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.
Monday, February 27, 2012
For Radar--Hang Seats
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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6 comments:
But, they take less room in the trailer and can still be thrown.
Tom
Tom,
Yes, they do take up less room, but again limit the options you have for them in the act, which should be more of a consideration then room in the truck. Why did animal acts stay the same for so long they became boring? Because they used the same old props. If you have three elephant tubs for 100 years, you don't have a lot of options. Same with seats and a pyramid. The current show I am training an act for said, "I want a different act. All my act's have been the same." The next day I gave them blueprints for new props. They asked, "why do you need now props? What is wrong with the one's in the old act?" I said, "if I use them, you will have the same old act again?" Made perfect sense to them, and new props were delivered post haste. As for throwing a seat, I have never seen one thrown, but I have seen them dropped especially when they stack them to high on a two wheeled dolly and the loading ramp in the building has a drain grate across it.
Wade
Has there been an escape from the steel arena during an act at any time in the past?
Some arenas have used nets or inward leaning steel grates. I wonder if the use of such things are insurance company demands or the preference of the presenter or show manager.
My arena had a wide swinging, elephant door that opened by itself, mid act. I caught it and saved a melee under the big top.
Dennis
Dennis,
I never saw an animal escape or even an attempt at escape, but Lou Reagan told me that he saw a lion try to go over the top at Thousand Oaks. Possibly there was a chance of it happening "back in the day" and with barred arenas, I could see where it might occur, given the "harsher" methods of training back then. With the pull up net cages it is impossible, and next to impossible with a cable frame cage, especially with some of the horrid cheap ones made with the cable just passed over and under, instead of a diamond weave. Lou had an over hang on his cage because the cage was made out of square "hog wire". McMillian had an overhang, as well as did Baudy. Jose Barrada had a net, and that was the last one I saw until the state of Tennessee past a bill requiring them on ALL arena's used in the state. Tennessee also requires you to have a shotgun and a box of shell's but they don't require you to know how to load it or use it. I think they saw old pictures of cage act's with nets and thought we need to make sure those circus folks have one of those. There is no one old enough around anymore, with the exception of possibly Jim Clubb(relax Clubby, I'm kidding. :) to verify or deny whether they were of use or not.
They were an easy deal to hang in a tent, but often a major task in a taller building, which may be why they "disappeared" and a few overhangs were used.
I realize it is a bit late now Dennis, but a chain and snap works very well on that swinging door deal, big or small
Wade
Well, the prop boys used Carson & Barnes welding rods - baling twine.
Dennis,
That goes without saying. D.R. always kept abreast of the latest, cutting edge engineering technology. The use of welding goggles, instead of a windshield to keep bugs out of your eyes was brilliant. Far, far ahead of it's time in the early 70's. :)
Wade
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