Famous Horses in History…Trigger – by Donna Schlachter with Giveaway

Roy and Trigger courtesy MorganHorse.com

Trigger the horse was one half of a famous team that included Roy Rogers. So let’s spend a little time looking at the famous man whose untiring devotion to the horse, and whose acute business sense saw the benefit in marketing this animal to his audience (many of whom were children), made Trigger’s fame possible.

Roy was born in 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the third of four children. Leonard Franklin Slye lived with his family on a hand-built houseboat, which they moved to dry land during the Great Flood of 1913 and continued living in it.

In 1922, when Leonard/Roy was 11 years old, he was given a horse and learned to ride. The family was musical, so Leonard/Roy learned to sing, yodel, and play several instruments. During the Depression, the family moved to California, and although Leonard/Roy worked as a fruit picker and other itinerant jobs, he longed to pursue singing. He eventually co-founded the Sons of the Pioneers, making their first records in 1934 when he was 23. The actor Gene Autry gave them their first break with singing parts in his movies. Sometimes, who you know matters.

Just a few years later, Leonard/Roy got a lengthy contract with Republic Pictures, who wanted to cash in on the popularity and recent passing of Will Rogers, so Leonard/Roy changed his name to Roy Rogers. His first movie, Under Western Stars, released in 1938, required the use of a horse. Several were brought to him, and he chose the third mount, Golden Cloud, not even looking at the rest.

Roy and Trigger (MorganHorse.com)

 

From the beginning, Roy observed that Golden Cloud was no ordinary horse. Smiley Burnett, a co-worker, said, “he is quick off the trigger”, and Roy thought that a good name.

Trigger’s ancestry has always been up for debate, but Roy did some research, and he learned that the sire was at least part Morgan, part Thoroughbred, and his dam was also part Morgan. Despite that, Trigger’s bloodlines included the work ethic of the Morgan and the intelligence and agility of the Thoroughbred.

Trigger doing tricks with Roy (MorganHorse.com)

 

Hollywood Horse Trainer Glenn Randall trained Trigger on more than 150 tricks, including his famous two-legged rear, sitting in a chair, covering himself with a blanket and taking a nap, and because of a hectic travel schedule, was even housebroken.

Although Roy carefully guarded the secret that there was more than one Trigger, the horses were not identical. Trigger had one white stocking, while Trigger Jr. and Little Trigger had four. Their sizes were slightly different, and had Roy stood them side by side, even the little children would have realized their beloved Trigger had look-alikes. Interestingly, because Trigger was never bred, neither of his stand-ins were direct descendants. When asked why he didn’t allow Trigger to breed, Roy said he didn’t want to risk losing the docile spirit of the horse, as that made him trainable and also able to stand quietly while inexperienced riders sat on him.

Here are some interesting facts about Trigger and Roy:

-- Trigger, as Golden Cloud, had first been used in a movie featuring Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marion in The Adventures of Robin Hood

-- Trigger and Roy appeared in 88 movies from 1938 through the mid-1950s

-- Trigger had his own fan club, with members worldwide.

-- Trigger and Roy have their prints in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre 

Handprints and hoof prints at Grauman's Chinese Theater (MorganHorse.com)

-- Little Trigger was the horse that folks called “the smartest horse in the movies”, but Trigger got the fame

-- The Denver Broncos NFL team received permission to use the mold that created the form for Trigger after he died, and Bucky the Bronco was used to create the blue stallion with the blazing orange eyes that is synonymous with the Bronco team. The mold was destroyed after that.

-- In 1999, actor Val Kilmer led a horse named Triggerson on stage at the 71st Academy Awards as a tribute to Roy Rogers and his cowboy peers. Triggerson was reportedly grandsired by Trigger Jr.

Trigger died of natural causes one day shy of his 30th birthday at Roy’s ranch in Apple Valley, California. Unwilling to let his long-time friend and companion go, Roy arranged for a professional taxidermist to preserve the hide on a foam likeness of Trigger. The likeness was put on display in the original Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Apple Valley in 1967, then moved to the new museum location in Victorville, California, in 1976, and then resided in Branson, Missouri, since 2003.

Classic two-legged stance (Courtesy of wikipedia)

 

When the museum closed in 2010, its contents were sold at public auction. Trigger’s likeness was initially purchased by a television station, which planned to include it in a western museum, but those plans never materialized. But that hasn’t stopped Trigger. Instead, he’s spent the years since greeting visitors at the station’s corporate headquarters, along with Buttermilk, Dale Evans’ horse, and Bullet, Roy’s companion dog. The trio are occasionally lent to venues like John Wayne: An American Experience, and The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, where they continue to delight audiences of all ages. 

 

As Roy would say, "Happy trails to you!"



Leave a comment about any fond memories you have of Trigger and Roy Rogers, and I will randomly draw from all comments for a free ebook of Hollenberg Hearts to be sent to one lucky recipient.

 

About Hollenberg Hearts: A mail order bride. A crippled stationmaster. No way out for either of them—except with each other. Can they surrender their hearts and find true love?

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers' groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed writers eager to tell their story. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651

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Resources:

Rearing image of trigger: (picture credit): https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/15871/)

https://saddleupcolorado.net/blog/-roy-rogers-horse-trigger-breed-facts-where-he-is-no/?srsltid=AfmBOorpRamQCZ0b9o7ULLbs7GjmUBPAbA46x6t732KOmF74aA9J4MS9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_(horse)

https://www.morganhorse.com/upload/photos/page_1144_4-tmh_oct2020_historical_morgans_in_western_films_iv_roy_rogers_trigger.pdf