What was the name of the beautiful palomino horse that Roy Rogers rode? I'm sure you've been asked a question similar to that in Trivia games. And without hesitation you answered, Trigger! (right? - Right!)
I remember as a little girl watching Saturday morning as Roy Rogers rode onto the small screen on this beautiful horse, Trigger. Did you ever wonder how Trigger got his name?
Let's start at his beginnings, shall we? Trigger was foaled in 1932 and was named Golden Cloud. His sire was a Thoroughbred and his dam a grade (unregistered) mare who, like Trigger, was a palomino. Trigger grew to be 15.3 hands tall - approximately 63 inches or 160 cm at the withers.
There seems to be a bit of confusion concerning Trigger's lineage. William Witney, who directed a lot of Roy's and Trigger's movies, claimed that Trigger was out of a Palomino stallion and the mare of a cold-blood (draft horse) mare. The interesting thing here is that there was no Palomino registry at the time of Trigger's birth. (The Palomino Registry was formed in 1936.)
Golden Cloud was sold at the Hudkins Stables, a company that specialized in providing horses for the movies. In 1935 he made his debut opposite Olivia de Havilland riding him side-saddle as Maid Marian in the movie, "The Adventures of Robin Hood.".
Golden Cloud was one of the horses that auditioned for Roy Roger's first movie, "Under Western Stars". The rest was kismet... Roy and Trigger bonded and Roy bought Golden Cloud for the then astounding sum of $2,500. Golden Cloud was renamed Trigger thanks to Roy's friend, Smiley Burnette, who when he saw Golden Cloud said that "the horse is quick on the trigger" and the name stuck.
The horse was smart... so smart that he was billed as the "Smartest Horse in the Movies" - and it was name that was well deserved. Trigger could do over 60 tricks on command. He could do the hula, count, untie ropes, shoot a gun, knock on a door and walk on his hind legs, to name a few.
Trigger had a long career with Roy Rogers. In fact he was there when Roy Rogers sat aside him and proposed to his wife, Dale Evans, during a show in Chicago; and he was in every episode of "The Roy Rogers Show" that aired from 1951 to 1957.
Trigger had to finally retire when he could no longer perform and had to be replaced with Trigger, Jr. However, Trigger, Jr. was not actually Trigger's son. Even though Trigger remained a stallion all of his life he never had any descendants. Trigger, Jr. was actually a Tennessee Walking Horse.
Trigger became the most famous horse in film entertainment. He even had his own Dell Comic Book to recount his adventures.
I always loved Trigger and secretly always wanted a horse like him. I think that was every horse loving kids' dream growing up in the 50's - to have a golden palomino with flaxen mane and tail. Did I get my wish? Yes, twice, but that is another story.
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