Gala of the Royal Horses Riding Master, Producer and Owner Renee Gasser shares a moment with Arabian Stallion, Pasha.
Royalty has come to the United States — or at least their horses.
Arabians, preferred by nobles from the Ottoman Empire and Sultans of Egypt; Spanish Andalusians, the breed of Spanish royalty; Lipizzanners, a favorite of Arch Duke Charles of the Austro Hungarian Empire; and Fresians, the royal Dutch breed, come together in Gala of the Royal Horses. The production is the brainchild of veteran horseman Rene Gasser and El Caballo Blanco. Gasser has spent the last 10 years touring Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore with horse shows, only now finding the opportunity to bring his brand of equine entertainment and education to America.
Gasser had planned to bring a show to the United States in 2001; however, the idea was tabled after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This incarnation has been in the works for about three years, with Gasser traveling to Spain and Holland to handpick several horses and prepare for the show.
“We arrived in Florida with the horses about six months ago and put the show together here,” said Gasser.
With Gala of the Royal Horses’ home base being in Florida, it made sense to start with a local venue. The show debuted at Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee on Feb. 7, heading to CFE Arena in Orlando the very next day, and finishing out the first weekend with a show at Jacksonville (Fla.) Veterans Memorial Arena.
Before the inaugural show, the production rented Silver Spurs Arena for a couple of days to practice the performance in an arena setting.
Robb Larson, GM at the SMG-managed Osceola Heritage Park, said that the facility has hosted horse shows in the past, including an annual rodeo, but that Gala of the Royal Horses brought something a bit different.
“From what I saw and the comments from our patrons, it was very exciting but also informative,” said Larson. “During the show, the performers would actually stop to explain what they were doing, and the audience enjoyed understanding and learning about the horses as they were on display and doing their different maneuvers.”
Gala of the Royal Horses also utilizes traditional music and costumes from whichever country is being represented.
Show announcer Scott Ehredt came to the production from Medieval Times in Buena Park, Calif. He said he’s seen other horse shows, but that he’s never seen information being provided to the audience as it’s done at Gala of the Royal Horses.
“This isn’t a show where you just sit back and watch horses; it’s a wonderful training session where Rene goes up and explains to people how he trains the horses, which is something not to be missed,” said Ehredt. “If there’s such a thing as horse whisperer, it’s Rene. He has a connection with them that’s just spectacular and it’s a delight to watch.”
Larson said hosting the first of anything is exciting for the fans, and brings a certain nervous excitement that you don’t find anywhere else.
Gala of the Royal Horses’ second date, Feb. 8 at CFE Arena, brought 1,144 guests to the venue for a gross of more than $45,000; and the Feb. 9 date in Jacksonville attracted 1,431 attendees.
“Being a new show is a double-edged sword depending on the event,” said Larson, who added that when people don’t know what they’re getting into, they may hesitate to purchase tickets. “I would hope that in the future their audience continues to grow as the word gets out about what their show is.”
“We’d like to have them back, and I think we’d do even better the next time,” he added.
The show is already gaining traction, with 2,178 paid attendees at the March 8 show at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., and more than 3,000 total attendance at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, Feb. 21, for a gross of more than $80,000. Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan., used a smaller configuration for the arena and sold-out its March 7 date, grossing more than $55,500.
The horses, which range in age from 10-19 years old, perform on weekends and are always given Monday off to rest. They slowly work toward performances, building up to the weekend with gradual activity and practice. Gala of the Royal Horses has its own trailers and transports its 15 horses.
“We transport them ourselves because we have a tight schedule and can’t have someone getting lost with the horses somewhere,” said Gasser. “If there are no horses, there’s no show.”
The production also transports stalls to be set up backstage, and 15 tons of custom-made flooring, developed by Gasser.
“We bring everything with us so that it doesn’t matter where in the world the horses are, they’re home,” said Gasser.
The flooring is a spongy, rubber-based mat that’s about one-and-a-half inches thick and takes about two-and-a-half hours to set up. The fact that the show doesn’t perform on dirt is appealing to venues, especially from a cleaning standpoint.
“It makes it a lot easier to clean up afterward and also to prepare for the show,” said Larson. “When you’re bringing in dirt it doesn’t just hit the ground, it hits the ceiling and the seats, too.”
Not using dirt also helps Gala of the Royal Horses load in, perform, and tear down the setup in just one day at a facility.
Ticket prices begin at $25 and range to $55, which is a VIP ticket that includes a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with the horses and performers.
The production staff is full of people who are passionate about horses.
Gasser’s family is involved with the show, with his daughter performing in the arena, son working backstage and his wife, Barbara, looking after the business side of the operation.
Ehredt owns trail horses at his home in California. His daughter is currently looking after them.
“I miss my horses when I’m on the road,” he said. “I can call my daughter and catch up, but you just can’t call your horses.”
It looks like Ehredt will be missing his horses for a while.
Firm dates have been scheduled as far out as June 1 at Tucson (Ariz.) Convention Center, with stops along the way at venues including Amarillo (Texas) Civic Center, Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Ala., and Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times Forum. The show will tour the U.S. for multiple years, working its way to the West Coast for 2015 and picking up some of the markets it didn’t get a chance to play this year.
“It’s going to take several years to run this show,” said Lyn Adams, who’s booking Gala of the Royal Horses. “They have their visas, so the show’s staying here for a while.”
Interviewed for this story: Lyn Adams, Scott Ehredt and Rene Gasser, (407) 657-8220; Robb Larson, (321) 697-3321