Year of the Horse: The famous diving horses of Atlantic City Back in the 1880s, on the Steel Pier at a burgeoning area known as Atlantic City, NJ—a new act was just getting off the ground. 60-feet off the ground. Known simply as the Diving Horses of Atlantic City, this horse and rider act set the standard as a display of fearlessness and overcoming both man and human’s basest instinct. Owners, who acquired the horses after they retired, characterized the horses as absolutely fearless and one describes the horse so comfortable in water that they blew bubbles in their watering bucket. A wildly popular act, in 1924 one female rider detached her retinas when she and her horse lost their balance on the platform and ‘dove’ without preparation. The rider, a woman named Sonora Webster, continued to perform the death-defying act while blind. During the 50s and post-World War II, the concern of animal welfare activists added to the act’s decline in popularity. Yet the act continued into the 1970s. Disney memorialized the act with the movie “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken”. The act is also a popular draw on YouTube, with black and white footage capturing the century old feel. Fast-forward to 2012, when Gov. Christie announced major renovations to the Steel Pier. The mere mention that the diving horses might return to the pier stole the show. Reactions ranged from excitement to anger—and despite the $10 million of renovations, the diving horses eclipsed the announcement and were the talk of the town. Current plans for the diving horses are only talk as of yet, and meant to be the finale in a larger show.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 13:07:28 +0000
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