Famous Hollywood Horses—Where Are They Now?

Seeing a horse on the big screen invokes feelings of power, majesty, and magic. Horses have been used in Hollywood for as long as the movie industry has been around.

Mention the name Trigger, Mr. Ed, or Black Beauty, and people automatically know exactly who and what you are talking about.  Many childhood memories involve watching horses on the big screen.

Some of the most famous Hollywood horses include:

Trigger

Roy Rogers and Trigger are American Classics.  Trigger was ridden by Rogers in most of his motion pictures.  He was always right beside Rogers in his 1950s television series with his wife, Dale Evans, who also had a trusty steed in Buttermilk. 

Trigger lived a long, happy life from July 4, 1934, when he was born at Hudkins Brothers Stable in San Diego, Calif., to July 3, 1965, when he passed away at the Double R Ranch in Apple Valley, Calif. 

He was often billed as "the smartest horse in the movies."

Rogers loved his horse so much that he couldn't stand the thought of putting him in the ground after he died.  So, he had Trigger mounted in a rearing position.  Trigger can be found at The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum.

Hidalgo

There were actually five different horses that played Hidalgo.  

The horse that was used for his coloration and markings, RH Tecontender, went home with his new owner, Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen starred as Frank Hopkins in the 2004 movie that depicted a down-and-out cowboy who took his horse to Arabia to compete in a deadly cross-desert horse race.

The horse that was used for the main stunts, "Oscar," was purchased by screenwriter John Fusco.  He retired "Oscar" at Red Road Farm, his American Indian horse conservancy.

Artax

The tear-jerker, The Neverending Story, portrayed Artax, who fell into a swamp and didn't make it out.  Don't worry, the part of the horse was played by two different grey mares who received extensive training to be able to be lowered on a platform into the "swamp".  

In the end, both did a great job at their roles.  One was gifted to the actor who played Atreus (Noah Hathaway). Hathaway decided it was best for his riding double from the movie to have the horse, so the mare was kept on a ranch in Germany where filming took place.

The mare had 20 happy years before passing away.