Black Beauty is, of course, the titular equine character of the classic children’s novel ‘Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse’, written by Anna Sewell and published in 1877. Narrated in the first person, the book chronicles the life of the horse, through goods times and bad, and pulls no punches when it comes to portraying the suffering caused by the human mistreatment of horses in Victorian England. Although nowadays considered a children’s book, ‘Black Beauty’ was enthusiastically adopted by animal welfare organisations and was instrumental in the abolition of some of the cruel practices of the day.
One of the most famous horses in history, Bucephalus was the favourite horse and beloved companion of Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great. Supposedly untameable, Bucephalus was nonetheless tamed by Alexander, still in his pre-teenage years, and went on to become his loyal friend, as well as a key figure in his military conquests. Indeed, with Bucephalus at his side, Alexander was undefeated in battle and created one of the largest empires in history, conquering vast territories from Greece to Egypt. The city of Alexandria Bucephalus, or Bucephala, in Punjab, founded by Alexander, was named in honour of his horse.
Named by the late Queen Elizabeth II as her favourite horse, Burmese was a half Thoroughbred, half Hanoverian mare gifted to Her Majesty by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1969. Burmese went on to carry the Queen in the ‘Trooping the Colour’ parade for 18 consecutive years, including 1981, the year in which Marcus Sarjeant fired six blank shots with a replica revolver as the Queen rode down the Mall. Burmese was retired in 1986 and, following her death four years later, was buried at Windsor Castle.
Comanche was the horse ridden by Captain Myles Keogh of the Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of Little Big Horn in what was, at the time, Montana Territory, in 1876. He was originally thought to be the only United States survivor of what became known as ‘Custer’s Last Stand’, in which five companies under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer were killed. Other horses did survive, but Comanche was the only one found at the site of the battle, badly injured, two days later. He was slowly nursed back to health, but was retired two years later and would never be ridden again, by order of Colonel Samuel Sturgis.
Flicka, whose name is Swedish for ‘Girl’, is the titular protagonist of the classic, coming-of-age novel ‘My Friend Flicka’, written by Mary O’Hara and published in 1941. A one-year-old, chestnut mustang filly, she becomes the charge Ken McLaughlin, the 10-year-old son of Wyoming ranchers Rob and Nell McLaughlin, fulfilling a dream for the youngster. Set against the background of the American Plains, the story explores themes of responsibility, courage, determination and trust.
Mister Ed first appeared in the short story ‘The Talking Horse’, written by Walter R. Brooks and published in 1937, but is best known from the television series ‘Mister Ed’, which was screened on CBS in the sixties. Played by a palomino, half American Saddlebred., half Arabian gelding actually called Bamboo Harvester and voiced by former Western B-movie star Allan ‘Rocky’ Lane, Mister Ed talks to his owner, Wilbur Post, played by Alan Young, but to nobody else, with inevitably comedic results.
Better known as ‘Misty of Chincoteague’, from the title of the 1947 children’s novel written by Marguerite Henry, which she inspired, Misty was, in fact, a real-life Chincoteague pony, foaled on Chincoteague Island, Virginia on July 20, 1946. Later that year, Henry bought her and took her home to Wayne Island, Illinois where, after the fictional account of her lifestory became a bestseller,
Misty became a celebrity. After over a decade of public appearances, retired back to Chincoteague Island in 1957 and died there, of natural causes in 1972.
An icon of Greek mythology, and a prominent figure in art and literature ever since, Pegasus is the immortal, white, winged stallion, who springs from the blood of the Gorgon, Medusa, when she is slain by Perseus. Subsequently tamed by Bellerophon, whose quests include fighting, and slaying, the monstrous Chimera, Pegasus eventually completes a flight to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods, where Zeus, the chief Greek deity, uses him to carry his thunderbolts. After years of faithful service, Zeus honours Pegasus by transforming him into a constellation.
In the heyday of the ‘Lone Ranger’ – the television series was originally screend on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) network between 1949 and 1954 – the catchphrase “Hi-Ho, Silver, Away!” became a popular refrain in playgrounds. The ‘Silver’ in question was, of course, the iconic, white stallion ridden by the ‘Masked Man’ and so-named because Tonto, his Native American companion, once remarked that his coat resembled the precious metal. In the series, Silver was played by White Cloud, a half Morab, half Tennessee Walking Horse stallion, who stood an imposing 17 hands high, but was renowned for his calm, gentle nature.
Sired by the mighty stallion Svaðilfari out of the trickster god Loki, who was shapeshifted into a mare, Sleipnir is the iconic, eight-legged horse ridden by Odin, the most important deity in the Norse Pantheon. Unsurprisingly, his eight legs means that he is faster than any other creature on land, but also on water or in the air. They likewise represent his ability, to carry Odin thereby carry Odin through all the levels of existence, including the underworld, Hel, with strength, speed, and agility.
and one for good luck! (so Eleven in total)
Trigger was a golden palimo horse who appeared in no fewer than 88 films and 101 television episodes alongside the ‘King of the Cowboys’, Roy Rogers. They first appeared together in ‘Under Western Stars’ in 1938, when Rogers selected Trigger, originally named Golden Cloud, from a selection of likely candidates. He bought the horse in 1943, renaming him ‘Trigger’, and the pair went on to embody the spirit of the Wild West.