THE EQUINE EVERYDAY
Remembering Rochester’s Horses
MARGARET SLAP
In photos of early 20th-century Rochester, New York, it is common to find people depicted with their horses. But despite its ordinariness, one photo of East Rochester’s first storeowner, Burton Fryatt, and his horse still has a lot to say (see Figure One). The proximity of the horse and human suggests a great deal of trust, as both are capable of harming the other. The horse’s ears are pricked forward as the rest of the body remains relaxed, a sign of eager focus. Human and horse gaze into each other’s eyes, another indication of trust. And the lead rope remains loose, suggesting that the horse is there willingly. Though there are no words to confirm, it is fair to say that this is a photo of two companions.
FIGURE ONE
Burton J. Fryatt, the first storeowner in East Rochester, stands in front of his house on Main Street with his horse
(Monroe County Library System, 1912)
Living in Rochester today, it is easy to forget that the city once depended on horses for almost everything from transportation and sanitation to emergency services and sports. Spurred by industrialization, it only took 100 years for the roar of motorcycles to replace the clopping of hooves down busy streets. Today, Rochester is a historic city that celebrates much of its illustrious past through murals, statues, museums, and more. Most people are aware of the famous humans who once walked these streets and made such significant contributions to the city and country. What most people fail to consider is that Rochester would not have been much of a city at all without its horses. This applied to cities and towns everywhere; Bostonians, for example, “went so far as to plan new street systems around horses,” and by 1880 had one horse for every 26.3 people.1 In the South, trail riders routinely spent “about 5-6 hours” a day dealing with their horses.2
Though forgotten now, early 20th-century newspapers from Rochester and its surrounding suburbs reveal a society keenly aware of the centrality of horses. Newspapers were littered with entries of equine news, and most commonly, deaths. Despite the brevity of most entries, newspaper obituaries and other horse-related news tell of the way the people of Rochester felt about their horses. Additionally, archival photographs of Rochesterians and their horses illustrate the necessity of horses to everyday life.3 What were relationships and emotions between humans and horses in early 20th-century?
FIGURE TWO
A patient horse waits at a “horse parking spot” in front of a harness shop
(Monroe County Library System, 1918)
Companionship between humans and horses was not as ubiquitous as the aforementioned photo suggests. In fact, it was commonplace to regard horses as little more than assets, machines, or tools. A 1919 story published in the Oneonta Daily Star is a somber testament to this perspective.4 The article, titled “Team Runs Away, Boy Hurt,” clearly deems the (mild) injury of the boy the most newsworthy bit of information. Reading on, however, it is revealed that a horse died as a result of the accident. This news was relayed as an afterthought, even though many might consider death a far more serious occurrence than the few cuts and bruises incurred by the boy. Immediately after stonily stating that a horse had perished, the article goes on to remark on the “fortuitous” nature of the accident, as some humans were spared injury when the carriage remained upright. The only modicum of emotion contained in the entry is reserved for feeling lucky that more people were not injured. No sadness or regret whatsoever that a horse lost its life as well, right in the middle of the street. A dead horse received no more sympathy than a broken-down car.
FIGURE THREE
A horse pulling a buggy drinks from a trough as its groom attentively rubs its neck
(Monroe County Library System, 1910)
A 1919 issue of the Brookfield Courier contains another emotionless account of a horse’s death.5 The names of the horse’s owner, driver, driver’s town, and owner of the home from where the accident began were all included. The name of the horse was not. It was simply stated that the horse “started for home and reached the crossing just as the train passed.” How much longer, more sentimental, more thorough, would this account be if a human had suffered the same fate?
FIGURE FOUR
Horses pull a hand pumper, a machine invented to fight fires, at a parade
(Monroe County Library System, 1901-1910)
A 1919 issue of the Stamford Mirror-Recorder published just one sentence when a local horse died: “Mr. S. Wood lost a valuable horse one day last week.”6 Once again, the horse was not named. Nor did the paper care to include the exact date of the horse’s death. The only detail was the value of the horse to the owner. The horse was a mere asset, the loss of which was reported solely because of the impact it had on the owner. The paper implies that horse had no intrinsic value as a living being; its only value was what it could do for its owner.
