all cowboys did it

[Uncle Eph]

for your money what western star did the best job mounting his horse?

IMHO it had to be Ben Johnson.

[The Arapaho Kid]

I always like seeing some cowboy come running up behind the horse, then valut into the saddle.  Always wondered how many times they were singing soprano when the were slightly off when they plopped into the saddle?

[Silver Creek Slim]

According to John Ford, Ben Johnson was the best horseman in the movies.

Kid,
Gene Autry does a rear mount on Champion in "The Big Show". He made it look so easy.

Slim

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[The Arapaho Kid]

According to John Ford, Ben Johnson was the best horseman in the movies.

Kid,
Gene Autry does a rear mount on Champion in "The Big Show". He made it look so easy.

Slim

Here again...I wonder how many time he sang soprano while he was learnin' how to do that?  The other one I got a big kick out of was in the movie "Rustlers Rhapsody" when Tom Berenger (the hero) was teaching his side kick how to mount a horse.....from a hay loft.  That was totally hilarious!

[Trinity]

Ole Trinity must put in a vote fer... himself.  He's especially good if'n there's a purty girl a-watchin'

[The Arapaho Kid]

Ole Trinity must put in a vote fer... himself.  He's especially good if'n there's a purty girl a-watchin'

Hummm...  Are we falling off, or falling on the horse here?

[Russ T Chambers]

I'd have to go with Yakima Canutt.  He probably did fancy mounting of more horses for more actors than anyone, especially in the early Lone Star and Republic pictures.  The mount that always got me was from a second floor balcony.  This was usually done by breaking the drop with the feet on the saddle, then spreading the legs, but still.  Horse said -- My achin' back!   Cowboy said my achin' hm'hm!

[Trinity]

Hummm...  Are we falling off, or falling on the horse here?

Oh for pete's sake    Trinity don' fall off or on horses, I just caint post no video clips.  Ok, I must admit there are some fancy stunt riders out there, even better than ole Terence Hill.  But there aint that many actors that do their own stunts.

[The Arapaho Kid]

Hey!  I'm just funnin' with ya here!  I ain't slam dunkin' ya for the way ya mount up!

[Texas Lawdog]

Ben Johnson and Yak were real cowboys that happened to get into the movies as stuntmen.  Both of the were Champion Rodeo Cowboys.  Ben was a personal friend of mine that I met at a Celebrity Rodeo in Ft Worth that I was working security at.  He was a true gentlman and a Cowboys' Cowboy.  He was a pretty fair actor (Academy Award for "last Picture Show"

[Trinity]

Hey!  I'm just funnin' with ya here!  I ain't slam dunkin' ya for the way ya mount up!

No 'ffence ever taken, Kid.  I just appreciate the excuse to watch my favorite movies again to mine out a couple pictures.    Aint technology great??

I'm also enjoying reading these other names so that I can look fer their movies.  I've heard of Ben Johnson, but don't think I've ever seen one of his films.

[The Arapaho Kid]

Hey!  I'm just funnin' with ya here!  I ain't slam dunkin' ya for the way ya mount up!

No 'ffence ever taken, Kid.  I just appreciate the excuse to watch my favorite movies again to mine out a couple pictures.    Aint technology great??

I'm also enjoying reading these other names so that I can look fer their movies.  I've heard of Ben Johnson, but don't think I've ever seen one of his films.

Well....you don't even wanna know how I mount up!  My ol' bones and joints ain't like they useta be and there is an occasional step stool involved!  Once aboard...I'm ok, but getting there can be sometimes a little difficult!

[Uncle Eph]

Trinity, I bet you have seen a Ben Johnson movie, here are just a few: Red Dawn, She wore a yellow ribbon, The Wild Bunch, Junior Bonner, My heros have always been cowboys, and he won a AA for The Last Picture Show, and about ten zillion other movies.

Ben Johnson had away around horses that always reminded me of the oldtimers that I remember when I was a kid, these men handled horses like they were tools that they had a lot of respect for.

[Trinity]

Uncle Eph, you are right.  I have seen most of those movies, but just don't remember him.  I guess I'll have to watch some movies this weekend.

[Forty Rod]

Check Ben out in Mighty Joe Young...roping a fifty ton gorilla...HA! 

[Russ T Chambers]

As I recall Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. did their own stunt riding in Rio Grande for the Roman riding sequence.    If not the total ride, at least the dismount.

[Scattered Thumbs]

Clint Eastwood....In "Unforgiven" 

[Uncle Eph]

Texas Lawdog, I never had a chance to meet Ben Johnson, I would have been thrilled to do so, some time ago I owned the  model 92 that he carried in the movie "The Wild Bunch" with a bunch of paper work on the different movies it had been in and fool that I am I traded for something else that caught my eye.

[Silver Creek Slim]

As I recall Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. did their own stunt riding in Rio Grande for the Roman riding sequence.    If not the total ride, at least the dismount.

Great sequence!

Ben is also in Shane, The Shadow Riders, Sacketts, Chisum, Hang Em High, Will Penny, etc. Here is link to his filmography.
http://imdb.com/name/nm0424565/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9YmVuIGpvaG5zb258aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1

Slim

[Texas Lawdog]

Ben was born in Oklahoma.  He got his start in the movies in the late 40's.  He was hired by Howard Hughes to bring a load of horses to California to use in "The Outlaw" and he never left.  Inthe beginning  he was a stuntman and a "double" for John Wayne, Joel Mccrea and others. He was in a lot of Duke's westerns. He took a year off from the movies to go back to Rodeo and he won the 1953 RCA World Champion Steer Roping title.  He is the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.  They erected a large bronze of him there a couple of years ago