There was a $500 reward out for the return of a steel dust stallion which was recently lost, strayed or stolen from the Green Valley Ranch.  There was a horse trader in town.  Micah went to check out 'The Horse Traders' stock.  He didn't see any sign of the horse.  He told the Colonel to keep his eyes open for the stallion just in case someone wanted to trade it.  You never know in his kind of business, he might run into the stallion.  The Colonel told him he would.  Micah reminded the him that we still hung horse thieves in this part of the country. 

Kansas and his wife stopped by the ranch on their way into town and told us there would be a horse trader in North Fork today.  Mark and I decided to go to town and have a look at the horses. We were looking for a tuff cowpony.  When we got into town we ran into Kansas.  He had just bought a pretty nice lookin' stallion.  Kansas insisted he got the only good horse in the bunch.  Mark wanted to take a look anyway.  What harm would it do?  I was hoping to be able to get a good horse like that too.   There were two cowboys in town,  Chard and Winters.  Chard had originally stolen the Steel Dust Stallion and sold it to the Colonel.  Now he wanted the stallion back.  He wanted the $500 reward they were offering for the return of the stallion.  No questions asked.  He was willing to split the reward with Winters for his help in getting the horse back.  Winters wasn't interested in cuttin' up any man just because Chard was slickered in a horse trade. When Chard told him there was a bigger reward out on the horse then there was on him, he changed his mind.
      Chard and Winters went looking for the Colonel.  They forced him behind his wagon.  They took the money he had just got from Kansas, $60 dollars.  "Here partner, fifty, fifty," said Chard.  Winters asked the Colonel about the Steel Dust Stallion.  He tried stalling them.  "You forgot to tell me that horse wasn't yours when you offered him for sale.  I run an honest business," said the Colonel to Chard.  "If I would had known he was the Green Valley Stud, you would never had got him," said Chard.  "You put me in the shadow of the hanging rope," said the Colonel.  Winters drew his knife, threatening the Colonel with it. He told them that he and the stallion had parted company sometime back.  He told them he sold the horse to a Gypsy dealer going south on a wagon.  Chard told Winters to take a look through his cavvy.   Chard didn't believe that he would sell that horse.  Winters looked, but found nothing.  "Mr. Cornpone I can butcher you right where you stand. I can split your lying tongue three ways if you say one more....." said Winters.  "Hold it, we've got company," said Chard.  Just then we entered the corral.  I told the Colonel what we we're looking for.  There was one nice looking horse there.  I told Mark to look him over.  I asked Mark what he thought?  "Well, he's got a bow tendon," said Mark.  "That's the way,  keep your eyes open son."  I asked him what else he had.  "Do you got anything else like that stallion you just sold,"  I asked.  "Stallion, ohhhhh, that old crow bait."  "He was no crow bait, that was a good horse."  The two cowboys seemed pretty interested in the stallion.  Chard grabbed my arm.  He wanted to know how much it was sold for.  I left him know I didn't like him putting his hands on me.  "I wasn't told and it wasn't none of my business."  I walked away.  Just then I overheard Chard say something about cuttin' mister high and mighty down to their size.  I drew my rifle. "You better start cuttin' or backin' off mister."  The Colonel didn't want any trouble and he butted in.  "Now the price was $60.  That same $60 dollars you just borrowed from me a few minutes ago." They left angered.  Some how I had a feeling I'd see them again. 
  Kansas and Callie didn't get to far outside of town.  The stallion they bought started to limp.  Kansas thought maybe the stallion picked up a rock in his hoof.  Callie was upset.  Kansas wanted to take a chance on the horse, but not Callie.  "We can't afford that kind of chance. Now you better get our money while the gittin's good." said Callie.  He was afraid of what the town would think.  He agreed to go back and try and get his money back, maybe even fool me.We couldn't find any horse that we we're interested in.  We decided to head on out when we heard Kansas hollering....."Hey Colonel, I wanna talk to you."  Kansas asked me not to rub it in about the horse.  I agreed and Mark and Iwent on to get our supplies.  Kansas accused the Colonel of knowing about the bum leg.  They were still there auguring when we came out of Hattie's.  The Colonel didn't want to give him what he paid for him.  Mark mentioned what a nice horse the stallion was. We went over to check it out.  The Colonel offered Kansas $30.  I asked him if I could take a look at the horse.  I thought the leg could heal.  Kansas thought the horse was worthless.  I offered to buy the horse and pay him exactly what he paid for it, $60.  The Colonel tried to talk me out of it.  Just then Chard and Winters approached Kansas and asked him if they could take a look at his horse.  He told them I was now the owner.  Chard wanted to look at the stallion, but I wouldn't let him.  Chard and Winters pulled the Colonel aside and told him that he was going to get the horse back for them, or die trying.
  When we got the stallion back to the ranch, I took him in the barn to look him over.  I found a nail in his horse shoe.  "There you are son. Just long enough and curved enough to reach the quick. The horse walks on it, get sore, and he starts to limp."  It was an old trick.  The horse trader would only give them back part of their money and making a profit on the other part.  He just keeps selling the same horse off over and over again.  "Well the Colonel won't get this horse back for half price," said Mark.  I then showed Mark another trick.  I took some kerosene and rubbed it on the horse, the dye came off.  Just then the Colonel, Chard and Winters pulled up.  I sent Mark into the house.     The Colonel wanted me to sell the horse back to him.  He offered me $100.  "I have some pretty good mares and this stallion is the one I've been wanting.  He's not for sale, not for love or money."  Winters asked if I was selling.  I told them to get out of here and do it quick. He drew his knife.  "I'm gonna slice me some sodbuster."  Chard held a gun on me.  "With this I'm gonna split your adams apple," said Winters.  Just then the Colonel cracked his whip, at the horse.  The horse reared and caused a commotion.  I reached for my rifle which I had hanging on the wall.  Winters threw his knife and missed me.  I shot and wounded him.  Chard threatened to kill the Colonel if I didn't drop my rifle.  Just then Micah approached the men from behind.  He had them covered.  "It looked kinda funny to me, the Colonel being lead out of town being with those two cut throats. Leaving his music box playing the same sound over and over.  I asked the Colonel what was going on with the stallion.  He told me he was the Green Valley Steel horse.  There was quite a  large reward on him.  He was just taking him home, the long way.  "Seems to me you've been keeping a knowingly stolen horse," said Micah.  "Why he's Lucas McCain's horse, he's not mine," said the Colonel.  "Is that so?  In that case Lucas, you'll get the reward,"  said Micah.
 "Pa, do you think we'll ever get a horse like this steel dust?"  "While, maybe if we do some trading."  "Yeah but, that's awful risky.  The first thing you gotta remember when you're trading horse is that you'll gonna get skinned," said Mark.  "Sure, but you have to know the stock too."  "Ahh but that's just the first half of it, the second half is to know the man.  You weigh every word he says and then you try and think of all the little things he hasn't said.  Frankly I'd rather raise my own."  "You know son, that's probably the best way."
 

