46 SIDELINES DECEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Holly Hugo-Vidal
The colorful ringmaster John Franzreb
has been a fxture in the ring at major
horse shows for decades! His larger-than-
life cheerful personality, colorful outft and
resounding horn call before every class add
to the excitement of the top shows across
the country. Although he can sound many
calls on the horn, he intentionally sounds the
same one at the start of every class so that
everyone knows the precise moment when
to walk into the ring!
Sidelines caught up with John to fnd out
more about his intriguing life and to fnd
out exactly what a ringmaster does. “The
ringmaster is the chief safety offcer at the
horse show. His job is to make sure the
spectators, exhibitors and the show offcials
are all in place. If a horse becomes unruly or
the rider loses control for some reason, it is
contained by the ringmaster. As the safety
offcer, he is the one to prevent this from
becoming a dangerous situation.”
Becoming A Ringmaster
John began riding as a very young child.
He recalls his great aunt putting him on a
pony when he was four. He progressed to the
show ring and eventually started competing
at Madison Square Garden. At that time,
Clarence Craven, known as Honey, was the
new manager of the horse show. He called
John’s father and told him he needed two
ringmasters in the ring. Honey had been
watching John ride at the Garden and asked
if he would be interested in the position. “I
know he’s a good kid, knows how to dress
and behave and he’s a good Catholic,”
Honey had said.
So at the young age of 17, John became
a ringmaster at the most prestigious horse
show in the country, The National Horse
Show at Madison Square Garden. This was
just the beginning of an illustrious career.
John learned the horn from Honey, who
was famous for his amazing horn abilities.
He also learned the hound horn, because
the ringmaster’s job entailed “blowing the
horn when a rider had too many refusals, or anything warranting
elimination.” John added that depending on your personal feelings
for a rider, the ringmaster could make it a small quick beep, or if
you didn’t like that person, you could draw it out!
His Horns and Outfts
John has acquired a collection of horns over the years. The
one he treasures most came from Mr. August A. Bush, who gave
it to John after a horse show he ringmastered in St. Louis. John
promised him he would never sell it.
For formal attire John wears a traditional
coachman’s outft consisting of brown
paddock boots, canvass leggings, white
breeches, stock tie and red coat. Historically,
this colorful outft allowed the coachman
to be easily spotted by his employer. The
red coat features a gold braid that stands
for servitude and a gray top hat (or topper)
that remains on except during the National
Anthem. In the early days, the coachman
merely touched the brim of his top hat to
acknowledge someone and never made
direct eye contact. During the day, John’s
outft is a version of the same, with a tan
riding jacket, shirt, tie and always a hat.
Being In Charge
Over the years, John has been the
ringmaster at many well-known shows
starting with the National Horse Show. At
Devon he co-managed with Honey Craven.
Other noteworthy shows include the New
York State Fair, The Big E in Springfeld,
Massachusetts and many shows in
Lexington, Kentucky. He does about 20
weeklong shows a year.
As the ringmaster, John has had to handle
everything from fashers running through
the ring to rescuing Percherons pulling
carriages, fipping over and becoming
trapped and tangled up in their harness. He
actually (while in formal attire) had to sit on
a horse’s head to hold it down while others
freed it of its harness.
Family Ties
John comes from a family with a long and
strong tie to horses. The Franzreb family
originated in the 1800’s and lived (and still
does) in Staten Island. John’s grandfather
used horses to deliver ice. When ice was
no longer delivered his father trained the
horses to be lesson horses and years later
rented horses out for commercials as well as
movies. The barn was called Clover Lake
Stables and thousands of people of all ages
learned to ride there. The site of the old
stables is now a park.
John’s intriguing life includes a few
fascinating facts that are too good not to share. John led the
Macy’s Day Parade in 1976 for the centennial. He was dressed
as Paul Revere, rode a white horse and galloped down Broadway
into Herald Square yelling, “The parade is coming! The parade is
coming!” John also rode a horse across the Brooklyn Bridge as
well as the George Washington Bridge. No one else was brave
enough!
Growing up, John never had a bike, horses and ponies were his
means of transportation. “Horses have always been in my life and
I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far!” he said.
Master of the Ring:
The Legendary John Franzreb
Ringmaster
John
Franzreb