Friday, September 28, 2007

John Smith


Scan000010242, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is not Pocohantis...

Anonymous said...

John Smith???

Anonymous said...

Is that the same trainer who put together the big carrousel of 40 horses.

Also, wondering what breed that horse is. The neck and head look like a Percheron, but the legs look too fine. hmmm

Anonymous said...

John was an American ancestory of great circus trainers from Rhoda Royal days on the great American circuses of yesteryear. He started at a stable in Petersburg, Ill. and went on to Floto, Barnes , Cole and other shows along the way. Highly respected and liked by all. Avery handsome man without any haughty airs whatsoever. Never cared for power or authority. Liked to have a nip after the show. Could train high school, liberty, dogs , ponies, whatever, but especially good with specialty horses on the hippodrome track and an excellent rider himself.

Anonymous said...

Damn Col., for a second there I thought you were "hanging paper", and describing yourself, until you got to that "haughty airs" deal. I posted a question to you on a neighboring blog, and don't know if you saw it or not. It was in reference to Robert Baudy's Greyhound and monkey act. I had never heard of it and was wondering what kind of an act it was? Did the dog's do a type of liberty act, with the monkey's riding, or was it two seperate act's. I head once he had an act with Great Dane's dressed like lion's. If so what was it like? Thank's for the information. Wade Burck

Anonymous said...

One more thing Col., I heard year's ago that a John Smith worked the Clyde Bros. 3 act of elephant's Mary, Sue, and Ruth, as well as horse's on Seuses show. The picture I saw he wore boots, and jodphur's in the elephant act. Was it the same John Smith? Wade Burck

Anonymous said...

Wade, you will find my description of Baudy's Greyhounds and Monkeys on the other blog and yes he did train a follow up act of Great Danes and monkeys that Zeke was to work. It never caught on and guess he disbanded it. I saw him run thru it in practice on the Texas dates and it was pretty much a finished act, in fact he offered me a deal to work it, but I don't like aqnd a coward around monkeys.

Anonymous said...

I never heard of John Smith being around Suesz and would suggest that Floyd Smith [St. Louis Zoo] was the first person to train on Mary, Ruth and Sue prior to Tony Smaha putting a great act together.