Horsey DinnerTheatres, what I saw
schl...@uimrl7.mrl.uiuc.edu
The earlier posting on the horsey dinner theatre, while I don't have
answers to your questions, reminded me that I had been to a few
down in Florida over a year ago while we were on our honeymoon.
We went to three dinner theaters which reflected my tastes/interests
more than Peter's, but oh well, he liked them too. We went to Medieval
Times, Arabian Nights, and King Henry's Feast (or something like that).
The last one didn't have any horses :( but it was very entertaining with
jugglers, fools, the works. This was Peter's favorite, just because we
were so much closer up and could see a lot more.
Medieval Times down there is muchlike the earlier description. I must
admit I was a bit upset when I noticed that the swords were easily
bent! But, I suppose that's for safety purposes!! It was pretty good, but
we were way up near the top so we couldn't see much. The tables were
on tiers so you could see, just couldn't see as much as the folks way
down in front. We did see an accident though. One knight's horse ran
INTO a corner, the knight fell into the crowd, saddle went flying to the
middle of the arena AND the bridle broke. Somehow I don't think that was
planned as the WHOLE show stopped dead and medics ran onto the scene
(modern day ones). Fortunately the knight and the horse were fine, but
there was a few minutes lapse as the tack was replaced! I think they'd
better check their tack more carefully next time!!! That knight ended up
being the 'winner' that night too! My knight didn't win. :(
But, my favorite of the three was Arabian Nights. It centered on a princess
dreaming of horses (gee, sounds like me!...always dreaming of horses). They
had several different 'skits' that covered the world in the time allowed. They
had a really nice looking Appaloosa, think he was blackand blanketed, who did
a drunk routine with his rider, now THAT was good!! Did some very nice moves
before they 'got drunk' too. They also had a chariot race, barrel
riding, Spanish
riding, Arabian costumes, etc. I have the souvenir book at home if
someone is
really interested all in what they had. But the highlight of the evening
was when
they brought The Black Stallion out, claiming it was "Walter Farley's
Black Stallion"
very nice horse, but wasn't the horse in the movie a mare?? ;) At the
end they
let a WHOLE bunch of mares and foals loose in the arena and you could go
up
and pet them. They had the actors/actresses positioned around the arena
to
answer questions/take pictures whatever. It was connected with some
big
Arabian farm, because during the day you could tour the farm (we didn't
get
around to that though...too busy at DisneyWorld). I can't remember if we
got
silverware with our meal or not, but Isure did love those heavy pewter
(?)
dishes we got!! And it was a fun show.
All three were good, but if you could only go to one, I'd got to Arabian
Nights! :)
Kay & Horseless Crew
617...@lmsc5.is.lmsc.lockheed.com
>The earlier posting on the horsey dinner theatre, while I don't have
>answers to your questions, reminded me that I had been to a few
>down in Florida over a year ago while we were on our honeymoon.
>We went to three dinner theaters which reflected my tastes/interests
>more than Peter's, but oh well, he liked them too. We went to Medieval
>Times, Arabian Nights, and King Henry's Feast (or something like that).
>The last one didn't have any horses :( but it was very entertaining with
>jugglers, fools, the works. This was Peter's favorite, just because we
>were so much closer up and could see a lot more.
<<<<LOTS OF STUFF DELETED>>>>
These "horsey dinner theaters" sound great! Someday I'm going to have to
take a trip to Southern CA where they have them! ;-) I hear there is also
a "new" hotel/casino in Las Vegas which is entirely with a medieval theme.
I think they have jousting, etc. as well. Can't think of the name of it.
Has anyone on the net been there?
>But the highlight of the evening was when they brought The Black Stallion
>out, claiming it was "Walter Farley's Black Stallion" very nice horse, but
>wasn't the horse in the movie a mare?? ;) At the end they let a WHOLE
>bunch of mares and foals loose in the arena and you could go up
>and pet them. They had the actors/actresses positioned around the arena
If memory serves me... The "Black Stallion" of the movie was played by a
number of horses, but the primary/star was a stallion named something like
Caseolay (I'm sure that's not spelled right!) and I think he was from a
Ranch in Texas. I remember reading that they had to auditon a bunch of
horses to find some that were willing swim for the first movie when the
ship sank.
