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months old, a fluke, fast thunderstorm blew through the pasture and somehow he scratched his left eye, removing the lens. Surgeons at University of California at Davis determined that they had to remove the eyeball. Because he was so little, his face would likely be disfigured when it grew to adult size. “I begged for another solution,” Nicole recalls. They


found one. To maintain the shape of his face, they placed in the ocular sac a silicone ball, securing it by sewing together interior tissue. “Horses’ eyes grow as they grow. Obviously his didn’t.


It doesn’t stick out like a normal eye. But from a distance, people don’t notice. He blinks. He doesn’t know the difference.” His eye issue can prove a little scary on the Tevis trail when a large drop off is on the left side, the trail is lit only by moonlight and the horse and rider are traveling on the last part of 100 miles. But both horse and rider continue on undaunted. “He goes straight down that trail, though he does twist


his neck to see. Being a ridge dressage rider,” she laughs, “I try to keep him straight. Then I realize he needs to see the cliff. Of course I don’t want him to go off either. So I let him look.” In September 2012 Golden Knight will help Nicole


reach a goal she has had since she was eleven—to be the youngest person to win the Virginia City 100 Mile Endurance Ride, earning her 20th belt buckle (a belt buckle is given to those who complete the ride in 24 hours) in the process. At age eleven she probably didn’t envision herself on a big, flashy buckskin Friesian cross with one eye making their mark in the world of endurance.


THE WARMBLOODS OF CAVALIA


THERE IS A CERTAIN LOOK ABOUT A HORSE that enjoys his work and that look is recognizable in the horses of Cavalia and the new Odysseo, both multimedia extravaganzas that pay tribute to the relationship between humans and horses. Under the Big Top, the horses enter the stage, brimming with personalities unique to each horse. Each one looks at the audience as if to say, “Aren’t I fantastic!” Among the staff of 71 horses that field the show


Odysseo are two Warmblood geldings: eight-year old Canadian Warmblood Patof Chanteclerc and twelve-year old Oldenburg Tunique. Playing their role in the liberty act, they are among 40 horses that have fun on the stage boasting a 27,000 square feet area. The Cavalia company’s training philosophy seeks out


the character to all horses’ nature while nurturing the character of the individual. Most important, the training recognizes the significance of balance, in its many forms, to the horse’s physical and mental well being.


24 March/April 2012


Top (and with article title): Patof, a Canadian Warmblood. Bottom: Tunique, an Oldenburg. They are among 70 horses in the modern stage production of Cavalia’s Odysseo. Photos courtesy Cavalia


Charged with maintaining that balance is Equestrian


Director Benjamin Aillaud. His domain includes the training of 70 horses and 22 riders and creating the choreography for Odysseo, which opened in Atlanta in December and moves to Miami in March. In the tradition of Cavalia, Ben has created a


playground in which horses and humans enjoy games together. The performances are steeped in the routine that gives the horses the security of knowing what is expected, but is balanced by variety.


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