PrintI’m willing to bet almost none of you are familiar with a horse named Bamboo Harvester. Yet he’s probably one of the most famous horses in U.S. history.
Need a hint?
Bamboo Harvester was born in 1949 and was bred to be a show horse. For the first 11 years of his life, he was just that, traveling across the country gathering championships.
Bamboo Harvester was also a representative of the Palomino Horse Association, headed by Jim and Edna Fagan, and his sire, The Harvester, was a prime example of the PHA’s registry standards. Both The Harvester and Bamboo Harvester were entered in the Pasadena Rose Parade on many occasions.
In 1960, the horse was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Carl Wood, who also campaigned him, before they sold him on to Les Hilton. Still a stallion at the time, he was gelded after Hilton purchased him. Hilton began to train him as soon as he recovered in preparation for filming.
Figure it out yet?
Hilton was pretty famous himself; he was one of the elite movie horse trainers of his time and a former apprentice of Will Rogers. So if anyone could increase Bamboo Harvester’s star it was Hilton. He was patient, methodical and incorporated voice commands and body movements that excited the horse into the action he was trying to teach them. As soon as he received the response he wanted, even just a little bit, he’d reward the horse. Once the horse became more confident in the command, he would transition from words to physical cues.
Hilton also used whips but never to strike the horse. The whip was an extension of his hand to direct which way the horse should look or move. Specific movements of Hilton’s whip or body meant different things to the horses. For example, a whip lifted high meant to rear or a whip held to the left might have meant for the horse to look left.
In order for a movie horse to be successful, the trainer must train him thoroughly, making sure the cues are subtle, yet visible enough that the trainer can remain off camera. The horses have to be totally focused on the trainer, and the trainer has to be flexible enough to work from any angle, depending on the actions the horse needs to perform. Of course, ropes and halters have to be optional.
Bamboo Harvester was destined to be an on screen horse. His charming personality placed him at the forefront of daily life in Hilton’s barn, where he was stabled next to his stunt double, Pumpkin. Visitors couldn’t even greet Bamboo’s stable mate before him, or the horse would pout and slam the top of his Dutch door shut. He always wanted to be first, whether it was with new tricks or toys, or mundane things like feeding time or stall mucking. When fans came to visit, Hilton was always careful to introduce Bamboo first, or he wouldn’t perform.
Pumpkin was eight years younger than Bamboo and seemed happy to remain an understudy. Pumpkin appeared uninterested in the workmanlike manner Bamboo brought to training and film shoots and was more inclined to playing than working.
