Horse Stars Walk the Red Carpet in Texas in Preparation For Largest Touring Show on Earth

By: Brittany Bevis

Thanks to Courtsey Promotions, we can give our EquineChronicle.com readers a behind-the-scenes look as 63 equine stars of the $30 million dollar theatrical production known as Cavalia’s Odysseo arrived at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark this week. The event, which has been touted as the largest touring show on earth, required 110 semi-trailers to move from Mexico City to its location in Frisco, Texas.

The premiere of the Cirque du Soleil- like show will take place January 24th, but there is plenty of preparation to be done before the White Big Top opens this Saturday. It took 10,000 tons of stone, earth, and sand to create the open space that was converted into the event site.

“Founder Normand Latourelle wanted the stage to be completely free of masts and obstructions, giving its creative team the freedom to design any scenes we could imagine for our two and four-legged performers,” says Odysseo’s Resident Artistic Director Darren Charles. “Overhanging the colossal stage is a technical grid that can support 80 tons of equipment, including a full-sized merry-go-round. This defies everything that has ever been done under a tent to date in the world.”

The size and grandeur of the main stage is quite impressive, but it’s the behind-the-scenes aspect of the equine production that’s turning heads. A total of five tents have been erected including the 17,225 square-foot stable tent for the horses.

Odysseo’s 20 person stable team includes veterinarians, health technicians, trainers, riders, grooming team, and a traveling farrier. The barn team works from 6:00 am to midnight every day and some employees live onsite so horses can be monitored around the clock.

Cavalia Fast Facts:

The Horses-

• The horses’ manes are braided each night to ensure they stay silky and shiny for the next day’s performance
• Most of the horses are not shod
• 8 meals are served each day- 5 servings of hay and 3 servings of grain
• 15,000 bales of Timothy hay and 70,400 lbs of Purina grain are consumed each year
• Horses get special treats on Sunday like carrots, bananas, apples, and pears

The Accommodations-

• Horses enjoy daily trips to outdoor paddocks to play and relax in between performances
• There are 8 wash racks in the stables
• Each year, 73,000 bags of wood chips are used and shavings are changed daily
• A day in the life of an Odysseo horse includes baths, grooming, massages, workshops, paddock time, and training

The Equestrians and Barn Team-

• 3 health technicians work full time at the show to ensure the horse’s safety and care
• Cavalia’s horse training is based upon a philosophy of understanding the needs, the preferences, and the emotions of the four-legged stars. The tone of the show, embraced by the company, is one of mutual respect, kindness, patience, and trust.

If you’re interested in purchasing tickets for the upcoming show, which begins this Saturday and runs through February 8th, visit http://cavalia.net/. Use special coupon code GALLOP and receive up to a 10% discount off regularly priced tickets!