Tom Bass

Born-January 5, 1859, Boone County, Mo.

Died-November 20, 1934, Mexico, Mo.

Early Life

Born into slavery in Boone County, Tom Bass lived most of his life in Mexico, Missouri. He grew up on the Peter Bass plantation and was raised by his grandparents, Presley and Eliza Gray. The prosperous Bass family successfully bred and trained horses, and that is where Tom had his first exposure to horses.

Missouri Connection

Tom was born in Missouri and lived his entire life in Mexico, Mo., with a very short period in Kansas City. Bass rode before presidents and royalty and represented Missouri at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.

Claim to Fame

Tom Bass helped break the color barrier at the turn of this century while revolutionizing the saddle horse profession. Bass was known for his gentle and humane training methods and was said to have never raised a whip or a club and rarely his voice to his horses. He invented a special bit that is less intrusive and painful to a horse's mouth, but he never patented it because he wanted to "give it to the horses of the world; something to make their way in life a little easier." The Tom Bass Bit is still in production today.

Later Life

Bass became internationally known as a premier saddle horse trainer and a dazzling equestrian showman. He was the first African American to ride in the American Royal Horse Show. He died of a heart attack in his home on November 20, 1934. He is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Mexico, Missouri.

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