There's a new cowboy on The Young Riders Pony Express trail this season, and his name is Don Franklin. As Noah, a freeborn black man befriended by the YR crew, Don proudly joins the cast as they gallop their way across the Old West. This talented brown-eyed actor is a very experienced performer, having appeared in many plays and musicals in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Don has also been featured in several films, including last year's The Big Picture and 1987's Moving.

Although this current Los Angeles resident is surely a multi-talented performer, when he landed the coveted role of Noah, he lacked the one skill that every 'Young Rider' needs to know -- how to ride a horse. And unlike his co-stars who, when first cast last season, were able to spend several weeks at a Canyon Country, California 'Cowboy Camp' in order to perfect their horseback skills, a tight schedule allowed newcomer Don only four days to trains in the saddle.

Don's castmates were sympathetic to their pal's ordeal and went out of their way to help. After all, it was only a short time ago that some of them were inexperienced riders.

"Before I began working on the show, the last time I was on a horse was in junior high school," laughs Yvonne Suhor, who's Lou McCloud. "You'd be surprised at the things we had to learn. Since we are being filmed, we have to be able to stop exactly where we were supposed to. We also had to ride with all six of us in a line across and still stay close enough together that we would all be seen on camera."

Travis Fine was also a novice when he was cast in his role as Ike McSwain, but since that time he has learned a lot about horses, including their unpredictability. While filming an episode last season, Travis was suddenly pulled from a porch by a scared horse and injured his knee. Although he is 'fine' now, you can be certain Travis will pass the lessons he's learned so the same thing won't happen to Don.

And for those times when Don might feel frustrated about his riding progress, Gregg Rainwater, who plays Buck Cross, has these words of encouragement: "After a while, you'll get to know your horse so well that it knows what you want it to do and you'll know just how it's going to react, too." "There a terrific sense of unity," continues Gregg. "I mean, a lot of us had never been on a horse before and when you look at the show, you can really see how much we've improved!"

Source: BOP