The story we are about to tell today looks like a tale, but in fact, it’s absolutely true. Based on our own experience as horse lovers we can’t stop saying to other people that horses understand humans’ body language better than any other creature and are also very intelligent animals. While this is without a doubt true, a horseman named William Key and his beloved horse proved all humankind how intelligent a trained horse can be. William Key from Shelbyville, Tennessee found that he had a serious bond and a spiritual connection to horses since he was at a young age, and after he had gained some success as a trainer and self-taught veterinarian, William chose to join the world of horse racing.
He purchased a popular Arabian mare named Lauretta, who had been a past circus horse that was abused and mistreated but with William’s care, she became healthy again. In 1889 William got very excited after Lauretta would foal with a Standardbred because he thought it would produce a very valuable horse, and in fact, he was right, but it didn’t happen the way William had imagined, as the horse never became a racing horse. From the moment the foal was born, he was vulnerable, sick, delicate and could barely stand on her feet.
Whenever the colt tried to stretch his legs he tottered around and fell often. William chose to name the horse “Jim” and also added his own last name to the paperwork and the horse was officially “Jim Key.” Jim’s talent was first seen when the horse started picking up small tricks, often from the family dog. Jim would usually mimic the pet, gathering up sticks, rolling over and sitting for treats. William’s wife, Lucinda, was very understanding of William’s special relationship with this extraordinary horse and she was the one who discovered that Jim was even more talented than they would ever think.
Jim just appeared to understand the human language and as soon as William Key noticed this skill he started working with Jim to learn these tricks and later he trained Jim to memorize the alphabet, spell short words and count. The training advanced to Jim being schooled in politics, solving elementary math problems, and ultimately, his schooling rose to the next level. Jim could also understand time, use a cash register, dial a phone, and fall on command. Everyone needed to see what Jim was capable of doing, that’s why William took his intelligent horse and their action on the road, delivering well-scripted comedy performances at local fairs to promote.
The performance would leave everyone speechless with Jim’s gift to spell words by placing letters together in the precise order on a rack. As you may think, people were either amazed or thought it was a lie, but both way, William and Jim Key had become very famous and their fame only continued to grow. Jim also gave a presentation for the Fair’s officials and they were completely shocked and decided to provide the pair with their personal area in the “Negro Building” so they could perform. The show was seen by many viewers, including here President Bill McKinley.
Jim astounded the masses by spelling out the names of famous politicians that were demanded by the audience. Soon after the event, a local newspaper printed President McKinley’s comment about the show: “This is certainly the most astonishing and entertaining exhibition I have ever witnessed,” the President said. Many people were suspicious that their appearance was just a scam and were hesitant to get behind the cause. Even though many people were reluctant, William and Jim Key had become very popular. Beautiful Jim Key was considered the favorite American hero and his owner wasn’t far behind.
But the difficulties of the road and many years performing without resting had done its damage on the duo and they stopped their act after the 1906 tour. Jim suffered from arthritis whilst William had several health problems and surrendered to them in 1909, at the age of 76. Beautiful Jim Key died in 1912 and the duo, along with William’s wife, were all buried at the residence in Shelbyville under a monument that states, ” Be Kind to Animals.” Throughout the period from 1897-1906, Beautiful Jim Key delivered only positive energy and brought a smile to millions of people whilst educating them to the undeniable truth that animals don’t need to be punished or beaten to be taught. William Key showed us that animals who are treated with love and kindness, can and will do anything to satisfy us, humans.