I read that Glenn Ford was the best rider in Westerns. What other movie stars excelled as horse riders? (2024)

FAQs

Who were the best horsem*n in westerns? ›

He's known for his various westerns he made early in his career. But the actor also faced one unique issue when it came to filming with horses. Despite being on-screen partners, Eastwood was allergic to horses.

Clint Eastwood

It's a title that conjures up the most mythical of figures in all of Western cinema. This is the character that introduced the world to Clint Eastwood (though American television viewers already knew him from Rawhide).

MORRELL: Glenn rode a horse with more grace and skill than just about any other actor, with the exception of a real cowboy like Ben Johnson.

The world recognizes Ben Johnson as a cowboy. Not just a movie cowboy, but as a bona-fide, real-life cowboy. He is as well known and respected at ranches and rodeos as he is in Hollywood, where he has worked for almost 50 years in the motion-picture business. Ben was born in Foracre, Okla., on June 13, 1918.

Francis Benjamin Johnson Jr. (June 13, 1918 – April 8, 1996) was an American film and television actor, stuntman, and world-champion rodeo cowboy. Tall and laconic, Johnson brought authenticity to many roles in Westerns with his droll manner and expert horsemanship. Francis Benjamin Johnson Jr.

It just so happens, that Eastwood incurred the displeasure of such a legendary cowboy—none other than John Wayne. Eastwood starred in the 1973 film High Plains Drifter which he also directed. Now a classic, the film was absolutely hated by John Wayne, an iconic figure in the western genre and Eastwood's senior.

Clint Eastwood achieved international stardom when he played "The Man with No Name" in three Italian westerns (known as “spaghetti westerns”) directed by Sergio Leone: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).

Who is the most famous TV cowboy? ›

Roy Rogers. Known as the “King of the Cowboys,” it's hard to pick just one role for Rogers. He starred in more than 100 films and numerous radio and television episodes of The Roy Rogers Show, many times with his wife Dale Evans.

'Broncho Billy' Anderson

Born in 1880, Anderson is considered the first western film star. He played three film roles in “The Great Train Robbery” and then began to write, direct and act in his own films. After co-founding the Essanay Studios in 1907 with George Kirk Spoor, Anderson appeared in some 300 short films.

Costner's all-American persona is the real deal. He remains one of the few Hollywood actors who can ride a horse as though he was born to it – no stuntman required.

Ford continued his military career in the Naval Reserve well into the Vietnam War, achieving the rank of captain. In 1943 Ford married legendary tap dancer Eleanor Powell, and had one son, Peter Ford.

Webb kept the horse for a year after Wayne's death five years ago. Dollor then was ridden in two television productions -- by Robert Wagner in Hart to Hart and by John Forsythe in Dynasty. Webb sold Dollor to the International Rodeo Association, which sold him a few months later to Terry Busch, of Iowa.

Most racing experts will agree that England's Hayley Turner is the most successful and famous female jockey of all time. Born in 1983, this talented woman boasts an extensive and fruitful career comprising over 1,500 wins in flat races.

Sir Gordon Richards is considered to be the best jockey of all time. During his career, he won 4,870 races, winning the British Flat Racing Champion Jockey title a record 26 times. Richards was born on May 5, 1904, in Donnington Wood, England.

Did you know that this famous actor is also an avid horse person? He's played polo competitively and just bought himself a reining horse.

Elvis soon bought a horse that would become his favorite, a golden palomino Quarter Horse named Rising Sun. Of course, the barn had to get a new name, too, and it became House of the Rising Sun. It wasn't long before the barn was full of horses. One of Elvis' favorites was a Tennessee Walking Horse named Bear.

Richard Gere

As it turns out, Richard Gere is pretty passionate about horses himself. His breed of choice is the Appaloosa. Horse Nation explained that he first fell in love with horses while working on the 1970s Broadway play, Killer's Head.

What celebrity is a cowboys fan? ›

Celebrities like Shaquille O'Neal, Kelly Clarkson, Bryce Harper, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx are all fans of the Cowboys. A Los Angeles local, Foxx decided to make the short trip to Oxnard to see his team during training camp.

Gene Autry, perhaps the greatest singing cowboy of all time, is born on September 29, 1907, in Tioga, Texas. While still a boy, Autry moved with his family to a ranch in Oklahoma where he learned to play the guitar and sing.

One of the most well-known Black cowboys is Nat Love. Nat Love was born into slavery in 1854. While most slaves were illiterate, his father taught him how to read and write. After the end of the Civil War, Nat left Tennessee and headed westward in search of a fortune.

The 80-year-old Hollywood legend says he and the late rock 'n' roll star were studio pals as Elvis was often working next door to where Clint was filming in the 1960s. The pair struck up a friendship and it seems the dark-haired sex symbol could not resist meeting a 'cowboy'.

Glenn Frankel, author of “The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend,” told the L.A. Times in 2013 that Ford and Wayne didn't have the best relationship. The filmmaker, in fact, berated his cast and crew including Wayne. The Duke brushed off Ford's behavior because he was “an extremely loyal person.

