Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-06-08
BAREBACKED STEEDS.
The Method OF Training Horses for
Circus Purposes, and How it is
Done-The Value and Intelligence
OF the Animals.

Circus Purposes, and How it is
Done-The Value and Intelligence
OF the Animals.
, From the New York Journal.
"It looks easy enough, but it isn't
quite so easy as it looks.' The subject
Of conversation was upon training horses
for circus-riding. and the speaker vas
the noted bareback performer, Frank
Melville. Mr.. Melville is still a young
man, and comes of a circus-performing
| family.
"My first essay upon the back Of a
horse" he said to Journal man, twas
made when was eight years old. My
father guided the animal with the old
fashioned cord or 'lunge,' as it was
called, and still recollect very we'll
how scared l was. 1t took me four
years to learn how to turn my first SOM
, ersault with safety, and have not COM
pleted my education yet. The first time
lit on my feet the second on my knees.
'How are the horses trained?"
The first thing circus men do when
they get new horses for training is to
simply keep them in the stables with
others for certain time until they have
got used to their new company. It's
singular how jealous horses are OF new
corners. You may laugh, but horses
have their way Of what might call guy.
ing green stock as well as humble per-
formers. The next operation is to blind
fold them VIXEN they are led into the
ring and trained to the circular motion.
This requires much time and patience.
Some horses take two weeks, others
t,yJr oc ,onythS Tho al
tendency of horse is to 90 straight, and
this constant round isstrangc and unnat-
ural to him. He is first walked around,
then trotted, then galloped, each stage
being thoroughly mastered before the
next is attempted. Nowadays we use a
system of checks and lines which
renders the process much easier.
'After the horse has been thoroughly
broken in to each motion. Then the
blindfold is removed. and the perform.
er commences to try tricks with him.
The horse, being naturally an observant
animal, is placed by the side Of another,
which is trained to give him confidence,
and so the two work together, the rider
first trying one then the other by turns
in order to familiarize the new arrival
harshness is resorted to as means OF
breaking in circus horses. Horses SC
trained are seldom to be depended up,
on, and the rider never knows when he
may be left"
| us turning somersault upon q horse
more difficult than in any other wayoa"
| 'Much more difficult because of the
| peculiar motion, In fact the performer
has to reverse completely the ordinary
movement he would make if he were
! merely descending to the ground. In.
stead of alighting OH level plain he has
to alight on an inclined one. Pads are
never used now by performers of more
| than or dinary merit. | have horse tina,
will run in forty-eight foot ring in less
| than 2:40. When you consider that it is
| necessary in one act to turn four somer-
saults in one revolution around the ring
! you can form some idea of the difficulty
| of the feat. A good, intelligent animal
| will, technically speaking, feel his rider
| and accommodate his motions as much
as possible to his own"
care horses sensible. to the applause o.
| the audience?'
| almost as much as we are. IT is
| wonderful to contrast what horse will
| do under the stimu lus of applause with
| what he will not do when the audience
| is cold and phlegmatic. They are apt,
| however, just the same as we are, to
| ips9C VIGIL iCobs, ~ W st)edk, WlieIl IIlc
| approval is too stimulating. That is one
| of the reasons for the several checks
and ems that you see circus horses pro.
| vided with. These are not by any means
| intended for ornament, as some people
| suppose, but are strictly necessary"
what is the value of well-trained
! circus horse?"
81 have just bought one for 81 900. As
a rule, riders own their own horses; ex-
clusively. | have two, Mad. Roland has
two, Mad. Rooler has also two. In H.
! suppose there are from ten to a doze n
horses in one show that are the proper
ty Of the riders. This, of course, does
not include the stock of trick horses"
do you groom your own animals?"
No. | have my own man who at
fact, thoroughly trained groom is al
most as necessary as thoroughly trained
horse, which needs as much care as g
baby. Prior to every act a horses back
ls rubbed with rosin to prevent the per.
formers feet from slipping. This has to
be carefully washed out after each per.
formance, otherwise it would make the
animals back sore in very short time.
Then the feet require well looking after.
A groom must also be something of
veterinary surgeon. He must also pre-
vent the animal taking cold. Some Of
my blankets alone cost NE $50 apiece"
"What would you do in the event of
an accident to your horses?"
Take a stock horse. There are in
this circus some eight or ten horses
owned by the firm that have been pur-
chased for breaking into the business,
just for such emergencies as you suggest,
They are fed upon the best of every
thing that money can procure. Of
course, an accident to horse belong
ing to performer would be a very
serious matter. Hence the great
care that is required. Mr.. B.
has circus horse for which he
wouldn't take $1,000. There are horses
here money couldn't buy. l have also a
pure blooded, thoroughbred Arabian
mare, perfectly trained, one of the few
in this country. A lady performer has
also an English hunter that leaps a four
foot bar four times within forty-eight
foot ring. The oldest horse in this show
is fifteen years. The average prime is
from eight to ten years"
"Can you tell me if all circus horses
make good roadsters?"
1--WE have horses that will trot mile
n2:35, but, of course their owners new
er shink of ofputting them to such speed.
If you come with me will show you the
stables."1
The horses were just being fed, and it