Friday, November 30, 2012

Childhood idols...

I saw this photo of Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger, being honored with a star at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Facebook today and it brought me back to my childhood.  I used to ADORE Trigger, and can remember when Roy and "Trigger" came to my town to appear at the local Roy Rogers Restaurant. The horse was actually one of the "other Triggers" used for personal appearances to give the famous stallion a break, but I didn't know that at the time, nor do I think I would have cared.

I can remember sitting on my Daddy's shoulders to get a better look and being completely awestruck by the famous cowboy and his glistening gold companion.  The absolute wet-your-pants exciting best part of the night was when I was able to get an autographed copy (GASP!!) of my favorite Roy and Trigger poster, one that showed a rearing Trigger and a waving Roy with a rural Western background. 

That beloved poster hung above my desk for years, and I have vivid memories of staring at it and daydreaming while I was supposed to be doing my homework.  My Mom took it down when it got old and faded and torn around the edges, and let me tell you, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth on my end when that happened!


The genesis of many young daydreams.

Who were your childhood horse-related heroes, and what do you remember most about them?

3 comments:

  1. It wasn't a television personality but I absolutely loved the Black Stallion as a kid. I wrote to Walter Farley as part of a school project one year and he (or someone on his behalf) sent me a very nice letter and a personal black & white photo of him on one of his Arabians. The ironic thing was he actually died the day before I got his reply in the mail.

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    1. Wow! That's spooky! I was a huuuuge Black Stallion fan as a kid. Was ripped for days with my Mom when she gave a book from my collection to someone without asking me. They filmed part of the first movie in the town next to mine and I made my parents take me over to watch filming.

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  2. The Black Stallion was definitely listed among my top favorites, too. I remember watching it over and over again (much to the frustration of the rest of my non-horsey family). I was in awe of and truly admired Alec's fearless riding and interaction with The Black. If only I could approach horses with that calm, confident attitude, I thought. Watching Alec gallop bareback on the beach gave me the confidence I needed to attempt riding my young black gelding after he unexpectedly went blind.

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