I've loved it so much -- has always been hard for me." It made him a millionaire, though. With his wholesome image and shrewd business sense, Rogers made a fortune, becoming second only to Walt Disney in souvenir sales and licensing -- everything from cap pistols to lunch boxes. Nearly 600 restaurants bear his name and have paid him a percentage of the profits. Rogers' estate was once valued at over $100 million. Rogers is survived by Evans; sons Roy Rogers Jr. and Tom Fox; daughters Cheryl Barnett, Linda Lou Johnson and Dodie Sailors; 15 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren. Correspondent Sherri Sylvester and Reuters contributed to this report. Message board: The Roy Rogers Show (TV Series 1951–1957) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title.

Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Double R Ranch featured "The King of the Cowboys" Roy, his "Smartest Horse in the Movies" Trigger, "Queen of the West" Dale, her horse Buttermilk, their dog Bullet, and even Pat's jeep, Nellybelle. Stars: A tyrannical Boston financier travels to Mineral City to confront his son, and inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a local jail break. 9.2 Jerry Hill is the star witness against the Collins outlaw gang. After Jerry is ambushed and almost killed, Roy has to make sure he keeps Jerry alive and well so he can testify against the gang. 8.1 A former police officer (House Peters, Jr.) who believes he has lost his nerve, teams up with Sheriff Roy to corral bandits attempting to recover buried holdup loot.

8.0 a list of 27 titles created 15 Jan 2013 a list of 43 titles created 02 Apr 2014 a list of 29 titles created 07 Apr 2015 a list of 33 titles created 7 months ago a list of 29 titles created 5 months ago Title: The Roy Rogers Show (1951–1957) 7.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. See more awards » Photos The adventures of the masked hero and his Native American partner. Stars: Jay Silverheels, Clayton Moore, John Hart Marshal Earp keeps the law, first in Kansas and later in Arizona, using his over-sized pistols and a variety of sidekicks. Most of the saga is based loosely on fact, with historical badguys...

See full summary » Stars: Hugh O'Brian, Jimmy Noel, Ethan Laidlaw After the Civil War, nomadic adventurer Cheyenne Bodie roamed the west looking for fights, women and bad guys to beat up. His job changed from episode to episode. Stars: Clint Walker, Clyde Howdy, Chuck Hicks Frontier hero Daniel Boone conducts surveys and expeditions around Boonesborough, running into both friendly and hostile Indians, just before and during the Revolutionary War. Stars: Fess Parker, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton The already legendary singing cowboy rode with his comic pal Pat from town to town bringing justice, song and his horse Champion to the old Southwest. Stars: Gene Autry, Champion, Pat Buttram Dressed-up dandy (derby and cane), gambler and lawman roams the West charming women and defending the unjustly accused. His primary weapon was his wit (and cane) rather than his gun. Stars: Gene Barry, Allison Hayes, Allen Jaffe Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts and Rocky Mountains. The first treks were led by gruff, ...

See full summary » Stars: Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson, Robert Horton Bret and Bart Maverick (and in later seasons, their English cousin, Beau) are well dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game. Poker (5 card draw) is ... See full summary » Stars: Jack Kelly, James Garner, Roger Moore Hopalong and his horse Topper catch bad guys with Red Connors for comic relief. Stars: William Boyd, Edgar Buchanan, Andy Clyde Mike Nelson is a Scuba Diver in the days when it was still very new. He works alone and the plot was always mostly carried through his voice over narrations. These gave the show a flavor of... See full summary » Stars: Lloyd Bridges, Ken Drake, Courtney Brown The adventures of a gentlemanly gunfighter for hire. Stars: Richard Boone, Kam Tong, Hal Needham Lawman is the story of Marshal Dan Troop of Laramie, Wyoming and his deputy Johnny McKay, an orphan Troop took under his wing. In the second season Lily Merrill opens The Birdcage Saloon ...

