Named and Shamed!
Below is a chronological list of known
authors and journalists who promoted the Hopkins mythology without verifying the
background facts.
In 1967, Bob Grey, Editor-Publisher of Horseman magazine, told an eager reporter, "You can readily understand that our magazine would be accused of irresponsible reporting if we printed a story such as this [Hopkins and Hidalgo] without knowing the basis of the background facts." The following writers would have done well to follow Editor Grey's advice. Only author, Dr. Don Worcester, and equestrian journalist, Don Blazer, have had the courage to admit that they were taken in by the Hopkins Hoax. "I was fooled," Worcester said, "because it was such a good story." |
Unnamed reporter | Article in Philadelphia Public Ledger, 1926 |
Charles B. Roth | Articles in Horse magazine, 1930s |
Charles B. Roth | Article entitled "The Toughest Race," published in Horse and Horseman magazine in 1937. The editor of Horse & Horseman was Peter Vischer. |
Albert Harris | Sections in book, The Blood of the Arab, 1941 |
Frazier Hunt | Mention in book, Horses and Heroes, 1949 |
Pers Crowell | Mention in book, Cavalcade of American Horses, 1951 |
J. Frank Dobie | Mention in book, The Mustangs, 1952 |
Charles Little | Article in Vermont Newspaper, 1953 |
John Richard Young | Mention in book, The Schooling of the Western Horse, 1954. A revised edition entitled The Schooling of the Horse was republished by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1982 |
Anthony Amaral | Article in Horse Lovers Magazine, 1962 |
Jack Schaefer, author of Shane and Monte Walsh | Mention in book, The Great Endurance Race – 600 Miles on a Single Mount, 1908, from Evanston, Wyoming, to Denver, 1963 |
Peter Vischer | 1937 article by Charles Roth, "The Toughest Race," is reprinted in the book, Horse & Horseman - An Anthology, 1967 |
Anthony Amaral | Article in Western Horseman magazine, 1969 |
Bradley Smith | Mention in book, The Horse in the West, 1969 |
Glynn Haynes | Mention in book, The American Paint Horse, 1976 and recently reissued by the University of Oklahoma Press. |
Dr. Donald Worcester | Mention in book, The Spanish Mustang, 1986 |
John Fusco | Screenplay for the film Hidalgo, 2001 |
Susan Wloszczyna | Article in USA Today, February 25th 2003 |
Fran Devereux Smith | Article in Western Horseman magazine, July 2003 |
Jean Llewellyn | Article in Horses All magazine, July 2003 |
William C. Reynolds | Article in Cowboys and Indians magazine, September 2003 |
Debra Bokur | Article in Horse & Rider magazine, January 2004 |
Jae-Ha Kim | Article in Chicago Sun Times, February 29th 2004 |
Cathy Orr | Article in American Cowboy magazine, April 2004 |
For an explanation of how these authors were misled, please click here to read an article which appeared in the October and December 2003 issues of Trail Blazer Magazine.
To read the letter from Editor-Publisher Bob Grey, please click here.
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