Horses for courses

THROUGHOUT the mid to late 1950s, cowboys (and cowgirls) were part of every youngster's play time, inspired by comics, books, badges, games, films and TV programmes. I was so steeped in the Wild West that I even had my photo taken in full cowboy attire at the famous Jerome photo studio on London Road.

- Ken Rogers

In the unlikely event that I was asked to appear on the BBC's Mastermind quiz, my specialist subject could easily be 'The Horses of 1950s Cowboy Heroes'.

Roy Rogers had Trigger, a distinctive palomino originally called Golden Cloud, born in San Diego, California. Golden Cloud was a film star before linking up with Roy in 1943, having made an appearance as Maid Marian's mount in the 1938 movie 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'.

'Champion the Wonder Horse' was ridden by Gene Autry, while 'Silver' was the unmistakeable white steed of the Lone Ranger, played on TV by Clayton Moore. Kids all over Liverpool, indeed all over the country, would have been wearing distinctive Lone Ranger masks in the 1950s, given away free with boxes of Quaker Puffed Wheat.