Diving horse

A diving horse in Toronto

A diving horse is an attraction that was popular in the mid 1880s, in which a horse would dive into a pool of water, sometimes from as high as 60 feet up.

History

William "Doc" Carver "invented" the idea of horse diving exhibitions. Allegedly, in 1881 Carver was crossing a bridge over Platte River (Nebraska) which partially collapsed. His horse fell/dived into the waters below, inspiring Carver to develop the diving horse act. Carver trained various animals and went on tour. His partner, Al Floyd Carver constructed the ramp and tower and his rider Lorena Carver was the first rider. [[Sonora Webster] joined the show in 1924. She later married Al Floyd Carver. The show became a permanent fixture at Atlantic City's very popular venue, Steel Pier. There, Sonora, Al and Lorena continued the show following his death.

In 1931, Sonora Webster Carver and her horse "Red Lips" lost their balance on the platform. Sonora survived the fall, but was blinded (caused by detached retinas in both eyes). She continued horse-diving while blind. In 1991, Disney released a film titled Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken based on Webster's life and her memoir A Girl and Five Brave Horses.

Animal rights

The shows received very strong criticisms of animal rights abuses, which contributed to the decline of its popularity after World War II. The horses sometimes dove four times a day, seven days a week. There are allegations of using prods, electrical jolts, and trap doors to get unwilling horses to dive.

See also

• Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken film
• Aquatic locomotion
• Steel Pier
• A Girl and Five Brave Horses

External links

• Horse-diving nostalgia
• A current jumping horse in New York

Images

• From steel-pier.com - [1] [2] [3]
• From petticoated.com - [4][5]
• http://www.creationsdivinghorse.com/english/why.htm
• http://collections.ic.gc.ca/wjoliver/photobank/16-417.htm
• http://www.cityofatlanticcity.org/historical/gallery/pages/gamal_jpg.htm