Man`s best friend may be the dog, but an argument can be made that man`s hardest-working companion is the horse.
These are no-nonsense working animals, whether they`re performing the classical horse ballet known as dressage at Tempel Farms in Wadsworth, pulling a carriage through traffic on Michigan Avenue, competing in a polo match near North Pier or dealing with inept first-time riders yelling ”giddy up” in their ears on bridle paths in the forest preserves.
The only tangible reward these dedicated equines receive for working like a horse is getting to eat like one.
Horse fanciers claim that love is the only other compensation they require for their labor.
”I believe they truly seem to enjoy doing their jobs,” says George Williams, director of Tempel Farms.
”For those of us who live in urban areas, horses represent a link to something wild-something I think people are beginning to miss.”
Well, if you yearn for a touch of the wild, there are lots of ways you can see horses in action, ride them, or be pulled down the street in a carriage by them. Here`s a roundup of some of the equine activity around the Chicago area:
Lipizzans
These are the large, dancing white horses that perform intricate movements known as dressage, akin to ballet on horseback. They perform at Tempel Farms, 1700 Wadsworth Rd. in Wadsworth, through Aug. 26. This season, 26 horses appear in the program, which begins with four frisky foals, one born in June and three in May. These Lipizzans don`t yet have the snow white coloring of their parents. (Lipizzans are born dark brown, and their coats lighten with age.)
The classic dressage movements follow, and continue for about an hour. One highlight is called Airs Above the Ground, which calls for the horse to execute several specific jumping, leaping and sitting movements with nonchalant grace.
The ceremonial program is accompanied by many of the same tunes that have always been played in dressage programs, the hits of Mozart, Strauss and Tchaikovsky. For many, the highlight of the day actually follows the show-it`s the opportunity to walk through the stables, meeting the stars of the show or taking pictures alongside these rare horses.
Performances are outdoors but move indoors in poor weather. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays and at 1 p.m. this Saturday and Aug. 23. Tickets are $12, $10 senior citizens, $5 children 4 to 14 (under 4, free). Parking is free. For further information call 708-623-7272.
Carriage rides
Is there anything more romantic than riding in a horse-drawn carriage? If your answer is a romantic restaurant, the carriage ride operators on Michigan Avenue now have a new gimmick. They will (for an extra fee) provide a catered dinner inside the carriage.
”I don`t think we`ll really put romantic restaurants out of business,”
says Joyce Rounds, director of special events at Coach Horse Equestrian Center. ”But we`re responsible for more engagements than I can count.”
According to Larry Ortega, owner of Chicago Horse and Carriage Co., last season his company averaged a record three engagements a week.
The carriage rides might be former Mayor Jane Byrne`s most enduring legacy. In 1979, at one of those now-famous Byrne festivals, the then-mayor hired Dan Sampson, now owner of Coach Horse Equestrian Center, to drive old-fashioned carriage rides.
When the festival ended, the demand for rides continued. So Sampson and others proceeded to fill that demand on Michigan Avenue.
The romantic carriage rides have survived complaining aldermen, frantic cab drivers and enraged local residents who have stepped in horse poop.
By the way, Rounds claims that the diapers that trail the carriage horses are 100 percent effective. She blames the mounted police horses for any horse poop that you might encounter along the Magnificent Mile.
Here`s a guide to the companies that offer the carriage rides.
Antique Coach and Carriage: southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Huron Street; 12 carriage licenses; 7 p.m.-midnight Mondays through Fridays, noon-midnight Saturdays and Sundays. $35 per half hour. (Also offers rides through Lincoln Park, departing from the bridge off Cannon Drive just north of the Lincoln Park Zoo Farm-in-the-Zoo, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, $20 per half hour.); 312-787-1349.
Chicago Horse and Carriage Co.: southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street; 10 carriage licenses; 6:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. $30 per half hour for five or fewer passengers, $35 per half hour for six passengers; 312-944-6773.
Coach Horse Equestrian Center: southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street; 25 carriage licenses; 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.-midnight Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturdays and Sundays. $30 per half hour for up to four passengers, $35 per half hour for five or six passengers; 312-266-7878.
Gold Coast Carriage: southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street; one license; 7 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays through Fridays, 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. $30 per half hour; 312-334-3960.
Royal Carriage: southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street;
three licenses; 7 p.m.-1 a.m. daily. $30 per half hour up to four passengers, $35 per half hour for five or six passengers; 312-567-9233.
