Though I had every intention of reading the book I last wrote about, this other book sauntered up to me, and I read it instead. don't blame me, blame this little tart of a book.
Maybe you have heard of Clever Hans, the "educated horse" that was exposed as a fraud. Well, Jim Key was a horse owned by William Key. He became a media sensation who toured the country around the turn of the 20th century. He did "tricks" including spelling names, adding, making change, and picking up a silver dollar from the bottom of a pail full of water. It is part biography. part social history, and just a very fun book to read.
William Key had a gift of being able to work with animals from a very young age, he had already made a small fortune in the patent medicine biz from the liniment he invented(it could be used by horses or people) by the time Jim Key became a superstar.
Lots of fascinating details are given about William Keys life, including his time in the Civil War looking out for the sons of his "owner", to how he toured the south with his medicine show(which included minstrels), how he became a self-taught vet and a racetrack owner. All of this in central Tennesee.
Jim Key was a sickly colt. William Key's workers at one point begged him to put him down, but he could not of course. He was too soft-hearted. One day Jim, who followed William everywhere like a dog, fetched a stick that was thrown for one of the dogs. William then started to train Jim, and took him on tour with the medicine show. They attracted the attention of a promoter, and within a short time they were on the way to stardom. Jim was used to help promote the humane movement, and was part of a Be Kind to Animals pledge taken by school children.
Though you might not be convinced of any reasoning abilities that Jim possessed, you would be convinced of the almost other-worldly bond between an above-average horse and his caretaker.
