Western movie star John Wayne frequently rode a horse to complete his cowboy image. However, he grew an affinity for one animal in particular. Wayne went out of his way to ensure that he could ride the same horse named Dollar across seven of his movies.
Of course, The Duke would ride “The miracle horse” named Duke! John Wayne rode Duke in six films before they co-starred in Stagecoach. Other horses include: Zip Cochise, Wayne's equine co-star in El Dorado, and Banner, one of his favorites. Wayne wanted to buy Banner, but Fat Jones refused to sell the big sorrel.
Any movie that stars John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan is bound to be gold, but major props (no pun intended) have to be given to the horse Wayne rides in on, an Appaloosa (or spotted breed) that went by the name of Zip Cochise.
Who is the best horseback rider in western movies?
Tom Mix: Considered one of the first Western movie stars, Tom Mix was renowned for his horseback riding abilities [2]. He began his career as a Wild West show performer and showcased his expertise in horse training and trick riding in films like "The Great K & A Train Robbery."
What breed of horse did John Wayne ride in True Grit?
The horse shown during the final scene of True Grit (before he jumps the fence on Twinkle Toes) was Dollor, a two-year-old (in 1969) chestnut Quarter Horse gelding. Dollor ('Ol Dollor) was Wayne's favorite horse for 10 years.
Often actors would just ride whatever horse the studio gave them; however, a hallmark that would stick with Wayne, who at 6' 4” was a large man, was tall horses. The notable outlier of a small Appaloosa named Zip Cochise in El Dorado really highlights that he needed a big horse.
As a result, the pair would have fierce arguments which eventually were interjected by Wayne himself. True Grit was Duke's passion project after all and the Western legend ended up fighting with Duvall himself to the point where he threatened to punch him if he didn't stop arguing with Hathaway.
The family mare, Jenny, carried young Marion Michael Morrison to school every day in Lancaster, California. By the time Marion Morrison became John Wayne, he was an experienced rider who once said that riding a horse “came as naturally to me as breathing.” “He was surprisingly skilled, considering his size.
Pie appeared in 17 Westerns. Jimmy Stewart loved the horse and said he was "... one of the best co-stars I ever worked with." Pie can be seen in, amongst others, The Far Country (1954), Winchester '73 (1950), and Bend of the River (1952). Pie lived until 1970 and was buried on Jimmy Stewart's ranch in California.
As a favor to coach Jones, who had given silent Western film star Tom Mix tickets to USC games, director John Ford and Mix hired Wayne as a prop boy and extra. Wayne later credited his walk, talk, and persona to his acquaintance with Wyatt Earp, who was good friends with Tom Mix.
In the early years, he rode many different horses in many different films. Ironically, in six of his 1930s westerns he rode a white horse named Duke. Wayne had a favorite horse that he starred alongside in several of his films.
One of the little-known nuggets of John Wayne's life is that in addition to the wide range of films he made as one of Hollywood's biggest and most bankable stars, he lived a life on the range, as well, as the proprietor of 26 Bar Ranch.
1. Secretariat. The top spot couldn't be any other horse than “Big Red” really. Secretariat took the 1973 Triple Crown by storm, sending records tumbling as he ended a 25-year wait for a thoroughbred to achieve this feat in the US.
Trigger became the most famous horse in film entertainment, even having his own Dell comic book recounting his exploits. Roy Rogers made many personal appearances with Trigger in tow.
Did John Wayne jump the horse at the end of True Grit?
Rooster Cogburn in the film. The final scene of TRUE. GRIT, with the legendary John Wayne performing his. own stunt, jumping his horse over that “four-rail.
The Quiet Man star John Wayne was known to do some of his own stuntwork over the course of his filmography. However, he allowed a stuntman to take over for some of the more physically intense sequences that would potentially leave the film without a star if things took a turn for the worse.
Wayne told Gary Wills late in life that, “I spent weeks studying the way Yakima Canutt walked and talked. He was a real cowhand.” What stayed with him for the rest of his career was Canutt's Western drawl and that unmistakable hip-shot gait.
Wayne outright condemned the evolution the Western genre underwent in the 1960s, refusing to star alongside Clint Eastwood even though Clint Eastwood was eager to work with him. Because the two subgenres of Wild West movies were never reconciled, it meant inevitably that Wayne and Eastwood would never be either.
However, Bacall had a real issue with how Wayne couldn't stop spitting on the set, which really got on the actor's last nerve. Wayne personally recommended hiring Bacall for The Shootist after they worked together on 1955's Blood Alley.
John Wayne found Katharine Hepburn to be very feminine and called her “a man's woman”. They had a special on screen chemistry that was apparent to everyone. He called her Sister.
