AboutMel Priddle Expertise Movies have always been my great love and John Wayne films in particular gave me more pleasure than most. I have studied his body of work for years and would be more than happy to answer any questions relating anything he appeared in, directed or produced.
Question What are the names of the horses John Wayne rode?
Thanks,
Jimm
Answer Hello Jimm,
John Wayne was no great lover of horses, although he did become quite an accomplised horseman over the years. Stuntman Neil Summers, who appeared in several Wayne westerns, is quoted as saying, "Wayne, the man, had room in his tall frame for some contradictions. He may be the most popular cowboy movie star of all time, but he was not overly fond of horses. The way he looked at horses was the way he looked at other actors - 'You better do what I want you to do right now!' Horses were props that he admired for what they could give him."
They were always big horses and throughout his film career he used several different regular mounts, including "Duke", "Starlight", "Banner", "Steel", "Alamo", "Dollar",
"Beau" and "Cochise". I am not aware of Wayne ever having personally owned any of them.
In the 1930's he rode a beautiful white horse called Duke. This horse would perform tricks in his many "B" westerns and, in several of them, received top billing alongside Wayne.......e.g. "Starring John Wayne and Duke, The Wonder Horse" or "Starring John Wayne with Duke, The Miracle Horse."
His favourite during the late 1940's and 1950's was named "Banner". It was said that Wayne liked him because of his docile nature.
In the film "Eldorado" he rode an Appaloosa named "Cochise". The horse actually belonged to the film's director, Howard Hawks, and it is believed that Wayne himself didn't much care for it.
In his later westerns, he used three horses , "Beau", "Dollor" (also referred to as "Ol' Dollor"), and "Dollar". The name "Dollor" is apparantly taken from the Spanish word "Dolor", meaning "pain" or "sorrow". "Beau" and "Dollor" both appeared in the film "True Grit". Beau can be seen jumping the fence with Wayne in the final scene.
Now, other than knowing that they are the most beautiful of creatures, I know very little about horses. But I am reliably informed that "Dollor" was a dark chestnut sorrel with a very wide blaze, which flared out over his lips, and with white stockings to the knee on the right front and both hind legs. The later "Dollar" was a sorrel gelding with a narrow blaze, and high stockings on both hind legs.
After "True Grit", "Dollor" was seen again in "The Undefeated", "Rio Lobo", "Chisum" and "The Shootist". I believe the other horse, "Dollar", appeared in "The Cowboys", "The Train Robbers", "Big Jake", "Cahill, U.S. Marshall" and "Rooster Cogburn".
I have been informed that "Dollar" was given to Wayne's film company by a man named Fargo who lived around Bisbee, Arizona. The Wayne family asked him if wanted the horse back after John died. He declined. Dollar was sold at a horse auction in north-east Iowa for around $17,000. He died in the mid nineties of something called the wobbles.
