When trainer Joanne
Asman took over the
Traveler program in
2003, the Stanford
tree costume mascot
was known to be a
troublemaker around the
horse. “I made a big felt tree and put horse cookies all over it, and I taught my horse
to get the cookies off,” said Asman. “We saw the Tree try to intimidate Traveler. We
loosened up the lead and let him follow the Tree because he thought it would be full of
cookies.” The Stanford mascot hasn’t bothered the USC mascot, now Traveler IX, since.
Asman has worked with Traveler IX for four years. “The main thing between horses
and people is trust,” says Asman. “They need to trust that you’re not going to let
them get hurt.” She used the sounds of balloons popping, fireworks, screaming kids,
and other loud noises to train Traveler to be comfortable in front of 90,000 fans.
Traveler lives northwest of campus in the San Fernando Valley, and when he’s not
working for USC, he spends time as a trail horse, attends horse shows, and works
with children. “Traveler IX always puts his head down to try and see what kids are
doing,” says Asman. “He just loves having them around.”
In 1956, newlyweds Sonny Seiler
and his wife, Cecelia, received
an English bulldog puppy as a
wedding gift. Seiler, then a law
student at Georgia working part-
time for the athletic department,
smuggled his new puppy into
the Georgia–Florida State game that season. Coach Wally Butts
spotted the pup and asked Seiler to bring him back. An English
bulldog has been attending Georgia games ever since.
Best known for his air-conditioned doghouse and custom-fit
game-day jersey, Uga takes pictures with fans on Saturdays in
Athens and even has his own golf cart. The Seilers’ son, Charles,
and his family are the current handlers of Uga X, also known as
Que. The family keeps Uga at their house in Savannah just as
any other dog owners would. “His day usually starts at about
5:30,” says Charles. “He walks over and puts his paw in my face
to let me know that it’s time for his walk and it’s time to eat.”
On game days, the family drives Uga to Athens. Says
Charles, “He can tell when it’s game day because we pull out
his clothes and get him up really early.”
If you’ve never heard
of an owl with an
attitude, then you
don’t know Stella.
“I like to describe
her as a diva mainly
because she can be
very sassy,” explains Rebecca Oulton, one of Stella’s primary
trainers. She has a glare that fans call the Stella Stare, and is
very vocal, especially for an owl. She attends Temple football
and basketball games and makes appearances at season-ticket
holder events alongside
Oulton. “Stella is a really fun
presence for the student
body to have,” says
Oulton. “It’s always
exciting to have
any sort of animal
mascot, but an
owl is also an
animal people
don’t get to
see very often.”
Outside of
her appearances
at events, Stella
resides at
the Elmwood Park Zoo
in Norristown,
Pennsylvania. She spends
most of her time working with trainers
and relaxing after interacting with the public.
Stella adds to the excitement on game days at Temple and
is truly a hoot to be around. Says Oulton, “It’s fun to have this
extra part of the team, because it’s not something that every
school has.”
University of Southern California
11 YEARS OLD · 1,10 0 L B S.
TRAVELER
University of Georgia
6 YEARS OLD · 62 LBS.
UGA
Temple University
9 YEARS OLD · 2.5 LBS.
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