Grand Champions
Native American Stallions and Family Sets
The Indian horses are some of the best Grand Champions of the entire line. With their Indian names, native-looking blankets and tack, mane and tail feathers and neato Indian Symbols on their bodies, they have a cultural charm in miniature that no other type of GC can match. The other sets are lovely in their way, but so much more detail was put into the design of these guys, and their culture gives them terrific character. Even at Ebay, the sellers who aren't horse people usually recognize these beauties and call them Indian Ponies. They are indeed, Super Cool.
Horses were not naturally a part of Indian Life, as the modern
horse did not
exist in the Americas until its introduction by the Spanish and
other early
settlers. Too, the classic Wild Mustang, though such a
deeply-rooted
concept in the American West, was not a phenomenon until the
introduced horses
escaped (or were turned loose) and established successful wild
herds. It was said that when Indians first saw Europeans riding horses, they thought that man and horse were one creature, some kind of Centaur. I don't know if that's true, but Indians certainly aren't dumb, and they grabbed the opportunity when it came. They quickly re-domesticated the feral horses and became superb horsemen with their own riding style. They often rode bareback or made their own tack, and could even control their mounts through leg cues alone, freeing up their hands so they could ride and shoot settlers full of arrows at the same time.
Some types of horses (pintos, appaloosas) are closely associated with Indians, so these were used in the designs of the Grand Champion models. I'm not an Indian Expert by any means, but I know Indians had some special names for the appearance of their horses, such as the Medicine Hat Pinto, and some pinto patterns were supposed to grant additional powers to the rider, such as the tobiano pattern with colored patches around the flank/loin. The patches were supposed to be like side-shields that would protect the Indian when he went on war raids.
They also painted special symbols on them
for identification,
and maybe in
association with super magical powers, too. Some of the more
common ones
were the "Far Seeing Eye," a colored ring around the eye of the
horse that
was to help its vision,
and the "U"/hoof symbols on the body, which indicated
the number of
enemy horses taken during battle. There are lots of other ones
like plain spots,
rings, squiggles, handprints, etc, and it was a tradition to put
all kinds
of extra symbols on right before a raid or a hunt. On the next page is our own diagram of some symbols and their meanings on a Grand Champion, but here are some cool websites you can check out to learn more about Indian Symbols:
Symbols on Horses - (I think this site is made by a real, actual Indian.)
Other Symbols Indians Used
Explanations of the Use of Symbols - (Note the use of the swastika, centuries before its adoption by the Nazis)
Re: "Indians" I call Indians Indians, mainly because 'Native Americans' is pretty long and not necessarily any more accurate. You're usually considered a native of whatever soil you're born on, and even Indians supposedly migrated from some other part of the world initially. Also the current theory on human life is that it originated in Africa, so technically we could all be considered African Natives.
I think 'Indian' is a remnant from Columbus's original blunder, but I heard somewhere that it was really the Vikings who found America "first," so maybe we should all be called whatever the Vikings think is a good term, if there are any Vikings left. There aren't any real rules for How Far Back you're supposed to go when you say where you're from or what your Native place is, and as long as it doesn't have a derogatory meaning, it's ok with me... So I usually just say "Indians" and move on.
The known data indicates a total of 9 Indian Horses, though it's possible that more are out there (a couple do seem to be "missing"). There are 2 mares, 2 foals and 5 stallions. Some are Sound Stallions, or were sold only with riders, but I have put them all together because it is their Indian-ness that is their commonality, and what is usually apparent when they are encountered secondhand.
Horse and Rider/Sound Stallions
Scout
I think Scout was the first Indian Horse, since he was
released in a regular Horse and Rider Set instead of specifically as
a Native American horse. You can see in that photo there
(Right through the knees of the indian) that the blue and white
"Marchon" logo appears to be on the corner of the box. I
guess this indicates a pre-Empire manufacture date, something
near 1992, though I think he was sold until at least '94.
This was before the GC makers realized that
Indian Horses were cool and could potentially be popular, so
Scout is like The Lone Pioneer of the Indian Horses.Marchon's love affair with the Dark Bay Pinto was crystallized by this guy, the next in a line of many who would forever be confused with each other.
Info on Scout comes from Neena, who confirms that this guy does not have any Indian Symbols on his body. That makes him the only Indian horse without them, and if you get one that has been de-feathered, he will look just like an ordinary Grand Champion. Even the name 'Scout' is simpler than those of the other, more "real" Indian horses, and ties to Hollywood's impression of Indians. Scout was the name of Tonto's horse, and even 'Kemo Sabe' supposedly means 'Trusted Scout.'