Speaking of Walter Farley and the Black Stallion books, has anyone else
ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
>Kay & Horseless Crew
Diane & Spring & Dancer
Sarah Pallas
>
>If memory serves me... The "Black Stallion" of the movie was played by a
>number of horses, but the primary/star was a stallion named something like
>Caseolay (I'm sure that's not spelled right!) and I think he was from a
>Ranch in Texas.
This was discussed at great length in this forum several months ago.
Yes, the Black Stallion was played by an Arabian stud named Cass Ole.
There were a few stand-ins for various scenes- I think the water scene
was a white mare died black because Cass Ole didn't like to swim. He
was from San Antonio Arabians here in Texas. I tried to contact them
when I wet to San Antonio, but they didn't answer their phone. I'll
probably try again sometime, I'd love to see him in the flesh if he's
still around.
Sarah Pallas
Jill Engel
>I hear there is also
>a "new" hotel/casino in Las Vegas which is entirely with a medieval theme.
>I think they have jousting, etc. as well. Can't think of the name of it.
>Has anyone on the net been there?
It's called the Excaliber and I went past it the last time I was in Vegas,
about 2 years ago. It hadn't opened yet, but the building was the gaudiest
cheesiest castle I've ever seen. Fit right in. (8 I don't know how good
the shows are though...
>If memory serves me... The "Black Stallion" of the movie was played by a
>number of horses, but the primary/star was a stallion named something like
>Caseolay (I'm sure that's not spelled right!) and I think he was from a
>Ranch in Texas. I remember reading that they had to auditon a bunch of
>horses to find some that were willing swim for the first movie when the
>ship sank.
The stallion's name is Cass Ole and he is owned by the Cuello family,
San Antonio Arabians in San Antonio, Texas. I visited them once, beautiful
farm, beautiful horse...
>Speaking of Walter Farley and the Black Stallion books, has anyone else
>ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
>Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
>when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
Well, OK, I've read the books a billion times in my youth. The race was
not the Kentucky Derby, it was a special "match race" between the fastest
East coast horse and the fastest West Coast horse. "The Black" got in
by appealing to a radio announcer. Also, the book often repeats that
the stallion is "too big to be pure Arabian" and that they know nothing
about his breeding (since they got him from after the shipwreck and all
of the other passengers were drowned.)
>Diane & Spring & Dancer
Sheesh... scary how much I know about those books and movie. Must have
something to do with being a very very horse crazy pre-teen when the movie
came out... (8
Jill
* Jill Engel (Anne Meridiem) * "If the world were a logical place, *
* meri...@lamar.colostate.edu * men would ride side-saddle." *
* * --Rita Mae Brown *
Kathleen Hunt
>ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
>Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
>when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
Well, let's see, the Black Stallion himself was described as being "too
big to be pure Arab" in the book. Also, not only wasn't he a registered
Thoroughbred, but he didn't have any Arabian papers either since he was
essentially "found" loose in the ocean, and his handlers all drowned. In
the book they said something like "In a match race, any horse can run
whether or not they have papers," and *luckily* there just *happened* to
be a match race between "Cyclone from the East and Sun Raider from the West!!"
(I love that phrase!) It wasn't the Kentucky Derby. (Though I think the
Black's filly, Black Minx, won the Derby in some later book. Or was that
Satan, the Black's colt?) ... Does anyone know if that's true about
match races, or did Farley just make it up for the book? He certainly
used some weird methods to get his wonderful fictional horses into
organized horse races. Remember the book where the Black falls out of an
airplane (without getting hurt!!) somewhere over the Southwest, and ends
up beating the Quarter Horse champion? And how about that book where
extraterrestrials teleport Flame, the island stallion, to a horse race,
and teleport him right back to his island afterwards. Crazy.
