Cowboys & their Horses
Many riders did not own their own horses, but were rented from horse stables. That is why some riders have horses with the same name(s).
Alexander the Great : Bucephalus
Allen “Rocky” Lane (Voice of Mr. Ed [ Bamboo Harvester was registered name and was a 4 time winner of the Patsy Award aka: Animal Oscar. He was fed peanut butter to make his mouth move.]) Lane, as Red Ryder bought the originally named Thunder from Wild Bill Elliott who was renamed Black Jack. Lane also rode Mesquite, Feather and Banner.
Andrew Jackson : Truxton
Art Acord : in the “White Horseman” : Raven
Audie Murphy: Rebel in Whispering Smith: Joe Queen. Rode Tumbleweed in the movie Tumbleweed. Photographed with Flying John (white boots on forelegs) and raced Apache Agent to 1st place in Owner-Trainer Pony Race at Del Mar Turf Club on Sep. 8, 1963.
Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley in The Big Valley : Misty Girl
Ben Johnson : Bear, Country Gentleman (white face). Bingo (galloping stunt double) and Steel, both in Wagon Master. Steel was also ridden by John Wayne (Tall in the Saddle and The Conqueror), gregory Peck (Yellow Sky) and Randolph Scott (The Tall T). Ben Johnson was also on Steel, winning the World Champion Calf Roping Title at Pendleton, OR in 1949 in 12.5 sec. Ben Johnson as Sgt. Tyree in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon rode Laddie, played by country Gentleman who also played Smoky in The Wild Stallion.
Bill Boyd (singer) : Texas
Bill Cody : Chico, King
Bill Elliot as Red Ryder : Thunder
Bill Williams as Christopher “Kit” Carson in Adv. of Kit Carson : Apache, Buckskin.
Billy the Kid : Steward Moore, changed to Dandy Dick by Pat Garrett.
Billy Crystal in City Slickers : Beechnut
Bob Denver as Dusty in Dusty's Trail : Freckles
Bob Livingston one of the original Three Mesquiteers rode ???????????
Bob “Tumbleweed” Baker : Apache
Bob Steele : Brownie, Ginger, Rusty, Flambow, Boy, Zane, Sheik and Sacks
Bob Willis : Clover
Bobby Diamond as Joey Newton in “Fury” : Highland Dale
BONANZA Cartwrights
Lorne Greene as Ben : Dunny Waggoner, from Gunsmoke's James Arness
Michael Landon as Little Joe : Cochise, Paint
Dan Blocker as Hoss : Chub, Ginger Paiute
Pernell Roberts as Adam : Beauty, Sport
Brenden Frazier as Dudley DoRight : Horse (real name McFly)
Bruce Campbell as Brisco County Jr. : Comet (real name Copper)
Buck Jones : Cactus, was actually Jones' horse Silver (Doubles were White Eagle, sandy and two others)
Buck Benny: Cyclone
Buddy Roosevelt : Pardner, Tommy
Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) : Isham the white horse in the wild west shows. Charlie was his hunting horse who was buried in the Atlantic on the way back from Europe.
Burt Lancaster in the Scalphunters: Old Fooler, who also appeared in the Rounders.
Buster Crabbe (real name: Clarence Linden) : Falcon
Cameron Mitchell as Buck Cannon in High Chaparral : Rebel (aka: Prince)
HIGH CHAPARRAL
Henry Darrow as Manolito Montoya in High Chaparral : Diablo, Makado, Flax
Mark Slade as Blue Cannon in High Chaparral : Soapy
Cammie King in “Gone With the Wind” on pony: Mister Butler or Blackie??
Capt. Miles W. Keogh : Comanche, the only horse who survived the Little Big Horn, aka: Tonk
Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid (Disguise rode a white horse named Raider whose backup was El Granito. When out of disguise Starrett rode his brown horse, Bullet.
Charlton Heston : Domino. As El Cid: Doit. As Ben Hur: Altair, Rigel, Antares and Aldebaran.
