02/23/2023
This , we celebrate Tom Bass. Born into slavery, Bass was a legendary saddlebred trainer and played a prominent role in the establishment of the American Royal Horse Show.
From a young age, Bass developed a natural and phenomenal talent that would bring him fame and fortune as an adult. He would eventually become the most famous African-American horseman this country had ever known.
His reputation as a fair and honest man with phenomenal results earned him tremendous personal and professional respect from statesmen and leaders all over the world, including Theodore Roosevelt, Queen Victoria, William McKinley, William Jennings Bryan, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, and Will Rogers. Bass would also gain international prominence and be forever known for inventing a bit that did not injure a horse’s mouth. The bit is still used today and is called a “Bass Bit”.
Bass eventually moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he opened the Tom Bass Stables on Main Street. In 1892, when the K.C. Fire Department needed a way to make money, Tom suggested a horse show. This horse show eventually became the American Royal—one of the biggest horse shows in the United States. After decades of unparalleled success and hundreds of blue ribbons, Bass died of a heart attack in his home on November 20, 1934. If you visit us in the West Bottoms, you will see we are proud to have one of our buildings named after this legend.