In the sequels, they finally find out where the Black was really from, and
there were just endless books about his colts and fillies, who seemed to
spend their careers in Thoroughbred flat racing, and even in Standardbred
harness races. I can't remember if Farley dealt with the breed problem or
not. Boy, this all brings a smile to my face. I just loved those books.
Kathleen
--
Halfway round the course, up spoke the noble rider:
"I fear we must fall back, for she's going like a tiger."
Up spoke the noble horse: "Ride on, my noble master,
For we're halfway round the course, and now we'll see who's faster."
Walter J. Collins
>ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
>Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
>when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
>
Well, actually, the Black himself was never in the Kentucky Derby. And,
the reason for entering him in the match race in the first book was
precisely because that was the only race a non-registered horse
could be run in. As far as the books after that, I understood it as
a combination of artistic license and the fact that Alec did know
the Black's lineage once the horse had been re-claimed by his rightful
owner, and then of course bequeathed to Alec upon the sheik's death.
I know Walter Farley was young when his first book was published, but
I seem to remember that he was a freshman in college (about 18 or 19).
For any other fans of the Black who may not have heard (it didn't seem
to be in the news), Farley died a few years ago. He was working on
a book about the Black's young years (before meeting Alec), which
was completed by Farley's son. It is called _The Young Black Stallion_
if I remember correctly, and was a fairly good read, but not as good
as I seem to recall tthe rest of the series being. I'm not sure if that
may just have been becuase I've rather outgrown the series a long time
ago or if it actually wasn't quite up to par (perhaps because it
was partially written by Farley's son?).
On a related note: quite a while back a great horsey reading list
was compiled by this newsgroup. I've lost my copy, does anyone
still have it?
Kristin
--
wcol...@netcom.netcom.com < Walt Collins / Kristin Harvey >
1011 New Hope St., #12-C | Norristown, PA 19401 | (215)277-2567
avram.r.vener
>take a trip to Southern CA where they have them! ;-) I hear there is also
on the border of NY/NJ within sight of the Giants stadium. This show didn't
have the 'drunken' horse but everything else was there. To be honest I had NO
idea I was watching such fancy Spanish equitation! I thought I was just having
a good time and yelling encouragement to my knight (he lost). The swordfighting
WAS very good. You could see sparks flying from their weapons. The
choreography was a little too apparent but necessary I guess, for safety's
sake. (The Princess Bride did it better, but they probably took more than
one take :-)
>Speaking of Walter Farley and the Black Stallion books, has anyone else
>ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
>Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
>when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
>
>>Kay & Horseless Crew
>
>Diane & Spring & Dancer
I want to put in a bid for The Island Stallion :-) I always preferred that
series.
I wonder when the movie is coming out...
--
Rudy Vener uucp: att!mtqua!rudy internet: ru...@mtqua.att.com
Kate E. Loomis
>In article <92322.299...@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM> 617...@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM writes:
>>Speaking of Walter Farley and the Black Stallion books, has anyone else
>>ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
>>Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
>>when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
>Well, let's see, the Black Stallion himself was described as being "too
>big to be pure Arab" in the book. Also, not only wasn't he a registered
>Thoroughbred, but he didn't have any Arabian papers either since he was
>essentially "found" loose in the ocean, and his handlers all drowned. In
>the book they said something like "In a match race, any horse can run
>whether or not they have papers," and *luckily* there just *happened* to
>be a match race between "Cyclone from the East and Sun Raider from the West!!"
>(I love that phrase!) It wasn't the Kentucky Derby. (Though I think the
>Black's filly, Black Minx, won the Derby in some later book. Or was that
>Satan, the Black's colt?) ... Does anyone know if that's true about
>match races, or did Farley just make it up for the book? He certainly
stuff deleted
>Kathleen
I'm pretty sure that match races at least _used_ to occur in real life.
