What horse did Ben Cartwright ride?
Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) rode a buckskin horse named “Buck” for Bonanza's fourteen seasons.
Buck – Lorne Greene – Ben Cartwright
Buck taught mentally and physically challenged children to ride until his passing in 1992 at the age of 45, an unusually long life for a horse.
He quickly clarified that none of the horses were shot. However, there was an attack and not all of them survived: "The horses were not shot but mutilated, and as a result, Michael Landon's horse did die," Collins confirmed.
The horse Matt Dillon rode “Buck” on Gunsmoke was in fact the very same “Buck” as was ridden by Ben Cartwright in 'Bonanza. Lorne Greene actually bought Buck (whose real name was Dunny Waggoner) when the 'Gunsmoke series ended. He then donated Buck to a therapeutic riding center.
Cochise is Little Joe's beautiful Paint Horse with spotting pattern of white and black. The horse is named after the famous Indian Cochise. Little Joe is very fond of it and both go trough thick and thin. In "The Crucible" Little Joe even shares his cup of coffee with it.
A: According to several “Bonanza” websites, Landon — who played Little Joe on the long-running western — had more than a dozen horses playing his mount over the course of the show.
However, head and shoulders above everyone was Tom Mix. He worked for the Miller Brothers in the 101 Ranch shows before he and his horse Tony became motion picture's best riding duo. Ben Johnson and Joel McCrea were good riders, and recently both Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are fine horsemen.
Tonto rode a paint, or pinto, called Scout.
James Arness rode the same Buckskin horse (Buck) in this movie as he rode in many episodes of Gunsmoke (1955).
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.
Was Matt Dillon's horse a quarter horse?
Matt Dillon had a horse called Buck. Buck was an American Quarter Horse (Big buckskin). He was the same horse used by Ben Cartwright in Bonanza.
In the days when westerns were big box office and TV attractions, cowboys and their horses often shared equal billing. Champion, wonder horse of the West, was Gene Autry's mount. John Wayne rode Duke, his devil horse, and, of course, there was Roy Rogers and Trigger billed as the smartest horse in the movies.
Michael Landon's Horse from 'Bonanza' is Killed
However, Michael Landon's horse that he used for the show did in fact get killed. The horse's name was Cochise.
A: According to several “Bonanza” websites, Landon — who played Little Joe on the long-running western — had more than a dozen horses playing his mount over the course of the show.
Matt Dillon had a horse called Buck. Buck was an American Quarter Horse (Big buckskin). He was the same horse used by Ben Cartwright in Bonanza.
References
- https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64009070/
- https://www.westernwriting.com/what-kind-of-horse-did-matt-dillon-ride-in-gunsmoke/
- https://outsider.com/entertainment/bonanza-horse-attack-episode-was-based-real-life-events/
- https://www.facebook.com/Iamfit2ride/photos/a.220738728443400/1296748354175760/?type=3
- https://truewestmagazine.com/article/i-read-that-glenn-ford-was-the-best-rider-in-westerns-what-other-movie-stars-excelled-as-horse-riders/
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049286/trivia/
- https://www.npr.org/2016/03/21/471283190/hollywood-hoofbeats-chronicles-the-horses-that-captured-moviegoers-hearts
- https://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/small-screen-bonanzas-little-joe-relied-on-dozen-plus-horses-4651362
- https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-2780,00.html
- https://bonanza.fandom.com/wiki/Cochise
- https://www.metv.com/stories/the-most-horrifying-rumor-in-bonanza-history-was-based-on-a-true-unsolved-mystery
- https://www.insp.com/blog/horses-of-hollywood/