See full summary » Stars: John Russell, Peter Brown, Peggie Castle Edit Storyline The Double R Ranch featured "The King of the Cowboys" Roy, his "Smartest Horse in the Movies" Trigger, "Queen of the West" Dale, her horse Buttermilk, their dog Bullet, and even Pat's jeep, Nellybelle. Pat Brady 's horse was Phineas. See more » Quotes [title sequence] Announcer: "The Roy Rogers Show," starring Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys; Trigger, his golden palomino; and Dale Evans, Queen of the West; with Pat Brady, his comical sidekick; and Roy's wonder dog, Bullet. (United States) – See all my reviews WHEN WE HAD CBS with THE GENE AUTRY SHOW, the National Broadcasting Company answered with THE ROY ROGERS SHOW. It was as if the two friendly rivals were truly slugging it out; although not going toe to toe for their ratings, they still had to establish who was truly number one TV Cowboy.

WHEREAS THE "B" MOVIE fans were very familiar with this sort of series Western from studios like Republic*, Coluimbia, Monogram and Producers Releasing Corporation, no real beach head had been established on the newly created realm of Television. WELL THAT SURE didn't last very long as Flying A Productions (GENE AUTRY, ANNIE OAKLEY,RANGE RIDER) and Bar Double R produced the ROY ROGERS SHOW. Others, many others followed. AS FAR AS the Rogers production, there was far more continuity with more regular cast members. Roy and Dale Evans Mrs. Rogers in real life) always managed to get involved with whatever local hugs had planned for 'Mineral City' and vicinity. They were great help to somewhat laid-back and inept middle aged Sheriff, played by Harry Harvey. Then there was "Roy's comical sidekick", Pat Brady, thrown in for,. that's right, comic relief.

THE ONE THIG that always was a puzzlement to us as kids was that whereas Roy rode his palomino horse, Trigger and Miss Dale rode her mare, Buttermilk; why did Pat Brady drive a jeep with the name of "Nellie-belle?" After all, how could one have a Jeep, an automobile, in the Old West? THE ANSWER OF course is that THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, as were so many of the old "B" Western Sderies Poctures, was set in the modern, then contemporary times of the 1950s. WE ALSO WOULD like to make mention of one other regular cast member. That would be Bullet, Roy's faithful German Shepard puppy dog. ROY KNEW THAT he needed all the help ion his 'rivalry' with Gene. And, as any schoolboy knows, people just love dogs. NOTE: * Both men had worked at Republic and Roy had been a member of the Western Musical group, THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS when he arrived there. When Gene went to the Service in World War II, it was the former Leonard Sly ()Roy's birth name) who replaced him.

Upon his return, Gene established his own company, FLYING A PRODUCTIONS and struck a deal for release with Columbia. 3 of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Roy Rogers "A FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND" Trigger "SON OF PALEFACE" - YouTube Roy Rogers "A FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND" Trigger "SON OF PALEFACE" Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Dec 2, 2009 Roy Rogers sings "A Four-Legged Friend" while Trigger dances in the hilarious Bob Hope film, "The Son of Paleface". Category Keith Hunt - Breaking and Training Horses - Page twenty- five Breaking and Training Horses #1 One of the Greatest trainers of all Time! SALUTE TO GLENN RANDALL AND OTHER TRAINERS OF TRIGGER, LITTLE TRIGGER, TRIGGER Jr.

AND ALL HORSE TRAINERS ANYWHERE by Kowboy-Keith-Hunt Part One THE TRAINERS It is fitting that any noting of the THREE Triggers that Roy Rogers made famous, be given to Glenn Randall, who was primary THE trainer of those horses. I have read where Roy once said, "I have often wondered IF I would have made it in Hollywood WITHOUT Trigger." I think Roy was being very humble here. He was a gifted cowboy actor, superb horse rider, good looking, had a fine singing voice, one of the very best in the Country/Western field of music, a yodeller, and was the "founder" of the famous "Sons of the Pioneers" singing group. So, in my mind there is no doubt Roy Rogers would have made it in Hollywood, even without any of the Triggers. Yet, it must be remembered that he did have the Triggers, and they were wonderfully trained horses. We need to give credit where credit is due to the men, and one particular man who was behind the training of the three Triggers.