Didn't Seabiscuit participate in some fancy, wildly hyped race at one
point in his life? I thought Ruffian died in a match race. I haven't
really heard of them anymore - there is so much big money in racing
that match races aren't held anymore?
Kate
Debbie Levine
that she and another rider had gone cross-country schooling the previous
morning and that her mare had kept knocking the triple down. I guess I
must have looked puzzled because she then clarified that, at that
particular facility, they don't tie up the telephone poles for schooling.
I thought about it for a minute and said that I wasn't sure that was
such a good idea, since the horses might learn they could get away with
hanging a leg, and try to do so in a competition setting where the
fences WERE tied up solid.
She said she thought that the telephone poles were sufficiently solid
and unpleasant to hit that that wasn't likely to happen, and that
it allowed a little extra safety leeway in a schooling situation.
The cross-country course in question is at a facility which primarily
produces hunters and jumpers and which hosts an annual Jumping Derby.
The Derby combines cross-country type fences with knockdown show jumping
fences.
Does anyone have any practical experience/opinions with the safety
of schooling over "knock-down solid obstacles" for a horse which
is expected to event over "true solid obstacles"?
Debbie
deb...@ipac.caltech.edu
avram.r.vener
>In article <92322.299...@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM> 617...@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM writes:
>airplane (without getting hurt!!) somewhere over the Southwest, and ends
>up beating the Quarter Horse champion? And how about that book where
>extraterrestrials teleport Flame, the island stallion, to a horse race,
>and teleport him right back to his island afterwards. Crazy.
Holllld it! I seem to recall that the Island Stallion was simply FLOWN to
the race...true..it was in their flying saucer...but it was NOT teleportation.
:-)
Marian Dabay
>The earlier posting on the horsey dinner theatre, while I don't have
>answers to your questions, reminded me that I had been to a few
>down in Florida over a year ago while we were on our honeymoon.
Can you tell me where in Florida these three threaters where? Also
someone else wrote to say that there was one in New Jersey. Where
is that at? Living on the east coast (Virginia) either of these
would make a nice "long weekend" kind of vacation. (With three
horses and a pony, that's the only kind of vacation we can afford!!!!)
Thanks,
Marian
Shonette Rogers
>ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
>Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
>when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
>
Ha! Not only that he was Arabian, but also that he didn't have
any papers (they had to have been lost on the shipwreck because
I didn't see/read Alex ever having them). Now I wonder how they
registered/raced his foals...! :-)
Shonette Rogers
and Miss Lady Linton
Diane Reichard
> The cross-country course in question is at a facility which primarily
> produces hunters and jumpers and which hosts an annual Jumping Derby.
> The Derby combines cross-country type fences with knockdown show jumping
> fences.
Was this at Foxfield?
>
> Does anyone have any practical experience/opinions with the safety
> of schooling over "knock-down solid obstacles" for a horse which
> is expected to event over "true solid obstacles"?
I don't have much experience with eventers--and my current horse is a jumper,
but...I know that my horse doesn't like to hit fences and is naturally careful
schooling or in shows even though the fences come down quite easily. The
rails and planks typically used in the jumper ring are a lot lighter than
the telephone pole you described, so I would guess that hitting the pole
is a sufficiently unpleasant experience by itself.
Diane R.
Debbie Levine
>Was this [cross-country schooling I described earlier] at Foxfield?
Yep! We've been importing Mark Watring twice a week from Foxfield to
our barn at North Middle Ranch in Lakeview Terrace.
>I don't have much experience with eventers--and my current horse is a jumper,
>but...I know that my horse doesn't like to hit fences and is naturally careful
>[...]
Well, some horses are naturally careful and some aren't. Obviously, we
school stadium over colored poles, and the horses all know the difference
between cross-country and stadium (I rather wonder what the DiGrazia's
horses thought of the Foxfield Derby). The horse in question hit the
fence more than once, and she's a reasonably athletic critter. Since
the telephone poles aren't in cups, I'm not sure it takes THAT much to
roll one off, though it certainly should be somewhat more daunting
than a show jump! And, she was probably heavily booted for
protection.