THE RIFLEMAN:
Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain in the “Rifleman” : Razor
Johnny Crawford as Mark McCain in the “Rifleman”: Blueboy
Clark Gable : Steel
THE LONE RANGER:
Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger: Silver Chief, (Originally called Dusty until Silver Cup Bread took over as sponsor, renamed Silver). Two horses played Silver--the Clayton Moore hand-picked Tennessee Walking Horse White Cloud and the Morab half-Arabian/half-Saddlebred stallion Tarzen’s White Banner, renamed Hi-Yo Silver by the show's owner George Trendle. In 1952 “Hi-Yo Silver” became Silver #2 taking the place of Silver #1 in the television series while John Hart briefly stepped into the role of The Lone Ranger. Silver #2 was trained by the famous trainer and handler, Glenn Randall who also trained Roy Roger’s Trigger. Silver #2 had an opposite temperament from the first Silver being a high strung stallion who was quite skittish of camera sounds. The following year, Clayton Moore returned to take his place as the Lone Ranger and continued to use Silver #2 but Silver #1 would often return to fill the role when scenes required a calm and obedient horse. One such scene in which Silver #1 received the Animal Award of Excellence required Silver to drag The Lone Ranger to water. Silver #1 was used for fear that Silver #2 might shy from the camera sounds and step on Clayton. But for all his skittishness, Silver #2 was the horse that Clayton always toured with and used for publicity events. Silver's TV show stunt double with and used for publicity events. Silver's TV show stunt double Traveler eventually had a stint as the University of Southern California Trojan horse. Silver was horse ridden by Thomas Mitchell in “Gone With the Wind”. Clayton Moore was so popular with the public, His Hollywood Star is the only one to have his name and his character's name on it.
Jay Silverheels (Mohawk Indian) as Tonto in the “Lone Ranger”: Scout, White Feller and Paint. Scout was faster then any of the “Silvers” and Silverheels had to rein him in when they were running side by side. Hopalong Cassidy's horse also played Silver. Tonto used to refer to the Lone Ranger as “Kemo Sabe” which meant Faithful Friend, in Apache it meant White Shirt and in Navajo it meant Soggy Shrub.
Chuck Courtney as Dan Reid (Lone Ranger’s nephew) in The Lone Ranger: Victor-actual son of Silver, Tex
Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates in Rawhide : Midnight. In Bronco Billy : Buster
Clint Walker as Cheyenne Bodie in Cheyenne : Brandy
Dale Robertson as Jim Hardie in Tales of Wells Fargo : Fargo, Jubilee, Leo Jr., Hannibal
David Carradine in TV series “Shane” : Candy
Dick Foran : Smoke
Don Durant as Johnny Ringo : Bingo
Don Murray in These Thousand Hills : Sugar
Don Quixote de la Mancha : Rosinante
Don “Red” Barry : Cyclone
Doug McClure as Trampas in The Virginian : Buck
Duke of Wellington : Copenhagen
The Cisco Kid:
Duncan Reynaldo as Cisco Kid: Diablo had two backups. (Reynaldo was born in Romania)
Leo Carrillo as Pancho : Loco
Eddie Dean : Flash, War Paint, White Cloud and Copper
Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet (movie) : Pie
Elvis : Rising Sun
Eric Fleming as Gil Favor in Rawhide : Midnight
Errol Flynn in Charge of the Light Brigade : Onyx. Twenty five horses were killed during the charge due to the trip wires..Flynn was outraged and notified the papers, but nothing was done at the time, but eventually led to more humane treatment of horses and other animals in films.
Fred Thomson : Silver King
Forrest Tucker as Mr. Callahan in Dusty's Trails : Blarney
Fred Scott : White King aka: White Dust, White Flash
Gail Davis as Annie Oakley: Target. Daisy was the double. Little bro Tagg : Amigo Colt Pixie
Gary Cooper in the Westerner : Pete, Old Blue. In the Big Country: Steel. Buck
Gen. Phillip Sheridan : Rienzi, Winchester
Gene Autry: Champion, Champion Jr. and Little Champion. (Gene has FIVE stars on Hollywood Walk of Fame – Radio, Recording, Motion Pictures, TV, Live Theatre) Champion's hoof prints are in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Gene Barry as Bat Masterson : Stardust
George “Gabby” Hayes : Calico, Eddie, Blossom. (Hayes learned to ride when he was 40)
George Armstrong Custer : Vic (died at Little Big Horn), Dandy was with pack horses at the rear of supporting column. Custer could have taken three Gatling Guns with him, but thought the wagons too slow. His wife said he had cut off his long flowing locks before he went out for the last time, so most pictures of him at the Little Big Horn are incorrect.
