Eleven Arabian stallions getting some rest at a farm in the Escarpment

News 100 greenBy Pepper Parr

June 14, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

They were very attractive – close to beautiful and graceful – not words that are normally used to describe males – but they certainly applied to the eleven Arabian stallions that were running around a field on a magnificent farm in the Escarpment.

Megan feeding C

Megan Morris is drawing the horses towards her with a bucket o grain in her hands. Two of the horses were more interested in what the photographer was doing.

The horses were part of a herd of 65 horses that are part of the Cavalia Odysseo that will be performing in Mississauga under a massive tent for a 12 day run.

Megan feeding A

Once the horses knew there was grain for them they clustered around to shove their noses into the bucket.

This was a rest and recreation occasion for the animals that get fed eight times a day – five meals of hay and three of grain.

The animals were very curious when we walked into the field to take some pictures – we wanted to see how they handled things when they were being fed grain so Megan Morris, one of the grooms fetched a bucket of oats – the horses gathered around her very very quickly.

These are exceptionally well trained animals that have careers that are as short as a year and can last as long as six years – then it is full time retirement for them.

Megan feed B

Megan is in the middle of the herd on a site that is about as majestic as it gets in the Escarpment,

They live for up to twenty years – when there performance days are over they are adopted by people, often their trainers.

Laure Warda, the communication lead, explained the adoption procedure – the rules are pretty rigid
While they are performing these horses work with their riders and their trainers to complete very exacting routines.

Stallion - young - colour leaves

The brown spots disappear as the horse ages.

They will leave the fields in the Escarpment on Thursday and get trucked into Mississauga where they will perform under a huge tent.

The riders and the horses have a relationship that is based on the needs, preferences and emotions of the animals. A performance will last no longer than 15 minutes – but that 15 minutes is the result of hundreds of hours of training.

The shows begin June 21st and run through to July 16th. Tickets can be ordered online

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