Dr. William P. Key, a
mulatto former slave, bred his mare to a stallion at Bell Buckle Farms in
Shelbyville, Tennessee. The mare gave birth to a highly unusual colt with extraordinary talents and exceptional intelligence. At birth, the colt was considered quite unattractive and gangly. In fact, he was so sickly that stable hands repeatedly urged Dr. Key to euthanize the foal. However, through patience and care, Dr. Key managed to nurse him through his first year of life. He was a highly observant horse and began mimicking tricks performed by one of Dr. Key's dogs. Dr. Key provided him with the best hay and oats, and Jim Key drank only mineral water. As a
yearling, he lived in the Key family home, where his conformation developed into the beautiful lines inherited from his sire and dam. By 1890, he transitioned to sleeping in a stall in the Keys' barn. Because Jim Key was such an inquisitive animal, Dr. Key began teaching him the alphabet, how to cipher numbers, and various other tricks. Dr. Key then hired a promoter, and together they spent nine years traveling across the United States, performing at prestigious music halls and opera houses. Their tours included regular appearances at venues such as the old
Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Broadway in New York, and locations in Syracuse, Chicago, Cincinnati, Atlantic City, New Orleans, and Boston. They also performed at the Pittsburgh Exposition, the 1900 Export Exposition in Pennsylvania, the
South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition in Charleston, and the
St. Louis World's Fair. ==Tours==