With a horse that isn't highly sensitive to rubs, I guess I just feel
safer thinking that they know the difference between a solid fence
and a knockdown fence. But maybe that's just an illusion.
Debbie
deb...@ipac.caltech.edu
TEMPLIN GERI ELLEN
Cross country fences are supposed to be SOLID. I don't know about the
pro's and con's of teaching a horse to jump solid things when they can
be knocked down but two things pop to mind immediately:
1) It's VERY DANGEROUS to have fences coming apart when a horse is
travelling at a good clip
2) Knocking the thing down a few times didn't seem to teach her horse
anything so her answer to you that the fence was solid was kind of
foolish.
sounds like she needs a trainer.
just my 2
geri
Kersh!
an important element of the 1991 Citrus Bowl Half Time Show. They were
wonderful people with absolutely beautiful horses. They did bring their
stallions along. I must admit those stallions were the most laid back animals
I have ever seen. One of them had streamers in their face flapping around, but
he just carried on in his duty. One thing that surprised me the most was the
fact that the stallions were the only horses NOT drugged. I guess in something
like this that was broadcasted IN FULL (I'm kinda proud about that!) the TV
people didn't want a horsie flipping out.
> Medieval Times down there is muchlike the earlier description. I must
> admit I was a bit upset when I noticed that the swords were easily
> bent! But, I suppose that's for safety purposes!!
In the half time show, there was a sword fight "to win the hand of the
beautiful princess." I got to see the swords up close and personal. They are
not cheap nor flimsey. On of the knights told us the swords cost $750 each.
Anyway, during the "fight" at half time, on of the knights struck suck a hard
blow against the other's sword that he sliced it in two! He actually cut the
top foot and a half off! (Just for the record, this was NOT planned.)
Well, I do recommend going to Medieval Times if you are in Florida. It is a
lot of fun, good food, and wonderful entertainment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen Kershner | "There are two kinds of horses in
| the world, Quarter Horses and
JLKER...@MIAVX1.ACS.MUOHIO.EDU | other horses."
| -- annon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--Jen
Francis Burton
"The Black Stallion" is truly wonderful. I have seen it at least a
dozen times and I'm gonna watch it again next time the opportunity
arises. I have a video of it, but no player -- probably just as
well!
Why does the film appeal so much to me? I guess the horse himself,
the photography and sheer artlessness of the story account for most
of it. No other horse movie I've seen comes close, including the
sequel. (I know more than one horse plays the part of The Black, but
I prefer to think of it as one horse.)
Francis
Helen Dilworth
In article <1eeq8d...@gap.caltech.edu> deb...@nimoy.ipac.caltech.edu (Debbie Levine) writes:
>
>Well, some horses are naturally careful and some aren't. Obviously, we
>school stadium over colored poles, and the horses all know the difference
>between cross-country and stadium (I rather wonder what the DiGrazia's
>horses thought of the Foxfield Derby).
>
I don't remember what Bea's horse did at the Foxfield Derby, but Derek won
it a couple of years ago. I don't remember whether it was on Fieldmaster or
Our Busby, but that horse obviously didn't have any trouble figuring out that
those fences were not solid.
Helen Dilworth
Trilogy Farm
Swedish Warmbloods
Diane Reichard
In article <1eeq8d...@gap.caltech.edu>, deb...@nimoy.ipac.caltech.edu (Debbie Levine) writes:> In article <1992Nov18....@nb.rockwell.com> reic...@nb.rockwell.com (Diane Reichard) writes:
> Well, some horses are naturally careful and some aren't.
This is true among jumpers, too. But usually the way you get them to be
more careful if they're inclined to be insensitive is to let them take
a good rap from a heavier pole or plank.... This evidently didn't work for
the horse you mentionned since you said she hit it a few times. I'm not
sure that you'd want to use much less leg protection over x-c obstacles--
maybe open-front boots? I'm not even sure open fronts are a good idea for
xc.
