Csaba and Brawny in the Native Act.

One of the most challenging acts in the show is the Native Act – a demonstration of an equestrian technique known as reining. Reining is a type of Western riding, and is occasionally referred to as “Western dressage” due to the degree of difficulty of the practice. It is a technique that is truly native to America, making it the perfect technique to demonstrate in Arabian Nights’ tribute to Native Americans.

Brie demonstrates neck reining with Inca.

Reining as we know it today is a series of horseback maneuvers that the earliest cowboys adopted to herd cattle. These maneuvers are extremely similar to those that various Plains Indian tribes used when herding and hunting buffalo. Ironically, many techniques that fall under the heading of reining are either performed by neck reining, which involves only the pressure of the rein on the horse’s neck, or without using the reins at all, and require the rider to control the horse using other cues. At Arabian Nights, all horse are trained to respond to verbal cues, as well as non-verbal cues.

Kami uses a combination of neck reining and verbal cues.

The specific techniques that make up reining involve the horse and rider moving in a series of smaller and larger circles, at different speeds, creating a complex pattern. The slower parts of this series are often accomplished without the use of reins, however reins are used the faster maneuvers. During the faster portions of the reining act, the horse runs at a gallop before sliding to a dramatic halt. Because these various elements of reining involve so many skill sets, it typically takes three to four years to train a reining horse.

Melody and Comanche demonstrate a sliding stop.

Reining is one of the most athletically advanced things a horse can do. For this reason, a horse really needs to love reining, particularly in a show like ours. Not every horse is cut out to be a reining horse; the most popular breed for this technique is the American Quarter Horse, though Arabian Nights’ act also features Appaloosas, Arabians, and half-Arabians. Reining horses also wear special shoes to perform. While generally shaped like regular horse shoes, these “sliding plates” are both wider and slightly elongated, and function in a manner not unlike water-skis. This elongation and additional width allows for those dramatic sliding stops characteristic of reining.

An early version of the Native Act, 1990s.

Arabian Nights has featured a reining act for about seventeen years now. The concept and choreography where originated by Mark Miller as a tribute to Native American culture. He revised and reworked the choreography for about a year before he was fully satisfied with the result. It wasn’t until he finally found the right piece of music that the act solidified, and the elements fell into place. For a single-rider act, the Native Act is surprisingly expensive. The lighting pattern, designed to create a dreamlike and almost spiritual mood, is projected onto a fog that fill the arena floor. The horse and rider swirl and gallop through these delicately lighted fog banks, creating an almost mystical atmosphere.

Melody rides Comanche without using the reins.

The riders who perform in the Native Act have to be just as special as the carefully trained horses they ride. Due to the level of skill required in the performance, it is the hardest act to get into, and though many riders have aspired to perform it over the years, comparatively few have done it in the show. In addition to the technical skills, riders in the Native Act are encouraged to ride as if they were by themselves in the arena, performing with abandon, as though they are alone with their horse. This requires the riders to become emotionally invested in their performances; the result is always a strong audience reaction.

Melody and Inca glow under the blacklight.

The Native Act, circa 1996.

For a closer look at the Native Act over the years at Arabian Nights, click the thumbnails to enlarge the photos.

Zach Selling Tickets at the Horsey Yard Sale

Today, we’ll be profiling Zachary Becker who works in the Stables at Arabian Nights. Last month, Zach was named Employee of the Month for his all his hard work, especially his extra efforts in promoting Arabian Nights at the Horsey Yard Sale. I also learned last night that he does a pretty snazzy victory dance when he’s bowling. He was nice enough to answer my questions about his job.

How long have you been with Arabian Nights?
I’ve been here almost four years.

Zach and Storm performing at the Horsey Yard Sale.

Who is your favorite horse, and why?
I actually have two – Storm and Sampson. They’re my favorites because of their mutual respect for one another.

What is your favorite act in the show?
I like playing Prince Khalid, so all of his acts.

Which costume is your favorite?
The Prince costume is my favorite.

Zach Performs in the Square Dance

What part of your day at Arabian Nights do you like best?
I like training during the day, and being in the spotlight at night!

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
My hobbies are riding and playing with my dogs.

What was your most memorable moment in the show?
Once, when I was playing Prince Khalid, I was was running near the curtain. The curtain caught on my spur, and followed me until I tripped. I fell flat on my face, just as the curtain opened for the Black Stallion, and all the spotlights hit me.

Zach looking dapper in the Holiday Show.

What was your background before coming to work here?
I’m originally from Iowa, and I graduated college with a degree in Equine Management. After graduation, I moved to Florida to start my career training and performing with horses.

What made you choose a job at Arabian Nights?
My love of horses and my love of performing is combined here, making this the best job in the world! I am also learning more about training, especially dressage.

