Can A Horse Count? The Story of The Beautiful Jim Key.


Bill Key A Boy With a Gift for Horses.

I know as an avid Equestrian who lives and breathes horses, there is nothing better than a positive horse tale.  Well here is one from yester year which I believe, that you my fellow equine enthusiast will whole heartedly enjoy.  The story starts in Tennessee before the American Civil War, when a young black boy Bill Key was raised by a Plantation Owner John Key.  John loved Bill and although he had two sons already, he raised young Bill as one of his own children, cared for him and educated him.  It was John that first noticed that Bill had a way with horses, and he allowed him to develop his skills not only to train the horses on their home plantation but to also in the surrounding areas. 

Dr Bill Key & His Beautiful Jim Key – Picture from The Tennessee Virtual Archive.

From Civil War To Fortune.

When the American Civil War broke out Bill fought for the South, alongside his brothers.  He was also instrumental in helping to get Slaves across the border from the South to the North, while also acting as if he was a spy for the North. Bill unfortunately was caught and held for Treason, but he had a saving grace in that he was an amazing cook, and he began to cook for the man in charge, who allowed him a reprieve.  During his time in the North he began to play cards and became very good, and Bill ended up making a lot of money playing cards during the war.  When the Civil War ended he was quite a wealthy man and he returned home to Tennessee. 

Returning Home from War

On his return to Tennessee Bill found his home in tatters and his father had lost the Plantation, however Bill bought the Plantation back for his farther as he wanted him to have a home.  He then went on to set up a horse training centre in his home town along with a race track, equine hospital, blacksmith forge and a hotel.

Breeding A Champion Race Horse

Bill found he had a passion for racing, and set out to breed a champion race horse.  At a horse sale in Mississippi he purchased an Egyptian Horse called Lorretto, who had good breeding, but had spent her life in the circus. Bill bought the mare for just $40 and then went about looking for a champion stallion with which to breed her.  Bill went on to breed Lorretto to one of the Top Racing Sires of the time, Tennessee Volunteer. 

The stage was set for a great horse, however, when the young colt was born, he looked deformed and even found walking difficult.  Undeterred, Bill could see a spark in the young colt, and he began to train him.  The horse was named Jim Key, and after 3 or 4 years, Bill had made huge strides with the horse, he had trained him to lie down, play dead and fetch much like one trains a dog.  When Bill had taught the horse, Jim Key a number of clever tricks, Bill took him on the road when he went to sell his product, Keystone Liniment Oil.  This proved very lucrative for the sale of the Liniment Oil and the Horse Jim Key became a huge hit, attracting crowds of adoring fans. 

The tricks Jim Key performed for Bill, were Spelling, counting even giving people change from a Dollar, he could play the organ and even write his own name with a piece of chalk!!

The Horse Jim Key Star of the Show.

Bill was approached by Albert Rogers a Circus organiser of the time and Albert tried to buy Jim Key.  However, Bill loved the horse, he saw Jim Key as his family and even slept in his stable, so there was no way he would sell him, no matter the price.  So, Albert suggested that Bill and he work together and set up a show with the Horse, Jim Key as the Star.

The show was a huge success and Bill Key and Albert Rogers went on to make several million dollars with Jim Key’s Show.  The Horse Jim Key was a huge celebrity of the time and even met the president of the United States, President McKinley.  Then in 1904 a Group of Harvard Professors investigated to determine if Jim Key was really intelligent or just a well trained horse. After a number of tests, which Jim passed with flying colours, they concluded that Jim Key was indeed a very intelligent horse. 

The St. Louis World Fair 1904 The Pinnacle of Jim Key’s Fame – He Wins A Spelling Contest Against Children

At the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, the horse, Jim Key performed to audiences of up to 20,000 people a night.  On one evening in particular, in the front row was seated, President Roosevelt’s daughter Alice Longworth Roosevelt.  Also in the front Row was seated a group of 6th Grade School Children who were to have a Spelling B contest against Jim Key.  One of the questions that evening was to spell, Alice Longworth Roosevelt, which Jim Key did, and he went on to win the Spelling B Competition against the 6th Grade children!!  Now that’s one Smart Horse!  Bill also had a Dog, Monk who was great friends with Jim Key, and he became a part of the Act, with Jim Key bending down to allow Monk, to Jump on his back. 

Beautiful Jim Key at the World Fair in St. Louis in 1904 pic from Wikapaedia

Both Bill Key and the Horse Jim Key accomplished so much in their lives together, and were an inspiration to the American Humane Society in their quest to teach the young to be kind to animals.  Bill Key died in 1909 at the age of 76, and Jim Key died in 1912 at the age of 23.  If you would like to discover more about the amazing adventures of Bill Key and his Beautiful Horse Jim Key, there is a wonderful book on Amazon called Beautiful Jim Key; The Lost History of the World’s Smartest Horse written by Mim E. Rivas. 

This article was originally published in the March 2021 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine.

If you enjoyed this article check out our piece on Liberty Training, Building True Connection with Your Horse below….

Roma Bourke DC AMC MMAA

Roma Bourke is a Human & Equine Chiropractor & Deep Tissue Sports Massage Therapist, who started Irish Sport Horse Magazine, along with some Good Equestrian Friends. The Magazine & Website share, News, Tips and Interviews with some of Your Favourite Equestrian Athletes. Our hope is that by sharing Equestrian Knowledge and Great Stories that we will Inspire Young Equestrians to "Shoot for the Moon!, Because Even if You Miss, You'll Land Among the Stars!" Les Brown

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