The circus as
we know it was born in an open field outside London in 1768. Its father was
Englishman Philip Astley, a former sergeant-major of the 15th Dragoons turned
trick rider. Within a few years Astley roofed over his ring and added a platform;
the circus tent, or "big top" did not come into vogue until nearly
seventy-five years later.
Astley was a
daring acrobat and a great horseman. In his later years, he wrote several books
on the subject of horse training. Like all circus horse trainers in the years
to come, Astley knew that teaching any animal by force or cruelty would lead
nowhere: "To perform well and with good grace, the horse, as well as the
horseman, should take mutual pleasure in the exercise." One of his best
"educated" horses was trained to count, cued by the almost imperceptible
click of Astley's fingernails.
By the end of
the 1700's, the hippodrome (as the circus show was often called) was taking
root in other countries. In 1793 another Englishman, John Bill Ricketts, established
the first American circus in Philadelphia. Like nearly all circus proprietors
of the day, John Bill Ricketts was a horseman and performer; his horse, Cornplanter,
was a great attraction and was often given billing in the roster. One of Ricketts'
most daring feats was to leap from the back of his galloping horse up and over
a ribbon suspended 12 feet in the air, landing back on his mount as it passed
for a split second beneath his waiting feet. Among Ricketts' best-remembered
tricks is one in which he juggled two oranges and two forks from the back of
his horse, the fruits ending up impaled upon the tines of the forks at the finale.
In 1872 the infamous
P.T. Barnum made a big change in the traditional hippodrome by adding a second
ring under his tent, followed by a third in 1881 resulting in the now famous
"three ring circus." This unprecedented format added an exciting new
dimension; the huge oval track encircling the arena between the rings and seating
area. Today this track is used for parade-like processions and pantomimes, but
in the olden days it was used for hair-raising full-tilt horse races of all
kinds. Some of the most popular were chariot races and Roman standing races,
whereupon the jockey stands on the backs of two mounts, one foot on the back
of each. If that doesn't sound daring enough, many of these standing races included
hurdles and burning hoops! There were even English stag hunts with complete
with baying hounds and terrified prey. "Lady equestriennes" participated
in these audacious exploits with equal number to the male performers. The fact
that they had to ride side-saddle makes these feats seem especially death-defying.
Though there
are many ways equines have been utilized in the circus performance world, the
most popular, oft-used acts are: Bareback (vaulting, acrobatics on horseback),
Liberty (in which the trainer, standing the centre of the ring cues his pupils
with only his voice commands and a long whip, or chambriere), and High
School (the epitome of dressage, the airs above the ground).
Beauty is an
important equine attribute, but for Bareback acts a tractable personality is
of utmost importance -- especially after the non-slip riding pads and platforms
of Astley's days became obsolete. At such time the performing horses became
known as "rosinbacks" by the circus personnel, after rosin,
the non-slip foot powder used by the vaulters. Some of the requisites, like
steadiness of gait, are achieved by the use of a check rein, patient training,
and are helped by the standard international diameter of the ring (13 meters).
The "human
pyramid" was often a popular Bareback trick for circus troops. As the base
of four to six placid draught horses cantered in a steady cadence around and
around the ring, the perfomers would form the pyramid, one by one, with sometimes
as many as ten persons.
The Cristiani
Brothers Circus featured fantastic Bareback riders, most of them Cristianis.
Lucio Cristiani did a full twisting backward somersault from the back of one
horse, through a hoop, landing upon the back of a second horse, then through
another hoop and onto the back of a third horse. He also accomplished the feat
of backward somersaulting onto three different galloping horses, a feat which
had proved fatal or injurious to previous daredevils. Another popular act of
the troop displayed five of the brothers simultaneously vaulting onto the back
of one cantering horse!
For those who
preferred beauty and elegance to thrills and stunts, one of the most lovely
Bareback acts featured a svelte ballerina performing her dance from horseback.
Richly dappled Percherons with wide backs and broad rumps were the breed of
choice.
The Liberty,
or riderless, horses form the basis of probably the most popular circus number.
Certainly the most difficult forum of training, the horses have to be handsome,
flashy, and have a showy appearance without being self-willed in manner. If
this isn't enough, the horses should be matched in size, colour, and type.
There was no
limit to the breeds featured when this act was prominently featured, but Arabians
were the most often used. While pintos were not as commonly used as one might
think, horses with unusual markings or colouring were highly sought after. One
of the luminaries in the circus training world, Jorgen Christiansen, often used
leopard-spotted Danish Tiger Horses (Knabstruppers), and one of his more magnificent
collections of equine Liberty teams consisted of 10 golden South American Criollo
stallions.
