<p>I am disgusted that the Steel Pier is bringing back this “iconic” horrific diving horse show. I grew up with horses, and saw this show as a child ,and it was so cruel.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is national news, but I’m hoping with nationwide response, they will reconsider. They want to start by Memorial Day. </p>
<p>Haven’t heard of the diving horse show ?- check this out.
Please sign petition on FB, assume I can’t post that link. FB Horses Don’t fly in AC. </p>
<p>Tony Catanoso, one of the piers owners, told the Press of Atlantic City added: We know the diving horse is controversial, but I think people need to look at the bigger picture. A diving horse is going to be iconic. Its going to be a small piece of the development project that will bring family entertainment back to
Atlantic City.</p>
<p>Animals shouldn’t be used for entertainment purposes IMO. Period. Animals aren’t meant to be there for human amusement. There’s too thin of a line between when an animal is in pain and when it’s not- either physically or mentally. I don’t feel comfortable leaving it up to people to decide when it’s “humane” and when it’s not. After all, it wasn’t all that long ago when dog fighting and chicken fighting were acceptable in the mainstream.</p>
<p>IceDragon- I grew up around horses. Their vision is different from ours, with eyes on the sides of their heads.
So the horses are taken to high height then forced (trained) to catapult forward.
How would you like diving head first from that height without have your arms in front to break the water?
Our bodies are more stream lined by the horses are not. </p>
<p>To make an animal do something like this is not humane. It’s part of the pathetic past of Atlantic City, and the investors want to bring back that "iconic’ act. It was inhumane then, and it is now. Shame on them for not trying to create something more worthy in AC.</p>
<p>The Atlantic City Diving Horses gained “star” status after completing extensive training and, fared well until their age, or perhaps a sudden dislike for water, or, fear of heights, disqualified them. When no longer able or willing to perform their death defying act, they were sold. I will write about that sad story a little further on.</p>
<p>The rider, however, would suffer an injury once or twice a year, usually a broken bone, the result of swimming around in a small pool with four thrashing hoofs attached to an animal much larger than they or, sustained while climbing out of the pool. There was one tragic accident. In 1931, a rider named Sonora Carver lost her sight. Impact with the water damaged her eyes.</p>
<p>Amazingly, Ms. Carver continued performing as a diver until 1941. She later wrote a book about her experiences riding the diving horses at the Steel Pier. The book was made into a movie “The sad, and happy, end of the horses” – sold at auction for any intended use, but the final two diving horses, Garmal and Shiloh, were sold to an animal protection fund. The Fund arranged a quiet retirement for them in pleasant surrounding and with caring responsible owners.</p>
<p>Here an Equine expert states: Valerie Pringle, equine protection specialist at the Humane Society of the United States, explains why her organization is voicing such a strong objection about it.</p>
<p>“What would it take to get a horse to voluntarily climb those steep stairs?,” she tells KYW Newsradio. “And when they get to the top, it would be very difficult for them to even consider backing down. It’s almost a situation where they feel they have no choice but to jump.”</p>
<p>I am also from South Jersey and think it is horrible that they are considering this. It is most definitely cruel to the horse, and I highly doubt in this day and age of extremely vocal protest and organized marches,petitions, etc. that it will ultimately happen. If it does, they are going to face a lot of backlash from the animal rights groups, and people in the area as a whole. And it is additionally dangerous for the diver. Stupid idea. Now, re creating the real Boardwalk experience I grew up with pre casino, with rides, etc. would be a better creative endeavor.</p>
<p>I remember seeing this in Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken growing up… didn’t realize it was a real thing. My family has horses and I’m lucky when I can get mine to walk through a puddle… I can’t imagine how horses cope with this mentally without going BERSERK! I do not like this, I could never watch it.</p>
<p>Yes, outside of this context horses just love to climb stairs and dive into pools; it’s in their genes and they do it all the time, right? The horse told you this himself, I imagine.</p>
<p>Organizers working fast and furious to stage protest but lulumom2, as South Jersey resident you know the big push with Chris Christie’s efforts to have improvements in AC within a year. The Steel Pier revitalization costing 6 million, and they are probably training the horses now. Architects must be designing pool, stadium, now. I hope this gets enough support fast enough.
Almost 14,000 signatures on petition, but that has to grow fast.
<a href=“https://www.facebook.com/DivingHorseCruelty[/url]”>https://www.facebook.com/DivingHorseCruelty</a></p>
<p>The last thing AC wants now is BAD national publicity! The Revel Casino (billion $$ casino), due to open April 2nd, headline news today.
I’m trying to put this on “national” radar via CCers :)</p>
<p>** icedragon** you wrote that the horse “willingly” dove.</p>
<p>Today a groom who worked with diving horse, posted this training method:</p>
<p>The training method was as follows; a horse would first to be introduced to water, as in a pond. Some horses do not like water, and those were eliminated as candidates.
Next the horse would be** coaxed to slide off of a 4 foot platform, in order to get the apple held by the trainer on the other side of the tank.** If the constantly balked, they were eliminated as candidates. Then the rider would be introduced, and if the horse constantly balked, they were eliminated as candidates. The height was gradually increased, until they reached 40 feet</p>
<p>So they “coaxed” a horse to slide down a 4 ft platform. As a girl who had ponies, and grew up around horses, I assure you horses do NOT LIKE TO SLIDE. Maybe a very hungry horse will for an apple…</p>
<p>I will travel to Atlantic City to watch the horse diving show. I’ve always been disheartened that I was born after the era of the sideshow and animalistic feats on the boardwalk so I would seriously like to actually see a diving horse in real life.</p>
<p>Wow, I had no idea they were bringing this back.</p>
<p>Ironically, amid the discussion of animal safety and eye position, turns out one of the first female (human) riders became blind after one of the jumps:</p>
<p>There is currently a diving horse at Magic Forest in Upstate New York. He dives 9 feet into a 14’ deep 30 foot wide pool twice a day in the summer. No stairs, just a long ramp. I took my son when he was little and remarkably, the horse went up the ramp by himself after being led to the entrance (he really must have wanted those oats at the end of the pool). No rider. I love animals, and I would be angry seeing them abused. In that case, I saw no evidence of mistreatment. </p>
<p>I think the issue should be safety. If humans can be blinded by a 40 foot jump into water, so could horses, and that is too high.</p>
<p>That said, know that I am not a PETA person; we eat meat and we have an “enslaved” (bought from a breeder) pet dog that lives with us. I guess that makes me a criminal in some people’s eyes.</p>
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