FLICKA was a 900-pound pure Arabian mare.  She was sorrel (a copper-red shade of chestnut), and had originally been called Wahana.  Says Johnny Washbrook, “I refer to my friend as Flicka, not Wahana, since with the filming of the series her name was changed in the sense that everyone always called her Flicka.”  “And” he adds, “I really did love her—she was a great horse!”  A beautiful shade of chestnut with distinctive white markings on her face and ankles, Flicka was owned by well-known livestock supplier and horse trainer Ralph McCutcheon.  The original owner on record with the Arabian Horse Association at her birth was Patricia Ann Eaves, so it is presumed that either he purchased her from Ms. Eaves or perhaps they were co-owners.  She was trained by the famous horse trainer Les Hilton. 

She had been foaled (born) on June 13, 1950 at the Newhall, California ranch of W.P. and Josephine Hawley, and was purchased by Patricia Ann Eaves, Rt. 2, Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Wahana’s Arabian Horse Association registration number was AHR 6513, and she had a notable pedigree.  Her father was Abu Farwa (AHR 1960), a famed chestnut Arabian who had been born on the Kellogg Arabian Ranch in Pomoma, Calfornia.  Abu Farwa’s own sire was Kellogg’s famous stallion Rabiyas (later exported to South Africa)—one of the all-time greats in American horse breeding.  Abu’s dam (mother) was Rissletta, who had been foaled in 1930 at the Crabbet Arabian Stud in Sussex, England and brought over to the Kellogg ranch in 1936.  Abu Farwa himself sired a total of 277 purebred foals during his lifetime.  The majority of them were chestnut like their father and many—like Flicka—also had white markings.

Flicka’s dam (mother) was Mehana (AHR 1297), one of two purebred Spanish Arabian mares foaled by Meca (AHR 1219), a chestnut mare.  Meca had been foaled by Ursus, a Polish stallion that had been brought to Spain in 1908 and sold for one million dollars.  Mehana was brought to the U.S. from Spain with her sister, and she reportedly had thirteen other foals besides Flicka in her lifetime. 

At the time she was chosen to star in her own television show, Flicka stood fifteen hands (sixty inches) high.  During the whole time of filming the My Friend Flicka series, Flicka was kept at Clarence “Fat” Jones’ movie horse stables on Sherman Way in North Hollywood, says Johnny Washbrook.  She was brought by trailer down to the 20th Century-Fox Studios in Hollywood or out to the Fox Movie Ranch in Malibu Canyon for each day’s shoot. 

Johnny Washbrook dutifully brushes his beautiful friend Flicka

Like her human counterparts, Flicka—the star—got the love scenes while her stunt double got to take the falls.  Flicka was a gentle, intelligent and adaptable horse who responded instinctively to the signals of her talented and experienced trainer.  Johnny Washbrook remembers, “Les had done such a good job of training Flicka that I virtually had only to think of what I wanted Flicka to do and she sensed it and responded.”  She was worth more than $7,000 then, which is not relatively much by today’s standards.  But in the mid-1950’s, when $100 per week was a decent wage, it was quite a hefty sum.

 
Some shots of Johnny Washbrook astride the fabulous Flicka

Records of the American Arabian Association show that ownership of Flicka was transferred to a Frances Saueressig on July 6, 1967, and Flicka was taken to live on the Saueressig’s ranch at 1071 Governor Dempsey, Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Flicka had foaled twice during the 1960s.  Her offspring were Hanabu (AHR 20389), an Arabian stallion foaled March 11, 1961 and Ross Flicka (HAHR 1A26719), a half-Arabian mare foaled March 16 the following year.  Flicka apparently lived at the Saueressig ranch until her death.  She was never officially declared deceased with the Arabian Horse Association registry, so as of December 29, 1990, she was listed as “presumed deceased.”

The marvelously talented and strikingly beautiful chestnut thoroughbred mare that millions of children and adults around the world had fondly known as Flicka is most likely buried on the Saueressig ranch in New Mexico. However, her line goes on, as there are descendants of Flicka today.  One such descendant, looking for a new owner recently, was Amala Beau Lelait, a 21-year-old bay mare.  Her mother was Amala Talit, granddaughter of Hanabu (son of Flicka) through his daughter Jumana Nawal.  It must be a special thrill to own a descendant of television’s elegant and talented equine superstar—the inimitable thoroughbred actress Flicka!

  
Some shots of Johnny Washbrook with his friend, Flicka

At a ceremony in March of 1958, FLICKA was awarded the prestigious Patsy Award (the animal equivalent of the “Oscar”) for 1957—in recognition of her excellent performance in the My Friend Flicka series.

The PATSY AWARD was originated by the Hollywood office of the American Humane Association, and was awarded to human-trained animal performers for noteworthy performances in television and motion pictures, between 1951 and 1986.  PATSY is an acronym for “Picture Animal Top Star of the Year.”  The awards were divided into four categories: canine, equine, wild animal, and a special category which includes a variety of animals such as ravens, goats, and house cats. The very first PATSY was given to Francis (a mule who starred in the Francis the Talking Mule motion picture series) in 1951. 

Some of the other prominent EQUINE WINNERS of the PATSY AWARD include:

1951….CALIFORNIA, for the motion picture The Palomino

1952….DIAMOND, for the motion picture Flame of Araby

1953….TRIGGER. Roy Rogers’ horse, for the motion picture Son of
             Paleface

1955….OUTLAW, for the motion picture Black Horse Canyon
             
1956….BEAUTY, for the motion picture Gypsy Colt  (‘Beaut’ was also TV’s Fury)

1957….SILVER, The Lone Ranger's horse

1961….KING COTTON (a Ralph McCutcheon-trained horse), star horse in the              motion pictures Pepe and Snowfire

1969….ALBARADO, for the motion picture Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit

Other famous animals who were awarded the Patsy include Lassie, Rhubarb the cat, Jackie the lion, Higgins the dog of Benji, Fred the cockatoo in Berretta, Arnold the pig of Green Acres and, Asta the dog from The Thin Man TV series.