>
> With a horse that isn't highly sensitive to rubs, I guess I just feel
> safer thinking that they know the difference between a solid fence
> and a knockdown fence. But maybe that's just an illusion.
That makes sense--but brings up a couple questions... I can see where the
horse would quickly learn the difference between xc fences that are solid
and the stadium jumps which can be knocked down. How do you keep your horses
careful for stadium if they learn that these can be knocked down (assuming
we're talking about a horse that doesn't mind rubbing the occasional rail)?
Why don't the same techniques work for keeping the horse careful on xc? --
I do understand the pace is substantially faster, but it is still a jump.
I've heard that it can be dangerous for the fence to come apart with the
horse going at a faster pace, (at least that's one reasoning I've heard
for the fences being solid and secure) but I would think it would be equally dangerous for the horse to get hung up in a fence that didn't come apart.
Diane R.
TEMPLIN GERI ELLEN
Ho, ho, ho - I got a portrait done of Belle this fall and I picked
it up today - it's WONDERFUL!!!! It looks just like her - just her
head, but she's got that spark in her eye she gets in crispy
weather. I'm SO excited. I've been prancing around the livingroom
trying to decide what wall to put it on. (Steve's not too thrilled
with the livingroom idea but maybe I'll get a motorcycle picture
to appease him). Ho ho ha ha he he
Belle and me
avram.r.vener
>Can you tell me where in Florida these three threaters where? Also
>someone else wrote to say that there was one in New Jersey. Where
>is that at? Living on the east coast (Virginia) either of these
>would make a nice "long weekend" kind of vacation. (With three
>horses and a pony, that's the only kind of vacation we can afford!!!!)
>
>Thanks,
>Marian
>
Here is how to get to Medieval Times in NJ:
Take NJ turnpike to 16 W.
Take 3 West west then take 17 south to Lyndhurst exit
Go around ramp to rirst light.
At first light turn left and then they are located straight ahead on the
right.
You should call first for reservations. Also, be on the lookout for
coupons. I have NO idea where these coupons can be found but the
lady who took my money seemed surprised that we didn't have them :-)
Medieval Times 1 201 933 2220
Have fun!!
Carolyn Duke
>
>In article <1eeq8d...@gap.caltech.edu>, deb...@nimoy.ipac.caltech.edu (Debbie Levine) writes:> In article <1992Nov18....@nb.rockwell.com> reic...@nb.rockwell.com (Diane Reichard) writes:
>
>> Well, some horses are naturally careful and some aren't.
After a jumping event, oft you can tell what colour the fences were, by
looking at my horse's hooves. :)
>
>This is true among jumpers, too. But usually the way you get them to be
>more careful if they're inclined to be insensitive is to let them take
>a good rap from a heavier pole or plank.... This evidently didn't work for
>the horse you mentionned since you said she hit it a few times. I'm not
>sure that you'd want to use much less leg protection over x-c obstacles--
>maybe open-front boots? I'm not even sure open fronts are a good idea for
>xc.
I don't use leg protection--I haven't found anything that's really effective...
except perhaps bell boots (if I can get a pair that fits!), since overreach
injuries are a pain to treat and get to heal. If the going is deep and/or muddy,
I'll rather withdraw and save my horse for another day, than go looking for
leg protection.
>> With a horse that isn't highly sensitive to rubs, I guess I just feel
>> safer thinking that they know the difference between a solid fence
>> and a knockdown fence. But maybe that's just an illusion.
>
>That makes sense--but brings up a couple questions... I can see where the
>horse would quickly learn the difference between xc fences that are solid
>and the stadium jumps which can be knocked down. How do you keep your horses
>careful for stadium if they learn that these can be knocked down (assuming
>we're talking about a horse that doesn't mind rubbing the occasional rail)?
>Why don't the same techniques work for keeping the horse careful on xc? --
>I do understand the pace is substantially faster, but it is still a jump.
