Thursday, April 27, 2017

Female Daredevil For Thursday...!

In keeping with my effort to include a post of some women from time to time, I want to talk about female daredevil Sonora Webster Carver.

Not only was she a daredevil, she was the first female horse diver! It takes a lot of courage to do something like that, I'm thinking! I'm putting a short clip of one of her dives on this post as well!

Sonora Webster Carver



For a time in the early 20th century, a stunt involved forcing horses to dive from towers up to 60 feet high. Horse diving sometimes involved people actively riding the horse over the edge of the tower. Sonora Webster Carver was the first woman to become a horse diver.

William “Doc” Carver was the inventor of the act, and he placed an ad calling for “a girl who could swim and dive and was willing to travel.” Sonora Webster answered, and from 1924, she would mount a running horse as it climbed the ramp to the jump and ride it into a pool of water sometimes only 12 feet deep. She married Doc’s son, marrying into the family business.

In 1931, Sonora’s horse Hot Lips made a mistake and tumbled into the water face first, as did Sonora. The shock of the collision detached her retinas and totally blinded her. Despite this, she continued to dive horses for 11 years. Carver lived to be 99.

Imagine the shock of doing something like that with no sight! Heck, I couldn't do it with both eyes open!

Coffee out on the patio. Sorry, but it's getting pretty warm outside!

9 comments:

linda m said...

You wouldn't catch me doing anything like that - sighted or blind. Most stunts to me are are just that, a stunt and not worth risky my life over. Well, my yard is a lake agin. It's been raining since yesterday with no end in sight. Thank goodness our sump pump still works or I would be swimming in my basement. Have a good day.

Momlady said...

PETA would have been all over that. Rain here, too, Linda M. Seems we're making up for last year's drought. Love riding horses but not diving with one.

HermitJim said...

Hey Linda...
Sorry to hear about the rain. Some is good, but when the yard gets to be a lake that's bad!
Thanks for stopping in today!


Hey Momlady...
Wouldn't they though? Many of the older animal acts just couldn't be done now days!
Thanks for coming by this morning!

JO said...

well I was crazy as a kid but this.. No I don't thing so. They don't say what happened to the horse poor thing.

Had a beautiful day here yesterday but today promises more awful winds. Maybe I should bring a fan that shoots water to the patio

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
Maybe a misting fan would be good for ya. Certainly couldn't hurt.
Thanks for dropping in, girl!

Dizzy-Dick said...

My dare-devil ways stopped when I quit drinking. . . (grin).

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
I hear ya on that, my friend!
Thanks for the visit today!

Unknown said...

The very thought of this scares me silly. I might have felt differently when I was younger although I don't remember. It is rather amazing that we never tried this with Preacher and Deacon....or at least entertained the notion!

HermitJim said...

Hey Sis...
Even in our younger days, I don't think we were that crazy! Bet neither Preacher or Deacon would never even try and go for it, either!
Thanks for stopping in, B!