OklahomaHorses Magazine January 2023

26 OklahomaHorses • January / February 2023 REAL-LIFE Buckaroo Dale Robertson’s Career Centered on Horses by Carol Mowdy Bond I n 1959, Time Magazine described Dale Robertson as “probably the best horseman on television.” Continuing with how “his shy, Sunday-go-to-meetin’ smile” made the ladies go insane, the article tells that in Robertson’s spare time, he drank three quarts of milk each day and raced quarter horses. Known for performing his own stunts, Robertson appeared in more than 430 television episodes and 60 motion pictures that were filmed around the world. Ridin’ and shootin’ alongside famous names, Robertson was also a real-life buck- aroo. And he was instrumental in creating the western entertainment genre and keeping it alive. Quite often, Robertson rode his own horses into living rooms and across the silver screen. His favorite racehorse, Jubilee, traveled with Robertson more than 200,000 miles, appeared in more than 200 films plus countless fairs and rodeos, and carried hundreds of children on his back. Keeping theWest Alive Born in Harrah in 1923, Robertson was a skilled horseback rider by age 10 and was training polo ponies by his teen years. He attended Classen High School in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Military Academy. During the Great Depression, Robertson was a professional boxer. He enlisted in the military during Actor Dale Robertson was a genuine equestrian enthusiast who performed all his own stunts. Photo from a private collection.