FIRST YEARS "A bus load of fans drove out once to where they were filming an episode and somebody asked Roy, 'To what do you attribute success?' Roy walked over to Trigger, and he took Glenn Randall's hand, and he said, 'These two right here' He attributed his success to Trigger and Glenn Randall Sr." - Bill Catching But before Glenn Randall came on the scene, we need to go back to the start. THE Trigger was born on a race horse breeding ranch party owned by Bing Crosby. The manager at that time, when Trigger was born was a man called Mr.Cloud. The horse we know today as Trigger, was registered under the name Golden Cloud, in the year 1934. If it was not Mr.Cloud himself, it was his staff who would have done the initial breaking and training of Trigger, before being sold to Hudkins Stables. Trigger was nearly three when registered, and you normally can start breaking in a horse after the age of two years. The Hudkins Stables bought Trigger to be part of their horses that they rented out to the movie industry. The staff that the Hudkins Stables had continued to train Trigger and groom him for the movies.

By the time 1938 rolled around and Roy was on the scene to be Republic's new singing cowboy, Trigger was in great shape for Roy and Republic to rent him in their cowboy movies. We need to recognize that the Hudkins staff did a super fine job with Trigger. As Roy as often said, when he tried Trigger out there was no need to look at or try out any of the other horses. Roy has said, he had a super reign on him, and could spin on a dime and give you 9 cents change. The actual names of the people who groomed and trained Trigger at Hudkins Stables have been lost to my knowledge. But they need to be remembered and honored for their part in training Trigger to be the horse he was when Roy Rogers chose him to be his horse in Roy's first leading star role in the classic "Under Western Stars" movie of 1938. ROY BECOMES A WESTERN STAR As time went on before, during, and after, his first years as a movie cowboy, he had built up a number of close friendships. The men in the "Sons of the Pioneers" western singing group were among them.

They had worked and lived on the road together for a few years before 1938. By 1940 he had a manager that would become a very close friend for the rest of their lives together - Art Rush. He was close to Pat Brady, who became his comical side-kick in the 1951 to 1957 TV series of "The Roy Rogers Show." And of course we cannot forget ol' Gabby Hayes. Roy said Gabby was like a father, a brother, and a friend, all in one. Roy had at least one other horse trainer before Glenn Randall came on the scene, but by about 1940/41 Glenn was hired to do the training of the horses either directly belonging to, or "rented" by Roy to do the movies or on the road appearance gigs. That trainer before Glenn Randall was a man by the name of Griffin. According to Republic director William Witney, Griffin was not only responsible for care and training of Trigger and Little Trigger, but he transported them wherever necessary. It is said by some that Griffin left Rogers' employ sometime in 1941 to work in the defense industry.

According to author David Rothel, Glenn Randall claimed to have started working with Trigger, replacing Jimmy Griffin, the same year. Glenn was to stay working with Roy Rogers for the next 24 years. Leo Pando interviewed Corky Randall when writing his book "An Illustrated History of Trigger" and Corky says he does not remember a Jimmy Griffin. According to Corky, Rogers was already in possession of Little Trigger when he started working with Glenn and needed the palomino trained for a forthcoming appearance at Madison Square Garden. Ah, all that would square with what I've told you about under "WHEN Roy bought Little Trigger." Griffin left sometime in 1941 and Glen Randall came on to continue training the horse. Roy ALREADY HAD little Trigger, by the time Glenn came to train for him. So indeed Roy could well have bought Little Trigger sometime in 1940, or early 1941, after Art Rush had become Roy's manager, and had started to get the cowboy film-star much more money than Republic was paying Roy. Hence when Glenn Randall came to replace Jimmy Griffin, Roy was already the owner of the palomino we now call Little Trigger.

