The No. 1 Steed

Drums are a problem.

Traveler, the white horse who gallops aside the field after every USC touchdown, doesn't mind cheering crowds. He doesn't mind fans reaching to touch him or the blimp buzzing low overhead.

But when the Andalusian runs past the marching band, the drums occasionally get to him.

It comes with the territory. Since the Trojans adopted Traveler as their permanent mascot in 1961, every horse they have used -- it's up to number VII -- has exhibited a form of quirk or reticence.

"Some of them are afraid of the cheerleaders and the pompoms, some are afraid of the noise," says Chuck O'Donnell, the mascot's current rider. "They're animals. They spook."

Nothing that a little desensitization won't cure, maybe a session or two before Traveler makes his next appearance in front of 90,000-plus fans and a national television audience Wednesday at the Rose Bowl.

While the 14-year-old gelding ranks among college football's better-known mascots, he prefers, in typical Hollywood fashion, anonymity away from the game. This is definitely not like Bevo, the massive Texas longhorn whose owners welcome visitors to a sprawling, mesquite-wooded ranch outside Austin.

Where does Traveler live?

"In the San Fernando Valley," his owner, Joanne Asman, says.

On a ranch?

"Just ... in the San Fernando Valley."

Even his real name -- for Bevo, it's "Sunrise Studly" -- is kept confidential.

"When it's USC, he's Traveler VII," Asman says. "That's part of our contract."

This much Asman will reveal: Traveler and a few other horses on the property are spoiled.

In equine terms, that means special blankets and stalls lined with thick shavings. It means daily grooming and lots of carrots. It also means a $2-million endowment from a generous alumnus.

"But he's also treated like a horse," Asman says. "He rides the trails. He's a normal horse in the things he does."

When not running the sidelines, Traveler has worked trade shows and parades, and has been ridden by celebrities including Salma Hayek and Fabio. Asman said she picked him out, about nine years ago, because he seemed a natural for working in the spotlight.

"You look for a soft, round eye," she says. "A horse that's willing to come to you, that's curious."

Of all the Travelers, this one might be the best with crowds, says O'Donnell, who grew up around the horses.