A Tribute to Cocaine: Hollywood’s Greatest Stunt Horse

ABOUT THE SERIES

Meet Cocaine, the most famous stunt horse you’ve probably never heard of (though you may have seen him!). Unspoken star of dozens of Westerns spanning Hollywood’s Golden Age, Cocaine and his rider, stuntman “Bad Chuck” Roberson, galloped across screens world-wide alongside some of your favorite cowboys.

Cocaine and Roberson first met when the established stunt rider went looking for a fully trained falling horse for THE LAST OUTPOST (1951), starring Ronald Reagan. When the trained horses on offer were all found to be too small for Roberson’s impressive stature, he took home the biggest stallion he could find to train from scratch. Roberson soon learned that Cocaine had a natural talent for jumping, falling, and even leaping through windows, and the pair became inseparable.

Cocaine and Roberson found their niche quickly, doubling Western heroes and joining stampedes of cavalrymen or natives in films like THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY (1959), starring Robert Mitchum, and Stanley Kubrick’s SPARTACUS (1960). Often, Cocaine would be painted or dyed different colors to reappear with a past co-star or play multiple roles in one film. His skill set was not taken for granted, and Cocaine was flown around the world to shoot on-location scenes for films like Jacques Tourneur’s Argentine production, WAY OF A GAUCHO (1952).

Of course, Cocaine is most well-known for his and Roberson’s decades-long partnership with John Wayne, both on and off-screen. It was his work in HONDO (1953) that earned Cocaine his first Craven Award for Best Performance by a Stunt Animal, and after CHISUM (1970), he earned his second with THE TRAIN ROBBERS (1973). Cocaine lived to be almost 32 years old, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and helping set the standard for ethical animal wrangling and stunt training practices that are still in use today.