43
Royal horses will strut their stuff
By John Benson
Just as Americans love their cars, Europeans love their horses.
It’s the passion of the latter that will be on display when The Gala of the Royal Horses comes to Covelli Centre on Sunday.
For show producer Rene Gasser, it’s been a long journey bringing the equine event — which recreates a show previously seen only at famous riding schools in Vienna and Spain — to the United States.
“The first time we tried to come to America was around 9/11,” said Gasser, calling from Stillwater, Okla. “Then you know what happened, so we canceled. It’s been quite a task, but it’s high time and we finally made it.
“We just finished a tour in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. And now we put a whole new show together. I traveled for two years in Spain, Austria, Holland and Germany to find these different animals.”
Gasser said The Gala of the Royal Horses is highly personal, considering his family has been working with horses going back seven generations in Switzerland, beginning first with the cavalry before going into entertainment.
The royal horses of Europe are some of the most celebrated in history, favored for centuries by royalty, equestrian riders and bullfighters. This performance will celebrate the tradition, athleticism and grace of 15 horses, including the Andalusian, Friesian, Lipizzaner and Arabian breeds in a number of performances.
“We do pretty much everything with horses,” Gasser said. “I choose the old movements of dressage. That’s what comes to mind with the Royal Horses. We also have musicians and singers.
“Actually, one of the Spanish horses dances flamenco with the flamenco dancer on the board. You’re not just seeing it, but you can actually hear the footsteps of the dance and horse on the board. That’s probably one of the highlights of the show.”
Other highlights include the Lipizzaner horses, which were recognized as their own breed almost 450 years ago when they were bred by the royal family of Austria to be the perfect dressage horse with a center of gravity that enabled them to do these big leaps and jumps.
Naturally, it’s quite an endeavor traveling overseas with 15 horses, all of which Gasser said fly in equine first class.
“Absolutely. And you don’t want to know what it costs,” Gasser said. “It’s a compartment that is pretty much like a horse trailer. During the flight, we look in on them all of the time, but it’s probably close to traveling in horse trailers. The only difference is once you’re up in the air, it’s a beautiful smooth ride. So it’s all good.”
As for the live performance, The Gala of the Royal Horses has an air of royalty and high class; however, the one thing about any show with live animals is they all invariably require someone walking behind them with a shovel.
Gasser said that’s also a reality for “The Gala of the Royal Horses.”
“That’s one thing we can’t stop,” Gasser said, laughing. “You know what they say: It happens.”