Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-01-18
HOW SHOW PEOPLE WINTER.
SPENDING THEIR TIME III PRAcTIs-
ING Or TRAINING HORSES.

PerfcctIng Them selves for the Summer
Campaign How They Train their
Horses for the Sawdust Ring.
'Do they retire into the cave of gloom
and have their long, unbroken winter
snore, Just like the bear and other stroll
lers Or how do they hibernate ~
The reporter addressed this question to
a group of circus people and Mr.. Stick
ney, the manager, took the answer upon
himself,
''It has often been puzzle to me why
the general public is so little informed
about circus people in this country.
With the doings and sayings, the for
tunes and misfortunes of actors and sing
ers and other show people, the press is
very familiar, and devotes regularly an
amount of space to Them but for us, the
circus folks, not line is available"
Thus said the victorian oquastrian nnrie
ingly. However" he continued 'Tll
tell you something about circus people.
The salaries of the riders are generally
large enough during the season to sup
port them through the winter. They do
not bother about giving instructions in
equestrianism. The remuneration would
be too small, and, beside, not every
bareback rider is competent or even able
to instruct others how to ride.
'With circus riders the point is to
learn how to do all kinds of daring tricks
on horseback, without losing their bal
ance and hold of the steed. The manner
in which they sit on their horse, whether
correctly or Indian fashion, makes little
difference. So you see they couldn't
show others how to sit on horse. Well,
the most of them spend their winters III
those few places in the country where
practicing buildings are to be had.
There's S. Q. Stokes place in Fordham,
N. Y, where there is a regular forty-two-
foot ring to practice your horses in.
Those equestrians that have their own
horses send them for stabling and pay
certain sum for their keep and for the
privilege of practicing them. The same
is true of Easton Stones place near New
ark, n j., and of Carrolls in Westches-
ter. Barnum only keeps large quarters
for his menagerie in Bridgeport, Conn,
but no practicing buildings. Well, in
these different places the regular circus
riders go on practicing their horses and
their own limbs all through the cold
weather. If they did not they would
lose their skill and never improve.
''They break in and train new horses
beside. and learn all kinds of new tricks
for the next season. Of course, I'm only
speaking in this connection of the we'll
known riders of reputation like jim
Robinson, Charley Fish, Frank Melville,
Orrin Hollis and Willie Sholes. Of the
female bareback riders | need mention
but few, like Nine. Dockrill, Lottie
Aimard, Viola Rivers and Ella Guyana
that's man, by the way, but performs
in women's clothes. And he's the most
finished circus rider in this country and
the most elegant. S. @. Stokes gradu-
ated here. As l said before, the eques
trians don't give lessons in the cold sea-
son. 1t wouldn't pay them. The winter
circus is unknown in this country, but l
am sure they would pay as well in such
places as New York, Boston, Philadel-
phia or Chicago as they do in Paris,
London or Berlin"
"How about the other circus people
the jugglers, tumblers, gymnasts2"
"They're better off than we eques-
trians. All those that amount to- any
thing can find all the engagements they
want during the winter. They perform
in theaters and such places of amuse
ment, and generally have series of
engagements running right up to the
beginning of the circus season."
"Now, Mr.. Stickney, tell me the A B
G of circus riding and equestrian tricks"
AZ will, with pleasure. In order to
make proper ring horse, first make him
bridle-wise. The horse then has the pad
put on him, if he is to serve as pad
horse To get used to that takes some
time. Then you must get the horse ac-
customed to the ring, which is done by
leading him around the circular track,
and always bending his neck inside, to-
ward the track. Then give him long
dose of rough riding If he kicks with
the pad on his back, you work away at
him until you make him understand that
he's got to carry it and the object on top
of it, and that it don't hurt him. The
'lunge rein is also used at that period of
q horses training. When thus far bring
in your objects, such as banners, hoops,
flags, hurdles, drums, weapons, etc,
and get him thoroughly used to them.
Let him look at them and smell of them;
in short take all the fear out of him by
convincing him that nothing of all this,
despite the noise, is going to injure him.
When he has become acquainted with all
these things when the horse no longer
SHES and will pursue the even tenor of
his way in the arena, no matter what
happens, then he is good performing
horse. Only about one in every fifty
horses gets that far, though, just as it is
with circus rider too.-NeD York NescS.