The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-02-28
RAY THOMPSON QUITS CIRCUS LIFE Bridgeporter Is Wizard in De velopment of HOrses-Mrs. Thompson and He in
 Vaudeville

Raymond. or Ray Thompson, as he is faniliarly known to thousands of horse-lovers and clrcus-goers throughout America and Europe, with his wife. Mrs Thompson. will never again grace the tan-bark arena under the big canvas tops, where with his
 almost brotherly affectionate horse, | ttJoe Bailey" he has been time and again hailed as the king Of the eQues- trian world.
 At his beautiful home in Brooklyn, as Thompson and his wife, packed their belongings preparatory to talk ing their departure for Philadelphia l where they begin forty weeks con tract in vaudeville, the man who knows not what the word sdiscour- agement'' means, volunteered this piece of news-adding, as the conffd- ing whinney Of a favorite horse in the paddock came through an open window, that he had so completely perfected the education of his trained equine quartette that he can now nfanoeuver them upon the smallest stage in the country.
 Few people in Bridgeport, which is n1u1titudino11s army of performers, have stopped to appreciate either the great t'inta1ligence'' with which Thcn1pson's fa.yorite animal, the horse, is endowed, or the supreme patience and persistence required before they
 
 tfon of education which they display in such acts as the 'tIrkey trot, '' grizzly bear,'' and f'Gaby-g1ide'' with & freedom of dance motion equal all most to the human body.
 To the average mind, these are but stunts and for the moment some
 one in the parlanee of the street may remark That is going some!' but to- morrow the feat is forgotten Yet be- hind all this lies human genius, un- failing kindness and an intuitive bond of sympathy between horse and man but above all, time. For no less than four constant. years of daily training are required to bring the most knowing of all beasts, HJoe Bai- Iey.'' to his first public performance in the tricks which have since taken him across two oceans.
 And the man. who beyond a shadow of a, doubt is the youngest as well as the greatest of the worlds most pro- gressiue horse trainers, is Ray Thornp- son of Bridgeport. The partner in his hazardous risks and t1nultous ap- rp1ause is none other than his | wife, who is recognized as Americas most gifted equetrienne.
 She it is who introduced one same time most difficult achievements ever accomplished in the saddle, rid ing spirited Kentucky thoroughbred without bridIe or rein and putting her charge through series of gaits
 which ave been the envy and emu1a- ton of, many professional as well as
 amateur horsewomen.
 Thompson while of a retiring dis position and inclined to depreciate his own attainnaents, to a reporter for The Farmer yesterday consented to iTnTyart a fewSsofa5 t4e factors which have contributed to his success Brief
 Ey they may be credited to many in
 born and unique characteristics of the
 man himself He was a born lover of
 a thoroughbred horse and there never
 was one which did not feel an exist
 ing bond of friendship
 Horses said the host yesterday,
 eare like children, they are creatures of many moods, and the trainer must understand each one individually. This faculty is largely responsible for the wonderful Accomplishments that can be procured from schooling. And, af- 1 ter all is said and done, this is the 1 sole real secret of the success of all 1 the great animal trainers
 But continued the reIator, a'do not think that when you have mastered the training art, you have access to l an easy fortune; not so, for in years l past wise booking agents, whose duty 1 it is to give the patrons the best ob- tainable, have labored under the be | lief that all the best animal acts came i from abroad, and if an act did not
 possess the stmp of European ap- proVal it was denied recognition. Orig
 inaffty is the Keynote Of a successful l animal act. The man who originates succeeds, and this is true in this as in every other profession
 When from the time Thompson in l his teens, first started his equine ca | reer he has displayed that daring and 1 originality, which has made even his f1nitators stand aghast and as the owner of Bailey which in circus 1 nomenclature is the Champion High School Horse of the World he has attained the pinnacle of new acts for | the coming year which will surpass even the "three-legged center'' of last season.
 l UNUSUAL SALE OF
 FINE NEW FURNITURE