I imagine many of you will be familiar with whenheartscollide.net. I discovered it recently and I love the content and the photos. I was thinking about the bond we form with animals and what it must feel like to spend your days with a horse, and I was reminded of Xena and Argo. Here’s a short excerpt about ‘the different Argos’ in case anyone wasn’t aware of it. If someone else has mentioned this before, please forgive me.

https://www.whenheartscollide.net/magazines-and-newsletters/horse-play ⬇️

More than just another mode of transport, Xena's sleek Palomino Argo is a character in her own right. Tilly, the mare who has been with Xena since the beginning, plays Argo most of the time. However, like any other 'actor', Tilly has her stunt and body doubles too.

“There are actually three horses that make up the Argo character,” explains horse wrangler Sandy Raynor. “There's Tilly, who's the one that Lucy rides. Lucy loves Tilly and Tilly's really good with Lucy.

“Then there's Barbie, who is Tilly's stunt double; she does all the kicking and the rearing and the tricks.

“And then there's Mac, who’s basically the body double. Mac does the riding on Second Unit.” In practice this means that if the audience sees Xena riding off into the sunset at a distance, the Argo that the character is riding is probably Mac.

The three Argos are all between 10 and 14 years old - middle aged for horses. They were bought by Pacific Renaissance from different places around New Zealand and are housed at a 10-acre stable complex leased by the company.

Like any character with a distinct personality, Argo was created to be a major part of the overall concept and look of Xena. A character had to be created, then an animal found to match the look.