Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Rare Bird Farm #8


SAVE2841, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

As seen at the Fontainbleau , Mrs. Ray with "Prince" the pick-out zebra.

Posted by Buckles at 5/16/2007 07:59:00 AM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was able to work on the same bill with Mrs. Ray and see her present those marvelous animal acts. Very sophisticated routines. The liberty llamas were excellent and also the rare "pick out zebra". She was certainly an all-around animal trainer and I believe the elephant and zebra did a routine together.

In later years I would believe she would have been the advisor-consultant of the performing leopards of the Woodcocks and also the fine leopard act of the Rossell family presented by her grand daughter and later her Great Grand daughter.

Certainly I would include her in my list of Unsung Hereos of animal trainers of the past. I have no historical idea of where she learned these wonderful ability and maybe Buckles and Barbara could wnlighten us. She sure knew her business.

The pick out zebra in props and routine is reminicent of the old "pick out Ponies" of yesteryear and my Dad was a good pick out pony trainer and he showed me and I have trained a few, including a mule. My Dad learned from, of all people, Honest Bill Newton, who always had a pick out pony that he named "Cupid" and he sent my Dad as a young wannabe trainer to take one of the Cupids on some small vaude tours in the winter time in the mid-west. Show wintered in Quennimoe, Kansas [can;t spell the name. Ant way this old time pick out act was always done pretty much the same, similar to the old "January Mule" routines. Once again thanks Buckles for reminding and showing us those great times of the past.

16 May, 2007 09:31
Anonymous said...

John,
The city is Quenemo, south of Topeka, not much there today. Wayne Franzen had a nice pick out horse, Tonto. Wayne always credited your fine work with liberty acts as the inspiration for his 12 POA pony liberty act. All the best to you, Mary Ruth and family, Erik Jaeger

16 May, 2007 10:43
Buckles said...

Most unique pick-out act I ever saw was Hugo Schmitt's elephant "Targa" that when asked, "How much is two plus two?", she would tap four times on the bull tub with a stick.

16 May, 2007 12:06
Anonymous said...

Your remember the old vaudeville gag, also used on small circuses where the audience could hear the performers talk.

The man would ask the pony, "What is two plus two?" and the pony would tap four times. Then the man would urge, "One more, girl, one more!"

16 May, 2007 12:47
Anonymous said...

Recently my friend Dick Kohlreiser gave me a book to read, titled,"Beautiful Jim Key. The lost history of the world's smartest horse". Alengthy true story thouroghly researched. About a horse in the 1880s.early 1900s that became incredidably kmown in the nation, featured at major exhibitions, big horse shows. It was owned and trained by a black veterinary and stable owner from Shelbyville, Tenn. A man quite affluent and the nation was amazed at the great knowledge this horse possesed. He performed in front of Governors and other noted people including Alice Roosevelt [Teddy;s famous daughter] among others and gained great fame for the times. People wondereed how he could be so smart and he was the subject of intense scruitiny.

Obviously, in reading what he could do, such as add, subtract, multiply and divide. Pick out names and situation, tell time, nod yes and no, pick out objects from the ground, tie and untie knots, etc. that he was an exceptionally trained Trick Pick out Horse and his owner-trainer. Dr. William Key made a fortune exhibiting him all over the nation at very pretigeous events.

I note the author to be, Mim Eichler Rivas and it is published by Harper, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Also here is a computer thing,
www.beautifuljimkey.com
Very fascinating and was probably the first kinwn Pick Out Horse and certainly copied over the years. How about that?

17 May, 2007 09:39

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)