Horse Diving, A Popular Attraction In The Mid-1880s

Horse Diving first began in the mid-1880s. It would be described as when a horse dives into a pool of water from a great height. At times, the heights measured as high as 60 feet. 

In 1881 while Carver was crossing a bridge over Platte River in Nebraska when it partially collapsed, his horse fell into the waters below. This influenced Carver to bring into existence the diving horse act.  

Carver trained various animals and went on tour. His son, Al Floyd Carver, also his partner, constructed a sloping surface and tower. Lorena Carver was the first rider, and then Sonora Webster was added to the show in 1924. She went on to marry Al Floyd Carver. 

The show was featured at Atlantic City’s famous venue, Steel Pier. There, Sonora, Al and Lorena continued the performance following the death of Carver.

In 1931, Sonora and her horse Red Lips were set to perform, but they lost their balance on the stage. Sonora survived the fall but was blinded due to detached retinas in both eyes because she kept her eyes open. 

A magic forest-themed park hosted The diving horse in Lake George, New York, in 1977. They displayed a horse named Rex, later replaced by a castrated horse named Lightning. 

The park was bought in 2018 and reopened as Lake George Expedition Park, this time without horse-diving.

The horse diving show was an in-house act. After many complaints from animal rights activists, the requests fell drastically, leading to the act being closed in the 1970s. Although there was a brief resumption of the act at the pier in 1993, it was again closed after solid resistance. 

Leave a Reply

1314 Shares