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.