Magic, with 61 horses

Cavalia's new show, OdysseO, opened in Toronto on my birthday.  And lucky me, I got to go.   And, yes, they do put waterfalls on stage. And endless prairies, mountain landscapes, African veldts, deserts of rolling sand.  The visuals of the show are worth the trip, never mind the horses.  And the acrobats and gymnasts. 

Together they weave a wonderful place.  There are 61 horses in the show, many of them working at liberty. Which means without saddle or bridle, with no handler touching them.   The connection to the handler is deeper than that, and the horses are calm, willing, connected.   It is beautiful to watch.  The set itself is a magical place that opens up to limitless vistas.  I'm told is the Imax technology.  Either that, or magic...

There are a lot of gray horses -- for which phrase, you should read 'white'.  Bath-time must start early in the stables.  The extremely long manes and tails that are very much part of the Spanish horses, the Andalusians, Lusitanos and Arabians all need to be carefully 'put up' for the night after the show to keep them from tangling and matting -- I should think that anything that saved a little bit of labour would be welcome.

As part of opening night, we were able to tour through the stables after the show. As one would expect, they are a showpiece as well, and spotlessly clean.  The horses travel with their own cadre of experts. One large room is dedicated to diagnostic materials and vet medicines. Not to mention a little 'light reading' material.  Without the horses, there is no show. Their welfare is paramount.

I found it interesting just seeing the organization behind the tack stalls. And I spared a thought for the hard workers who's job it is to keep the saddles and bridles sparkling and burnished.

The house was full for the evening. Souvenirs were flying off the shelves -- everywhere in the stands you would see kids clutching wonderfully soft plush stuffed Cavalia horses.

Magic is not that easy to make, even in this day and age. But this show spins it beautifully.  The riders, gymnasts --and of course the horses -- make it look effortless.  This little look behind the scenes was a good reminder of the unseen work that goes into this show.  So here's a cheer for the horses, all 61 of them... and for all the riders and gymnasts... and for those who work behind the scenes to be sure the Magic can unfold as it should. 

You should go. It's worth seeing.