A question often asked is "why are there no new people getting into the business, or why are people getting out." While the Spanish walk is not a recognized school movement, it is a pretty movement none the less, and used for show or exhibition purposes. The standard for a Spanish walk is the alternate lifting of the front legs to horizontal while keeping the walk sequenced and the hocks well under with absolute forward impulsion into the bit, straight with no swaying of the hips. Ideally should be able to keep the cadence of the individual steps for a minimum of 60 yards. Just supposing for a moment that the public knew(and maybe the know more then we think) and understood the standard, and you were putting on a show where you were advertising the "best of the best, super duper, wing ding of all time Spanish Walk" would you hire your daughter, an old friend, or an unknown from a riding academy? And what would you offer those 3 individuals? Would the price be the same, or would it be different for the "best of the best" Spanish walk. A standard may eliminate a lot of nepotism, and the good-buddy syndrome which is harmful to any industry unless all are held to the same standard.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Spanish Walk
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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4 comments:
Let me give this judging horses thing another shot.
1st place to the black horse. Looks like it is going forward, but not so much the girl riding has fight it back with the bit.
2nd place to the white horse. This horse has its foot high, but seems to be pulling ahead, and it looks uncomfortable to me (just an opinion based on zero knowledge of horses)
3rd place to the gray horse cause I don't think it is moving forward at all
Casey,
You are to go forward "into the bit". The bit is not to "hold back". Think forward, forward, forward. And yes, if you look at his back feet/hocks you will see even in a still photo a great Spanish walk. Number two doesn't have his "foot high", he has freedom in his shoulder. He to is in the bit, but possibly because of the smaller, curved ring is not as forward as the unknown girl on the black horse.
Horse number three is way behind the vertical, and the bit is being used to "pull the shoulder up" instead of using collection and forward impulsion, which is the set standard. And I hope, Madame Col. will elaborate/correct any misstatements for my own knowledge also. You will always get a different outcome if there is a one standard instead of many different ideas. Who would you hire, and how much more would you pay for the best? If you wanted the public back year after year. The best, or new blood if given the top salary and the opportunity to costume and choreograph may come up with something amazing. We may have been able to be like an ever changing Broadway show with something new and different, instead of the same old, same old which I suggest they are now tired off. Try showing the same movie once year in the same city. You are going to get the same "cultists" but you sure aren't going to make a money. John Herriott eluded to Ringling changing the show every 3 years at Circus World, and Ringlings 2 road unit helped give a different show every other year. I hope Jim Alexander tells us how hard it was to do different things or change the shows, elephant, chimp, lions, sea lions regularly at St. Louis. That is the awesome task that great shows like Ringling, Krone, Casartelli, Knie, Togni etc. face each year and still keep a semblance of a standard. With animals it takes a great skill as a trainer/presenter. Krone uses many of the same "house" animals each year for their winter program and each year it is changed and very different. Some programs great, and some not so great, thats the nature of change, and pushing the envelope and leaving a comfort zone. But the public keeps coming back to see the different "changes".
Wade
Wade, speaking of change, I think that Siegfried & Roy said in their book (I know, beware of the BS in books), that someone told them never to change more than 50% of their act from year to year. We saw their act four times in seven years, and it had changed very little. I think they made money off the cultists.
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
It is the phenomena of a "satellite business." The public went to them, they didn't go to the public. Las Vegas is what brings the public to Nevada, like Disney World does for Arabian Nights, and Niagara Falls does for Marine Land and Game Farm, and Dana Montana hopes Lake Geneva will do for the Dancing Horse Theatre. And 50% would be sound advice. Even changing the costumes, music, and spec/finale would be a great start.
Wade
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