Georgian horsemen in Wild West shows

Their performances, featuring trick riding and folk dance, were extremely popular and exerted significant influence on cowboys in the United States.

[1] After a successful European tour, Joe H. Hart was sent to recruit more riders in Georgia to appear in the Chicago World's Fair.

He recruited ten riders,[2] ranging in age from 18 to 25, under the leadership of a man called Prince Ivan Makharadze.

In 1893 the Gurians went to the United States, where for more than 30 years they performed under the name of Russian Cossacks in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West as well as other circuses and shows.

First they marched around the arena, then stopped and dismounted on mid-stage, broke into a new song and started to perform one of Georgian native dances to the accompaniment of handclaps.

[4] Western historian Dee Brown notes that "Trick riding came to rodeo by way of a troupe of Cossack daredevils imported by the 101 Ranch.

Intrigued by the Cossacks stunts on their galloping horses, western cowboys soon introduced variations to American rodeo.

Those Georgians who found themselves stuck in the States, mostly in Chicago, continued performing in Miller and Ringling Brothers' circuses and returned to their homeland only when the war was over.

Many riders had to destroy all evidence and photographs of their trips abroad in order to survive living in the new regime's iron hands.

Among these, illiterate goldsmith Luka Chkhartishvili was singled out by The Daily Tribune in 1901 for "[t]he wonderful horsemanship" that "made him one of the attractions of the show".

There were four lady trick riders: Frida Mgaloblishvili, Kristine Tsintsadze, Maro and Barbara Zakareishvili.