# Diving Horse Show



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I don't usually participate in this part of the forum, but I got this email from friend of mine, and I wonder is it true indeed? I was horrified looking at the pic I have to say... 

Animals Petition: Stop the Reopening of the Cruel Diving Horse Show | Change.org

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Atlantic City wants to bring back "high-diving horse" acts to its Steel Pier. These acts haven't been around since the 1970s -- and for good reason, as they involve *horses and riders leaping or falling from a 40 foot tower into a swimming pool.*
But in a strange nod to nostalgia (the popular TV series "Boardwalk Empire" takes place on Atlantic City's Steel Pier in the 1920s, when high-diving horses first became popular), Atlantic City wants to bring this antiquated act back into the present day. *And the cruel show could be back as soon as Memorial Day weekend. *
Atlantic City also tried to bring back high-diving horses in 1993 -- but a huge backlash caused those plans to be abandoned. Public outcry can do the same now, especially since construction on a horse-diving tower hasn't begun yet. With so many other attractions proposed (beer gardens, games and rides), *public pressure will swiftly divert these funds into a tourist attraction that will be more fun, lucrative and animal cruelty-free.*


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

This looks awful!!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I know, Taffy. I wonder who's in own mind would even risk doing that (I'm not even talking about poor horses)...


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

There's a book and a movie about the diving horses. Sonora? Can;t remember the title. But, the lady that jumped with the horses was adamant that they enjoyed it and were eager to jump!


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I heard today that the idea was nixed.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Yup-I hear that too. CBS news.


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

Here's a website: www.horseandman.com/people-and-places/diving-horses/


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

gigem88 said:


> There's a book and a movie about the diving horses. Sonora? Can;t remember the title. But, the lady that jumped with the horses was adamant that they enjoyed it and were eager to jump!


Interesting. I know if you jump and land on your stomach on water it hurts (heck, actually quite badly). I'd expect it would be painful for the horse as well.


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

I remember that movie, she goes blind and still does the diving with the horses.
I would like to see the people who want to put on this event jump from that same height and ask if it hurts...


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

I don't know if I'd call it abuse, haven't made up my mind. But, all the clips I have seen, the horses look to be in good condition, never hesitated to go up the ramp, no person pulling/tugging or whipping to get the horse up the ramp. Looks like the person jumping with the horse is in more danger.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I saw that movie when this topic came up a few years ago. Apparently no horse was ever even slightly injured in Atlantic City.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

It sounds painful to me, but it is hard to imagine how you would MAKE a horse do it. Remember - they did it hundreds of times. They KNEW what would happen when they jumped...

















_People came to San Antonio from all over South Texas, more than eager to pay 50 cents a head to see a member of Carver’s troupe ride a horse off the four-story platform the show’s stage hands had erected. But on Sunday, February 17, the crowd witnessed much more than it had bargained for._

_ Something went terribly wrong when 18-year-old Oscar Smith made his leap. The fall killed the young man, though the horse survived..._

_ ...But one day in 1931, “Red Lips” lost its balance on the platform. Sonora survived the fall, though the impact blinded her. As soon as she recovered, she continued the act. Her being sightless added another layer of thrill to the show and she kept jumping until World War II._​The Great Carver Show, Jumper, Diving Horse, and Sonora Webster the Horse Jumper.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

_"Ditty, the rider and trainer, said the proper way to dive is to "duck your head alongside the horse’s neck," making sure the horse goes into the water first. Later, after he married Ruth, he started to wear a helmet. 

In his 16 years with the act, he never saw an injury to a horse, he said..._ _

...One horse, Lorgah, the funniest horse he ever trained, took his time for the crowd. "He would get up there, and he would want to pose," Ditty said. "He’d play games. Then he’d finally dive."..._ _

...They remember times when the horses, left unattended, actually walked up by themselves and jumped in. "They liked it," Ruth said. "Don’t ask me why."..._ ​Atlantic City taking a risky plunge with return of diving horses | NJ.com


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

bsms said:


> _...They remember times when the horses, left unattended, actually walked up by themselves and jumped in. "They liked it," Ruth said. "Don’t ask me why."..._ ​Atlantic City taking a risky plunge with return of diving horses | NJ.com


M7y guess is they thought they would get a treat or reward for doing it. I know someone that taught her horse to lie down and would give it a treat. Now all it does is keep lying down to get a treat. It is annoying to say the least


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