In the year 1898, in one of the many mews just off Cromwell Road, Kensington, lived Mr Hardy, who was a noted horserider & trainer, being one of the three men who had succeeded in riding the “French Rocking Horse”. This was a device used by the French Cavalry. It had every possible movement of a wild horse not in the best of tempers.Leopold de Rothschild, who knew of Hardy’s ability, was talking to friends of this achievement and said that he was willing to make a stake on his ability to train any animal resembling a horse. One of his friends took up this boast, and a stake was made that Hardy could not train a team of zebras to pull a coach through London.When after much trouble, the necessary beasts were obtained, Rothschild went to Hardy and told him the conditions of the wager. Hardy agreed to train them.The zebras were taken to Kensington and after 2 years hard work, Hardy informed Rothschild that his task was completed and that the team were ready for the road.At six o’clock one morning a strange sight was seen in London when, for the first time, a team of zebras were seen pulling a coach through London.
I am pretty sure this photograph is not of the team driven by Rothschild. It comprises four zebras for a start (there were three driven by Rothschild if you look closely). John Edwards told me this photo was probably taken in Paris but he was unable to identify the people or to whom the zebras belonged.
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you. You called in a "big gun" with John Edwards, that's for sure. Is there a chance it started out as a 4 hitch, later changed to a unicorn given one of the zebra had "issues." A 4 hitch seems more feasible then a 3.
Wade