Prince Onward the Trick Horse

Advertising his trick horse Prince Onward as the most highly educated equine of his day, Harry Moseley and his horse performed for audiences around the Midwest from 1909 to 1913.

Harry was the oldest son of Sarah and Daniel Thomas Moseley. The family owned a fruit and vegetable farm in Star Valley southeast of Warrens and were one of the largest producers of potatoes in Monroe County.

Daniel Thomas’ parents, Alonzo and Eunice (Hunt) Moseley were from Cattaraugus County, New York. Looking for better opportunities, Alonzo was determined to go to the frontier. Two years after their marriage in 1850, the couple traveled by steamer and rail to Sparta with their young son, John.

First living in a house on the northwest corner of the courthouse square in the town of Sparta, the couple would have six more children. Their second oldest – Daniel Thomas – was born in February 1854, making him the first child born in the incorporated village of Sparta.

Daniel Thomas – also known as D.T. – married the former Sarah Musson in 1883. The couple lived in a trapper’s cabin on 160 acres of land in Star Valley (today the site of the Rex Moseley Fruit and Vegetable Farm) where they raised seven children.

Like many of that era, the Moseley family took part in area horse races and contests. But D.T. also wanted to show horses. In the early 1900s, he found a colt with the breeding, markings and disposition for that type of training: Prince Onward.

Prince Onward’s dam was a Standardbred buckskin mare with white mane and tail. His sire was a dark chestnut trotting horse. Prince Onward was born a dark buckskin color with a white blaze on his face and a cream-colored mane and tail.

D.T.’s oldest son, Harry, was given the responsibility to raise and train the colt. In the winter of 1907-1908, Harry and Prince Onward made almost daily 20-mile round trip treks to Valley Junction in a road cart to train with Joe Ackerman, one of the best horse trainers in the Midwest. Joe trained both the horse and his young handler.

In 1909, the 20-year-old Harry and Prince Onward began performing in local shows. The following year the pair traveled to California to perform at the 1910 San Francisco Day festivities to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of California’s admission to statehood.

According to family lore, William F. Cody made an offer to purchase Prince Onward for his Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show while Harry was in California.

A handbill on display in the museum reads, “Prince Onward has no equals in this line and audiences go wild over his various performances. It is only six months ago since he received his first lesson, and it is safe to say that no other horse in the world who, with so little handling, could perform as many tricks and do it so well."

The poster goes on to say that some of the tricks Prince Onward could perform include playing dead at the sound of a gunshot, counting, spelling, working without line or bridle, as well as working in harness, under saddle or in the ring.

Harry and Prince Onward continued to travel and perform in shows in the Midwest for the next three years. But by 1913, the rising popularity of movie theaters made it difficult for the “Moseley Horse Show” to draw sufficient crowds to continue performing on the road.

Prince Onward lived the rest of his days on the Moseley farm in Warrens. Descendants of D.T. and Harry are still involved in growing fruits and vegetables in the Warrens area today.