Famous Horses in Media

Mister Ed

admin August 20, 2025

Mister Ed is probably best remembered as the titular equine character in the television situation comedy of the same name, which was screened on CBS between 1961 and 1966. However, he first appeared in ‘The Talking Horse’, a short story written by Walter R. Brooks and published in ‘Liberty’, a weekly, general interest magazine, in 1937.

In the television series, Mister Ed was played by Bamboo Harvester, a palomino, half American Saddlebred., half Arabian gelding and voiced, in deep, rolling style, by Allan ‘Rocky’ Lane, formerly best known as the star of Western B-movies. Interestingly, both were uncredited, with Mister Ed played by “Himself”, according to the closing credits, and Lane simply cited as “an actor who prefers to remain nameless”.

Much of the comedy in the show derives from the fact that, while Mister Ed can talk, he only talks to the main human protagonist, Wilbur Post, played by Alan Young. Young was apparently recruited for the part at the behest of comedian George Burns, whose production company, McCadden Corporation, produced the show. Burns reportedly said, “Get Alan Young. He looks like the kind of guy a horse would talk to.”

Young was often asked how Mister Ed could be made to appear to be holding a conversation. Rather than reveal mundane production secrets, he made up a fanciful story about feeding the horse peanut butter and, to his credit, maitained his little white lie until decades later. In fact, producer-director Arthur Lubin initially used a piece of nylon thread to manipulate the horse’s lips, as he had in his earlier ‘Francis the Talking Mule’ series of films. Later, the horse learned to move his lips when touched on the hoof by his trainer, Les Hilton, and soon after to do as soon as Young stopped talking during a scene.

Flicka

admin August 20, 2025

Flicka is the title protagonist of the 1941 novel ‘My Friend Flicka’, written by Mary O’Hara, and the film adaptation of the same name, released by Twentieth Century Fox two years later. O’Hara based ‘My Friend Flicka’ from her own experience of running a ranch in Laramie County, Wyoming, where she moved with her second husband, Helge Sture-Vasa, in 1930. Indeed, she also wrote two popular sequels, ‘Thunderhead’ (1943), and ‘Green Grass of Wyoming’ (1946), during her time in Wyoming.

A classic coming-of-age tale set in the American Plains at around the turn of the twentieth century, ‘My Friend Flicka’ tells the story of Ken McLaughlin, the 10-year-old son of Wyoming ranchers Rob and Nell McLaughlin. A dreamy, distracted and hitherto underachieving boy, Ken is given the benefit of the doubt by his parents after failing the fifth grade at boarding school. In the hope of fostering reponsibility in the youngster, his father and mother agree, albeit reluctantly, to give him the chance of owning, raising and training a horse of his own, as he had always dreamed of doing.

To the initial displeasure of his father, Ken chooses a one-year-old, chestnut mustang filly, of partially wild descent, whom he names ‘Flicka’, from the Swedish for ‘girl’. The story explores the initial captivation of the boy by the power, speed and unruliness of his horse, his belief in her, and the loving bond that develops between them. Through that bond, Ken gains an understanding of responsibility, courage and determination and, in so doing, develops a deeper and more trusting relationship with his father.

Over eight decades after its original publication, ‘My Friend Flicka’ has stood the test of time. Although not specifically a children’s book, the story remains a firm favourite with horse lovers of all ages and deserves ranks alongside the likes of ‘Black Beauty’ and ‘National Velvet’ as classic horse tale.

Tornado

admin July 22, 2025

Don Diego Vega, or de la Vega, better known by his nom de guerre, ‘Zorro’, first appeared in the serialised story ‘The Curse of Capistrano’, written by prolific American author Johnston McCulley in 1919. At that stage, the noble, masked vigilante owned a magnificent, jet-black stallion, matching his signature costume, but his horse remained unnamed.

That story was adapted for the 1920 film ‘The Mark of Zorro’, co-written, produced by, and starring Douglas Fairbanks and released by United Artists, the company he had formed with his wife, Mary Pickford, David Griffith and Charlie Chaplin the previous year. The most famous incarnation of Zorro, though, is in the Walt Disney television series ‘Zorro’, which ran for 78 episodes on ABC between October 1957 and July 1959. Starring Guy Williams, real name Armando Catalano, as the master swordsman, horseman and marksman, the series introduces a horse named ‘Tornado’, pronounced, as in Spanish, with the short vowel sound of the letter ‘a’ in the second syllable. The same name has been preserved in many later adaptations of the story.

