But somebody snitched. Colonel Mulhall kidnapped old Comanche back, in effect held him for ransom, and shipped him out of town. Will left, the show, and with Teddy went out to start his vaudeville career.
Will never saw old Comanche again. Remembered by hundreds of cowboys as the King of the Cow Ponies, Comanche died in Florida. Jim Minnick rode Teddy in Will’s vaudeville act. But Jim had to go back to Texas, and Buck McKee an Oklahoma cowboy, took his place.
The act was a hit. After Will did a few hand-tricks, Teddy, with Buck McKee in the saddle, dashed out on the stage and just before Teddy reached the footlights, Will lassoed him by all four feet.
He closed his act with the Big Crinoline, the trick that got him his job with Texas Jack in South Africa. Will had the theater ushers lead out the 100-foot rope, up the aisle to the back of the house. Then, mounted on Teddy, he would swing the rope around, letting it out farther and farther until it swished over the heads of the audience. Then he gradually brought it back within the stage area, and pulling Teddy back, let it drop on the stage with a klunk. With a cowboy whoop, he rode off the stage on Teddy.
He brought down the house.
He never talked in his act. You hear a hundred stories on how he started talking, but the only true account is the one recorded in Will Rogers: His Wife’s Story. When he gradually started talking about the tricks he was doing, he got laughs – which at first distressed him – but when his talking started to go over, he dropped Teddy from the act. From then on he did a “single”, twirling his rope and commenting on everything, especially what he read in the newspapers.
His growing success was reflected in the number of horses he had. He was constantly on the lookout for good horseflesh.
Dopey, a little round-bellied coal black pony with glass eyes, became a family pet. Dopey would come in the house out on Long Island, and even go upstairs. He was intelligent, gentle, and Will said he never made a wrong move, never hurt anybody in his life. Will’s children, Will, Jr., Mary, and Jim learned to ride on Dopey. Like Teddy, he was good for being roped.
Cowboy, on the other hand, was a fine roping pony. Cowboy was nervous, high strung. Will said he was “fussy and finicky about his head”, but when Will was roping from him, Cowboy was all business, and one of the best.
Chapple, a big bay horse with two white rear sox, become one of Will’s best movie horses. His specialty was jumping off cut-banks and sliding down loose earth on steep grades.
Will kept his horses in a stable near Amityville out on Long Island. And there, Will taught many of his show-business friends to rope and ride, people like Fred Stone, Leo Carrillo, and the great Broadway funny-man, Frank Tinney.
Fred Stone had a place about a half-mile distant and Will used to ride over and visit Fred, riding one pinto, and leading four more. Fred, or anybody else, was never able to learn what the big idea was. Sometimes, Will would ride one pinto over and another back.
Out there on Long Island, Will also had a big Appaloosa-colored mule that he called Muzzy Mule. Often, when he rode with the children, Will rode Muzzy Mule- and roped from him.
Will taught the children riding and roping, even trick riding, almost from the time they were in diapers. All three of the children became experts.
Bill (Will, Jr.) rode Pumpkin, a buckskin, and Chapple.
Mary rode a white and brown pinto, Dodo.
Jim rode Shorty, a little sorrel, and many other horses, among them Dukum and Cuba.
Jim is in the horse and cattle business today up around Bakersfield, California. Bill still has horses on his place in Tubac, Arizona. Both became excellent polo players, and Jim still competes in horse shows. He’s been in hundreds.
Mrs. Rogers, Betty, sometimes rode Chapple. The children became so proficient, even when they were very small, that they rode standing up on their mounts at full gallop. And Jimmy and Bill did Roman riding and picked up handkerchiefs from the ground at a dead run.
From Will Rogers and His Horses: Part 2 of 2, March issue of 1963.
I so enjoyed reading this article. I have loved horses since I was very young. I have always wanted a horse but couldn’t afford to buy one. I have been told that they are expensive to maintain. I don’t know anything about them. But I will always love reading and looking at them in pictures. They are majestic creatures that are so beautiful to look at.
My grandfather James (Jim) Minnick was best friends with will rogers and also taught will how to play polo. Will and my grandfather Jim minnick and Fred’s stone were all friends .