A Horse Quiz

Answer: Monty Python's Flying Circus

Although it sounds a lot like a Ronnie Barker sketch, this was part of the dialogue between Eric Idle and Michael Palin in a classic 'Python' exchange. They had already discussed "The Mating of the Wersh" and now moved onto "Ring Kichard the Thrid"; a reference to Shakespeare's version of The Battle of Bosworth. John Cleese of Monty Python worked with Ronnie Barker on "The Frost Report", whilst Eric Idle was a member of "Rutland Weekend Television" which brought such classics as The Beatles spoof "All You Need is Cash" featuring The Rutles.

Answer: They Shoot Horses Don't They?

Racing Cars charted with this song whose title was inspired by the 1969 film of the same name. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" was a number twenty-one hit single for Liverpool band Echo and the Bunnymen in 1985. "A Horse with no Name" was a number three chart success for the group America in 1971. "Crazy Horses" got to number two in 1972 for American siblings The Osmonds.

Answer: Odysseus

Although a great story, it is unlikely this episode took place, at least not in the manner usually told. Some historians and archeologists, e.g. Schliemann, have speculated that The Trojan Horse was probably some form of enormous battering ram. Lysander was the commander of the Spartan fleet and was instrumental in bringing about the end of the Peloponnesian War.

Hector was a Trojan prince and one of the greatest fighters in the Trojan War. Hercules is one of the most famous figures in Greek mythology.

He was the son of Zeus and, after completing his 'twelve labours', became a god himself.

Answer: George Stubbs

George Stubbs (1724-1866) was best known for his paintings of horses, "Whistlejacket" is one of his best known works.
Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) was a famous landscape and portrait painter; perhaps his best known work is "The Blue Boy".
William Turner (1775-1851) is best remembered for his land and seascapes. "The Fighting Temeraire" is one of his best-loved works.
John Constable (1776-1837) painted landscapes, particularly of his native Suffolk. "The Hay Wain" is probably his best known piece.

Answer: David Tomlinson

The camp, Stalag Luft III, in which the true story of "The Wooden Horse" (novel by Eric Williams) happened was also the camp in which "The Great Escape" occurred. David Tomlinson is perhaps now best known as the father from "Mary Poppins". Kenneth More and John Mills are both best known for their British films, and Richard Attenborough is one of the great directors who started as an actor.

Answer: Korczak Ziolkowski

Borglum was the principal sculptor of the Mount Rushmore Monument in South Dakota. Lukeman (taking over from Borglum after he broke with the Ku Klux Klan) was the principal sculptor of the Stone Mountain, Georgia 'Heroes of the Confederacy'. Lukeman's work was completed by Roy Faulkner. Ziolkowski spent 34 years working on the memorial and died at the site in 1982 he was interred at the base of the memorial.

His wife Ruth became Director of the project and 7 of his 10 children continue to work on the carving or in the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.

Answer: William Blake

William Blake (1757-1827) also stated in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"(1790) "A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees". Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) is perhaps most famous as the author of "Ivanhoe", "Rob Roy" and other adventure novels although he also wrote poetry such as "Marmion" and "The Lady of the Lake"; Edmund Burke (1729-1797) is a philosopher, parliamentarian and critic of the French Revolution (although he had supported the American) his "Reflections on the Revolution in France" (1790) predicted its fall into tyranny, terror and misrule. John Keats (1795-1821) was a leading poet of the English Romantics famous for "Endymion", "Ode to a Nightingale", "Ode on a Grecian Urn" etc.

Answer: The Duke of Wellington

General Grant's horse was "Cincinatti", Stonewall Jackson's horse was called "Little Sorrel" (or "Old Sorrel"), Jack Mytton was an English eccentric who once forced a horse called "Sportsman" to drink a bottle of port - which killed it. "Copenhagen" (Wellington's horse) purchased in 1813 when he was five years old went through the Battle of Waterloo (1815), after which he was retired to the Duke's estate.

When he died in 1836 at the age of 28, his grave was marked by the planting of an oak tree by Mrs. Apostles (the Duke's housekeeper) in 1843 and can be seen today on the estate.

Answer: Christopher Walken

Michael Gambon earned fame in the television play "The Singing Detective", Casper Van Dien started out in television but shot to fame in "Starship Troopers" (1997), Michael Gough, a veteran British character actor, has been in films and television for over 50 years is perhaps most famous as Batman's butler, Alfred, in the Batman movies. Christopher Walken is one of the most versatile of actors. Apart from "The Hessian Horseman", he has played Cato in "Julius Ceasar", Frank Abagnale Sr. in "Catch Me if You Can", and danced in Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" video.

Answer: Ian Fleming

Quoted in The Sunday Times (October 9, 1966), as well as the "James Bond" novels Fleming also wrote "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang"
for his son Caspar. Wallace Stevens stated "Time is a horse that runs in the heart", Thoreau said "I am a good horse to travel", Elizabeth Arden suggested "Treat a horse like a woman and a woman like a horse. And they'll both win for you".