The gala of the royal horses presents equine splendor

They might be paid in oats and apples, however there isn’t any doubt who the headliners are at The Gala of the Royal Horses, coming to the PPL Middle in Allentown on Thursday.

The present showcases the skills of Lipizzaners, Arabians, Andalusians and Friesian horses – breeds with lengthy, storied histories bred for European royalty and utilized in warfare by legendary figures akin to Genghis Khan, Alexander the Nice and Napoleon .

Audiences will see the horses show dressage maneuvers, particular jumps and different precision abilities for which they’re famend.

The present is headlined by Renee Gasser, producer, coach, rider and grasp of ceremonies for The Gala of the Royal Horses, making its first North American tour.

Gasser was born in Switzerland to a household that labored with horses for seven generations, first within the army after which in circuses and exhibits. For some time Gasser did stunts earlier than returning to his equestrian roots.

“As soon as it is in your blood, you may’t steer clear of these stunning animals,” he says in a telephone interview. “These explicit horses, they had been all bred for the royal households of Europe. Royal households wished not solely essentially the most stunning horses but in addition the strongest horses. That is why Friesians, Andalusians, Lipizzaners, Arabians are such fantastic animals.”

Royal horses have typically been utilized in movies, together with “The Starvation Video games: Catching Hearth” and “The Masks of Zorro” on account of their spectacular look and trainability.

“In any sort of film that makes use of horses, they’re possible to make use of them as a result of they’re so splashy with their lengthy manes and their lengthy tails and their stunning necks,” Gasser mentioned. “It is good that they’re skilled to carry out as a result of they’re very wise horses.”

Among the many present’s most spectacular feats are these within the so-called “The Airs Above the Floor,” which Gasser says had been first taught to horses to be used in conflict. The primary maneuver is the pesada, through which the horse rises on its hind legs in order that it’s at a 45-degree angle to the bottom. Then, within the meadow, the horse lifts its entrance legs, balancing on its hind legs with its physique nearer to the bottom. With the courbette, the horse rears up and jumps ahead a number of occasions on its hind legs and within the capriole, the horse leaps into the air and comes out on all fours.

“The Airs,” that are among the many oldest dressage actions, are actual crowd pleasers, Gasser says. The horses used within the present leaping are among the many smallest within the present and are absolutely warmed as much as keep away from harm.

“We do not use huge heavy horses for this as a result of it could be too exhausting on their bones,” he says.

Gasser insists that each one horses are handled humanely and effectively cared for.

“You possibly can’t make one thing stunning that is exhausting,” he mentioned. “There is no make-up for it.”

Within the second half of the present, Spanish Flamenco dancers will come out and dance as a Flamenco guitarist performs. Then a horse will be part of the dancers and they’ll step collectively. Flamenco dancers had been historically gypsies in Spain, and gypsies had been additionally horse individuals.

Throughout the present, Gasser explains how they practice the horses.

“They taught me respect as a result of on the finish of the day, even one among our medium horses weighs half a ton, like a thousand kilos,” he mentioned. “I urge individuals to not overlook that when working with horses.”

The present options horses from Germany, Austria and Spain, the place horse breeding has been handed down from technology to technology for tons of of years.

“I’ve one among our horses from a household that has been breeding horses for 700 years,” says Gasser

Riders come from everywhere in the world. Matching a rider to a horse is an artwork in itself, as a result of you don’t need a high-strung rider on a high-strung horse, he says.

Gasser says, nonetheless, that some horses simply do not have the persona to carry out in entrance of 1000’s of individuals.

“Not each horse is for us,” he says. “Even once I assume typically that horse goes to be good, he truly freaks out on stage, like individuals do.”

“I had a horse and it was an excellent horse and when the curtains opened with so many individuals there, it truly sat down,” Gasser recalled with fun. “He simply regarded on the world and sat down. We had been virtually all on the ground laughing.”

At such occasions, Gala riders and different performers merely roll with the punches, a ability born of coping with typically unpredictable animals.

“If it is humorous, we truly deal with it that manner,” says Gasser. “And there are lots of horse individuals within the viewers who perceive that.”

The 2-hour present consists of an intermission. The Gala sells a VIP ticket that enables the ticket holder to remain after the present to pet a number of the horses, take footage and ask questions on them.

The present attracts all ages, however Gasser says it is common for “horse-crazy” ladies to convey their reluctant husbands.

“The humorous factor is, they create the husbands collectively and the husbands assume, ‘Oh my God, now I’ve to sit down with two hours of horses,'” he says. “They usually’re those who come after the present and might’t inform you sufficient how a lot they loved it as a result of they did not count on it.”

Gasser has been touring with this present and others for about 15 years. They’ve carried out in Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and North America.

When not touring, Gasser and his household retreat to their equestrian middle close to Melbourne, Australia, the place they practice horses and riders to tackle the highway. Amongst these riders is Gasser’s 17-year-old daughter Gigi. His 14-year-old son, Sidney, is simply getting began within the household enterprise.

Gigi has determined to comply with in her father’s footsteps, however Sidney might take a distinct path.

“I did not wish to push him into it,” Gasser says. “It has to return from them. Appears to be like good however you by no means know. My son can also be into computer systems.”

Margie Peterson is a contract author.

Jodi Duckett, editor

Jodi.duckett@mcall.com

610-820-6704

THE GALA OF THE ROYAL HORSES

*What: Equestrian performances by riders in Lipizzaner, Arabian, Andalusian and Friesian breeds traditionally favored by royalty for his or her power, magnificence and beauty. Spanish Flamenco dancers will be part of horses in a dance and carry out a collection of inauspicious maneuvers referred to as “The Airs Above the Floor”.

*When: 7 pm Thursday

*The place: PPL Middle, 701 W. Hamilton St., Allentown

*How a lot: $25-$75

*Info: pplcenter.com, 610-347-8499

HORSE PLANTS

frisians, largely black in colour, they arrive from the province of Friesland within the Netherlands and have been utilized in movies akin to ‘The Masks of Zorro’, ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, ‘The Starvation Video games: Catching Hearth’ and TV exhibits like ‘Recreation of Thrones’. Filmmakers respect their magnificence and coaching potential.

Arabian horses they’re one of many oldest breeds and had been used for 1000’s of years among the many desert tribes within the Center East. They had been launching pads for well-known figures in historical past akin to Genghis Khan, Alexander the Nice, Napoleon Bonaparte and George Washington.

Lipizzaners or Lipizzans had been bred by the Habsburg royal household, who managed Spain and Austria through the Renaissance. They’re born black, brown or grey however their coat lightens as they age to their attribute white. Disney made a film in 1963 in regards to the Lipizzans known as “Miracle of the White Stallions” based mostly on a real story in regards to the evacuation of the well-known Spanish using college in Vienna throughout World Conflict II and the efforts to avoid wasting the breed.

andalusians, which had been bred in Spain, have been utilized in bullfights and had been referred to as an excellent conflict horse on account of their agility, power and calm temperament. Andalusians had been dropped at the Netherlands through the Crusades and bred with horses native to the province of Friesland to create the Friesian breed. The form of the pinnacle of the Andalusian is convex, giving it a attribute look, and the predominant colour is grey.