Despite the fact that John Wayne had fired Robert Mitchum from Blood Alley (1955) ten years earlier, he was happy to work with Mitchum again, and they became good friends.

Clint Eastwood returned as the same character in the sequel For a Few Dollars More in 1965. In this film, he carries the same a Colt 45 Single Action Army revolver. However, Eastwood briefly got his hands on a new rifle, one that's a bit more out of the ordinary than a Henry or Winchester: a Volcanic Repeater rifle.

What kind of boots does Clint Eastwood wear? Clint Eastwood wears tan-colored harness boots that he brought with him from the set of Rawhide in Sergio Leone's “Man With No Name” trilogy. The origin and make of the boot are unknown, and the boots are plain, without markings or pull straps.

Clint Eastwood's paycheck had increased from $15,000 for A Fistful of Dollars (1964) to $50,000 for this movie, and reached $250,000 (plus 10% of the gross) for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Lee Van Cleef was very grateful for his part in this movie as he had fallen on hard times due to his heavy drinking.

What is considered the best movie of all time? ›

Will Rogers, the cowboy philosopher, became famous for his homespun humor and his shrewd, timely comments on current life. Will Rogers (1879-1935), starting life as a cowhand, and went on to become a stage and motion picture star and a noted homespun philosopher.

“Almost totally missing from the traditional history of the American West is the role of the Black cowboy as well as other Black pioneers who traveled through and settled during the nineteenth century in the vast territory west of the Mississippi,” writes Bennie J.

Ken Maynard was the screen's first singing cowboy. He first appeared in silent motion pictures in 1923 and in addition to acting also did stunt work. His horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. He recorded two songs with Columbia Records before making his first film with a musical soundtrack.

Never look a horse in the eye

You're only a predator if you intend to eat what you're looking at. Horses can easily tell the difference between a predator looking to eat and predator looking in curiosity and wonder. Horses do, however, struggle to understand the intention of a human who hides his eyes.

Some report you should use soft eye contact when dealing with horses, meaning you can look at the horse but also keep a wide field of view. Other trainers indicate hard contact is preferred to establish your dominance over the herd.

What Is The Hardest Equestrian Sport? Stating the most challenging equestrian sport depends on who you ask. Many will argue that dressage is the most complex sport due to its physical demands for riders and horses.

There are currently 162 active-duty three-star officers in the uniformed services of the United States: 50 in the Army, 17 in the Marine Corps, 37 in the Navy, 48 in the Air Force, five in the Space Force, four in the Coast Guard, and one in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Are there any 5 star Marine generals? ›

No, Five Star General is the highest rank in the U.S. military. Who was the last 5 star General? General of the Army Omar Bradley was the last general to achieve 5 stars and the 5-stars were retired in 1981 upon his death.

Ernie Saftig was one of John Wayne's longest and closest friends.

1) Trigger: Trigger is arguably the most famous equine star of all time. Known for being “The Smartest Horse In The Movies,” Trigger starred alongside Roy Rogers in many Westerns. While it is said that the original Trigger appeared in all of Roger's films, there were other Triggers who were sometimes featured.

At its height, the “Horse Nation” of the Plains Indians included the militant Comanche, who were “probably the finest horse Indians of the Plains,” says Viola, in addition to the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Lakota (Sioux), Crow, Gros Vent Nez Perce and more.

Wayne was so fond of him that he named him Dollor and drew up exclusive movie rights that allowed no one else to ride him, and the horse was not to be sold until Wayne's death, Keffeler says. Webb kept the horse for a year after Wayne's death five years ago.

The Comanches, known as the "Lords of the Plains", were regarded as perhaps the most dangerous Indians Tribes in the frontier era. The U.S. Army established Fort Worth because of the settler concerns about the threat posed by the many Indians tribes in Texas. The Comanches were the most feared of these Indians.

Sergeant Reckless is America's greatest warhorse. During the Korean War, Reckless carried ammunition to the front lines and helped rescue wounded soldiers.

Who was stronger Comanche or Apache? ›

The Comanche (/kuh*man*chee/) were the only Native Americans more powerful than the Apache. The Comanche successfully gained Apache land and pushed the Apache farther west. Because of this, the Apache finally had to make peace with their enemies, the Spaniards. They needed Spanish protection from the Comanche.

John Wayne preferred Pontiac station wagons for his family-friendly daily driver, but when it came to cars, The Duke wasn't an off-the-rack guy.

In such films as Tall in the Saddle and The Conqueror, Wayne rode a stallion named Steel, one of the most famous horses of his era. Occasionally Wayne would take the reins of Cocaine, the stunt horse used by Chuck Roberson, who was Wayne's double in more than 30 movies.

Gunsmoke (1955-75)

The longest running TV Western and the first of the so called “realistic” Westerns, the much loved Gunsmoke starred James Arness as Matt Dillon, marshal of Dodge City in the 1880s.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)

Clint Eastwood is easily one of the most prominent western movie actors of all time. Between the Dollars Trilogy and The Outlaw Josey Wales, Eastwood has been in almost more westerns than you can count.