Roy Rogers' faithful Golden Palomino stallion, Trigger, was an integral part of his film and television career, earning the nickname "the smartest horse in the movies". Trigger and Roy Rogers appeared in numerous westerns in the 1930s and 1940s, working together to serve justice and thwart the plans of the villains.
Trigger's early life began as Golden Cloud, foaled on a small ranch in the San Diego area, owned partly by Bing Crosby. His sire was a thoroughbred horse that had raced at Caliente Track, and his dam was a cold-blooded palomino. At around three years of age, Golden Cloud was sold to the Hudkins Stables, which rented horses to the movie industry.
Golden Cloud's first major appearance was in the movie "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938),where he was ridden by Olivia de Havilland. When Gene Autry failed to report for work at Republic Pictures, Roy Rogers found himself cast in the lead role for "Under Western Stars" (1938). Before filming began, Hudkins Stables brought their best lead horses to the studio, and Roy selected Trigger, a beautiful golden palomino, as his mount.
Roy recalled that Trigger was quick on the trigger, handling smoothly and reacting quickly to his commands. Smiley Burnette, Roy's sidekick in his first two films, was impressed by Trigger's agility, and Roy decided that Trigger was the perfect name for the horse. Trigger was purchased for $2,500 and outfitted with a $5,000 gold/silver saddle.
Throughout his more than 80 films, 101 episodes of his television series, and countless personal appearances, Trigger never fell, earning Roy's pride. Roy believed that Trigger seemed to know when people were watching him, recognizing applause and "eating it up like a ham".
Trigger won a Patsy award for his role in "Son of Paleface" (1952) and the 1958 Craven award winner. He was so popular that he even had his own fan club with members from all over the world. On July 3, 1965, at the age of 30, Trigger passed away at the Rogers ranch in Hidden Valley, California. Roy was reluctant to put him in the ground, so Trigger was mounted in a rearing position by Bishoff's Taxidermy of California. The rest of his remains are buried in Thousand Oaks, California, on one of Roy's former ranches.
