His Mansion for a Horse

Swing by the Cowboy Festival and a special open house Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22

It’s not surprising that William S. Hart, who became a silent film star playing a charismatic cowboy, would ride horses for fun when the cameras weren’t rolling. But the Western star’s former home, the William S. Hart Museum, is also full of tributes to his four-legged costar.

Inside the mansion, for example, is a painting of a pinto pony named Fritz, who was such a distinct-looking horse that he was nearly impossible to find a double for. Fritz did most of his own stunts except for a harrowing cliff jump in the movie Singer Jim McKee. Two expert mechanics at Lasky Studios took five weeks to make a life-size model that was so realistic that Hart had to go in front of the Board of Censors in New York to convince them it was fake before they would allow the release of the film.

Unfortunately, Hart was not as lucky as Fritz and actually had to do the jump himself. Dozens more horse-themed artifacts can be found at the museum, which you can discover at a special open house on the weekend of April 21 and 22. So sidle up for more homages to the charismatic animals that once galloped across the silver screen.