There were many surprises the night we attended the Gala of the Royal Horses. The stunning beauty of the horses was astonishing. The wondrous feats their trainers and riders coaxed out of them were remarkable. But the most surprising element of the evening was the size of the observing audience, which by all but the most generous estimations, was puny!

The first sign of concern was the ticket takers "upgrading" everyone's tickets. Which meant that we moved from the upper tier of seats to the third row from the floor. My friend Beth Warden and I loved that and so did Beth's daughter, Jenna and her friend Abby. The next issue was an announcement from the master-of-ceremonies informing everyone that the performance time printed on the tickets was incorrect and it would be an additional half-hour to the show.

I'm only guessing, but I believe this was in the hope of doing more walk-up business. And it wasn't too long after that announcement that the phrase "this is a fiasco" was uttered by a woman in the group of people behind us.

The ticket prices were steep, but it was obvious that true horse lovers forked over the cash and sat in the front rows for the opportunity to meet the gorgeous horses and their human performing partners.

Gala of Royal Horses horse & trainer perform
Photo by Patty Dee
loading...

The Gala combined the beauty and nobility of these magnificent equine athletes with a Spanish cultural backdrop and an almost classroom-like presentation of the breeds, their purpose and importance in their various cultures. I understand incorporating music and dance into the performance to expand the cultural connection, but it seemed incongruous. Perhaps if there had been more dancers, instead of a lone vocalist, who also performed the flamenco with a 4-piece band, (which was talented but somehow inadequate) maybe it would have been more of an occasion.

The  fifteen minute intermission seemed unnecessary and upon returning, the crowd was noticeably smaller. It is probably just me, but when I hear the term "gala", I'm thinking big, blow-you-out-of-your-seat entertainment! I'm thinking music, lights, numerous, bright and beautiful costumes, lots of action and because this was a horse show- -lots of horses!

The ones that were present were beautiful and wonderfully trained but there were not very many and honestly they didn't have them do a whole lot which truly showcased them. I was left wondering what their performances in other venues would be like. All that aside, the opportunity to take in the beauty of such extraordinary creatures in any environment was a treat for me!

 

 

 

More From KXRB