On any given night, you can catch an over the hill pop star, a smarmy magician or a comedian (with or with out a puppet.) Plus, you can always catch the 'old lady blowing her Social Security check in a slot machine.' But, you CANNOT watch a horse plunge 40 feet into the ocean.
In 1924 Dr. W. F. Carver, a noted plainsman and world champion rifle shooter, was crossing a rickety bridge Suddenly the bridge collapsed and he and the horse plunged 40 feet, and swam to safety.
Excited by the financial prospects of this, he tried it again and again. Soon horses were jumping off the steel pier.
Originally opened in 1898, the Steel Pier has featured some of the biggest names in show business. Big names like Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, Mae West, Charlie Chaplin, The Three Stooges, Bob Hope, Amos 'n Andy, and Frank Sinatra all played on the Steel Pier.
For over 50 years horses continued to jump making the steel pier one of the premier attractions on the east coast. I can only assume shoving bamboo under a Clydesdale’s hooves and putting Tabasco sauce in a Shetland pony's feed were the other popular attractions.
I am kidding. Actually, the dive DID NOT harm the horse or the rider, who rode bareback. In fact, many veterinarian’s say that horses enjoy jumping into water, and while they don't leap 40 feet off a pier in the wild, the stunt wasn't completely against their nature.
Still, pressure from animal rights groups (coupled with dwindling public interest) caused an end to the diving forever.
The entire Steel Pier closed in 1976, and remained closed for more than two decades. In 1993, the pier was renovated to coincide with the opening of Trump's Taj Mahal Casino Hotel.
Today the pier is full of carnival style rides and amusements. BUT NO DIVING HORSES. For that you will have to drive 6 hours for Magic Forrest Park!
Magic Forrest Park is a small amusement park in Lake George, New York with over 25 rides. Their main draw, however is
Lightning the Diving Horse.
Billed as the ONLY diving horse in America, Lightning dives daily into his own private pool. Unlike the Steel Pier diving horse he dives a mere 9 feet, but he does it RIDER-LESS.
The lack of a rider, Magic Forrest Park points out, is proof that Lightning chooses to dive into the pool. Other shows have been known to prod their horses into performing, but not Magic Forrest Park. They say Lightning loves the water and seems to enjoy diving.
Still, like the Steel Pier, animal rights protests have been mounted. These protests come from a very strange group of people: Mary Tyler Moore, Chevy Chase and Rue McClanahan. Doesn't that sound like a really bad sitcom?
STOP THE HORSE SHOW (the sitcom)
Rue sits on the couch knitting. Mary enters.
MARY: What are you knitting?
RUE: A 'Save the Horse blanket.'
MARY: But you knitted 'Save the hoes.'
RUE: Oh shoot!
Chevy enters in a hurry.
CHEVY: Did someone say there are hoes in here?
Chevy then falls down, Mary and Rue laugh.
END CREDITS
Magic Forrest Park has sent the three actors veterinarian reports on Lightning and an invitation to see at the show in person. So far, they have declined. So, if you are wondering why Chevy, Mary and Rue don't work much anymore, it's simple, they are saving the world from diving horses.
Interestingly, the 1991 Disney film Wild Heart's Can't Be Broken is about a diving horse and a little girl. Gabrielle Anwar plays the kid who joins the circus and rides the horse 40 feet down into the water. The American Humane Association monitored the stunt horse during his jumps photographed for the film and found nothing inhumane about them.
Too bad they didn't check his feed for Tabasco.
>On any given night, you can catch an over the hill pop >star, a smarmy magician or a comedian.
ReplyDeleteOr all 3 if Ricky Jay is performing!!!!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm now going to laugh until I pass out.
Gene Hackman is so cool that Steel Pier Diving Horses protest him.
ReplyDeleteYou know what would be AWESOME? If Evel Knievel jumped over the horse as it dove into the water. Oh man that would be SSSSSSSSSSSSWWWEEEEEEEEEETTTTTT!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDiving Horses are great! If only they could talk.
ReplyDeleteIf I worked as a life guard at the pier with the diving horse, everytime the horse jumped, I would blow my whistle and scream, "Hey, No Horse play!" Then I'd laugh so hard, I'd swollow my whistle and pass out.
ReplyDeleteIf I worked as a life guard at the pier with the diving horse, everytime the horse jumped, I would blow my whistle and scream, "Hey, No Horse play!" Then I'd laugh so hard, I'd swollow my whistle and pass out.
ReplyDeleteIf I worked as a life guard at the pier with the diving horse, everytime the horse jumped, I would blow my whistle and scream, "Hey, No Horse play!" Then I'd laugh so hard, I'd swollow my whistle and pass out.
ReplyDeleteSteel Pier diving horse? Where's todays Fast Food themed article!
ReplyDeleteI saw Wild Heart's Can't Be Broken, it is a sweet film.
ReplyDeleteI think I am going to have to vote cruel on this one! It just looks horrible!!!
ReplyDeleteI like horses and I think this was probably a lot of fun to see!
ReplyDeleteRIDE THE STEEL MARE!!!
ReplyDeleteWild hearts is a classic! I bet every girl watched it when they were 10!
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to Chevy Chase or Rue McClanahan. They also think it's cruel to box a kangaroo. If Rue knew how hard those Kangaroos hit, she wouldn't think it's so cruel. One time, Buttercup hit me so hard, I was out longer than Chevy Chase had a late night talk show.
ReplyDeleterobble robble robble robble
ReplyDeleteI once submitted a screenplay to Disney for a film called, "Chimp of Staff." Hillary Duff plays the President's daughter. The President would be played by John Travolta, who names a monkey his chief of staff. I don't want to give away too much, but Hillary teams up with a diving horse, smoking monkey, and field goal kicking mule in a madcap romp full of hijinks as they try to help their beloved Washington Redskins win the Super Bowl. Here is a scene:
ReplyDeleteHillary: Dad, we'll never get to the mule to the stadium in time to kick a field goal.
Travolta: Hey, up your nose with a rubber hose.
Secret Service: You still got it, chief.
Great stuff!!
Duff, you should add a boxing kangaroo. People will pay to watch Hillary Duff box a kangaroo.
ReplyDeleteHere is a scene that I am particulary proud of. It's the emotional turning point of the film, where Travolta finds out his daughter was in a bad car accident.
ReplyDeleteDoctor: I'm sorry Mr. President, your daughter was in a serious car accident. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to remove her tonsils.
Mr. President: NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
The President looks to the monkey and points angirly.
Mr. President: This is all YOUR fault. You told her you were sober enough to drive.
The monkey shrugs and calmly lights a pipe.
Wow. Powerful stuff.
I once saw a quadrapalegic (sp?) playing Amazing Grace on a synthesizer (I was careful not to use the word organ) with her tongue.
ReplyDelete