Famous Horses

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.

Shadowfax

admin July 22, 2025

Described by Gandalf the White as the “lord of all the horses”, Shadowfax is the horse that he rides throughout ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien. Silvery-grey by day and all but invisible by night, Shadowfax is a descendant of Felaróf and chief of the Mearas, a breed of horses renowned for their speed, stamina, intelligence and longevity. Originally, Shadowfax belonged to Théoden, King of Rohan, but having proved too wild to be tamed by the Horse Lords of Rohan, or Rohirrin, he is reluctantly gifted to Gandalf, in the first instance simply to be rid of the wizard.

Initially, Shadowfax remains as unapproachable by Gandalf as by anyone else but, after a lengthy pursuit, the pair establish trust and understanding, such that Shadowfax accepts the wizard as his one and only rider. Gandalf subsequently sends Shadowfax back to Théoden but, recognising the bond between the two, the King willingly bequeaths the horse to the White Rider, as Gandalf becomes known.

Gandalf says of Shadowfax, “The horses of the Nine [a.k.a. the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths] cannot vie with him; tireless, swift as the flowing wind.” Capable of understanding human speech, Shadowfax plays a crucial role in some of the epic confrontations in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, notably the Battle of Helm’s Deep and the Siege of Minas Tirith, or Siege of Gondor. During the latter, he and Gandalf are the only ones to stand firm and resolute against the Lord of the Nazgûl, prior to the arrival of the Rohirrin.

Overall, Shadowfax is much more than a mere means of transport, or beast of burden. He epitomises freedom, unforced choice and nobility, which is completely at odds with the evil, oppressive intentions of Sauron, the Dark Lord, who seeks to recover the One Ring so that he can conquer, and subjegate, all the people of Middle Earth.Tolkien does not explicitly tell readers what happened to Shadow, but later stated his belief that the horse accompanied Gandalf, together with Frodo and Bilbo Baggins and the elves of Lothlórien, to the Undying Lands, or Valinor, at the conclusion of the story.

Sergeant Reckless

admin July 22, 2025

Sergeant Reckless or, strictly, Staff Sergeant Reckless, was a small, Mongolian-bred mare, who held official rank in the United States Marines Corps and served, with distinction, in the last nine months of the Korean War, which ended in July 1953. The mare was reputedly bought, as a three- or four-year-old, by Lieutenant Eric Petersen of the 75mm Recoilless Rifle Platoon for $250 at Seoul Racecourse in October 1952.

Her previous owner was Kim Huk Moon, a young Korean boy who needed the money to buy a prosthetic leg for his sister, who had been disabled by a land mine. Her name, ‘Reckless’, was a corruption of the ‘ Recoilless’ in the platoon title and she was trained as pack horse to carry munitions and other supplies over the rugged, mountainous terrain of South Korea.

Much beloved of her fellow Marines, Reckless enjoyed her finest hour at the Battle of Outpost Vegas, which took place in Yeoncheon County, South Korea between March 26 and March 30, 1953. In a single day, the diminutive mare made a total of 51 trips to the front line, more often than not completely on her own, and carried over 9,000lb of ammunition, all in the face of intense incoming fire.

Despite being wounded twice by shrapnel, above her left eye and on her left flank, she never stopped and subsequently received a battlefield promotion to corporal. She was further promoted to sergeant at the end of the Korean War in 1954 and, again, to staff sergeant, in 1959. She was also awarded two Purple Hearts for her bravery and service and is commemorated by statues at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia, Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California (where she lived after the Korean War) and the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

Off the battlefield, Reckless was renowned for a voracious, and varied, appetite. Her diet apparently included scrambled eggs, pancakes, cake, sweets, Coca Cola and, like any red-blooded soldier, beer. Nevertheless, she became a national heroine in the United States and has been described as the greatest war horse ever to serve that country.

