The recruitment ad read: "Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred".
The Pony Express operated for only 18 months. It greatly reduced the time it took for messages to reach from the east coast to the west coast. However, the invention of the telegraph soon followed.
ABC-TV was sued by the producers of the "Young Guns" series of films for infringement. As a result, several Season 3 episodes have the following message before the opening credits: "A production of MGM World Television Group. Not based on Morgan Creek's films YOUNG GUNS and YOUNG GUNS II."
When Don Franklin joined the show in the second season, he had never ridden a horse before, so he was sent to "cowboy camp" for four days before filming started in order to learn the basics of riding.
It's estimated that 400 horses were used during the time of the Pony Express.