Joanne Asman of Asman & Associates, LLC, owns and trains horses
and animals for the entertainment industry and special events. Asman has owned Traveler VII for 14 years, and she says, “he’s my best friend.”
Asman claims Traveler VII’s unique temperament is what makes him so well suited for the position of USC’s renowned equine mascot.
“The Traveler tradition is about love anyway, so fans are going to love any Traveler that is a white horse, but they seem they seem to have a very special bond with this particular Traveler because of his personality. He’s friendly. He’s calm. He’ll stand for five hours and let person after person pet him and take their picture with him and then he’ll go onto the field and do his job.”
There have been a number of Tommy Trojans over the course of the Traveler tradition. Richard Saukko first appeared as Tommy Trojan in the outfit that actor Charleton Heston wore in “Ben Hur.” After finding this costume too cumbersome, Saukko created his own leather Trojan garb modeled after the Tommy Trojan statue on the USC campus in 1962. This outfit is still used today.
Aguilar, the current Tommy Trojan, has been with Traveler VII for nine years, six of which were prior to his becoming USC’s famed mascot.
“What we represent to the fans is just great,” said Aguilar. “The most fun thing is the thrill of being in the Coliseum when the game starts and there are 93,000 people screaming.”
Veterinarian Purdue attends all home games and events with large crowds; as head runner, Biederman runs with Traveler along the sidelines to ensure he has a clear path. USC also employs five students to serve as rope-holders on the sidelines to make a safe corridor for Traveler to run.
See some of the places Traveler goes by clicking on the tacks below.
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