Forty-seven majestic horses, stars of the multimedia and acrobatic spectacular Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse, arrived at the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park yesterday.
The trailers transporting the four-legged stars are the last to arrive of the 90 semi-trailers necessary to move the show from its last stop in Brisbane to its Sydney premiere on May 15.
Audiences have found Cavalia exhilarating in scope and touching in the evident bond between horse and human. The show features 47 horses from Canada, Europe, Australia and the USA and 36 riders, aerialists, acrobats, dancers and musicians from around the world.
Under a 35-metre-tall tent, the two and four-legged performers share the colossal 50-metre-wide stage in front of a constantly changing 60-metre-wide digital screen, drawing the audience into another world.
Cavalia spokesman Eric Paquette said the audience experience begins even before the show starts.
“Everyone is immediately struck by the beauty and enormity of the biggest big top in the world,” he said.
“I can’t compare this show to anything: it’s not a circus and it’s not an equestrian event. Think Cirque du Soleil but we go further because we have 47 horses (including 16 stallions) and 36 artists. It’s equestrian art and acrobats with live music played by a band on stage. We have a storyline but horses are unpredictable and the band has to take its cues from them.
“We work around the horses – they are at the centre of everything we do. The horses make no mistakes. If anything goes wrong, it’s the humans.”
This philosophy permeates everything: the company has been touring since 2003 and has never been targeted by animal rights protesters. Paquette said they have had many requests to visit the stables and check out the welfare of the horses, requests they have immediately consented to with no conditions and no forewarning.
“We have always welcomed all inquiries. After visiting us and seeing the horses, animal rights activists often then come to see the show. We treat our horses with the utmost care.”
Stable director Donna Morton oversees all care of the horses. Before arriving in Sydney, the Cavalia herd of 11 breeds including Spanish Purebred, Percheron, Lusitano, Warmblood and Quarter Horse, travelled with a team of Cavalia’s equine specialists for a few days of leisure.
Before, during and after transport, trainers, veterinarians, health technicians, grooms and a farrier create a comfortable environment and provide daily health care, grooming and activities. Once settled in their 1500 square-metre stables, the horses each have a designated box with ample space to stretch, lie down, sprawl out, roll and relax.
Great pains are taken to ensure that the horses always have the same neighbours and the same conditions so their environment is familiar and comfortable in each city, Paquette said.
“Every day our horses get their share of pampering, including showers, grooming, massages, workshops with their riders and outings to the paddocks where they roam and play. The performance aspect for each horse lasts roughly 12 minutes. The rest of their daily activities include warm-up, recoup, grooming and free time,” he explained.
“The riders come early in the morning and make sure they keep their horses entertained, focused and healthy in body and mind. We also have a farrier to check their shoes so their balance is always perfect, and all the tents are connected with comfortable specially constructed footing on the ground.
“Every single detail is looked at to make sure the horses are happy. If we get a sense that any horse is not happy for whatever reason we have a farm in Quebec where our horses retire to pasture among friends.”
And Cavalia’s horse training is based on a philosophy of understanding horses rather than making horses understand the humans around them. For most of the time the horses are completely free of saddles and reins as they perform amazing tricks that join humans and horses.
“This is not about the rider, it’s about the horse and the bond between them. In a way the show tells the history of humanity. The horse as a domestic animal has helped humans throughout our history and this is integrated in the show.”
Paquette described the logistics of touring such a huge show that also employs 120 people as “a nightmare – a controlled chaos”. It takes 65 people three days to take everything down after a show and 12 days to set up.
Cavalia has already wowed audiences and critics in Brisbane. Starting May 15, the second Australian leg for the multi-disciplinary spectacular created by Normand Latourelle – one of the co-founders of Cirque du Soleil – will kick off under the White Big Top at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park.
Following Sydney, the Canadian-based troupe will travel to Melbourne for its opening night at The Docklands on August 7. For more information visit the website.
