Tom Bass

Tom Bass (January 5, 1859 – November 4, 1934) was an American Saddlebred horse trainer. Bass was born into slavery, but became one of the most popular horse trainers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bass trained the influential Saddlebred stallion Rex McDonald, as well as horses owned by Buffalo Bill Cody, Theodore Roosevelt, and Will Rogers.

Life Bass was born into slavery on January 5, 1859, on the Hayden plantation in Boone County, Missouri. His mother, Cornelia Gray, was a slave,

In 1882, Bass married a schoolteacher, Angie Jewell. In 1897 the couple had a son, Inman.

Career

Bass quickly developed a reputation for gentle training methods and drew a clientele came from a wide area. He was reputed to have said, "Horses are like humans." He was the first African-American to exhibit a horse at the American Royal. Bass later moved back to Mexico, Missouri, and continued training horses. In 1917, it was estimated that over one million people had seen him perform with his horses. He was credited with making Mexico, Missouri the "Saddle Horse Capital of the World."

Death and legacy

Bass died of a heart attack on November 20, 1934, at the age of 75. Bass is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Mexico, Missouri. His tombstone reads, "One of the World's Greatest Saddle Horse Trainers and Riders."

His barn became a historic landmark in the area, and stood until it was burned by a 19-year-old arsonist on August 28, 1997.