Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-22
BAREBACK RIDING.
AN OLD INTERVIEW WITH FIST
WHICH is INTERESTING.

Gently Deceased, hhu 10 Gay %
ing AWAY Back In 1SsO-The Value oil
Good Horse-Dangers of the 'Iwister'
Charles ". Fish, the bareback rider, was
probably the best known rider IN the Wo,i"
and held the championship for years, 40
ing MANY remarkable feats which the
Younger men in the profession never eA'
celled, He was born in Philadelphia III
1889. He came of good old stock. Ing
following interview with him, publlsheu
in Philadelphia in 1880, will be interest,
ing. especially to circus men ana lovers Vi
the tent show:
"What is necessary, Mr.. Fish, to become
q first class performer
"Well. there are a good many things heo-
essary. 20 climb to the top of the Tree
or on the back of the horse, properly
child's training, boy or girl, should pesin u
at tho age of or 6, not later than OF
wears anyhow. The first steps are TO give
the body that elasticity so essential anu
this is done by practicing all kinds OF tum-
bling on the ground. Somersaults, Dach'
ward and forward handsprings or 1llpliaps
in fact all that tumblers do in circus.
When n bow becomes thoroughly proficient
in this sort of thing, the next step Is to put
him on the back of Il horse and teach him
how to keep his balance. There are two
WAYS of doing this to keep a juvenile from
mastering it at the risk of broken neck.
One is by the mechanic modern lnyen'
ton, by which the rider is held suspended
in the air if he leaves the horses back
while going around the ring. Tho other is
to have a ropo attached to the boys waist,
which passes through q ring on the side OF
the pad, the end being held by the teacher.
AS soon as tho boy begins to topic and Is
seen going % strong pull or the rope brings
him up against the side of the horse and
keeps him there until he can Chamber back
again.
81 began riding when 1 was years old
at Spaulding g. Rogers old circus in Gin
cinnati, in 1913, but I've been all over the
world since that. No, my family were not
professional people l yearned to become
a rider the first time l ever saw a circus,
like ninoty-nine out of every hundred boys
in America.
American male riders arc the best i'll
the world, but we look for the best lady
riders in Europe. In Europe, 1 have
known Frenchmen, Englishmcn and Span
iards to be billed as the Great American
Horscman.' Some of these men never saw
this side of the Atlantic. There is no rea
son why the riders there should not be bet
ter than American riders from the fact
that they are six months in place at q
time and learn to know their ring thor
oughly. That is q moro important matter
than it seems at first sight. A foot S differ
ence makes very serious matter. The
ring Is usually AZ feet in diameter, and a
rider counts on that A single foot larger
or smaller makes it necessary for the per
formers to strike different angle, inclin
ing more inward as the ring gets smaller
and more perpcndicularly if its dimensions
are increased Yes, bareback riding is the
most difficult, Of course. A pad rider gen
orally requires four or five years hard
practice bareback before he can be trusted
for Il clean, finished performance. You
see, on pad riding man doesn't have to
take into account the horses backbone OF
the curve of the back. 1t is perfectly level
on pad, and just so much easier. A great
deal depends on the horse.
"Nalue? Well, first class horse is not
for sale at any price. You've got to use
horse three Or four years before you can de
pend upon him with absolute certainty.
Reputation, living life itself - depend
upon a bareback rider having under him
horse on which he can positively depend to
be just at the right place at the right time.
The swerving of an inch, the quickening
or slowing of the pace to the half length OF
hoof, may mean broken arm, perhaps
broken neck. Realize the danger? Why,
of course we do. I've had horse stumble
on me when l was half way up in somer-
sault, and before | got down l could real
ize that l was in danger of never getting
up alive. 1t only cost me fractured arm,
however which is all right now.
1.-THE most critical moment in my life
was while l was doing u twistcr' in 1875.
James Robinson and myself were with
Montgomery Queens circus on our way
overland from San Francisco. We were
billed as the rival champions and at Mus
kegon, Mich, on the 10th of August, |
first did the 'twister. Now, I'll tell you
what it is. There are three banners held
very close together. As ride, with my face
to the first, jump, pirouette and como
down again face forward, instantly up
again-for it must be done in an instant
and half pipouette over the second, this
bringing my back to the horse S head, when
l again alight, then, quick as a flash, up
and turning Il somersault, twist my body
around when in the air, so as to reverse
my position and when alight on my feet
having my head in front, as the horse goes.
l had practiced it on the ground for ten
years, but on a bareback horse it's very
different affair. We were in Detroit, and
among the audience were J. NJ. French
and Il number of other prominent circus
men. All We're anxious to see the twist
err The ring was wet and in bad condi-
ton, and l had only about one-third of the
circle to work in. Three, four, five times
tried it and failed. The sixth time, with
every nerve strung to its utmost tension,
with my teeth firmly set and my hands
clinchcd, / was determined to succeed
The audience rose almost en- masse with
excitement, and cries of Well done, any
howl Don't try it againp maddened me
The first step was all right, so was the
next, but as | left for the final spring tho
horse stumbled slightly. 1t was too late.
l was up in the air and came down with a
terrific crash, head ard shoulders, Just dis
locating my elbow. 1 didn't do the twist
err just then"
Ever try it again?"
"Oh, yes" was the winding up sentence
of the interview, 81 L do it nowl'