You can find Zach in the Stables, or come watch him shine in the spotlight as Prince Khalid during the show. Thanks, Zach!

A bareback performance, 1988.

Since I’ve spent the last several weeks sharing my performer for a day experience, this week’s post will be a tribute to the act in which I performed: the Gypsy Bareback act, which Mark Miller calls “the heart of the show.” I sat down with him to find out how the act came into being.

An early acrobatics performance, 1988.

When Arabian Nights opened on February 29, 1988, it was just the Bareback act. In it, a rider named Anouk stood up on the horse and did a few stunts, such as leaning backwards over the horse’s back to pluck a feather out of the ground while she rode by. By June, Anouk had left the show, and Laura, a young rider of Danish Gypsy heritage, took over the act. She convinced Mark to hire two other riders with bareback and trick riding experience, and began putting together the first version of the high-powered horseback acrobatics act that still stops the show to this day.

Fire Jump from 1990.

Mark credits Laura with really “growing” the act. She was raised in a family of performers who had a teeterboard act, and when she was young, she apprenticed with friends of her family who had a bareback act. Laura’s expertise came with life-long training and longtime exposure to Gypsy culture, and it is this expertise and authenticity that Mark feels makes the act such a special moment in the show.

Highlights from the act in 1997.

A lover of Gypsy culture, Mark was excited to include an act that highlighted a variety of riding and acrobatic techniques that are on the way to becoming “lost arts.” Before long, the act was attracting up-and-coming riders and acrobats who felt a similar passion for preserving these techniques, and Arabian Nights became something of a training facility for would-be bareback riders. Here, circus-style trick riding (including vaulting and the Hippodrome) are still taught and used in the show. The Gypsy Bareback act has been in every single iteration and rewrite of the show ever since. It has changed and evolved over time, depending on which performers are working in the stables.

Fire Jump from the late 90s.

As Mark told me about the history of the act, he explained that Gypsy travelling traditions shaped the types of performances they would give. Because the Roma Gypsies would travel from town to town in horse-drawn carriages, they horses they used in their performances were the same strong horses that made up their caravan: draught horses. At Arabian Nights, our bareback act includes Percherons, Belgians, and American Creams.

Highlights from the act in 2002.

As performer for a day, I learned that it isn’t exactly a bareback act – our horses wear a rosin pad during performances. While it’s certainly possible for the acrobats to do their flips on a bareback horse, it’s not really as safe as when the same tricks are performed with a three-inch pad on the horse’s back. The pad is coated with a rosin powder to increase traction. In fact, if you look closely during the show, you might see a little puff of the rosin come up as the acrobats land. Even though the acrobats are landing very lightly, the constant pressure of humans landing on the horse’s back again and again causes the horse fatigue. Furthermore, the effort of landing gently on a bare horse’s back causes additional physical stress to the acrobats. Overall, horses and acrobats who perform these maneuvers without padding have a shorter performance “life-span” than those who use the padding, and if there is one thing I learned, it’s that the well-being of the horses and their riders is paramount here.

Trick riding, 2010.

When I first started learning the act, I was expecting to hear a list of specific techniques and tricks that are used in the show. But as the performer for a day, it was made clear that aside from a few key poses and skills (like standing up), the bareback acrobatics performed vary from person to person.

Gypsy Acrobatics, 2010.

I soon realized that the Gypsy act can’t be categorized the way that other acts can, because it’s constantly changing. For one thing, every performer who participates in the act has a particular skill set, and the daily schedule of the cast means that not every performance will include the same people. Therefore, the act shifts nightly to best showcase the individual talent’s of that show’s performers. Long story short, the Gypsy act is one of the most exciting in the show because it’s never the same twice!

Roman Riding and Acrobatics, 2010.

There is, however, one element of the Gypsy Act that is performed every night without fail: the fire jump. This maneuver requires the perfect combination of horse, rider, and handler, all working in concert. Only our steadiest, calmest horses ride in the fire jump, and only after they’ve become used to working in proximity to the fire hoop. The rider, of course, must be a skilled and fearless acrobat, because this isn’t a trick – that’s real fire, and every night, one performer holds a fire blanket, just in case. But the horse and rider are both depending on the handler cuing the horse to move at a steady pace. The handler for the fire jump is always someone with experience and patience, to ensure the safety of all. The fire jump is literally a showstopper, and ends the Gypsy Act on a high note.

Fire Jump, 2011.

Michael, my acrobatics instructor when I was the performer for a day, frequently does the fire jump. He joked that since I loved flying off the horse so much, I might as well put the skill to good use and jump through a hoop of fire. I don’t see that happening any time soon.