This is an Original Photograph of Ida Jumping a Convertible on an American Albino for the Touring White Horse Troupe from the White Horse Ranch! The back has a stamp that reads: Please Credit Freudy Photos, address, Not to be loaned, syndicated or used for adevertising without written permission. There are a few small imperfections on photo due to age. A crease in the upper right corner and white spot on bottom left. Please see scans and ask questions if you have any.

The White Horse Ranch

The little town of Naper, population about one hundred, nestles in the rolling
hills of Boyd County on State Highway 12 in north-central Nebraska. From a casual
glance at the map, it seems about as remote and ordinary as a town can be.

But for the past seventy years it has been famous among horse lovers as home of the White Horse Ranch, whose majestic white steeds have thrilled audiences throughout the United States and Canada.
Although its touring shows ended and the ranch closed to the public when founder Caleb Thompson died in 1963, the ranch reopened in 1989 and remained a tourist attraction through the 2006 season. With the retirement of its current caretakers it is once again closing, but part of the White Horse Ranch will live on
at the Nebraska State Historical Society.The Thompson heirs have chosen the NSHS as the repository for a large collection of photographs, advertising and promotional materials, artifacts including performers’ costumes and props from the shows, and ranch business breed registry records.

A unique Nebraska enterprise, the ranch and its founders were widely recognized for
their horses, their traveling shows, and their generosity to the many young people they took in and trained in the art of horsemanship. The collection, now being cataloged by Library/Archives and Museum Collections staff, will be a rich resource, said Tom Mooney, NSHS curator of manuscripts.“Probably the fact that they developed two new recognized bloodlines makes the breedregistry and breeding records the most significant part of the donation,” he said, “but I think the photographs will get the most use, because they are so nostalgic and graphically interesting."

The White Horse Ranch grew out of a long-held dream of Caleb R. “Cal” Thompson. Born in 1890 near West Point, Nebraska, Cal and his twin brother, Hudson, became successful Boyd County ranchers. Cal had long dreamed of owning a pure white horse, and for years the brothers had searched for such an animal. Finally, in 1917, they aquired the perfect horse: Old King, a snow-white stallion with pink skin and dark eyes, then siring circus horses in Illinois.

The brothers began a careful breeding program and by 1934 Cal’s dream had blossomed into a herd of white horses, all descended from Old King. That year they opened a riding school for children, who not only learned to ride, but also to guide their mounts through spectacular tricks. Often called upon for local celebrations and shows, the performers' reputation grew.

In 1938 the White Horse Troupe began touring, thrilling audiences in the United States and Canada with jumping (over hurdles, humans, and even a convertible), “Roman” style riding (up to six horses
handled by one rider standing on their backs), balancing acts, and much more. They traveled in a convoy of seven all-white vehicles.

In 1963 Cal died, and Ruth, in poor health, ended the tours, leased out the pastures, auctioned the ranch equipment, and sold the herd. But she retained possession of the ranch and placed breeding stock with friends.

In 1989, an ex-student and member of the troupe, Carley Daugherty, and her husband,
Dean, returned to Naper to help Ruth restore the ranch and re-open it to the public.
Ruth died in 1990, but the ranch remained open, overseen by the Daughertys.

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the White Horse Ranch saw its last tourist season this year, but its history lives on, preserved by the many fans of the Thompsons’ white horses, by former White Horse Troupe riders who return to the ranch for yearly reunions, and now by the
Nebraska State Historical Society.

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