Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-31
TRAINING OF HORSES.
How John O'Brien Mastered s~ixty-onc
Nnrscs to Perform in One NinR.

w ~
The most remarkable feat ever attempted
with trained horses is the great py-
ramid act done by sixty-one horses
in Ringing Brothers circus, the
odd horse being silver King"
upon the top pedestal. with the trainer,
John O'Brien on his back, putting the whole
sixty-one through their work by the sim
pie word of command. 1t is a marvellous
performance and affords at least one foil for
the able circus "ad'' writer-he cannot find
more adjectives than the performance de-
serves.
John O'Brien is one of the most modest
Of men. Unlike many of his calling. who are
greatly his interiors professionally, he
neither embrazons his breast with medals,
nor calls himself professor. He is just plain
John O'Brien to everybody. Yet no trainer
has ever attempted such a colossal under
taking as that of training sixty-one horses
to do one act. Most men of his profession
are satisfied with one-fourth of that num-
Der. The act must be seen to be appre-
ciated. A description can give no accurate
idea of the effect produced. There are five
platforms. one above another, arranged in
the form of a pyramid. AS stated, the
trainer, mounted on his horse, alone forms
the apex of the pyramid, and from there
Ni'SNNo thc lIiIlaio foui SNl5 vi hoISeo
fifteen in each set, at the word OF COM
mand go through the most bewildering
evoiutions, each set going in different d.
r~ections and doing different things from
the other set at the same time. So per-
fectly are the horses trained that not even
once iE the four seasons Mr.. O'Brien has
presented that act has one horse forgotten
his part. If one did confusion would en-
sue and the performance be spoiled.
Modest Jorn O'Brien takes little credit
to himself, however. He thinks the faculty
OF training animals, of gaining their con
fdence, Of making them understand what
is required of them, is born in some men
and not in a great many men al
that. He thinks he inherited this
faculty from his father. who was a
trainer Of circus horses before
him. 1t took John seven months OF hard
patient work to train the first herd oil
horses to this one act. They were sold and
shipped to Europe and John had to star
in with a fresh herd. He perfected them In
the incredibly short time of eight weeks
Mr.. O'Brien began his career as a trainer
with one horse, then tried in succession
two, eight, twelve. fifteen. fifty and sixty,
one. HIS ambition is to train 100 horses
for e. single act and he says he will do II
next season. He says that patience and
uniform kindness constitute his principal
stock in trade. The big whip he brandishes
is only for effect. The horses never feel
the lash in public or private. He neve,
strikes 3 horse unless attacked. He buys
his horses from the thoroughbred farms OF
the south. Silver King was born and reared
in Ringing Brothers circus and he does
the Spanish tro: better than any horse in
the world.
John OBrien is an Irishman by birth, buI
was brought up in France. Ask him where
he was born and he will tell you "in the
sawdust OF the circus ring" This was In.
deed his cradle, as both his parents were
circus performers.