Prof. George Keller used a few hang seats. This hang seat above, and a couple of example's in below threads are braced against the arena, eliminating the need for front legs, but you have to have a barred arena to brace against. I mentioned the seat's tipping off the arena. Back in the day of "chase them along the fence(yeah, yeah I know only the European's chased them, the Americans called them to them) hang seats braced against the arena allowed the animals to run under them, instead of colliding with the legs and upsetting the seat, or torquing it sideways. If you study old Mable Stark photo's she was about the most "European" method American trainer there ever was.
Monday, February 27, 2012
For Radar--Hang Seats
For Radar--Hang Seats
Hang seats are not to be confused with cat's hanging on their seats. :) Just horrible, probably the worst sit up's I have ever seen.
I don't know why these pictures won't enlarge anymore, so I am sorry for the size. The first tiger act I presented, seen presented by Lou Regan(whom my son Adam Regan is named after) in this photo had a hang seat over the door for Rajah. Jose Barada's lion act which his son George took over, and then added male's to had hang seats around the arena.
For Radar--Hang Seats
Both Beatty and Jacobs used hang seats at the front of the arena. The low animals were normally the working animals and the others were seat warmers or didn't do much. The hang seats in the front could be "tipped" off the arena after the animals sitting on them left.
Mable Stark's hang seats at Jungleland 1963. Note the guy lines holding the arena upright and straight so it wouldn't lean in from the top with the hang seats.
For Radar--Hang Seats
You will note the hang seat on the right hand side sloping down in front. Once a hang seat is built for one arena, it often times can not be used for another arena or act as the cross bar's are often times at different heights on different arenas. A solution back in the day of "rehashing" was to built extensions on the front leg's leveling the seat out, but that would oftentimes then make the seat too tall.
The lower the seat, the easier it is to get the animal on and off, but they sure look a lot better sitting on higher seats. You will note a "cross bar" above the seats. That is where they should have been hung.
Wall hang seats similar to what Naumann is using in the second photo from the bottom.
Those are hang seats along the back wall. Note the arena guyed out.
If hung high the arena need's to be guyed out for larger felines.
The black and white Beatty pictures have hang seats at the front of the arena.
Wade, would you please post some pictures on your blog of seats that hang on the arena panels? Thanks!
Ryan Easley
They are called "hang seats" Radar. Here are a few examples. Not the best granted, as they are not used much anymore after the advent of the net cage. The greatest disadvantage I have found in using them, is that they can't be used for anything else except seats along the wall. They can't be moved into the middle of the arena and used for another behavior. It's the situation I currently have, and also had on Ringling in 1992 when we had to build seats with shorter back legs to accommodate the banked wall the Cossacks used. If you have an unruly, large group of cat's the seats will often get knocked off the arena during fights unless they are pinned, or they will torque sideways as an animal jumps on or off it's seat. Tipping during fights is not as much of an issue if you have a small number of animals and can put a greater distance/space between the seats. If you are thinking of acquiring "hang seats" my advice is don't. They limit your options.
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