I guess they came up with the idea for Indian Symbols right about the time they started giving them the more culturally accurate names.
Scout is a Sound Stallion, and was promoted with another one, a palomino named Maverick (again the Hollywood thing). Scout was in the Indian Set, and Maverick was in the Cowboy Set and came with a cowboy and a lasso and stuff. Both Maverick and Scout are hard to find now, I suppose because they didn't sell well, which would be surprising since the later Talkies ("Noble Tango" and icky "Titan's Jet") are all too common.
Scout is your average dark bay pinto with the typical GC features like small, odd-shaped markings scattered on the body, narrow strips that extend (usually centered) down the forearms, and tiny patch/spot markings on the pasterns. He also has a big head patch there, and what looks like a smaller one enclosing his right nostril. This is a lot like the Standard Run pinto, Indian Chief, who would come in the mid-90s.
Half Moon
Half Moon is the more unique of the Indian Stallions, and of
GC pintos generally. He has an overo pattern (uncommon in
Grand Champions) and not the typical markings. His white
areas are modest and isolated, the marking edges are softer
and less triangular, and he has just two white legs. (I think
all of the other early pintos had four.) I would guess that Half Moon
was designed by someone different, not the usual GC person.
He is also the only Indian Stallion to appear in a unique pose,
the '92 Classic
Stallion remold. I used to have a Half Moon, and he had some warping in his face. Most Classic Stallions have a factory-smooshed left nostril, but mine actually had a pinched fold of plastic all the way along the side of the muzzle. I can't remember if it had a nostril or not, just that this ripple of plastic was very bad and unlike any other Classic stals I have seen. This is him in a blurry photo, though you can't see the fold...
The Classic Stallion naturally has a big head and muzzle, so Half Moon's wide blaze makes him look even bigger-nosed, but I do love overos, and Half Moon is still a pretty cool horse for his neat pinto markings, especially on his front legs.
Half Moon is a sound stallion with red Indian Symbols: a Sun-like
design and zigzag lines. He came with a blanket, feathers, a
draggy toboggan thing (I think it's called a travois?),
and a female Indian rider. In real life he is quite different
from his publicity pic there, and that one (along with the stallions
pic below) was printed backwards on some of the Indian packages,
further confusing the horse's identity. Half Moon is uncommon
and valuable for a GC, so you're fortunate if you have him.
The Family Stallions
After the two Sound Stallions, more Indian horses made their appearance in the usual way Grand Champions do, as Family Sets with a Stallion, Mare and Foal. I don't think they were ever sold together in a box of three, though; I would guess not because the stallions are much more commonly seen than the mares.
Some people have wanted more from the Native American sets, especially since the stallions are almost all in the same pose. It would be so awesome to see a Indian Showhorse or Cantering pose, but it could easily have gone the other way, too. I say better four Running stallions than have a walker or an 'Arabian' or a Barb mixed in there. Also, all of the Indians were made prior to The Invasion of the Fat-Legged Remolds in 2000, so at least these are all in their graceful, original form.
Left: Little Eagle
Center: Flying Wolf
Right: Fire Sky
Photo Credit: Big thanks go to Shockwave 731, for donation of this great picture of Fire Sky.
I think these guys were all supposed to have families, but Fire Sky on the far right doesn't seem to. He is another dark bay pinto, a lot like Scout, and maybe Empire decided that there were already enough dark bay pintos out there (Six including this one, and there were three more to come in the mid 90s) so he should not have a family. That's too bad, as more Indian Horses would be welcome, but they probably would have looked much like the later, standard run pinto family (Indian Chief, Meadowsong and Nickers) and Dark Bay Pinto doesn't need any more members, anyway. It's possible that Fire Sky's family does exist and that people have never found them, but they haven't been seen in any package photos, either.
Fire Sky has red Indian Symbols on him, the "U" shapes and a cattle skull shape. I think these stallions may have been released more than once, or over a broader time than the usual horses, as some had the blue bridles in the package pic, while others were sold with black English ones.
Fire Sky is attractive, but I guess if you have Scout, you don't need him. (And vice versa.) Personally, I like him better than Scout because he has the neato symbols, and I like his pattern more, too. You can see that it differs a lot from that of the package photo.
Go On to PAGE TWO! to see the cute Indian Families and other neat stuff !
©2004 Sloane Eljay
Blue Paradise Stables