The age-herald., 1901-12-01

from town to town which never amount ed to much for them as they G-L not have to haul anything. With the horses used in the parades and for hauling however, It was very different. They would often get played out. and then they would be put in charge of a man or a smart boy and taken across country by a short route to meet the show again when they were sufficiently recruited to resume work. l often had a job of this kind on my hands, and I have not yet forgotten how 1t would worry me. One time l had about a dozen old scarecrows on my hands when I was only years old, and I found l had to swim them across Green river, in Georgia. It was the only way to get across, and yet I was afraid to try it, for the animals were so weak and played out that I was afraid they would float down stream and miss the lanolng. I went to a farmer who lived near the landing and got him to swim one of his own horses across so that I could follow him and see how to make the crossing. He consented, and gave me a lead, and I followed, but it was fear and trembling, tor I was afraid 1 should lose the whole outfit and myself with it. l was lucky, however, and did not lose any of them. but the game was new to me, and l did not like the idea of swimming a swollen river on the back of horse that was hardly able to carry me OH dry land. On the whole however, l had rather a good time when 1 was travelling with my father, for he made 1t as easy as he could for me. When l was one of the performers, there was light covered wagon in the outfit and as soon as the show was ready to move I would crawl into this wagon with a pill low and blanket and sleep soundly until they would wake me to dress and go into the ring
 "The selection of circus horses. per- formers, I mean, Is something of science. I have a preference for horses having a Norman cross in them. They are generally good looking, sure footed, and tractable, especially when crossed with trotters or thoroughbreds. Besides this, they have stout bodies and broad level backs, and that counts for good deal in animals used for bareback riding. A rider wants to have plenty of room for his feet, when he turns a summer sault through a hoop, to light squarely on the horse's back while the animal is cantering around the ring. It is neces- sary too that the animal should have a smooth. even, stride, and above all he must be sure footed. for if he stumbles the rider is reasonably sure to go to the grass in hurry. For bareback riding, geldngs are the best. but for show and trick horses mares or stallions are pref erable. The gelding Is steady and tract able like a machine, but he will not do tricks with the vim and spirit character istic of a mare or stallion. On the other hand mares, and especially stall lions, are apt to have their attention di- verteu, and to make mistakes when in the ring, and of course that is bad for the man or woman who happens to be riding one of them.
 q like the trotting cross for circus horses. One of the first horses I used to ride in the ring in my fathers show had a strong dash of Messenger blood in him, and he was not only the best horse l ever rode, but he wore longer than any of them. My father would lay him up and buy me a new one, but l do not know how often I had to go back to the old fellow after the others were worn out and unfit for the ring. Any kind of good ring horse ought to be good for that kind of work for six years at least, as the work is not hard during the season, and then the circus horse always has long period of absolute rest in winter quarters. John Splan the famous trotting horse driver, buys a good many horses for me in the Chicago market. Indeed I might say he buys nearly all my horses He knows the sort of animals I want, and when he sees one that he thinks would suit me, he buys him. Of course with the most careful selection, many horses bought for our business fail to turn out right. They must be abso- lutely fearless, and we have to put them through a lot of training to make sure that they will not bolt or shy under any circumstances. They must not be afraid of brass bands, nor of the shouts and cheering of big audiences. It is in the parade they have the greatest tempta- tions to go wrong, and so the horses that have nothing to do. but wagons re- quire a great deal of drilling to make them absolutely safe for the parade , When training them. we have drums beaten right under their noses. stand them LID close to burning papers, walk them right alongside of trolley cars, and in fact we subject them to almost every imaginable test before trusting them in the parade where the slightest mistake might mean no end of mischief"