FIGURE FIVE
Two horses pulling a delivery wagon wait outside a store
(Monroe County Library System, 1907-1917)
Perhaps the most obvious instance of the way that horses were equated to machines can be found in a 1919 issue of the Post-Star.7 An advertisement for the Beeman garden tractor boasts that it “does the farm work ordinarily done by one horse.” As the 20th century progressed, the advent of tractors and other machinery such as these slowly replaced horses. Horses were valued for their output, the services they provided, and when they were outworked by better machines, they were no longer needed.
FIGURE SIX
A merchant drives a horse-drawn cart laden with kitchenware
(Monroe County Library System, 1901-1910)
These views, however, were not held by all. For instance, a Gouverneur Free Press 1919 issue states, “Frank Doane had the misfortune to lose a fine horse recently.”8 Though the horse’s name is still omitted, the word “fine,” rather than “valuable,” seems to assign more value to the horse itself. Perhaps this is because no one would refer to their friend, for example, as a valuable woman, but one might say she is a fine woman. The word can imply positive qualities inherent to a specific person, not merely worth derived from monetary value. Though subtle, this entry suggests that the horse meant more to Mr. Doane than just money.
FIGURE SEVEN
An old man holds the lead rope of a young horse with bandaged legs
(Monroe County Library System, 1910-1930)
An issue of the Adviser-Journal in 1919 offers another more emotional account of a horse’s death.9 Though the entry begins by announcing the loss of “a valuable young horse,” it soon becomes clear that the horse’s value was not solely monetary. The horse was named Tom, and he underwent one month of “expert veterinary attention” before his condition was deemed “hopeless” and he was killed as a “humane expedient.” Tom was anthropomorphized—that is, given human qualities, like a name—and he had people who made a difficult decision because they wanted the best for him. He was given one month of presumably very costly veterinary care while it was hoped that he would recover. If Tom were only a machine to his owners, it is doubtful that they would have spent so much time and money in hopes that he would recover when it would have been easier to cut their losses from the beginning. The narrative and language of the entry prove that Tom’s value to his owners was far more than monetary.
FIGURE EIGHT
A groom leads a saddle horse outside the stables
(Monroe County Library System, 1922)
The Columbia Republican published a 1919 issue with another example of concern for equine wellbeing.10 The entry, titled “Horse Takes a Bath in River,” relates the story of a local expressman who was unable to get his horse out of the tide’s way one Friday and ultimately required a great deal of assistance to rescue the horse. The title suggests that it was meant to be a humorous story, but even so, the last sentence reassures readers that “the horse was none the worse for the ice-cold bath it received.” The newspaper assumes that readers will be concerned for the horse and makes sure to assure them that the horse emerged unscathed.
FIGURE NINE
A retired city fire horse named Chubby stands in front of a barn at his new home, the Rochester Dog Protective Association
(Monroe County Library System, 1928)
Early 20th-century Rochesterians had varied perceptions of the horses on which they depended. The newspaper accounts reveal differing attitudes regarding the deaths of horses, ranging from cold disinterest to resigned sadness. The photos illustrate the extent to which horses were crucial to the functioning of Rochester and its inhabitants, but some also portray emotions like trust and care between horse and human. It is worth noting that most of the more tender photos are between horses and grooms, drivers, or keepers. And most newspaper obituaries mention only the owners of the horses, who display varying degrees of emotion. This suggests that, unsurprisingly, those who work closely with horses develop deeper bonds with them while those who are less directly involved with horses are prone to a lack of empathy and care.
FIGURE TEN
A man grooms his horse
(Monroe County Library System, 1920)
Today, when most humans live so far removed from animals like horses, possessing empathy for all living beings is harder than ever. But this city was built on the backs of many horses. They deserve the gratitude that other contributors to Rochester’s history enjoy. Horses are more than assets or machines; they can be friends, like Tom and Chubby. As we grow ever more disconnected from our animal neighbors, it is important to remember the inherent value of every living being.
NOTES
1. McShane, C. (2001). Gelded Age Boston. In The New England Quarterly (Vols. 74–74, Issue 2, pp. 274–302). The New England Quarterly, Inc. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3185479.
2. Babers, M. (2024). Reclaiming space and memory: Black cowboys and the right to the city. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 34(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2802.
3. Often omitted from more scholarly texts, photographs are uniquely suited to convey the subtlest of emotions and provide poignant visual examples for viewers. As such, they add to written sources as valuable tools that can be used to gain deeper and more complete understandings of their subjects.
4. None provided. Contact instructor for more information.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.