George Houston as the Lone Rider : Shamrock
George O’Brien : Mike
George Washington : Nelson
Glenn Ford : Jelly
Gregory Peck in the Big Country : Old Thunder. In Duel in the Sun : Dice
Wild Bill Hickok:
Guy Madison as Wild Bill Hickok : Buckshot
Andy Devine as Jingles : swayback horse Joker
Guy Williams as Zorro (TV) : Tornado (black horse), Phantom (white horse, real name Dynamite). Daisey the mule was also a regular on the show.
Harry Carey : Sunny. Rode Jughead in Angel and the Badman.
Harry Carey Jr. : Billy
Harry Morgan as Col. Sherman Potter in “MASH” : Sophie
Hoot Gibson: (All Around Champion Cowboy: Pendleton Rodeo 1912) Mutt, Goldie
Hugh O’Brian as Wyatt Earp : Candy
Jack (Addison) Randall : Rusty
Jack Holt : Robin Hood
Jack Hoxie : Scout
Jack Luden : Pal
JackNicholson in Goin' South : Old Speed
Jack Perrin : Starlight
Jack Randall (Robert Livingston's brother) : Rusty
Gunsmoke:
James Arness as Marshall Dillon in Gunsmoke : Buck (aka: Dunny Waggoner)
Ken Curtis as Festus in “Gunsmoke” : Ruth or Rufus? (a mule)
James Brolin in Bad Jim, name of movie and Billy the Kid's horse in the movie.
James Drury as The Virginian : Joe D
James Garner as Bret Maverick : El Loaner and Ollie in the movie, along with Arthur, a burro.
James Stacy as Johnny Lancer in Lancer : Barranca
Jan Merlin as Lt. Cullen Kirby in Rough Riders : Joker
Jeanette Nolan as Dirty Sally Fergus in Dirty Sally : Worthless (mule)
Jesse James : Red Fox
Jim Bannon as Red Ryder : Thunder
Jimmy Stewart : Scar, Pie
Jimmy Wakely : Lucky (real name Tex), Sonny, Sunset
Jock Mahoney as the Range Rider : Champion aka: Wonder Horse of the West. Vintage
Joel McCrea : Outlaw, Dollar
John C. Fremont : Sacramento
John Payne as Vint Bonner in Restless Gun : Scar (real name John Henry)
John Smith as Slim Sherman in “Laramie”: Alamo (Had been John Wayne’s)
John Wayne: Jenny (Childhood), Duke in “Ride Him, Cowboy”, Banner, Steel (“Tall in the Saddle” and “Conquerer”), Cocaine a stunt horse, Dollor (sic) (True Grit), Handsome Boy, Zip Cochise (Appaloosa in “El Dorado”), Old Dollar and Dollar. (“Rooster Cogburn” and “The Shootist”)
Johnny Mack Brown: Scout, Reno changed to Rebel
Julia Roberts in “Runaway Bride” : High Tower. In Conspiracy Theory : Johnny (John Dancer)
Kelly Reno in the Black Stallion : Cas Ole and backup Fae Jur (along with two others)
Ken Maynard : Tarzan (had several backups), Maizie, Brownie, Rocky.
Kermit “Tex” Maynard Ken Maynard's younger brother. Trick riding champion at Pendleton Rodeo : Rocky
Kevin Costner in “Dances with Wolves” : Cisco (real name Plain Justin Bar)
Kirk Douglas in Lonely Are The Brave : Whiskey
Kit Carson : Apache
Lash La Rue : Black Diamond changed to Rush
Lee Majors as Heath in the Big Valley : Charger
Lee Martin First cowboy to appear on film in 1894. : Sunfish
Lee Marvin rode Smoky in Cat Ballou. Smoky was named best animal actor and won a Craven award that year
Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes in “Gone With the Wind”: Anacacho Rebel
Lori Martin in “National Velvet” (TV) : Blaze King
Lucy Lawless as Xena, Warrior Princess : Argo
Mark Slade as Blue Cannon in High Chaparral : Soapy
Mel Gibson in “Braveheart” : Traveler
Monte Hale : Lightnin’
Monte Montana : Rex (Many others) per phone call with Montana Jr.
