Posts from BJ_FA in thread „Duke's Movie Horses“

I have a few corrections to my last post:

1. According to Harry Carrey Jr. the horse that I called Henry named Hank (or Pank or something like this). Which also proofs that the horses name ain't Banner.

2. I don't think Hank was owned by the Fat Jones Stables because in all of his movies he was along with horses from Hudkins Brother (including They Died with their Boots on and a lot of Republic westerns(Roy Rogers, Red Ryder & co). Petrine Day Mitchum wrote that all horses from these movies were provided by Hudkins). I saw Hank with Fat Jones horses just in Rio Grande and Red River (in both he was ridden by JW).

3. He also rode Hank in War of the Wild Cats and The fighting Kentuckian

4. In She Wore a Yellow Ribbon he rode Banner in the whole movie besides the scene were he jumped over the fence at Sudros.

I also would like to mention that Banner was in a lot John Wayne westerns where he wasn't ridden by him, such as Tall in the Saddle, Red River and Rio Grande.

As well I have done some research about Dollar and Dollor.

John Wayne rode the same horse with a big blaze and 3 white socks in Chisum, The Undefeated, True Grit(before the fight) and the beginning of Rio Lobo (ofcourse in the most movies he rode more than one horse, for example there were 3 to 4 different sorrels he rode in Rio Lobo). Chuck Roberson wrote about Rio Lobo "[...]Duke's horse Dollar[...]" (e.g. "The Fall Guy", page 283). So I'm pretty sure this horse called Dollar.

Then he has the sorrel with a more narrow blaze and two white socks at his back legs, which he rode in Big Jake and after Big Jake. I think this horse called Dollor. Also there is a Breyer modell from this horse called Dollor.

The most sources call the first horse Dollar and the second Dollor (, besides the book "1000 famous horses" who called the first Dollar and the second Old Dollar, another named the second as "Dollor or Old Dollar"). A few like the one @kkaterinabella_007 recalls, as well as Petrine Day Mitchum in her book "Hollywood Hofbeats" say the first horse called Dollor and the second Dollar.

Quote from kkaterinabella_007

Okay, folks, I'm back and I have a question!!! I want to know what horse the Duke is riding in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon. This horse doesn't seem nearly as impressive as the horse that he usually rides!!!

I just read somewhere that Ben Johnson is supposed to be riding Steel in parts of the movie, and "in the galloping scenes, a horse named Bingo!" Whichever horse Ben is riding is surely an impressive piece of horse flesh!!!

I just noticed that in the scene where they are leaving Flint Colehill behind with 2 Companies of soldiers at the river, JW appears to be riding a different horse. The blaze on its face is different, and there's a white sock on the right rear leg. I'll have to watch the movie again to make sure, but was hoping that someone else would have some info!!!

In She Wore A Yellow Ribbon John Wayne rode Banner. I think in the whole movie(I haven't seen a second horse). He also rode Banner in Fort Apache and 3 Godfathers.

In Rio Grande, Angel and the Badman and Red River(in this movie another actor rode Banner) he rode another horse, I believe it called Henry.

Henry had a white marking at his right back leg, Banner at his left. They also had their mane on different sides.

Both, Banner and Henry, belonged to the Fat Jones stables.

Did anyone know the name of the horse that John Wayne rode in The Searches and The Horse Soldiers? The same horse was ridden by John Dehner and Gregg Palmer in Revolt at Fort Laramie, Peter Graves in Fort Yuma and John Payne in Rebel in Town. Ben Johnson rode this horse also in Fort Bowie and War Drums. And I have also seen a picture of Pernell Roberts on this sorrel.

Quote from tinker

I hope this is the right thread to ask this question.

In True Grit, it looks like the horse that jumps the fence at the end is not the very young Dollor. Its a different horse I am pretty sure. Similar chestnut. I saw something the other day where Harry Carey Jr said the horse that Ben Johnson rode in the gallops being chased by the Indians was not Steel but a stunt horse called Bingo that was a spectacular galloper and jumper and it did all the fast work. You can see in Rio Grande that the horse Ben Johnson is galloping on is not the one he gets to lie on the ground. I think it is Steel lying on the ground and Bingo galloping.

If Bingo was around in 1968 he would have been in his 20's but he would have been safe and reliable horse to do the jumping stunt and I am wondering if it was him they used to jump the fence. It looked very like him. He is also the horse that runs away from the Indians in Wagon master and jumps the post and rail fence although it is Steel that spins when you first see the Indians.

The other thing I noticed watching the John Ford films all together recently was the same stunt horses seemed to be used in a number of films over a number of years. There is rather a plain black horse with a white strip that was one of the horses that reared up and dumped the new recruits in Fort Apache. The same horse had nearly a staring role in "She wore a yellow ribbon." It was the Bugler's horse and reared spectacularly in all the cavalry scenes. Even getting yelled at by Captain Brittles.

He also reared in Rio Grande, in harness when the wagon was stolen by the Indians and throwing a couple of Indians in other scenes. I am also fairly certain Hank Worden rode him in 'The Searchers'

There were also another couple of horses, dark sorrel horses with roman noses and light coloured manes. One of them, maybe both interchangeably, was used as the sidesaddle horse for Joanne Dru. John Wayne gives it a mighty wack on the rump when you first see it with the sidesaddle. The horses seem to be the "spare" roman riding team in Rio Grande that Jeff rode and one of them (both of them interchanging) were used for the galloping scene when Jeff rides to the fort and Tyree gets his gun. You can also see one as them as the horse a soldier falls off in the last cavalry charge.

Does anyone know anything about these horses. They were clearly very reliable stunt horses. Were they the regulars from Fat Jones stable? I doubt they were local because they are in a number of films over a number of years and always used for actors or in the front rows of all the stunts.

Also one more. Was the black thoroughbred that General Sheridan ( and Ben Johnson) rode in Rio Grande Misty that played Banner in My Friend Flicker, it looked like him.

Thanks for any information

dee

Display More

The horse that laid down in Rio Grande wasn't Steel. He rode 5 horses in this movie(without the roman riding horses).

1. Of course Steel
2. Bingo
3. The Horse that laid down (Cliff Lyons rode her/ him in the rest of the movie. The horses blaze is very similar to the one of Jack Williams horse Coco, but the leg markings are different).
4. The horse he jumped over the fence (the same horse also jumped before they started the roman riding and in other scenes of the movie.)
5. The horse in the church was again another one

But I think you are right about the black rearing horse and the one that Joanne Dru and Claude Jarman rode. I also believe that most of the horses in these films belonged to Fat Jones.