The horse which was the stand-in for Sylvester was ''The Gray Goose''. It had competed several times at the advanced level in the Horse Park.
The horse Sylvester in competition was officially called "Sylvester Metz". It was named after previous owner Sue Sally Hale's stepfather Sylvester Metz (a.k.a. Richard Talmadge) who was an iconic Hollywood stuntman. The movie's lead actor Richard Farnsworth also worked in the movie business as a stuntman.
1984 Olympic rider Kim Walnes on her horse "The Gray Goose" was Melissa Gilbert and "Sylvester Metz" doubles for Lexington riding course.
Kim Walnes and her horse "The Gray Goose" had placed third at the 1984 Olympic Selection Trials and were chosen as the reserve combination for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Actress Melissa Gilbert was about nineteen-twenty years of age when she played the role of Charlie in this movie.