“Television’s Cowgirl”
by Peg Pivirotto
It is a well established, if not puzzling, fact that many young girls, at some time during their maturing, seem to become strongly addicted to horses. In many cases, this leads to the desire of ownership which in turn leads to an uncanny number of means in which the animal in question can be purchased and kept.
Sara Lane is a horsewoman and she is an actress, but her love of horses came first. “It just developed, she said; perhaps I was influenced by my father. He’s real good with animals. He probably should have been a veterinarian.” Her father is character actor Rusty Lane. Her mother is actress Sara Anderson.
“The acting came later and was instrumental in furthering my interest in horses. I began acting strictly for the money. I wanted a good Quarter Horse and that was the best way for me to get one.” Currently Sara is in an excellent position to combine her horsemanship and her acting. She is a regular member on NBC’s television series, The Virginian.
Sara Lane is sincere, unpretentious, and naturally pretty. She has cascading blond hair and soft blue eyes. She lives with her parents and younger brother and sister in a secluded canyon near Malibu in southern California. Some years ago, the Lanes decided the canyon was a good place to raise children and let Sara have her horses.
Sara was 10 when she got her first horse. It was the first of about 15 “backyard” horses that Sara and her friend, Ingred Lindquist, owned jointly.
“We would get horses that were a little lame and cheap and try to cure them. We’d give them salt baths and different treatments. We could ride most of them during this time, and it was a lot of fun, although most had to go before they were cured. They would bite or kick or something. We did cure one though, and the owners took it back.
“Most of the time we rode bareback and often with just a halter. Some horses we jumped. We just headed them for the jump and hung on to their manes. I fell off a few times, but I was never really hurt. We built our jumps solid so they wouldn’t fall down. One mare we had going almost four feet.”
When she was 12, Sara had a chance to do a commercial for television. “It happened to be a pretty good,” she recalls, “and it was used a lot. With the money I bought my first really good horse. She was a beautiful, palomino Quarter Horse mare named Chief’s Patty. I called her Aurora.”
Then a producer saw Sara’s picture in the paper and signed her to a role in the film I Saw What You Did. “With that money,” says the actress, “I bred the mare to a Quarter Horse, Leo Bar. The result was a beautiful palomino filly named Ariel. She’s three years old now.
“After that film, we had a real bad year. My dad was quite ill for a while and we had to sell the horses.
“Then came the possibility of doing the series. I wanted it desperately. I was about 12 when the show first came on. I remember thinking, what a marvelous job – to work and ride horses. When I signed for the series, I bought Ariel back. The people still have her mother.”
Now the 19-year-old actress thoroughly enjoys acting and intends to keep that as her profession. Westerns will always be her preference she assures.
Sara also owns a gray Quarter Horse mare, used for jumping, and a yearling colt. “Buffy Saint-Marie gave him a Creek Indian name which means Fire Child, but we call him Willie. The colt is a black Appaloosa. I traded a good Quarter ‘doggin horse for the gray mare and he arrived on the train with her. The owner didn’t know who the sire was. He’s nicely built for a yearling. I think I’ll sell him as I don’t have the time for him now and he keeps getting out.”
Five other horses are owned by Sara and Ingred. They are of different breeding although Quarter Horses are in predominance. They are tall rangy horses and Ingred, who wants to become a professional trainer, has several girls in training for jumping on the horses. Sara’s sister, Margretha, is one of her students.
“I prefer western,” states Sara, “but I’d like to know English riding well enough to feel comfortable with it.”
When riding for the television series, Sara uses different horses. Usually she rides a big, buckskin Quarter Horse owned by Universal Studios’ head wrangler, Lou Garner. “Buck is their top roping horse. When they want to a roping scene in one take, they use Buck. He’s 20 but gets the rider there fast, stays with the steer, and makes the rider look good. He’ll do what you ask and he’s nice and quiet – just what I like.
“I’m learning to rope, but I need a lot of practice. I still can’t catch much.”
This year, Sara will be using James Drury’s Appaloosa, Easter Ute. Drury was given the horse two years ago by Carl Easterwood of Dimmit, Texas. Easter was given additional training before being added to the actor’s filming string.
Drury stated, “The horse was just the right size for Sara and she fell in love with the animal… she’s very capable so I decided, why not?”
“He’s a joy,” said Sara. “He’s steady and reins beautifully. You can spin or run him and he will settle right down again.” Easter will be handled by wrangler Del Combs who also handles Drury’s other horses.
“Jim’s filming horse, Joe D., is also a favorite of mine,” says the actress. “I have enjoyed riding him during filming breaks. He’s a good steady horse.
“Film horses have to be quiet like a stable string but more dependable. They have to be able to stand in a stall for two weeks, come out to do a chase scene, and then stand still for dialogue. We expect a lot from them.”
