The Mane Event: LIFE’s 25 Most Memorable Horses

1 minute read

In 2004, when the Senate agreed to designate December 13 as the National Day of the Horse, the resolution acknowledged that “horses continue to permeate the society of the United States, as witnessed on movie screens, on open land, and in our own backyards” and are “a vital part of the collective experience of the United States.”

Nowhere is that vital role clearer than in the archive of LIFE Magazine’s great 20th century photography, which features these majestic creatures in all of their many roles. They’re athletes (Seabiscuit), movie stars (National Velvet), military troops, farm workers, even gamblers — not to mention beloved companions. In one 1952 gimmick, a horse that supposedly possessed clairvoyant powers even composed a headline for a LIFE story about herself. (She was clairvoyant, not creative: the headline was “Talking Horse.”)

To mark the celebration of horses now and then, here’s a look back at 25 of the most memorable horses in LIFE’s pages.

Polo ponies standing in corral at the Peachtree Ranch in Texas, 1939.
Polo ponies standing in corral at the Peachtree Ranch in Texas, 1939.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Championship horse Seabiscuit standing in stall after winning Santa Anita Handicap, 1940.
Championship horse Seabiscuit standing in stall after winning Santa Anita Handicap, 1940.Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Doctor listening to horse's heart beats with stethoscope and recording them on Stetho-Cardiette at University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, 1940.
Doctor listening to horse's heart beats with stethoscope and recording them on Stetho-Cardiette at University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, 1940.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Moroccan soldier of the French expeditionary force, holding the General's Arabian horse, at garrison in the great citadel, 1940.
Moroccan soldier of the French expeditionary force, holding the General's Arabian horse, at garrison in the great citadel, 1940.Margaret Bourke-White—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Stallion trying to make friends with a barn cat, 1943.
Stallion trying to make friends with a barn cat, 1943.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Man watching his work horse drink from a water trough, 1944.
Man watching his work horse drink from a water trough, 1944.Fritz Goro—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Elizabeth Taylor posing with saddle horse after her smash movie debut in "National Velvet," 1945.
Elizabeth Taylor posing with saddle horse after her smash movie debut in "National Velvet," 1945.Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Boys riding a horse to schools, 1946.
Boys riding a horse to schools, 1946.Bernard Hoffman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Lucky horse playing roulette in Las Vegas, 1947.
Lucky horse playing roulette in Las Vegas, 1947.Jon Brenneis—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Gene Autry astride his horse Champion surveying his Ranch, 1948.
Gene Autry astride his horse Champion surveying his Ranch, 1948.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Foreman of the JA Ranch Clarence Hailey Long sitting in shade of his horse on prairie, 1949.
Foreman of the JA Ranch Clarence Hailey Long sitting in shade of his horse on prairie, 1949.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Mrs. Mary Breckenridge who runs Frontier Nursing Service, petting her horse. Leslie Country, Kentucky, 1949.
Mrs. Mary Breckenridge who runs Frontier Nursing Service, petting her horse. Leslie Country, Kentucky, 1949.Eliot Elisofon—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
"Lady Wonder," a clairvoyant 27 year old talking horse, can count and spell its name by tipping over lettered panels, 1952.
"Lady Wonder," a clairvoyant 27 year old talking horse, can count and spell its name by tipping over lettered panels, 1952.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Child standing beside a miniature horse, showing size comparison, 1952.
Child standing beside a miniature horse, showing size comparison, 1952.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Baby horses scampering down the stretch at Los Alamitos track, 1952.
Baby horses scampering down the stretch at Los Alamitos track, 1952.George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
In mid air the horse sails gracefully toward the tank, 1953.
In mid air the horse sails gracefully toward the tank, 1953.Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Midget thoroughbred filly, Big Bertha, and her mother on Woodland farm, 1954.
Midget thoroughbred filly, Big Bertha, and her mother on Woodland farm, 1954.Lisa Larsen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
6 year old cowboy learning how to shoe a horse, 1954.
6 year old cowboy learning how to shoe a horse, 1954.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Young girl riding her pony as colt follows, 1956.
Young girl riding her pony as colt follows, 1956.Robert W. Kelley—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
"Misty of Chincoteague" wild horse at farewell party before returning home to Chincoteague Island, 1957.
"Misty of Chincoteague" wild horse at farewell party before returning home to Chincoteague Island, 1957.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harness racing at All-Russia horse show at the Hippodrome, 1958.
Harness racing at All-Russia horse show at the Hippodrome, 1958.Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Trader Horn nuzzling young friend in stall at Roosevelt Raceway, 1959.
Trader Horn nuzzling young friend in stall at Roosevelt Raceway, 1959.Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Israeli children of Habad sect, frolic with horse and cart at farm village, 1960.
Israeli children of Habad sect, frolic with horse and cart at farm village, 1960.Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Troika race at Hippodrome, 1963.
Troika race at Hippodrome, 1963.Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Jimmy the horse rollerskating down road in front of its farm, 1963.
Jimmy the horse rollerskating down road in front of its farm, 1963.Joseph Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com