You are not alone if you have never heard of horse diving, From the late 1800s through the end of the Second World War, this strange and now-forgotten stunt was a well-liked attraction in the United States.
Horse diving was the practise of a woman in a bathing suit jumping a horse off a platform and into a swimming pool. The tallest Olympic diving board is 32 feet or 10 metres, which is about half as high as this platform, which has a potential height of 60 feet (18.3 m).
At Atlantic City’s Steel Pier, the most well-known horse diving competition took place, Huge crowds frequently flocked to the location to watch the “diving girls” do the risky stunt.
Origin of Horse Diving
You may be wondering where this odd sport came from? According to Wikipedia, Doctor William Frank Carver had the concept of horse diving for the first time in 1881.
Carver was allegedly riding a horse across a partially fallen bridge across the platte River in Nebraska, His mount was forced to dive into the river below. He pondered whether horse could be taught to dive in response to this.
William Frank Carver was a superb marksman who supported himself by travelling the Wild West, planning shooting competitions, and putting on animal exhibits.
Following the event involving the bridge, he organised his first horse diving competition in Texas. He had two diving teams touring the nation by 1923.
His daughter Lorena Carver became the first diving girl, and his son Al Floyd Carver constructed the first diving ramp. Sonora Webster, the most famous diving girl in history, joined the group in 1924.
Shortly after his beloved horse drowned, William Frank Carver passed away in 1927 due to bad health. Long after he passed away, his troupe of diving girls carried on the act.
