and wild west show touring Sweden. Return to America Early in 1925 Joyce returned with his 9 thoroughbreds to the United States on the SS California from an extended engagement in London. It was a very rough passage. Captain James Blaike had to transfer the animals from improvised stalls on the shelter deck to an inner freight square on another deck. Beginning at the end of January, he performed with his Wonder Horses for several weeks on the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Circuit at the New York Hippodrome. His 15-minute presentation was far above the average horse act, but did not begin to compare with John Aggee's equines that had appeared previously in the same setting at the Hippodrome. The two acts were different. Joyce's presentation was the typical circus offering of the kind where the animals followed set routines. It opened with a high school turn with various types of 1 and 2 steps to music with Joyce in the saddle. Then Jack dismounted and put his black steed through a ritual where it knelt and ran between 2 cannons in the ring. Carrying flags it jumped over the cannons and fired them. Later in the engagement, Joyce, for the sake of a smoother presentation, replaced this part of the act with a riding turn. Next, the drollery of an English comic brought forth mild laughter. Cossack trick riding with various unique feats scored well as the horse and rider raced around the ring. Following came 6 showy equines with royal plumes and glittering harness. They did a nice drill which ended with their marching on the rim of the ring curb. The horses were somewhat hesitant in their movements and notably nervous, probably as a result of experiencing the very rough ocean crossing just two weeks earlier. Later, R.C. Carlisle wrote from Buffalo, New York: "Recently dropped in backstage at, Shea's Theatre, Toronto to say hello to Jack Joyce, old timer of the Wild West, who has been in Europe for a number of years. Jack now has a real European act of highly schooled horses and a Russian Cossack trick rider.... Joyce's horses are beautiful black thoroughbreds that will rank with the best in Europe." In December 1925 the following ad appeared in Billboard (magazine): "Jack Joyce's 10 circus horses for sale or open bookings. They do 6 different numbers numbers. Two high school horses and a group of 8