Sonora failed to close her eyes quickly enough, resulting in detached retinas that left her sightless.ĭespite being blinded, Sonora continued with the act for eleven more years. In 1931, during a dive, her horse dove into the tank off-balance, causing her to hit the water face first. The most serious injury in the show’s history happened to Sonora Webster. On average there were two injuries a year, usually a broken bone or a bruise. However, the same cannot be said for the riders. The diving girl had to make sure she kept her head to the side or she would surface with a bloody nose, black eyes, or broken cheekbones and collar bones.Īllegedly, in all the years the show ran, there was not one reported incident of injury to any of the high diving horses. The horses often threw their heads up to help with momentum. Divers often trained with their horses for years, gradually moving up to higher and more challenging diving platforms. When the horses landed in the tank, which was about 11 feet deep, they would go down until their hooves touched the bottom and then push off to get back to the surface. The diving horse ran up a carpeted ramp while the rider waited at the top, mounting as the horse ran by to take the plunge together. The platforms were set as high as 40 feet. This bizarre show involved a horse with a young lady in a swimsuit on its back, jumping from a high platform into a pool of water below. One of the most famous shows of William “Doc” Carver was “The Great Carver Show” which became the center of attraction at the Atlantic City’s Steel Pier in New Jersey. The diving horse at the Hanlan’s Point Amusement Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, around 1907. His son, Al Floyd Carver, constructed the ramp and tower and Lorena Carver was the first rider. His horse fell/dove into the waters below, inspiring Carver to develop the diving horse act.Ĭarver trained various animals and went on tour. He was a champion sharpshooter, and his rifle skills were the main attraction to the show, but after a while, he added a new gimmick: diving horses.Īllegedly, in 1881 Carver was crossing a bridge over Platte River (Nebraska) which partially collapsed. Carver had worked with Buffalo Bill Cody, but by the 1880s he was traveling the country with his own Wild West show. Stunt shows featuring diving horses began in the 1880s and were a wildly popular attraction for decades, despite the obvious cruelty to the animals and the danger it posed, ironically, it would seem, more for the riders than the horses’ theme.Īccording to Texas Escapes, horse diving was “invented” by a man named William “Doc” Carver. A large crowd of spectators watch Eunice Padfield and her horse dive from a high tower in Pueblo, Colorado on July 4, 1905.
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