Everything You Need To Know About Horses

Mr Ed (Straight From The Horse’s Mouth)

There’s been a lot of discussion over the years about just how they got Mr Ed to talk.

Many believed he was fed peanut butter but that would have been a tad messy, plus given Mr Ed an almighty belly-ache. His trainer, Les Hilton, used nylon fishing line. The fishing line was attached to the headstall (which is why you never see Ed speaking without his headstall on) and runs through his mouth.

When Mr Ed is required to speak, Hilton gently pulls the line and Ed responds by moving his lips. It’s not a specially trained action but a natural response to something moving in his mouth.

And for another piece of trivia…. Ed had his “Off” days too, something the cast and crew on the show were well aware of. Occasionally Ed would stand dead still, wheeze and refuse to work, meaning it was time to call it quits for the day.