Did Seabiscuit have a companion pony?
Yes. His name was Pumpkin, he shared a barn with a dog named Pocatell and a spider monkey named Jo-Jo, and he has spent ninety years thinking about the timeline. Seabiscuit was losing before Pumpkin arrived and winning after, and in this episode of Our Next Collar, Pumpkin walks through the great comeback from the barn: the trainer, the jockey, the owner, and him. He is listed fourth in that sentence and he is still on the list.
History remembers the famous. Their pets remember the person. On Our Next Collar, a brown tabby cat named Prince MoRee reaches the pets of history, and one of them tells what they really saw. This is the Other One format: history remembers one name, and we found the other one. True, surprising, and great for curious kids and the grown-ups listening with them.
This episode is fully scripted and has passed the Talking With Pets accuracy review. The recording is in production. The audio player and the full transcript will appear right here the day the episode goes live. Join the founding list below and we will write to you when it does.
From the episode
Pumpkin: He had a new trainer too. Tom Smith. A new jockey, Red Pollard, who was also considered washed up. A new owner, Charles Howard, who believed in him when no one else did. All of this happened around the time I arrived.
Moose: So the trainer and the jockey and the owner.
Pumpkin: (quickly) And me.
Moose: (giving in) And you. Changed everything.
Pumpkin: I'm listed fourth in that sentence and I'm still on the list.
Pumpkin, Pocatell, Jo-Jo, the 1938 match race against War Admiral won by four lengths, and the 33 career wins are real. The voice and his conclusions are ours.
Sources and further reading
- Seabiscuit's barn companions: Pumpkin the pony, Pocatell the dog, and Jo-Jo the spider monkey, part of the calming routine. Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit: An American Legend (2001).
- Seabiscuit's two-year-old season: 35 starts, 5 wins. Documented racing record; contemporaneous coverage including The Saturday Evening Post, April 27, 1940.
- The turnaround team: owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, jockey Red Pollard; 33 career wins. Hillenbrand; National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. racingmuseum.org
- The Pimlico Special match race, November 1, 1938: Seabiscuit beat Triple Crown winner War Admiral by four lengths; an estimated 40 million radio listeners. National Museum of Racing; Hillenbrand. racingmuseum.org
- Seabiscuit (2003), written and directed by Gary Ross. The film references the barn companions; the episode's āfour secondsā is comedic exaggeration.
All historical claims above were checked in the Talking With Pets accuracy review, most recently the full editorial pass of July 2026.
Did Seabiscuit have a companion pony?
Yes. Seabiscuit was a nervous, high-strung horse, and his documented barn companions were a pony named Pumpkin, a dog named Pocatell, and a spider monkey named Jo-Jo. A calm companion animal in a nervous thoroughbred's stall is a real, documented practice in racing. Source: Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit: An American Legend (2001).
What was the 1938 match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral?
A head-to-head race at Pimlico on November 1, 1938. War Admiral had won the Triple Crown and was the favorite. Seabiscuit won by four lengths, with an estimated 40 million people listening on the radio, one of the most listened-to sporting events in American history. Source: National Museum of Racing; Hillenbrand.
Why was Seabiscuit famous?
He was a small, knobby-kneed horse who lost far more than he won as a young racer: thirty-five starts and five wins in his first season. Under owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, and jockey Red Pollard, he became one of the most famous racehorses in American history, winning 33 races during the Great Depression, when the country needed an underdog. Source: Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit: An American Legend.
Is Pumpkin in the 2003 Seabiscuit movie?
The film, directed by Gary Ross, references Seabiscuit's barn companions. The episode's running joke that Pumpkin appears for exactly four seconds is comedic exaggeration, and the show is clear about that. Pumpkin has opinions about the dog getting more screen time.
What is Our Next Collar, and is it good for kids?
Our Next Collar is an educational history podcast for curious kids ages 6 to 10 and the grown-ups listening with them. A brown tabby cat named Prince MoRee reaches the pets of history, and one of them tells the true story of the person they knew. Every episode lists its sources and says plainly which parts are real and which are ours, which makes it a quiet lesson in how to weigh sources. It is a podcast from Talking With Pets.
Our Next Collar Ā· the true stories only the animals saw.
Chaco, Roxie, Moose, Prince MoRee, and Armando are getting the pilot ready. Join the founding list and we will write to you when the first episodes go live. Listen with someone you like.