Aside from his colouration, which befits the dashing, secretive persona of Zorro, himself, not to mention helping the bandit to slip through the fingers of his enemies at night, Tornado is portrayed as loyal, intelligent and intuitive. The Zorro story is set primarily in South California, where he keeps Tornado at his family estate, or hacienda, albeit in a secret cave that is only accessible via a labyrinth of secret passages. Thus, when Diego de la Vega visits Monterey, on the Central Coast of California, as he does in the second season of the Disney television series, logistics dictated that he ride a different, white horse, called Phantom – given to him by a dying soldier – when transforming into his alter ego so far from home.

In the Disney series, Tornado was played by a registered Quarter Horse named Diamond Decorator, a jet-black gelding who began his career as a racehorse, and various doubles with their own strengths. All the horses were trained by Corky Randall, whose father, Glen, trained Roy Rogers’ Trigger.

Topper

admin July 22, 2025

Topper was a pure white Arabian stallion, owned and ridden by American actor William Boyd in most of the films in which he played the character Hopalong Cassidy. Boyd bought the horse as a two-year-old in 1937, shortly after his marriage to actress Grace Bradley, who reputedly chose the name because she was a fan of the comic fantasy fiction novels ‘Topper’ and ‘Topper Takes a Trip’, written by Thorne Smith.

In his early Hopalong Cassidy films, including the original ‘Hop-a-long Cassidy’, released by Paramount Pictures in 1935, Boyd was reliant on rental horses. However, Bradley said later, “He [Boyd] had a horse, but it was not what he wanted…” Indeed, Topper was originally acquired as a stunt double for another horse, King Nappy but, when that horse was injured, he was promoted to a starring role. Topper subsequently starred in the Hopalong Cassidy films produced by Paramount Pictures and United Artists and the television series ‘Hopalong Cassidy’, which ran on NBC from 1949 to 1952. Topper was trained, cared for and transported to public appearances by Mike Nimeth, who also appeared as a (originally uncredited) wrangler in several of the Hopalong Cassidy films.

It would be fair to say that the cinematic version of Hopalong Cassidy was a ‘watered-down’ version of the original character created by Clarence Mulford for serialised stories in dime magazines in 1904. Neverless, the combination of Hopalong Cassidy, who typically dressed completely, or almost completely, in black and Topper, his striking white steed, mde for an iconic pairing. Topper was renowned for this gentleness, obedience and patience, on and off the screen and, with Cassidy living by a strict code of honour, they became an aspirational pairing, too. In fact, they were the first Western stars to be celebrated on lunchboxes and other mass-produced merchandise. Topper died in January 1959 and was buried at the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas, California. Coincidentally, his former handler Mike Nimeth died from a heart attack three weeks later, prompting Boyd to retire the Hopalong Cassidy character. Boyd, himself, died in 1972 from compluactiosn related to Parkinson’s Disease and congestive heart failure.

Silver

admin July 22, 2025

Arguably the most famous horse in cinematic history, Silver was the magnificent white stallion who accompanied former Texas Ranger-turned-renegade-lawman, the Lone Ranger, in his adventures in the American Old West on radio, film and television and elsewhere. Tonto, the faithful Native American companion of The Lone Ranger, is credited with christening his horse ‘Silver’, simply because of the colour of his coat.

Silver was a mainstay of the original ‘The Lone Ranger’ radio series, which premiered in January 1933, ran for nearly 3,000 episodes and immortalised the battle cry, “Hi-yo, Silver, away!” However, perhaps the most memorable portrayal of Silver came in the television series, also titled ‘The Lone Ranger’, which aired for eight seasons, and 221 episodes, between 1949 and 1954. The Lone Ranger was played by Clayton Moore – in all bar the third season, when he was temporarily replaced by John Hart – and Jay Silverheels, real name Harold Jay Smith, played Tonto. Moore and Silverheels later starred in two feature films, ‘The Lone Ranger’ in 1956 and ‘The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold’ in 1958.

In the television, Silver was initially played by White Cloud, an imposing, but calm, Morab/Tennessee Walking Horse cross, who stood 17 hands high. Later, White Cloud was joined in the cast by a younger, excitable Morab/American Saddlebred, originally named Tarzen’s White Banner, but officially renamed ‘Hi-Yo Silver’. On the set, they became known as ‘Silver No. 1’ and ‘Silver No. 2’, with the former employed in scenes demanding maximum concentration and obedience, for the safety of all concerned, and the latter employed in less tricky scenes, just as galloping, and for publicity events. Professional horse trainer Glenn Randall, who also trained Trigger for Roy Rogers and Champion for Gene Autry, trained by horses.

Viewers remained blissfully unaware that they were, in fact, watching two different horses. Renowned for his striking looks, grace, speed and intelligence, Silver became as much an American cultural icon as the ‘Masked Man’ himself. Largely retired after the original run of the television series in 1954, White Cloud, a.k.a. Silver No. 1, spent the rest of his life at the Hudkins Brothers’ Ranch in North Hollywood, California, where he died, aged 22 or thereabouts, in 1959.