Horses Without Humans, contributor
The Spirit of the Horse is a magical, heartwarming theater story on horseback that the whole family will enjoy! It is a showcase of World Class riders and horses brought together in an entertaining fashion as the original live production unfolds. This delightful one-and-a-half-hour event features a story rich with characters and diversity. You will see everything from orphans to villains and from dressage to liberty work (where the horse works in a free environment, unrestrained, without any riding equipment). The show includes Paula Frasz and the fabulous Pas de Cheval dancers and a holiday atmosphere with theater sound and lighting. The costuming is amazing, the horses are beautiful and the story is one that all can embrace.
Spirit of the Horse is a story of hope, love and the greatest treasure of all: family. The show features two orphans, whose only wish is a family to love them. In the story, they have been selected to carry the magic of the horse on to the next generation of horse lovers and are brought to the Snow Palace.
Highlights of the evening include five USDF Grand Prix gold medalist riders: Andrew Mitchell, a featured performer from the Arabian Nights dinner theater (Royal Couple); Kiersten Main (the Toy Soldier); Kassie Kuz (Royal Couple and Fairy); Kayla Barteau (the Guardian Angel) and Yvonne Barteau as the beautiful Snow Queen.
Barteau, of KYB Dressage, has entertained audiences across the United States with this family-friendly live holiday tale. Barteau is a USDF Gold medal rider and trainer who has spent her life performing in equine entertainment, from the Arabian Nights Dinner Theater in Orlando, Fla., to The TODAY Show and Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Barteau, the founder of Horses Without Humans, said the annual Spirit of the Horse event is the biggest fundraiser for the organization in terms of the number of people involved and money raised for a single event. “Like all our fundraisers, we use the money raised from the Spirit event to support the work of Horses Without Humans. Proceeds from Spirit will allow us to care for more horses who have been neglected, abused or in some other way let down by the humans entrusted with their care,” Barteau said.
Horses Without Humans, located in Bell, Fla., is a nonprofit equine adoption organization devoted to rehabilitating and retraining unwanted and at-risk equines with the goal of finding suitable life-long adoptive homes.
Directed by Jessica Lawton, this holiday show is not to be missed. There is limited seating for three nights only – Friday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 11, at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 5:30 p.m. All performances will be held in the outdoor covered arena at The Oaks Equestrian Center, located at 211 SW Theodore O’Connor Cir., in Lake City. Arrive an hour early to tour the beautifully decorated barn, pet the horses, view the silent auction items and visit the food vendors. Then enjoy the show and the wonderful memories. Tickets start at $15. Get your tickets now on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spirit-of-the-horse-holiday-show-tickets-201832746177.
For additional information, to volunteer at the Spirit event, to volunteer with Horses Without Humans or to request a speaker, contact Janet Herzberg, Volunteer Coordinator at (919) 482-0823 or email at HWH.adm.assist@gmail.com.
About Horses Without Humans
Horses Without Humans (HWH) was founded in 2017 by renowned dressage trainer Yvonne Barteau, a lifelong horsewoman and one of this nation’s most celebrated riders. A 501(c)3 nonprofit equine adoption organization, Horses without Humans is devoted to rehabilitating and retraining unwanted and at-risk equines with the goal of finding them suitable life-long adoptive homes.
Professional assessment, medical care, basic groundwork and the foundations of dressage are provided for all adoptable HWH horses, thereby giving them balance, understanding and an exceptional advantage for all equine disciplines. By giving them time, education and the conditioning necessary for them to be the best athletes and partners they can be, HWH is saving these horses and then finding them homes. Over 100 HWH horses have been adopted over the past two years.
The Horses Without Humans state-of-the-art training facility is in Bell, Fla., at the 120-acre Rock Bluff Ranch. For more information about Horses Without Humans, please go online to www.horseswithouthumans.org.
About Yvonne Barteau
Yvonne Barteau’s career with horses took her from jumping and barrel racing to Standardbred racing, to retraining Thoroughbred racehorses for resale, to a job with Arabian Nights Dinner Theater in Orlando, Fla. At Arabian Nights, she became Principal Trainer, Featured Performer and Director of Entertainment Operations. Since then, she has continued to pursue her passion for training horses, correcting equine behavioral challenges and competing in dressage while simultaneously earning her United States Dressage Federation Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, as well as her Gold, Silver and Bronze freestyle bars.
Her business, KYB Dressage, which has locations in both Bell and Lake City, Fla., has trained over a dozen horses to the Grand Prix Level and over 80 to Prix St. George. Barteau has qualified horses and riders for World Championships and World Cups and earned dozens of National and Regional titles.
With the highest ranking of five stars on the Center Line Scores rating system, Barteau has been long-listed for the Olympic Team with Dutch Stallion Liberty. In 2015 her longtime training project and friend, the Holsteiner stallion GP Raymeister, was named Most Winning Horse in USDF History.
Barteau continues to be a sought-after equine entertainment producer. She produced and performed the sold-out Breyerfest evening show at the Alltech Arena in Lexington, Ky., for four years in a row, as well as The Night of Dancing Horses for the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo. Her equine productions feature expert horsemanship, layered storylines and imaginative costuming.
An accomplished author, Barteau has published two award-winning books. Her most recent release, “The Dressage Horse Manifesto,” is the second of two books. Her first book, “Ride the Right Horse,” examines the impact of human and horse personalities and how they work together. In addition, Barteau has authored multiple screenplays, including “The Spirit of the Horse,” “All the Kings Horsemen” and “Dream Upon A Horse.”
Over the past several years, Barteau has written, produced and directed several award-winning documentaries, earning awards at both the 2015 and 2016 Equus Film Festival in New York for her films that bring awareness to the plight of unwanted horses, while capturing the magic of what equine theater horses can achieve. Her newest release, “Into the Spotlight Two,” premiered at the 2017 Equus Film Festival and was awarded Best Equine Film.