It is that horse that became the travelling rodeo and show appearance horse in the main. See my posts under this section "Roy Buys Little Trigger" and "My Tribute to Little Trigger." Corky said that Roy was like a father to him, and lived with the Randall's for a while, around 1947, the exact year and length of time Roy spent with the Randall's he could no longer remember in specifics. I've never read where he could remember the specifics on that part of Roy's life. Yes, this was at the time when Roy lost his wife Arlene after she had given birth to Dusty. I think we can all understand he would have needed support in one way or another, finding himself a widower, with children to raise. By this time, Roy had entrusted Glenn with his horses, Little Trigger was being trained by Glenn from about 1941. THE Trigger of "Under Western Stars" fame, Roy bought in 1943, and Glenn had trained him to do some tricks. All in all Glenn was entrusted with a very important part of what was making Roy Rogers famous around the world in the middle and latter part of the 1940s.

Both Roy and Dale have publicly praised Glenn Randall as a superb horse trainer. On one of the "Happy Trails Theater" shows which was started in the 1980s, Roy and Dale mention how Glenn Randall was chosen to be the horse trainer for the epic movie "Ben-Hur" (1959). They tells us the story of how Charlton Heston wanted to actually do the stunt of driving in the chariot race. But Heston was concerned about maybe not winning the race (as he was supposed to do). Glenn told him, "You stay in the chariot, and the horses you are driving WILL win the race." As a horseman myself, you can bet your last dollar that Glenn had made sure the fastest horses were pulling the chariot Charlton Heston was driving. And Heston did stay in the four horse drawn chariot and so indeed did win the race. It is quite the chariot race, so sometime if you have not seen that movie Ben-Hur, then rent it and remember it was Glenn Randall who was the horse trainer. It was filmed in real-time, live and in person, and I've read it was done with limited effects.

No horses were injured or killed, which apparently was not the case with the "silent era" production of Ben-hur. It is a fact of history that the two men, Roy Rogers and Glenn Randall spent hours upon hours together with their horses as they travelled all over the USA and parts of Europe. It was a pretty common knowledge in the 40s and 50s that Glenn Randall was THE trainer of horses for Roy Rogers. What was maybe not common knowledge in those decades, was that Glenn Randall had and owned some of his own horses. Apparently Glenn owned Trigger look-alike "Pal" and the palomino "Liberty Horse Act" which was part of many shows of Roy Rogers. I have one performance of that horse act and it is indeed quite amazing what those horses were trained to do, voice and lunging whip trained. At the end of that show the horses are all standing with front legs up on the round raised platform that made up the circle the horses were doing their act inside. At a certain command or sign all the horses turn their head half way to the left (they were moving counter-clockwise), all at the exact split second, just the exact amount of turn, then stop.

It was precession like you have never seen, all turning their heads and stopping together as if robots set to the thousandths of a second. It was Randall who bought the buckskin Quarter horse that Dale would rename "Buttermilk" for the TV series from 1951 to 1957. That horse belonged to Randall till the end of the series and then he GAVE IT to Dale, according to Corky Randall. The two men worked together as a team for all those 24 years they were a team. Roy owned some of the horses, Glenn owned some of the horses. Roy owned a look-alike horse for Trigger called "California" and once lent the horse to Corky Randall during a college rodeo in San Francisco for a calf roping contest. And speaking of that, there is a great photo in one of the books I have showing Roy roping a calf from this very horse "California." Well, it was a different era back then, and people behind the scene like a Glenn Randall did not get any credits mentioned on screen in a movie. No screen credits for stuntmen, horse trainers, wagon or stage-coach drivers. That is surely not the case today.

I think every name of every person that had anything to do with the making of the movie is on the credit list today. Yet of course how many of us are faithful readers of "the credits" at the end of the movie. So Glenn Randall was the guy behind the scenes in the main back then, but now when all these fellows that had a large part in the making of Roy Rogers and Trigger are all dead, they now are rightly getting the credit spread abroad near and far, in articles such as you are now reading. ............... To be continued

Question: """Trigger"" was the name of the horse belonging to which film cowboy?"
Answer: Roy Rogers