The extraordinary life and career of Casey Jones, a Morgan stallion born in Texas around 1915-1916, began with a tumultuous start. Sold to the Colorado Boys Reformatory as a young colt, he was likely mistreated, earning a reputation as a mean and ornery horse. Some even believed he was dangerous, with rumors circulating that he had killed a handler in later years.
After being sold to the Colorado Detention Home, Casey Jones was moved from one location to another, ultimately ending up in the possession of Hal Roach. Roach stabled the stallion at the Fat Jones Stables and employed Jack Lindell to train him for a career in motion pictures. Renamed Rex, the horse made his film debut in 1924's The King of Wild Horses.
Despite his initial mean-spirited nature, Rex's trainers recognized the potential benefits of his feisty personality, utilizing it to great effect in his movies. He was known for performing death-defying stunts, such as chasing actors under cars or cornering them, and even dispatching villains with a well-placed stomp.
In one notable scene from The Devil Horse (1926),Rex battled a painted stallion, a moment that has been edited into numerous other westerns. Throughout his twenty-film career, Rex proved himself to be a capable and reliable performer, earning the nickname "King of the Wild Horses."
Eventually, Rex retired from acting in the late 1930s and spent the remainder of his life at the Lee Doyle Ranch in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he lived out his days in peace.
