Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Horse Lover's Companion
Page 16
Track Duty, page 108
1. b
2. a
3. c
4. a
5. b
6. c
Singing Their Praises, page 132
1. America, “A Horse with No Name.” When this song came out in 1972, some radio stations wouldn’t play it because “horse” is a slang term for “heroin.” (The band assured the media and public that the song was indeed about a horse.)
2. Michael Martin Murphey, “Wildfire.” Besides writing this #1 hit, Murphey also composed “The Land of Enchantment,” New Mexico’s state ballad.
3. Kenny Loggins, “All the Pretty Little Ponies.” This children’s song was first released on the 1994 album Return to Pooh Corner, which also included tunes by John Lennon and Phil Collins.
4. The Byrds, “The Chestnut Mare.” Founding band member Roger McGuinn (formerly Jim McGuinn) changed his name after joining the Subud religious group in the mid-1960s. (The group’s leader thought he needed a new name.) The change confused some of McGuinn’s fans, who thought “Roger” must have been “Jim’s” brother.
5. John Denver, “Eagles and Horses.” John Denver was extremely interested in space travel—he even took and passed NASA’s physical exam, in the hopes of becoming the first civilian in space, but he died in 1997 before he could make the trip.
6. Johnny Cash, “Tennessee Stud.” Although the “Man in Black” had a reputation suggesting otherwise, he spent only one night in jail—for bringing methamphetamines into the United States from Mexico.
7. Garth Brooks, “Wild Horses.” Country maverick Garth Brooks attended Oklahoma State University on a partial athletic scholarship as a javelin thrower. The lure of singing in clubs was too much during college, however, and he gave up sports to concentrate on music.
8. Don Fogelberg, “Run for the Roses.” Fogelberg’s father was a high school band teacher, and although Fogelberg eventually came to be thankful for his early musical training, he used to fake sports injuries to get out of piano practice.
Horse Sense, page 175
1. Black Beauty—Anna Sewell felt that her audience for Black Beauty would be people who worked with horses. She wanted to alert them to the industry’s inhumane practices (the use of whips, checkreins, and other devices) and once said that she wrote the book to “induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses.” Children, however, loved the story, and quickly after its publication, Black Beauty became a children’s classic.
2. Flicka—In the 1943 film My Friend Flicka, Roddy McDowall stars as young, dreamy Ken McLaughlin, who picks the wild, part-mustang Flicka for his own. McDowall starred in another animal-friendly film (1943’s Lassie Come Home), which costarred another animal-loving child actor: Elizabeth Taylor. (See #5.)
3. Trigger—His original name was Golden Cloud, but Roy Rogers renamed him because the palomino was quick-footed and quick-witted.
4. Buttermilk—This horse died in 1972 (at the age of 31) but was stuffed, mounted, and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri.
5. The Pie—Elizabeth Taylor was just 11 years old when she filmed National Velvet, her first starring role.
6. Seabiscuit—Seabiscuit got his name from his father, the feisty Thoroughbred Hard Tack. A “seabiscuit” is another name for hardtack, a crackerlike biscuit that sailors ate on long sea voyages.
7. Sophie—Many different horse actors played Sophie on M*A*S*H, and even though she’s a mare on the show, she was usually played by a male horse.
8. Misty—Misty’s foal Stormy, who was born in 1962, got his name from the Ash Wednesday Storm, a violent Nor’easter that struck Chincoteague Island just before Misty gave birth.
9. The Black Stallion—Between 1945 and 1989, Walter Farley wrote 18 sequels to The Black Stallion (and cowrote a 19th with his son).
10. Diablo—The Cisco Kid was based on O. Henry’s story but wasn’t exactly the same. In the original, Cisco was vicious, not Hispanic, and an outlaw.
11. Dollar—According to Hollywood legend, Wayne was so fond of Dollar that he requested no one else ride him.
Good Breeding, page 218
Tackle This!, page 220
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