Ducrow's father, a Belgian strong man who came to England in 1793, trained him from infancy in tumbling, riding, and rope dancing. Ducrow later developed a horsemanship act, “The Courier of St. Petersburg,” variations of which are still performed in 20th-century circuses. A rider straddled two cantering horses while other horses bearing the flags of the countries through which a courier would pass on his way to Russia passed between his legs. He appeared in European circuses and in spectacles at Covent Garden and Drury Lane in London, but he is best remembered for his long career as proprietor and chief performer at the famous Astley's Amphitheatre, a permanent modern circus (1824–41). When Astley's was destroyed by fire for the third time in 1841, Ducrow suffered a mental breakdown and died soon after.