The ideal cross country fence should look very solid, to encourage the
horse to respect it. Thin rails and weedy fences are actually more dangerous
than thick, solid poles, since if the horse doesn't respect the fence, he
won't be careful. Also, many cross country horses seem to like their job, and
get enthusiatic about xcountry, and view the stadium as the 'wimpy' part. :)
Some cross country horses like to 'rub' the stadium fences--this is mainly
corrected for by the rider putting in a more accurate ride, i.e. not getting
in close to the fence. The technique my trainer has recommended for my horse,
is jumping over a fence that gets his attention just before he goes into the
ring. Such a fence might have a blanket over it and/or be about 3 to 6 inches
higher than what he'll face in the ring (I compete in the 3' to 3'6" category)
Also, I try to make sure my horse is fit enough, so that he doesn't get tired
while jumping--for then that's when he's most likely to rub.
>I've heard that it can be dangerous for the fence to come apart with the
>horse going at a faster pace, (at least that's one reasoning I've heard
>for the fences being solid and secure) but I would think it would be equally dangerous for the horse to get hung up in a fence that didn't come apart.
A good cross country fence should be built in such a way that it's possible
to take it apart quickly in event of an emergency. For example, the parts
of a jump constructed with telephone poles might be tied firmly with rope.
During an event I watched this week on TSN, a horse got his front end, but
not his back end, over a jump, and was unable to get both ends of himself
onto the same side of the jump. So the section of jump he was hung up on, was
disassembled by untying the ropes, and he was freed without much incident.
>
>Diane R.
Carolyn D. & Amadeus (veterans of one event, and several years of stadium)
Kate E. Loomis
>> Medieval Times down there is muchlike the earlier description. I must
>> admit I was a bit upset when I noticed that the swords were easily
>> bent! But, I suppose that's for safety purposes!!
>In the half time show, there was a sword fight "to win the hand of the
>beautiful princess." I got to see the swords up close and personal. They are
>not cheap nor flimsey. On of the knights told us the swords cost $750 each.
>Anyway, during the "fight" at half time, on of the knights struck suck a hard
>blow against the other's sword that he sliced it in two! He actually cut the
>top foot and a half off! (Just for the record, this was NOT planned.)
>Well, I do recommend going to Medieval Times if you are in Florida. It is a
>lot of fun, good food, and wonderful entertainment.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Jen Kershner | "There are two kinds of horses in
> | the world, Quarter Horses and
>JLKER...@MIAVX1.ACS.MUOHIO.EDU | other horses."
> | -- annon
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>--Jen
Does anybody have any other stories about "unforseen events" occuring
during these performances? I saw a jousting exhibition at a Rennaissance
Faire this last spring where the choreography definitely did _not_
go according to plan. I've seen a half-dozen of these jousting shows,
and they are usually quite tame. The jousters do some agility exericises,
trying to hook rings with their lances, then they make a few passes
at each other, ending after three or four with one of the riders quite
clumsily and deliberately sliding from his horse. It was all so
predictable! The lances broke easily, so there really wasn't any force
transmitted to the other rider. At least, that is what usually happens!
But the exhibition I saw this June - My Oh MY! On the first pass, one
rider hit the other rider square in the chest, and knocked him FLYING!!
Everybody cheered because they thought it was supposed to happen! Then
it got quiet for a minute, while the poor man just laid there and didn't
move. Can you imagine, one minute being on a 17+ hand horse, the next
finding yourself flying through the air in full (metal) armor! To his
credit, he staggered to his feet and completed the hand to hand part
of the show, but he was obviously stunned and must've had the breath
knocked out of him. Sheesh. I don't think I would volunteer for one of
those shows after that!
Kate
Debbie Levine
>I don't remember what Bea's horse did at the Foxfield Derby, but Derek won
>it a couple of years ago. I don't remember whether it was on Fieldmaster or
>Our Busby, but that horse obviously didn't have any trouble figuring out that
>those fences were not solid.
your conclusion follows though, as he didn't knock 'em down!