Napoleon Bonaparte : Marengo
Neville Brand as Reese Bennett in “Laredo” : Cactus
Pancho Villa : Siete Leguas (Seven Leagues)
Paul Revere : Brown Betty
Peter Breck as Nick Barkley in the Big Valley : Coco
Peter Brown as Chad Cooper in “Laredo” : Amigo
Phantom, The : Hero
President William Henry Harrison : Old Whitey
Randolph Scott: Stardust and Palomino
Ray “Crash” Corrigan : Sultan
Raymond Hatton : Dinah (Mule)
Reb Russell : Rebel
Rex Allen: Koko
Richard Boone as Palladin : Rafter
Richard Dix : Dice
Richard Long as Jarrod Barkley in the Big Valley : Jingo
Richard Simmons as Sgt. Preston of the Yukon : Rex, Blackie. The dog was King.
Robert Conrad as James West : Shadow Trail
Robert Culp in Trackdown rode ???????????
Robert E. Lee : Traveler
Robert Fuller as Cooper Smith in “Wagon Train” : Gambler. As Jess Harper in Laramie: Traveler (named after Robert E. Lee’s horse). Hoot (his own horse)
Robert Horton in Man Called Shenandoah and as Flint McCullough in “Wagon Train” : Little Buck, Stormy Night
Robert Livingston : Shamrock
Rod Cameron : Knight
Rory Calhoun : Domino
Roy Rogers (Leonard Franklin Slye) : Trigger (registered name: Golden Cloud) and Trigger Jr. Trigger was also ridden by Olivia de Havilland in “Adventures of Robin Hood” after which Roy Rogers bought him. Dog: Bullet
Dale Evans : Pal (Palomino) in the movies, Buttermilk on TV.
Sara Lane as Elizabeth Grainger in the “Virginian” : Easter Ute (Appaloosa owned by James Drury). Joe D another Appaloosa on the show had a double by the name of Joe.
Sal Mineo as White Bull in “Tonka” : Tonka?
Santa Anna : Old Whip
Smiley Burnette: Ring Eye (aka: Black Eyed Nellie) The ring was painted on with paint.
Steve McQueen as Josh Randall in “Wanted: Dead or Alive” : Ringo
Sunset Carson : Cactus
Teddy Roosevelt rode Little Texas up San Juan Hill, Manitou
Tex Ritter : White Flash
Thomas Stonewall Jackson : Little Sorrel
Tim Considine and David Stollery as “Spin and Marty” : Skyrocket (real name Mr. Rick)
Tim Holt : Duke (White heart on forehead), Sheik, Lightning (palomino), Sun Dance, Steel (Face blaze and 3 white socks.
Tim McCoy : Starlight
Tom Keene : Rusty
Tom Mix : Old Blue – Tony the Wonder Horse, Tony Jr. Used the Palomino Comanche for parades. Kept at least 25 horses on his ranch.
Tom Tyler : Flashlight, Baron
Ulysses S. Grant : Cincinnati
Wally Wales (Hal Taliaferro) : Silver King
Whip Wilson : Silver Bullet, shortened to Bullet and then changed to Rocket
Wild Bill Elliott as Red Ryder : Thunder
Will Hutchins as Sugarfoot : Penny
Will Rogers when in Vaudeville : Teddy. For riding engagements: Comanche
William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy: Topper
William S. Hart : Fritz
William Shatner as Captain Kirk in “Star Trek: Generations” : I Prefer Montana, which he also rode in the Rose Parade as one of only three Grand Marshalls to ride a horse in the parade (the other two were Gene Autry and Ronald Reagan (the first time he was a GM).
Wyatt Earp when living in Tombstone : Dick Naylor
“Black Beauty” Movie : Docs Keepin’ Time; Highland Dale 1946, later named Fury for the TV series. Was also in Giant, Wild is the wind, Bonanza, Lassie, My Friend Flicka and Rin Tin Tin. Docs Keepin Time, a Quarter Horse played Black Beauty in the 1994 version and also played a rearing horse in the Busch Beer commercials, in a rock video and was the star of the television series, “The Black Stallion”, “Gulliver” in the film, The Horse Whisperer.
“Horse Whisperer” movie : High Tower, Pie and Rimroc. Pilgrim was the stunt horse.
“Thunderhead, Son of Flicka” : Thunderhead
“Unforgiven” movie : Rocket
From 1946 to 1968 Highland Dale had 27 acting credits in the movies and on TV, amongst which were: “Red Canyon” 1949, “Black Beauty” 1946, “The Great Dan Patch” 1949, “Black Eagle” 1948 and “Cattle Drive” 1951 and “Gypsy Colt” 1954.
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