Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck has had an extremely successful acting career. But he isn’t the only member of the family who can say that.
We all know and love Tom Selleck for his many roles in film and on TV over the years. From his time in the 1980s on Magnum, P.I., to nowadays as Frank Reagan in the family police drama Blue Bloods, Selleck has long been a fan-favorite. But did you know that his longtime horse Spikey was quite the star himself?
Selleck sat down for an interview with the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum back in 2015. He discussed his induction into the Hall of Great Western Performers. However, he also talks about his partner in crime — his beloved horse Spike.
“Spikey is great. Spike is still in my barn. Spike is my horse from ‘Quigley’ [Down Under],” Selleck explained.
The Blue Bloods star also admitted that Spike has made him money in his own film appearances.
“Also, he earned me some money. Well, it cost me about seven thousand dollars to fly him home from Australia with all of these really fancy racehorses, ya know? So, he earned me some money on ‘Last Stand at Saber River.’ Spikey has been in two movies,” Selleck continued. “He’s a big-time movie star.”
At the time, Selleck said that his horse was getting up there in age. Because of that, he didn’t ride him all that much.
“I get on him every so often but he gets a little footsore pretty easy. Spike is in his mid-20s and doing great,” Selleck laughed. “He had that kind of lean front that the ole quarter horses sort of did. Ya know, the old-timey ones. They really did in those days, and I always liked that.”
“He had to have a lot of thoroughbred in him,” Selleck said.
‘Blue Bloods’ Star Was on a Quest to Find a Quarter Horse
For those who might not be sure, Thoroughbreds tend to have a leaner and taller frame. They are also typically used for more long-distance races, usually a mile or more, like that at the annual Kentucky Derby. On the other hand, a Quarter Horse has a more stocky and bulky physique. They are more suited for short-distance races.
“That was my big quest on Quigley was finding a quarterhorse, which, they’re over there but not as many,” he concluded. “And he’s a registered quarter horse but he’s gotta have some thoroughbred in him. I always felt, ‘Boy that looks right. It doesn’t look like a modern quarter horse. It looks like one of those old ponies that they rode.”
Unfortunately, Selleck told Cowboys and Indians back in 2016 that Spikey had since passed away.
“We don’t have any horses left on the ranch, as my beloved horse Spike, from ‘Quigley Down Under’ passed away at around 30 years old.”