Epona

admin July 22, 2025

The Celtic and Roman goddess Epona, whose name translates from Gaulish as ‘Great Mare’, was a guardian of horses, asses and mules. Her namesake, Epona, the horse, is a recurring character in the ‘Legend of Zelda’ video game series, chiefly developed and published by Nintendo. Indeed, she has become one of the most recognisable and popular equines in interactive entertainment.

A silver bay mare with a white mane and tail and four white socks, Epona first appears as a foal in the fifth main instalment of the series, ‘ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’, on Lon Lon Ranch. She is cared for by Malon, the daughter of the ranch owner, Talon, who teaches the main protagonist, Link, ‘Epona’s Song’ when he is still a child. As an adult, Link summons Epona by playing the melody on an ocarina and wins ownership of her by racing against ranch employee Ingo.

Having made their escape from the Lon Lon Ranch, Link can summon Epona to any practicable outdoor location by playing the refrain on his ocarina. Thus, Epona provides a useful, and enjoyable, means of traversing the central setting for the series, fictional kingdom of Hyrule, which is too vast to explore on foot, and meeting the other characters.

As a trusty steed and loyal companion of Link, Epona, along with her accompanying theme, appears, in various iterations, in further instalments of the series, including ‘Majora’s Mask’, ‘The Minish Cap’, ‘Twilight Princess’, ‘Breath of the Wild’ and ‘Tears of the Kingdom’. In ‘Twilight Princess’, Link can call her by whistling on horseshoe-shaped horse grass and later, a similarly-shaped woodwind instrument, known as the Horse Call, or Ilia’s Charm, which is gifted to him by Impaz, an elderly woman who is the sole remaining inhabitant of the Hidden Village.

Throughout the series, each of the multiple versions of Epona is similar, but by no means identical, to the last. In ‘Ocarina of Time’, for example, she has a more slender, athletic build and an energetic and enthusiastic personality. In ‘Twilight Princess’, befitting the passage of time, she has become a heavier, more powerful draft horse, capable of carrying an adult Link and his possessions, and more ‘business-like’ in temperament.

Champion

admin July 20, 2025

“The time will come when everyone will know the name of Champion the Wonder Horse”, or so sang Frankie Lane in the theme song to ‘The Adventures of Champion’, or ‘Champion The Wonder Horse’, as the television series was known in Britain. A horse called ‘Champion’ – a dark chestnut with three white socks and a distinctive white blaze – first appeared in the silver screen alongside his owner, Gene ‘The Singing Cowboy’ Autry, in the 1935 Western musical ‘Melody Trail’. However, it is worth noting that, down the years, Autry also owned two similar, but not identical, horses, known as ‘Champion Jr.’ and ‘Television Champion’. The former appeared in films between 1946 and 1950 – the original Champion having died in 1943 – while the latter appeared in films and, as his name suggests, on television between 1950 and 1956.

A lighter chestnut gelding with four, rather than three, white socks and his mane and tail dyed flaxen, for continuity, Television Champion appeared in 91 episodes of ‘The Gene Autry Show’, which was screened on CBS between 1950 and 1956 and, latterly, 26 episodes of ‘The Adventures of Champion’, which was originally screened on the same network between 1953 and 1956. The second of the two was repeated by the BBC, in the school holidays, throughout the succeeding decades, such that anyone who grew up in Britain in the seventies, including your correspondent, really did know the name of Champion the Wonder Horse.

Set in the Southwestern United States – but filmed on location in the Far West, in California – ‘The Adventures of Champion’ features the exploits of adventurous, but rather hapless, 12-year-old Ricky North, played by Barry Curtis, his German Shepherd, Rebel and, of course, Champion, a wild stallion whom he has befriended. Ricky invariably sails close to the wind, but with the help of his Uncle, Sandy, and his constant canine and equine companions – in the case of Champion, aided by several uncredited stunt horses – repeatedly manages to extracate himself from challenging, and often perilous, situations. The show served to exemplify the strong, reciprocal bond between humans and animals and how it can be strengthened by positive, shared experiences.