Trigger reins in $266,500 at Christie's Roy Rogers Museum Collection sale

Roy Rogers was a two-time inductee into Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame, a prolific recording artist, and appeared in more than 100 films in addition to starring in his own television hit, The Roy Rogers Show.

But Rogers never went anywhere without his trusty horse sidekick, Trigger. Trigger was an integral part of Roy's life both on and off the stage. Together, they performed all over the country during World War II, raising millions in the sale of bonds to aid the war effort.

It was also Trigger that gave Roy his legs as he proposed to wife and co-star Dale Evans in Chicago during a performance. The horse died, aged 30, from old age on July 3, 1965, just one day before his 31st birthday.


Gone but not forgotten: Roy Rogers' trusty companion, Trigger

Inspired by the animals on display in the Smithsonian, Rogers decided to have Trigger mounted in his iconic rearing position on two legs and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum.

Yesterday, the same iconic mount went under the hammer at Christie's, one of 300 lots of memorabilia attached to the iconic '60s show. Trigger appeared in the auction with an estimate of $100,000-200,000.

Clearly, bidders with memories of The Roy Rogers Show couldn't pass up the chance to own this unique memory of the programme's equine star. Mounted in his iconic rearing position on two legs, Trigger galloped to a final price of $266,500.

 

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