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

As I originally asked about the rearing horse in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and other John Ford and John Wayne movies I thought I would share that I found something about him. He was as I suspected a well known horse. His name was Ski and he came from Fat Jones Stables. Fat Jones, who owned the most famous movie horse stable ( or barn I guess you call it) was Ben Johnson's father-in-law, and supplied the horses he used and most of the stunt and star horses for John Ford movies.

http://members.tripod.com/~horsefame/equine1.html

dee

Thank you so much anyway. Also on the subject of horses I think John Wayne was riding Banjo in Red River too, at least at the end.

And just to add some information Harry Carey Jr says the horse he rode in 'She wore a yellow ribbon' was a very quiet horse called Uncle Sam that was a real ex cavalry horse.

And the horse that does the fall in the rope tug of war in McLintock looks very like Chuck Roberson's famous falling horse Cocaine.

dee

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