Stallions in
Liberty acts present the most enkindled picture, but they are not always the
easiest to handle in a group. A Liberty horse is first trained by himself, then
put together with his teammates slowly. The paces are increased as the horses
become used to working as a set. It takes from nine to 12 months to perfect
a routine, and most Liberty acts consist of six to eight horses; however, one
spectacular display featured a group of seventy-nine! This array was trained
by Jorgen Christiansen and ran thus: 27 ponies of all colours circled the ring
curb. Inside the curb were five camels standing evenly spaced upon high elephant
pedestals, while a string of dapple greys compassed in opposition to the ponies
and passed beneath the camels. Then a line of bright sorrel horses upon a platform
two and a half feet above the greys were circled by a group of snow white steeds.
And still 18 inches higher, forming the innermost and smallest circle, was a
tier of zebras. On the topmost centre platform stood Christiansen on horseback,
directing the entire menagerie!
Perhaps one of
the bravest Liberty horses ever to perform was a nondescript white mare, Mary.
Trained by Rudy Rudynoff, Mary would jump over the ring curb and join her teammates
in perfect formation -- while she was blindfolded. Rudy Rudynoff was a great
showman and often directed his Liberty acts while standing on the side of a
prone horse that would lie flat and still until the conclusion of his fellows'
routines.
Billy Smart's
English Circus presented a fine attraction in the 1950's which featured eight
coal black Friesian horses prancing, dancing and rearing in a queue, all at
complete liberty.
Black horses
were very popular for many of these acts. Al Mansor, a fabulous Arabian stallion
trained by Madame Tourniaire, was the colour of midnight, as was the notorious
Black Eagle. In the 1850's this 15.2 hand stallion that could waltz, polka,
and walk on his hind legs, was described as The Horse Of Beauty. In the 1800's,
P.T. Barnum paid a small fortune for a Liberty number comprised of black Trakehner
stallions. Perhaps one of the most unusual ebony protagonists was Starless Night,
a Kentucky Saddle mare trained by William Heyer. She was nearly refused due
to her sex, but Heyer couldn't pass up the stunning 17 hand equine prima donna.
Within 12 months of her purchase she became the finest and most beautifully
trained High School horse in circus history. She was the premiere equine diva
of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus in the mid 1940's.
The High School
horse, beautifully styled and under precise and unseen control, will always
be a must in the circus world. Lippizaners, Thoroughbreds and Arabians are the
favoured mounts for these Haute Ecole demonstrations, but occasionally Danish
Tiger Horses and other strikingly coloured equines are used. Women are and were
most often the riders in these beautiful equine ballets, easily gliding through
the air with their mounts as they capriolle and courbette in time to stirring
music.
Unlike most professions
in the 1700, 1800, and early 1900's, women were not discriminated against in
the least and were often the most daring performers, the finest riders, and
the most sensitive trainers of the circus world. In 1881 the Barnum and London
Circus proudly presented Madame Dockrill, devoting an entire poster advertisement
to her which read, in part: "...I have secured, by the most princely salary
ever given to an equestrian performer, the continual services of Madame Dockrill,
the only four and six horse Bareback lady rider in the world! Her marvelous
personal beauty, unparalleled skill and daring have won her a reputation in
both hemispheres which no rider who ever lived has ever attained!"
Beautiful ladies
were not the only comely attraction. Before the onset of the automobile, most
circus patrons were good judges of horse flesh, and the horses advertised on
the handbills had to live up to the word of the advertiser.
After the automobile
gained popularity, the circus posters weren't as specific in the descriptions
of the equines, but they were nonetheless proud to present them. The Sparks
Circus advertised in 1919: "Lovers of horses the world over have raised
the cry, Perpetuate the Horse!, as the automobile superseded man's most
helpful animal servant in the onward march of progression. This organization
presents the finest exhibition of horse flesh ever seen anywhere. The world's
most beautiful horses, the pride of the tented world." Some circuses, such
as this one from 1920, were proud of the sheer number of horses featured: "Ringling
Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, embracing 740 horses,
350 of them performing in five big circus rings and an enormous elliptical equine
arena."
