The story behind Cavalia In 1998, one of the co-founders of Cirque du Soleil, Normand Latourelle, created a live event called Les Légendes Fantastiques. “I needed one horse as an extra,” he recalls. “I wanted a hundred-year-old village to come alive, and it was a big performance, with more than 100 people, a few sheep,…
On April 1, 2013, Ben Masters and three buddies saddled 12 wild mustangs and set out on a six-month, 3,000-mile journey from Mexico to Canada. They followed a patchwork of public lands from Nogales, Arizona, to Montana’s Glacier National Park, crossing the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone along the way. Only one of them had grown up on…
Did you know there are races where people race against horses? One such race takes place in Arizona. It is called The Man Against Horse Race. On race day, three races take place simultaneously. There is a 12 mile race, a 25 mile race and a 50 mile race. Vocabulary – simultaneously: Happening at the…
Eriskay ponies are the last surviving remnants of the original native ponies of the Western Isles of Scotland. Until the middle of the 19th Century, Eriskay ponies were found throughout the islands and used on small farms, undertaking everyday tasks such as bringing home peat and seaweed in baskets, pulling carts, harrowing fields and even…
Icelandic horses have two extra gaits. In addition to the gaits which all horses show (walk, trot, canter), Icelandic horses also have tölt and pace. In Iceland, the tölt is highly-valued because it is so comfortable to ride over long distances. Tölt is referred to as the fourth gait. It has four beats with phases in which the horse…
The Chincoteauge Wild Pony Auction is usually held on the last Thursday of July, the day after the pony swim. This is the day when some of Assateague Island’s wild ponies are auctioned off by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. During the auction, yearlings and younger ponies are sold. Anyone can participate in the pony…
Have you ever wanted to go on an overnight camping trip on horseback? A recent poll was taken to find out how many people take their horses on a summer camping trip. The poll question was: Do you include your horses in your summer camping plans? Here are the results: 1. What is the name…
A 1,200 pound bronze statue of real-life warhorse Reckless will be immortalized on July 26 with a dedication near the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. Reckless carried load after load of ammunition to Marines during the Korean War (1950 to 1953) and brought wounded men off the battlefield while under fire. She…
The latest addition to the Assateague pony herd was born sometime in mid-May. The sorrel foal was the first new edition to the wild pony herd in 2013. The National Park Service refers to him as, N9BFQ-GL. Horse Talk: Sorrel – refers to a copper-red shade of chestnut with no black hairs and the same-color…
Did you know there are still many people in North America who use horses – not tractors – to farm their land? The Amish, have been ploughing with horses for centuries. Many small farmers have also found it more convenient to use equine rather than turbine power, said Vernon Yoder, the general coordinator of the…