Flicka Freezing fog here-a real white out!! (06.02.2012)
jumpin_barrels Just got back from watching Galway Downs! Amazing show! (06.02.2012)
JessAndGrenville123 Love living in middlesbrough right now lol less than an inch of snow yesterday and it is almost all gone :) (05.02.2012)
noneotherthan01 Forgot the saying, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." (05.02.2012)
Loes and co Not enough time int he day to look aftre everyone and spend enough time with my Chazbo. I vote for a pay rise and less working hours (05.02.2012)
PantherEyes1989 Not much happening here. Just trying to stay warm, How about you? (05.02.2012)
yoda Is anyone from BC Canada? Would love to chat with someone local as well as anyone, anywhere in the world. (05.02.2012)
NMH First ride for a week as the ice let up. Sky is such a good girl! (05.02.2012)
yoda Doran will be moving to a barn in Langley for training. (05.02.2012)
Diane Gifford I had my Standardbred 'Cardigan' for 21 years. Excellent horse. (05.02.2012)
Diane Gifford So sorry to hear about your lab. (05.02.2012)
Diane Gifford At this point in my life, I've slowed down on horse training and started a new dog training/instructor course. Not that much different. (05.02.2012)
Xemmamisty4evaX Heyguys (05.02.2012)
JaymeeLS Snow, woo! Piccies xD (05.02.2012)
crazycowgirl99 that moment when you think you can hear the horse cast in the stable downstairs but then realise the noise is just the dog snoring! :) (05.02.2012)
bee20 Not one bit of snow here ! (05.02.2012)
zoelovesanimals Snow! Fingers crossed They can get meup the yard so I can take some Photos of the Ginger Pony!! (05.02.2012)
InHarness We had a good competition at Wix - with headcam footage! (05.02.2012)
Flicka Get those cameras out-SNOW!!!!! (05.02.2012)
AoifeC Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, having a ball ! (05.02.2012)

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DIVING HORSES SET TO RETURN TO ATLANTIC CITY.

The diving horses of Atlantic City are set to make a comeback this summer and the announcement is not surprisingly making waves. The owners of the famous steel pier say the new show will feature a horse and rider, diving off a 30 to 40 foot platform into a 12-foot pool as they did before the act was closed down in 1978.



Diving horses started to make a splash back in the early 1900's and a horse could expect to entertain the crowds four times a day, seven days a week.



Diving horses proved to be more dangerous for the girls who clung to their backs.  Lorena Carver made the terrifying leap on horseback for 25 years and averaged one broken bone a year.  Although that didn't seem to put her off and she said of her career choice, "All the girl has to do is look pretty and not fear height or water....The horse knows what to do. He'll take care of you."

In 1931 another diving diva Sonora Webster Carver and her horse 'Red Lips' lost their balance on the platform and Sonora was blinded in the fall when the retinas detached in both her eyes. She still continued to dive on horseback even when blind! Her story can be read in her memoir A Girl and Five Brave Horses and seen in the 1991 Disney film Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken.



Riders like Lenora claimed that their horses loved to jump but there were allegations that electrical prods and trap doors were used to get unwilling horses to dive. Gradually because of the weight of criticism of animal rights abuse this spectacle became less popular and eventually the act was closed in 1978.



Back in 2010 a pony called Lightening made the headlines because of his diving antics (see video) at the magic forest amusement park. Lightening jumps from a less risky height of 10ft into a much larger pool of water and has become a bit of a sensation.

So what do you think? Should the plan to re-introduce diving horses to Atlantic City sink without trace? 

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