In addition to
the three principal equine acts -- the meat and potatoes of the circus -- many
novelty acts were added for spice and fun. While there is not enough room here
to list all of the varied tricks and performances, here are a few samples of
some favourite treats:
Individual larks,
such as picking a card from the deck, untying knots, ringing bells, lying down
in a bed and pulling the blanket over, counting, pushing baby carriages, sitting
down, et cetera, were performed by what were called "educated" horses,
or "one trick ponies." One advert from The Great Burr Robbins Circus
in 1884 really stretched the limits of credibility with the following claim:
"Pony College of Sagacious Equines performing multitudes of phenomenal
original feats never seen before, that make ludicrous all previous attempts
at equescurriculum exhibition in this country. They are perfect paragons of
intellectual learning and have mastered spoken language sufficiently to comprehend
each word of command. These reason-gifted brute marvels illustrate a large diversity
of talent and training and the acme of animal intelligence that is something
more than mere instinct."
In 1906 the Barnum
& Bailey showbill included a "Wonderful exhibition of high-jumping
record breakers Pegasus, Senator, Blackbird, Philo and Major Fox with records
of 7'8 1/2", 6'8", 6'9", 7'10", 7'2" respective, and
Jove and Jupiter, the greatest leaping ponies in the world, with long-jumping
records of 29 1/2 feet and high-jumping records of 6'1"." Pegasus
was ridden by his owner, Minnie Johnson, who rode sidesaddle. On occasion the
pair made 8 feet, though Minnie never carried a whip and in no way lashed her
mount into the jump.
Since the early
1800's brave horses in novelty acts were ascending on platforms elevated high
into the sky with air balloons or rope pulleys. In contrast, diving horses leapt
from platforms 30 feet in the air into pools of water 6 to 12 feet deep. Other
novelty acts included "boxing" horses, clowns riding tiny, comical
mules, and sideshows presenting horses with freakishly long manes, or odd deformities.
Perhaps the most
novel advertisement for such acts comes from the 1920's, in which the Al. G.
Barnes Circus claims: "Ferocious Wild Animals from every clime in acts
that will Thrill and Amaze!" This poster shows a drawing of the 'wild animal
equestrians' (lions, pumas, leopards and bears trained to ride). Nero the Riding
Lion is prominently featured, standing on all fours upon the back of a galloping
horse. Al. G. Barnes also had performing zebras, which though not unique to
that company, was indeed peculiar. One of their posters read: "These black
and white striped beauties have heretofore been thought untrainable, and it
is with pride Al. G. Barnes presents them as see-saw artists, hoop-jumpers and
barrel-rollers."
Circus acts including
ponies would have to be considered a novelty in the larger circuses. The most
famed tricks featured tiny ponies and huge horses together; sometimes the horse
was made to leap over the back of a pony, but highly favored was a short routine
called the London Bridge. The London Bridge act is one of the most difficult
to teach, as a row of six sizable horses must stand completely still as a small
pony at liberty gallops under their bellies. The Pretty Pony Steeplechase, featured
in Barnum & Bailey's 1906 lineup, depicted diminutive Shetland ponies with
chattering monkey jockeys racing around the hippodrome track at top speed over
pint-sized obstacles. This was a great favourite of the children in the audience.
Another favourite was the spectacle of a massive elephant lifting a wee pony
by it's surcingle (belly band) with a strong, nimble trunk.
Pony routines
were incidental, one or two acts in a huge and varied programme for the larger
circuses, but this was not the case in the now defunct Dog & Pony Shows.
Here, ponies were the life blood of the proprietors. Long extinct, the tiny
backroad exhibits travelled the countryside by wagon procession, or occasionally
one or two railway cars -- a far cry from the literal caravans of the large
circuses. Most of the shows were quite small in number, but the Sipe and Blake
Dog & Pony Show (sometimes called Educated Animals and Lilliputian Show)
featured some 150 performing ponies of the highest class and quality.
The Dog &
Pony Shows featured such amusing antics as pony races with dogs and monkeys
as jockeys, ponies climbing stairs, jumping through flaming hoops, skipping
rope, walking on stilts, sitting in chairs, dancing, and even ponies that could
ride other ponies (with the aid of a flat platform placed upon the back of the
mount). Another tandem pony act included alternate teeter-tottering on a broad
plank. Sheep, goats, and pigs were also taught to perform with the ponies, most
of which were black and white pinto Shetland stallions.
For over two
centuries, the "educated" horse has amazed and delighted audiences
of all ages, from all walks of life. While dancing bears, ferocious tigers and
lumbering elephants are fun to watch, the beauty and symmetry of the performing
horse is unrivaled and shall remain so as long as people continue to flock to
the "greatest horse show on earth."
