KEEPING UP WITH TRAVELER

Traveler lives in a stall at owner Joanne Asman’s home in Burbank. Asman’s other horse and Rex, head groomer Ronda Nierenberg’s brown Quarter horse, keep him company. Traveler also has two canine buddies: Asman’s Australian shepherd Cadie and Siberian husky Destiny.

Traveler requires about four to five hours of care each day. He eats three times a day, receiving a combination of alfalfa, and grass, as well as vitamins, joint supplements and treats. He gets extra alfalfa before particularly tiring games.

Traveler is brushed daily and bathed weekly. An average grooming session entails two kinds of brushing, hoof cleaning and re-braiding Traveler’s mane and tail. Mane and tail care alone can take 30 to 40 minutes.

Click through a slideshow of Traveler's pre-game meet and greets, Traveler at home in Burbank and Traveler merchandise. Choose "show info" to read captions.



To keep him in shape for the games, Asman and Aguilar ride Traveler about five times a week. His exercises vary from muscle-building jaunts in the Griffith Park Hills to drills in the Griffith Park Martinez Arena.

“I never know if we’re going to run a lot in the Coliseum for touchdowns, so he’s got to be in good shape and have good stamina,” said Aguilar.

Drills include cantering, trotting and responding to the rider’s cues, as well as training for special events that may be coming up.

Traveler’s training is extensive; he practices for every game and every event he attends. In preparation for games, Asman builds fake mascots that resemble those of opposing teams to prevent Traveler from being startled or thrown off his routine by the other team’s mascot.

After learning of the Stanford Tree’s annual attempts to intimidate USC’s equine mascot, Asman built a false Tree and fed Traveler cookies off of it prior to the game. When the Tree approached Traveler at that season’s Stanford-USC game, Traveler was unfazed. Since then, the Tree has made no attempts to upset Traveler.

Traveler also attends band practice during football pre-season to remain familiar with the music. In fact, Traveler’s trainers have to disassociate him from running to “Conquest” in some situations.

“He knows his song,” said Asman. “Sometimes we have to train the song out of him, so when he hears it outside the Coliseum he doesn’t try to run.”