Buckles Blog: Hold Your Horses! #3

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Scan000011104, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Sells-Floto Circus 1911.

Anonymous said...: What a sight. Where do you get these increditable photos? Imagine this is the smaller Floto show compared to bRingling, Forepaugh or Barnum and Bailey in their prime, who would have some 300 head of Percheron baggage stock, plus the "ring stock" or performing horses. I assume in this photo we are looking at some b200 head of white Percherons.

Circus trivia//// Why did the circuses use predominately the Percheron breed? Answer/// Pound for pound they could out pull any of the other draft horse breeds and with a smaller size, even the big ones could fit nicely in the stock cars and bear in mind they rode i9n those stock cars with harness on, less the bridle that was hung on the hames. Unbelievable, but true.; 18 April, 2008 16:57
Anonymous said...: Why did thy not take this heavy harness off.? The horses were the last thing working prior to the final loading of the train and would be the first thing going on the unloading. In late morning and afternoon they would get their rub down and bedded down for a nice few hours rest. On the lot.; 18 April, 2008 17:02
Anonymous said...: Incidentally, where would you load 300 sets of draft harness with heavy collars and hames? During my mud show years all work elephants rode over the road with their work harness on.; 18 April, 2008 17:05

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