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piddlin' stuff.....James Kirkwood Sr. played Colonel Bourbon in this episode.  He was 'The Horse Trader.'   He has appeared in "The Lone Ranger"—"The Cisco Kid"— "The Roy Rogers Show"—"Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond"—"The Public Defender"—"Mr. & Mrs. North"—"The Range Rider"—"I Dream of Jeannie" to name a few.

John Milford appeared as Jonas Winters in 'The Horse Traders,' the guy with the knife.  He has appeared in more episodes of "The Rifleman" then I thought.  11 episodes! [gee, does that break any records?]  'The Assailants'—'The Journey Back'—'The Clarence Bibs Story'—'Dark Day at North Fork'—'Baranca'— 'The Pitchman'—'Meeting at Midnight'—'A Time for Singing'—'The Horse Traders'— 'The Coward'—'The Blowout.'  Remember him in the episode of 'Dark Day at North Fork?'  He played Jack Solby, he tried to kill Lucas when he was blind.  He was another guest star on "The Untouchables."
He has played so many parts that I decided to give you a link to him on IMDB.
He was credited with the original design for the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Graduated with a bachelors degree in Civil Engineering.

Clegg Hoyt played Lester Chard.  He was Jonah Winters (John Milford) partner.  He was the cowboy who was going to split the reward money for the stallion with Winters.  He has appeared in "Fancy Pants" with Lucille Ball & Bob Hope—TV Series "One Happy Family"—TV Series "Fibber McGee and Molly" to name a few.
  Chubby Johnson played Kansas Sawyer in this episode of 'The Horse Traders.' He's the one who originally bought the stallion, but then took it back.  In 'The Spoiler' as Mr. Avery - he was the father of 'The Spoiler', Bud Evans ~ He was the Old Man in 'Guilty Conscience.'
 He also appeared as Chuck's comic sidekick in "Big Foot Wallace" and was in "Support you Local Gunfighter" with Chuck.
 Remember him in "Bend in the River?" I do, he played
Cap'n Mello, of the Riverboat River Queen. Johnson worked in a huge number of Westerns as a character actor among other things. This gruff western comedy sidekick was a jack-of-all-trades in real life―at different times of his life he was a reporter, columnist, journalist, radio announcer and even a butcher.
 Fern Barry played a townswomen in 'The Woman.'  She's the one in the hotel that came up to Micah and told him that the school had been closed.  She was also in 'The Horse Traders.'  She's the wife of Kansas, the man who originally bought the horse which was a sorrel stallion, before Lucas bought it from him. 

What three things did Kansas mention as examples when he said he wouldn't sell the horse for?  What other episode did we hear these three things mentioned?

'The Horsetraders'—Lucas has a vest on and Mark a coat on as they ride into North Fork/Lucas & Mark has shirts on after they arrive in North Fork.

In this episode.....Chard told Winters to take a look through the Colonel's cavvy.

Cavvy: (caviada) Buckaroo term for a ranch outfit's saddle horses.  The cavvy horses are gathered by a horse wrangler and brought "to the ropes."  This is a rope corral, sometimes temporary, at which the "day horses" are roped. 

'The Horsetraders'—When old man "Kansas" and his wife pull into Lucas' ranch at the start of the show, watch how the buggy slides sideways as they stop. Never would happen if it was a real gravel road.
Thanks Rob!

*If anybody has any information on any of the stars, and would like to share it, please get in touch with

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