“Jiminy multimedia wants to pay tribute to the smartest horse that ever lived. His name is Jim Key, and he was born in Tennessee in 1889!”

Jim Key

In 1897, Bill start to perform with Jim Key. Jim is already considered an Equine wonder by that time.

He writes his name with his mouth & a piece of chalk on a black board.
He spells names of members of the audience by selecting letters from a rack.
He grabs the correct amount of change with his mouth from a cash register.
He shows the time, by moving the hands of a clock around, to the right time.
He uses the phone with his mouth. And he even plays the organ that way!

Jim Key, the smartest horse that ever lived

Bill Key worked at the plantations of Shelbyville, Tennessee - as a slave - in the 1850's. He was spotted for his natural ability with horses, trained them with kindness and patience, and was soon elevated to Horse leader of the plantation and surrounding areas.

At an auction, after the civil war, he buys Lauretta - an Egyptian horse that used to work at the circus, for $40. He sees something special in her eyes!

Soon, a goofy acting horse is born from Lauretta, with the father being the No. 1 racehorse of Tennessee, and he calls him Jim Key. He decides to train him himself. They sleep in the same stable, and Bill talks a lot to him. He soon discovers that he is able to teach him all kinds of tricks.

Then things really take off. He meets president McKinley. He is reported about in national newspapers.

At the 1904 St. Louis World Fair, there is a Jim Key pavilion, which attracts up to 22,000 people per night. Nearby St. Louis school sends 6th graders to the performance, to have a spelling competition with him. Jim Key spells as fast as the pupils, so they conclude he has the spelling capabilities of one of them.

Jim Key is examined by Harvard college professors. After studying him, they declare him for real - stating that it is simply his education that gives him such capabilities. The American Humane Society pays notice, and connects with them to have more performances organized. Giorgio Minoliti writes a song about him called Beautiful Jim Key. A play is written about him.

What's the verdict?

It's quite a feat at a time when horses were mainly seen as a means of transport, to have one performing live in theatres, before paying audiences.

Many scholars nowadays, contradicting the findings of the Harvard professors at the time, believe that Jim Key was simply sensitive to Bill Key's eyes and gestures. Which made him pick the right letters and give the right change to 'customers'. So that it wasn't the horse doing the thinking at all, but the trainer.

Well, we'll never know for certain! Still our loving memory goes out to Jim Key, the greatest horse of them all!