Horseplay: Rene Gasser with one of his star performers.
ERIN PEARSON
SWISS-born horse trainer Rene Gasser was a natural entertainer by the tender age of six.
After his grandmother introduced him to horses as a small child, Gasser is now a sixth generation horseman.
Over the years he worked alongside some of Europe’s finest horse trainers and riders while finding time to settle in Australia.
Gasser is now touring the country with his latest horse entertainment extravaganza, El Caballo Blanco: The Dance of the White Stallions.
He promised the show would be his biggest and best spectacular yet.
“The show we’re doing right now is a celebration of the Spanish horse and its culture. We’re highlighting the beautiful horses and also flamenco dances, musicians and singers,” Gasser said.
“At the end of the day we are entertainers. The horses and I, and we love to entertain people who love horses.”
Gasser said El Caballo Blanco: The Dance of the White Stallions would feature performing Andalusian, Friesian, Lipizzaner and Arabian breeds.
Gasser’s love of horses and performing runs deep. He lives and breathes his travelling showman lifestyle, staying close beside his herd of beautifully-kept animals no matter where in the world his entourage travels.
Gasser said the horses required hundreds of hours of maintenance, with some sporting manes over one metre long.
“You have to be in love with this job otherwise it’s too hard,” he admitted.
“Some days you spend 24 hours with the horses. I was lucky in the sense that I love it because I grew up in a family with the same love and now have all the ties and knowledge from my parents and grandparents.
“In this show I’ve got 10 horses but own 30 all up and I remember all their names and little mannerisms.
“I try not to be biased but my favorite is my Apollo. He’s a black horse I got 22 years ago and he’s been with me since he was a baby.”
Gasser said many people who attend his shows were formerly horse owners who could not hide their passion for the animals.
“You can see the love in their eyes when they talk about the horses they used to have. There’s something special about horses,” he said.
“For me the excitement comes when the horses enter the ring and you hear the awe of the audience.
“It makes it all worthwhile.”
Gasser will perform El Caballo Blanco: The Dance of the White Stallion twice at Geelong Arena on October 15.
