Trot Under the Big Top: How Horses Helped Sarasota Become the Circus City
by Ruby Tevis
In 1793, just outside of Philadelphia, English equestrian John William Ricketts brought a new type of entertainment to America, a kind of show that would someday be known as the “Greatest Show on Earth.” Ricketts combined three acts–an acrobat, a clown, and a horse–all wrapped into one outstanding show. Within the crowd were parents, children, and President George Washington, each in awe of the spectacular performance. The main event? The horse. Trained unlike anything civilians had seen before, Ricketts’ horses shocked audiences and propelled the circus to become a mainstay in American entertainment for centuries.
The circus ring, a standard 42’ in diameter, was designed with the horse in mind. “It was the perfect size for the horse to gallop, but still be contained,” said Jennifer Lemmer Posey, Tibbals Curator of Circus at The Ringling in Sarasota, Florida. “The horse acts were the staple in early circus performance.”
Almost a century after Ricketts’ first circus, five brothers began their own backyard circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The Ringling brothers–Albert, Otto, Alfred, Charles, and John–hosted their first circus performance in 1884 with one wagon and a rented horse. Over the fifteen years to follow, the Ringling Brothers Circus would grow in popularity to rival the already thriving Barnum & Bailey Circus. Rather than face-off, the two performances came to an agreement: split into two regions and grow simultaneously. In 1908, the Ringlings purchased the Barnum & Bailey circus, but they continued to tour separately.
By the early 1920s, the circus came upon its Golden Age. With over 1300 workers and 800 animals, the Ringling Brothers Circus traveled by rail nearly 15,000 miles and visited 150 towns each season. Traveling from town to town each day was no easy feat, with over 100 railcars and only a few motorized vehicles, circuses stayed close to railyards to unpack and set up day after day.
“Alongside roughly 300 performing horses, the circus traveled with 500 draft horses, known as ‘baggage horses’ to pull wagons from the trainyard to the circus lot, raise poles, and set up tents,” Posey said. Before the show, a parade through town was customary to tease the audience about what was to come. Leading these street parades was the bandwagon, a wagon carrying a live band that weighed over eight tons and was pulled by a team of 40 horses.
On the circus lot, as patrons enjoyed sideshows, games, and treats, the blacksmiths and horsemen worked behind the scenes to care for the performance horses housed in the ringstock tent. As clowns, acrobats, and jugglers prepared their own dazzling costumes, the horses were donned in elaborate costumes to match their riders.
“Horses performed three main acts in the circus: bareback, liberty, and high school,” Posey said. “These were all acts that dated back to British entertainer and horseman, Philip Astley, who wrote ‘Astley’s System of Equestrian Education’ in 1801.”
Bareback acts featured talented acrobats and riders vaulting on horseback, performing poses, and daring tricks. Liberty acts highlighted the bond between horse and trainer, wowing audiences with seemingly invisible communication with no ropes or reins. High school, or “haute e’cole” was an audience favorite with deep roots in the European equestrian tradition.
As the circus evolved, after-shows featured jumping, chariot races, and races with jockeys dressed in silks, but the Ringlings maintained a family-friendly atmo
sphere and did not allow betting. The only prize for winning was the right to boast.
In 1927, John Ringling (the last surviving Ringling brother) along with his wife Mable, settled in Sarasota and established the winter base for the circus. Thousands of performers and horsemen also came to call Sarasota home, and the “circus city” was born. Soon, the circus became the top attraction in Florida, drawing crowds to the sleepy seaside town throughout the winter season.
In 1938, a labor strike changed the way the circus traveled. Though the now combined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s circus traveled completely by rail until 2017, the circus moved from using baggage horses to motorized vehicles, and by the mid-1950s, the circus no longer operated under the big top and moved to indoor arenas and coliseums.
Third-generation trainer and performer, Heidi Herriott, was born during one summer season of the Mills Brothers Circus to her parents, John and Mary Ruth Herriott. “My mom had a few days off after I was born, then she was back at it again,” Herriott laughed. In 1967, Feld Entertainment purchased the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Circus, and at 10 years old, Herriott moved to Sarasota after her family’s circus act joined the performance.
“We were very privileged to grow up in this community with so much talent surrounding us,” Herriott said. “We had the most fun each winter after our travels quieted down, and we’d all get together and share ideas and practice together.”
Growing up in the circus, Herriott soon learned to train horses under the guidance of her father, other circus horsemen, and the wisdom of many generations before her. To Herriott, haute e’cole and its unique history fascinated her most. Tied to ancient military history, haute e’cole is considered the highest level of training for a horse, featuring movements once needed on the battlefield.
“Haute e’cole predates dressage,” Herriott said. “You see the piaffe, passage, pirouette, and lateral work at dressage shows today. These movements are just small pieces of haute e’cole. The airs above the ground were all high school movements featured in the circus. The Europeans had mastered this long before the American circus, and the liberty and bareback acts came later.”
Andalusians, Lusitanos, and Arabians were breeds commonly selected for their trainability and attractive appearance. Their long manes, arched necks, and articulated movement entranced audiences. In 1962, Lippizan horses- famous for their haute e’cole training at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria- were brought to Myakka City by Ottomar Hermann after “Operation Cowboy,” a military plot to evacuate 300 hostage Lippizans from Russian forces.
Outside of their circus careers, many animal trainers and their partners were contracted by Hollywood to work in film. “The horses could perform everything on command, and these trainers were highly desired for movie work,” Herriott said. One famous steed, Tony the Wonder Horse, performed with Derrick Rosaire on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Derrick’s children continue to leave their mark on the Sarasota community, with daughter Ellian Rosaire leading Rosaire’s Riding Academy. Today, the Hermann family is also active, still performing with their Lippizans in Myakka City. Eighth-generation performer and niece of famed animal trainer Gunter Gebel Williams, Caroline Williams, is based in Myakka City and is involved with equestrian performances at Circus Sarasota. Olissio Zoppe, owner of Cirque Ma’Ceo, an intimate Italian-style circus, also lives in Myakka City and travels the country with his top-rated equestrian and acrobatic performances. As Florida’s original equine epicenter, Sarasota’s equestrian roots run deep, and it is all because of the Ringling Brothers Circus.
“I have no doubt the circus had an influence on the thriving equestrian community in the Sarasota-Manatee area,” Herriott said. “The circus brought so many horses and so many incredibly talented horsemen. To this day, their legacies live on in the local area, in the circus tradition, and in modern equestrian sports.”
TerraNova would like to extend a special thank you to The Ringling and Heidi Herriott for contributing to this article. If you are interested in learning more about Sarasota’s circus history, visit the Circus Museum and Tibbals Learning Center at The Ringling in Sarasota, Florida. Heidi Herriott now lives in St. Petersburg with her husband and teaches liberty and trick training clinics. Her sisters are also active in horse training in Myakka City and in Texas.