I still wonder if it wasn't sort of like the Reeses' commerical:
"What are these stadium fences doing in my cross country course!"
Debbie
deb...@ipac.caltech.edu
Debbie Levine
>That makes sense--but brings up a couple questions... I can see where the
>horse would quickly learn the difference between xc fences that are solid
>and the stadium jumps which can be knocked down. How do you keep your horses
>careful for stadium if they learn that these can be knocked down (assuming
>we're talking about a horse that doesn't mind rubbing the occasional rail)?
Well, some horses AREN'T careful in stadium and there's not a lot you
can do about it. Some top eventers have been infamous for dropping
back in the placings by dropping lots of rails in stadium. I think
some horses wind up with eventing careers rather than jumper careers
precisely because of this...
And then there are horses like this little thoroughbred mare I rode
for a little while up in Washington-- if she so much as rubbed a
pole, she'd canter 3-legged halfway around the arena. She was so
paranoid that I once dropped my stick a couple of trot strides
out from a crossrail, and she just took off from there rather than
chance stepping on it!
Debbie
deb...@ipac.caltech.edu
che...@oneb2.almanac.bc.ca
> >ever wondered how the heck they got an Arabian Stallion in the Kentucky
> >Derby? ;-) Aw, artistic license. Of course, I think Walter was only 17
> >when he wrote his first book in the late 30's. Great stuff though!
>
It wasn't the Kentucky Derby. (Though I think the
> Black's filly, Black Minx, won the Derby in some later book. Or was that
> Satan, the Black's colt?) ... >
Both,I think.
> In the sequels, they finally find out where the Black was really from,
really?I don't remember that.Where is he origanally from?
CHELSEA
> Kathleen
>
> --
> Halfway round the course, up spoke the noble rider:
> "I fear we must fall back, for she's going like a tiger."
> Up spoke the noble horse: "Ride on, my noble master,
> For we're halfway round the course, and now we'll see who's faster."
che...@oneb2.almanac.bc.ca (Chelsea Graham)
The Old Coot's Almanac
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Courtesy the old coot hisse'f!
Susan Grocott
>[At this place]... they don't tie up the telephone poles for [XC] schooling.
>
>I thought ... the horses might learn they could get away with
>hanging a leg, and try to do so in a competition setting where the
>fences WERE tied up solid.
>
>... she thought that the telephone poles were sufficiently solid
>and unpleasant to hit that that wasn't likely to happen, and that
>it allowed a little extra safety leeway in a schooling situation.
Hmm the thing I'd worry about is if the horse shifted the pole enough to get it
caught between his/her legs. Jumper poles usually break if that happens. With
a telphone pole I'd imagine it would be more likely that the horse could fall
or get hurt - or both.
I can see it provides more flexibility for schooling different height and
widths but there are ways of building jumps so that the poles are secure but
not fixed.
>
>The cross-country course in question is at a facility which primarily
>produces hunters and jumpers
Say no more :-) [All flames for this remark should probably be sent to me
personally rather than wasting bandwidth on them :-]
>
>Does anyone have any practical experience/opinions with the safety
>of schooling over "knock-down solid obstacles" for a horse which
>is expected to event over "true solid obstacles"?
I think 'she' is right in assuming that - in general - the horse would think
the experience too unpleasant to repeat. I'd imagine rolling a pole that big
would probably be a pretty un-nerving for a young horse too.
Horses seem to be able to tell, fairly easily, which jumps fall and which don't
- and even which ones will hurt when you hit them and which won't. At the
low-level, small-scale events here, most XC warm-up areas have stadium jumps
for warm-ups. Several horses knock them down and my horse is famous for
jumping sloppily over these fences in his distracting anticipation of what's
about to happen, but he's always careful on course - and he's fairly green -
imagine how cheeky he'll be by the time he's a veteran.
Sue Grocott