Polo
Michael Butler is determined to take to the masses what has been a sport of the nobility and the wealthy. At least, the masses who can afford to watch it. It`s actually cheaper to see a polo match at the new Chicago Polo Club at CityFront Center, 455 McClurg Ct., than attending a Cubs or White Sox game. Butler says that polo is hockey on horseback, a relatively simple and always exciting game for fans. There are three or four players on a side (depending on the size of the field), and the object is to score goals. You hit a leather or plastic ball about the size of a croquet ball with a bamboo stick that`s about 50 to 52 inches long. The sticks have a hard head at their bottom about the size of a cigar, and that`s where you whack the ball.
The game has four chukkers, which is a fancy polo term for periods, each lasting 7 1/2 minutes. While Butler calls the ancient sport easy to follow, it`s anything but easy to play. That ball can move as fast as 85 m.p.h., and the challenge is to hit it in just the right spot while your horse is traveling up to 35 m.p.h. It`s no simple task.
Because of their stamina, thoroughbreds are most often used as polo ponies,lthough Butler says a new trend is to breed thoroughbreds with quarter horses.
Butler`s team is called the Chicago Centaurs, named for the mythological half man and half horse seen on the astrological sign of Sagittarius. They play a schedule of games against nearby teams and an international schedule that includes matches against Italy, Nigeria, Jamaica, England and Mexico. On Sunday, the Centaurs compete against the Canadian national team. The Centaurs play at 3 p.m. on Sundays and at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. (You can show up about 90 minutes early to see the preliminary competition at no extra charge). Tickets are $7.50 to $12.50 on Sundays and $5 to $10 on Wednesdays. Call 312-243-5985 for details.
Polo is also played at the Polo and Equestrian Center of Oak Brook, 31st Street one-fourth mile west of York Road in Oak Brook. Matches are at 1 and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $8 (a single ticket is good for both matches), children under 12 years free. Call 708-990-7656 for details.
Trail rides
There are about 200 miles of bridle paths in Cook County, not to mention many miles of trails in nearby counties. The paths have been there for years, and for years some were hardly used.
But today, trail ride operators agree that their business is riding high. ”Horses are just what up-tight urban people need,” says Betty Hansen, owner of Willow Brook Acres Riding Club in Morton Grove. ”It`s very therapeutic and it`s still cheaper than a psychiatrist. A little bit of fresh country air, contact with nature and the chance to ride a horse can work wonders for the soul.”
It`s ironic that trail rides are so popular because today they`re harder to find than ever before. According to Hansen and others, many operators have gone out of business in the last five years or so.
Apparently, that old adage about getting back on a horse if you fall off ought to be updated to ”I`ll call my lawyer if I fall off,” according to stable owners, who claim that skyrocketing liability insurance has driven many of them out of business.
Even if they can afford the insurance, many landowners simply can`t afford to pay ever-increasing property taxes.
Other operators have buckled to temptation from developers willing to pay top dollar to build. At least two previous stable locations are now shopping centers.
Some tips: Trail rides should always be accompanied by a guide, horses should be wearing shoes securely in place, horses should be well-groomed and visitors should be allowed to inspect the stables.
The Cook County Forest Preserves will send you a free map that includes their bridle paths; call 312-261-8400, 708-366-9420 or TDD 708-771-1190.
Here`s a guide to some of the local operators offering bridle path rides. On your first ride of the season, the Cook County Forest Preserves require a $1 license. By law, failure to show a license while on horseback could result in a $25 to $500 fine. Many operators also arrange rides for disabled people based on specific needs, and many offer riding lessons.
Daghem Acres, 8214 Kean Ave., Willow Springs. Hours: 9 a.m.-dusk Tuesdays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays, closed Mondays. Horse rentals: $9 per hour; pony rides $5 per half hour. Phone: 708-839-9552. Forest View Livery, 5300 W. 167th St., Tinley Park. Hours: 8 a.m.-one hour before dusk daily. Horse rentals: $10 per hour; pony rides $5 per half hour. Phone:
708-560-0306.
Glenwood Stables, 1465 Glenwood Lansing Rd. (southwest corner of Glenwood Lansing Road and Stony Island Avenue), near Glenwood. Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Horse rentals: $8 per hour; pony rides $5 per half hour. Phone:
708-895-1810. La Remuda Stables, 8290 Kean Ave., Willow Springs. Hours: Dawn to dusk daily. Horse rentals: $7 per hour. Phone: 708-839-0006.
Northwestern Equestrian Center, 9453 Harms Rd., Morton Grove. Hours: 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, closed Mondays. Horse rentals: $18 per hour; pony rides $5 per 15 minutes. Phone: 708-966-8080. South Forty, on Bode Road just east of Illinois Highway 59, Streamwood. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Horse rentals: $12 per hour. Phone: 708-830-4895.
Willow Brook Acres Riding Club, 9501 Austin Ave., Morton Grove. Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Mondays. Horse rentals: $15 per hour; pony rides $10 per half hour. Phone: 708-967-9800.
