Beautiful Jim Key Book Review

The book sheds light on an era when little consideration was given to the treatment of animals. Readers will be heartened by the efforts of Dr. Jim Key and his horse to enlighten their contemporaries and pave the way for animal rights. That this horse could be trained using kind and humane techniques is as an important message today as it was when Key and his horse toured America to spread their message.

He could spell, make change, and pick up a coin from the bottom of a bucket with his teeth. He had opinions about politics, loved performing and along with his owner, self taught veterinarian and former slave Dr. Jim Key, inspired thousands of people to consider treating animals kindly. Beautiful Jim Key, through his many public preformances became the poster child for the animal rights movement.

Although this book lacks the drama of 'Seabiscuit', it does shed light on the mood and style of the day. Readers will get a sense of the wonderment of those attending the famous 'world fairs' and understand the beginnings of the animal welfare movement. This story like most horse stories are really about the people who love them.

As a horse owner I had hoped for more details about Key's training methods. But perhaps his actual methods are lost as time, as this story almost was before Eichler Rivas unearthed it. Just how Key trained his horse is still a mystery.

The description of the foaling is one example of detail, that while dramatic are unlikely. "...her whinnying crescendoing with the night-splitting universal cry of a female in hard labor..." that make one wonder what this story would have been like if written by someone with more understanding of horse behavior.

I did find myself plowing through some of the lengthy descriptions wanting to get to the parts about the horse. But over all this was a good read for history buffs and animal lovers.