Cavalia
Encyclopedia
Cavalia is a company based in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
that presents large-scale equestrian productions involving trick riding
, vaulting
, haute école
and pas de deux
, unbridled displays, and Cirque du Soleil
-like performances.
Cavalia was created and directed by Normand Latourelle, one of the original founders of Cirque du Soleil. The musical score was composed by Michel Cusson.
The tour uses 52 horses, all of them either stallions
or geldings. Thirteen horses are Lusitano
s (and brothers or half-brothers), and the remainder are Andalusian or PRE
, Canadian Horse
s, American Quarter Horse
s, Paint horses, Belgians
, Percheron
s, Arabians, and Appaloosa
. About half of the horses were brought from southern France
and the rest are from the United States
.
The show is performed in the largest tent in North America
, a 2440 m² (26,300 ft²) big top, and takes 40 people 12 days to erect and 7 days to dismantle. The stable adds on another 1070 m² (11,500 ft²), and it takes 45 trucks to move the whole show. The 46 m (150 ft) wide stage takes 1500 tons of sand to complete.
The horses are only asked to practice one hour each day, and get two hours each day for play. They only perform for 5–10 minutes per show, 7-8 times each week, and the horses are trained to understudy for each other so different horses can be given the day off.
In May 2009, Government of Canada
provided Cavalia with a $4-million loan to Cavalia Inc. to develop new productions and construct a horse-training facility in Sutton, Quebec
.
). These horses eat 40 bales of hay per day, and consume 900 kg (1980 lb) of grain and 20 kg (44 lb) of carrots each week. Many of the horses have their mane braided when not performing, and Templado's knee-length mane takes 90 minutes to complete. A team of 20 people, including a stables manager, two veterinary technicians, a farrier
and several grooms, take care of horses' well-being.
, United States, Australia, Mexico
, and Morocco
.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that presents large-scale equestrian productions involving trick riding
Horse riding stunts
Trick riding is a form of horse riding stunts, such as the rider standing upright on a galloping horse. Other stunts might include hanging upside down off of the side of the horse while attached to a strap or jumping on and off a galloping horse....
, vaulting
Equestrian vaulting
Equestrian vaulting, or simply Vaulting , is most often described as gymnastics and dance on horseback and, like these disciplines, it can be practised as a non-competitive art/performance or as a competitive sport. Vaulting has been an equestrian act at the circus from its early days. It is open...
, haute école
Classical dressage
Classical dressage evolved from cavalry movements and training for the battlefield, and has since developed into the competitive dressage seen today...
and pas de deux
Pas de deux (dressage)
A pas de deux is an equestrian performance using two horses. The horses perform dressage movements, usually mirroring each other. It is seen not only in displays and musical freestyles, but also in performances by the Spanish Riding School....
, unbridled displays, and Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
-like performances.
Cavalia was created and directed by Normand Latourelle, one of the original founders of Cirque du Soleil. The musical score was composed by Michel Cusson.
The tour uses 52 horses, all of them either stallions
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
or geldings. Thirteen horses are Lusitano
Lusitano
The Lusitano is a Portuguese horse breed, closely related to the Spanish Andalusian horse. Both are sometimes called Iberian horses, as the breeds both developed on the Iberian peninsula, and until the 1960s they were considered one breed, under the Andalusian name...
s (and brothers or half-brothers), and the remainder are Andalusian or PRE
Andalusian horse
The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE , is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation...
, Canadian Horse
Canadian Horse
The Canadian Horse is a breed of horse developed in Canada. Although previously relatively unknown due to its rarity, the Canadian Horse has influenced many other North American breeds, including the Morgan, American Saddlebred, and Standardbred...
s, American Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
s, Paint horses, Belgians
Belgian (horse)
The Belgian Draft horse or Belgian, also known as Belgian Heavy Horse, Brabançon, or Brabant, is a draft horse breed from the Brabant region of modern Belgium, where it is called the or Flemish: . It is one of the strongest of the heavy breeds...
, Percheron
Percheron
The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Perche valley in northern France. Percherons are usually gray or black in color. They are well-muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work. Although their exact origins are unknown, the ancestors of the breed were...
s, Arabians, and Appaloosa
Appaloosa
The Appaloosa is a horse breed best known for its colorful leopard-spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's color pattern is genetically the result of various spotting...
. About half of the horses were brought from southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the rest are from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The show is performed in the largest tent in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, a 2440 m² (26,300 ft²) big top, and takes 40 people 12 days to erect and 7 days to dismantle. The stable adds on another 1070 m² (11,500 ft²), and it takes 45 trucks to move the whole show. The 46 m (150 ft) wide stage takes 1500 tons of sand to complete.
The horses are only asked to practice one hour each day, and get two hours each day for play. They only perform for 5–10 minutes per show, 7-8 times each week, and the horses are trained to understudy for each other so different horses can be given the day off.
In May 2009, Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
provided Cavalia with a $4-million loan to Cavalia Inc. to develop new productions and construct a horse-training facility in Sutton, Quebec
Sutton, Quebec
Sutton is a town situated in southwestern Quebec. It is part of the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality in the administrative region of the Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 3,805...
.
The equine stars
The stars of the show are the horses, about half stallions and half geldings (there are no maresMare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
). These horses eat 40 bales of hay per day, and consume 900 kg (1980 lb) of grain and 20 kg (44 lb) of carrots each week. Many of the horses have their mane braided when not performing, and Templado's knee-length mane takes 90 minutes to complete. A team of 20 people, including a stables manager, two veterinary technicians, a farrier
Farrier
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves...
and several grooms, take care of horses' well-being.
The human stars
The show also features over 20 human stars from Canada, and also from France, KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, United States, Australia, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
- Mohamed Achoune: Acrobatics, tumbling, dancing, Chinese pole
- Coen Clarke: Russian bar
- Jason Fergusson: Russian bar
- Dosbergen Kozugulov: Trick riding, dancing
- Marianella Michaud: Dancing, bungee, vertical rope, acrobatics
- Marie-Élaine Mongeau: Hand to hand, dancing, bungee, acrobatics
- Faiçal Moulid: Acrobatics, tumbling, dancing, trampoline
- Majolie Nadeau: Acrobatics, bungee, trampoline, vertical rope
- Maxime Panteleenko: Straps, Russian bar
- Landon Pearson: Trick riding, lasso
- Alexandre Philippe: Trick riding
- Benjamin Aillaud: Equestrian Director
- Renny Spencer; Trick riding, lasso
- Sylvia Zerbini; Liberty