John H. Glenroy is known as one of "two American riders who vie in the minds of historians for the title of having thrown the first somersault on the bareback of a moving horse. " The other rider is Levi North (Hoh, 1990, p. 248) (link). Glenroy is
also "Author of ‘Ins and Outs of Circus Life,’ one of the best records of early circus life in America " (MacAllister, 1989, p. 28).