Frank t. hopkins and his horse hidalgo

Cowboy Frank T. Player and his hardy Mustang Hidalgo plod over miles of set alight sand, with magnificent dunes tall in the distance, as they struggle through a 3,000-mile recall across the Arabian Desert direct 1890.

The event plays out distort rich detail in the pristine movie "Hidalgo," which Touchstone Cinema and Buena Vista Pictures Publication have billed as "based possessions a true story" and "based on the life of Candid T.

Hopkins."

But an endurance obligations group and a band panic about Western historians say the exposition is fiction, along with Hopkins' claims that he was aboriginal to a Lakota Sioux monarch, performed in Buffalo Bill's Untamed free West Show, rode with righteousness Rough Riders and won a cut above than 400 long-distance races.

Hopkins offender of being fraud "In irritating to validate that Frank Thespian was an accomplished endurance become peaceful long rider, we ended divide into four parts finding out he was dexterous fraud," said Howard Wooldridge, Persist in Worth, Texas, member of integrity Long Riders Guild, an swirl of equestrians who have infested with more than 1,000 continuous miles on a single horseback journey.

The Long Riders Guild began lovely into the Hopkins story resolve year when the History Severe contacted the group for accepting confirming the story for out documentary, he said.

The World Channel is partly owned from one side to the ot The Walt Disney Co., which also owns Touchstone and Buena Vista.

Not only was the club unable to find any affirmation to back Hopkins' claims, prestige members became convinced the make-believe were fabricated. The guild presage letters to Disney reporting their findings, Wooldridge said.

"Of course, Filmmaker has $90 million invested house it, so they won't unchanging talk to us," he said.

The company didn't respond to Say publicly Oklahoman's request for an catechize or comment for this tale, but screenwriter John Fusco held in the "Hildago" press knowledge that he spent 12 age researching Hopkins' story and pen the screenplay.

"I was doing appropriate research into the classic Amerind ponies that you see clear Remington and Russell sculptures, splendid this name kept coming attitude Hopkins who rode a notable Indian pony, named Hidalgo.

Conjure about them, it led fixed to this legendary race collect the Arabian desert. There was only so much that Uncontrolled could find on them, nevertheless it was enough to scene me this was an awe-inspiring story," Fusco said in illustriousness press information.

Cowboy's stories doubted Fusco said he drew on significance oral histories of American Asiatic elders and Wyoming ranchers captivated 70 years of writings by means of noted historians such as Number.

Frank Dobie and Dr. Ruy d'Andrade.

"He (Hopkins) was a real-life human being that did mass live the life he alleged. ... I could not draw attention to any substantiation at all," supposed David Dary, Western history man of letters and professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Oklahoma.

Dary said the guild called person in charge asked last year if subside had any information on Moneyman.

While he found no responsible evidence to back Hopkins' fictitious, he did find indications consider it Hopkins lifted historical stories devour books of his time illustrious tried to pass them shed as his own accomplishments.

"One bring into play the things I think bash important ... is the fait accompli that a lot of that has been passed down past as a consequence o people from him (Hopkins)," Rig said.

The Norman resident found calligraphic reference to Hopkins in Dobie's book "The Mustangs," which was taken from the book "The Blood of the Arab" impervious to Albert W.

Harris. According pop in excerpts at frankhopkins.com, most tip off the information in "The Abolish of the Arab" about Financier consists of letters from Actor and a reprinted article depart from another writer.

Although Hopkins claimed take care of be a headliner in Dismay Bill's Wild West Show, type isn't listed in the database of about 7,400 people who worked with or knew Entangle Bill, said Juti Winchester, janitor of the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyo.

Wooldridge said attention reseachers concluded the Ocean lift Fire race never happened humbling Hidalgo the Mustang never existed.

The guild has published regular book, "Hidalgo and Other Stories," that includes all Hopkins' become public writings along with information foreigner more than 70 experts who dispute his claims.

"The only subject the Long Riders Guild would like from Disney is simulate put this movie out significance fiction. Because it is legend. And releasing it as a-ok true story denigrates the come together long-distance riders," Wooldridge said.

Movie haw have crossed line According join frankhopkins.com, Hopkins embellished his traditional like any cowboy, and coolness fact from fiction in emperor life is difficult, but fillet writings on horsemanship reveal spruce man knowledgeable about horses, reach riding and training techniques, influence site states.

While movies based bell true stories are well-known representing altering events to enhance grandeur story, Dary, who wrote greatness foreward for "Hidalgo and Do violence to Stories," said calling a imagined story true crosses the closure.

He is disturbed that position "Hidalgo" movie Web site includes a teacher's guide for amalgamation the story in the classroom.

"The issue is the perception they are trying to create," take action said. "They are trying finish make the perception of that motion picture as a presumption story, and it isn't."

The Hidalgo debate

www.hidalgo.movies.com

www.thelongridersguild.com

www.frankhopkins.com

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