Trigger the Horse

Color illustration of the head of brown horse with light-colored mane on a faded, light blue background; the horse is wearing a black bridle

Actor and singer Roy Rogers, a Western star, appeared in more than 100 movies and in multiple radio and television shows in the 1940s and 1950s. Trigger the horse often starred alongside Rogers in these films and was known for tricks such as walking on his hind legs, bowing, and being housebroken.

In 1953, Post Consumer Brands collaborated with Roy Rogers to release a series of television ads and cereal box prizes. Rogers, accompanied by Trigger, appeared on Grape-Nuts™ packaging during the duration of this campaign.

After Trigger’s death in 1965, Rogers had the horse’s body preserved as a statue and displayed it in Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Apple Valley, California.