Horses have always been a prominent object in many movies symbolizing the invincibility of the spirit. These wonderful strong creatures show and prove that there’s no such thing as impossible. Their iron will and godlike power found the blinding flash of light even in the darkest times.
This article overviews some of the movies that tell stories of famous and unbreakable stallions, their life struggles, and similar to ElRoyale blackjack unexpected twists that come along their way.
Trigger
Trigger (July 4, 1934 — July 3, 1965) was a palomino horse that belonged to cowboy icon Roy Rogers and was ridden by him in American Western movies and was named ‘The Smartest Horse in the Movies.’ Even though the horse is famous as Trigger, not everyone knows that its original name was Golden Cloud. As Rogers’ horse was moving so quickly on the set, Smiley Burnette said, “Roy, you should call him Trigger,” so when the name caught on, the stallion’s rise to fame started. Roy discovered his equine co-star was almost as well-liked as him after the release of “Under Western Stars.” So Rogers set out to purchase the lovely palomino because he was a big Trigger fan as well and wanted the two of them to work on more motion pictures side by side.
Dollor
A cowboy is no cowboy without his horse. Dollor was an absolute legend of western movies, just as much as John Wayne was. Dick Webb Movie Productions owned the chestnut quarterhorse back in Dollor’s movie days. Wayne loved the horse so much that he gave him the name Dollor and created exclusive movie rights that forbade anyone else from riding him. The horse was also not to be sold until Wayne passed away.
Then, in two television productions, Dollor was ridden by John Forsythe in “Dynasty” and Robert Wagner in “Hart to Hart.” The International Rodeo Association bought the horse after that, and Terry Busch from Iowa bought him a few months later. Busch owned him for a year, and Dollor traveled 134 thousand miles across the northern United States to appear in shows. According to reports, Dollor lived to the ripe old age of 27. Then, sometime in 1995, it passed away and joined John Wayne in the great beyond.
Tony
Tony (1899, Los Angeles County, California, USA — October 12, 1942, Universal City, Los Angeles County, California, USA) was an equine movie star. Pat Chrisman, a well-known horseman, owned and trained him before selling him to Tom Mix for $600. Tony’s first appearance on the screen was in the movie “The Heart of Texas Ryan,” released back in 1917 because his mainstay mount, Old Blue, had an injury and couldn’t shoot. After the death of Old Blue in 1919, Tony became Mix’s main mount.
As Tony’s career unrolled, he earned the nickname “Tony the Wonder Horse” for a very good reason. Tony was an insane and fearless stuntman who could perform tricks, many of which would not even be allowed nowadays. For example, he could rescue Tom Mix from fire, untie his hands, open various gates, chase trains and jump from one cliff to another! That takes one hell of a horse talent, doesn’t it? Mix repeated these words many times; he said that Tony was unlike any other horse as he needed to show it a trick only once, and Tony remembered that for the rest of his life.
In total sum, Tom Mix and Tony collaborated on 181 films, the majority of which were silent but included some conversations later in their careers. Tony moved to Mix’s ranch at the age of 22 after injuring his hip while filming ‘Hidden Gold.’ Tom Mix’s good friend took care of Tony until 1942. By that time, being a 42-year-old horse completely infirmed and unable to eat, Tony was humanely chloroformed by a veterinarian on Tom Mix’s death day.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.