During the first performance of the play De Stormruiter in Leeuwarden, one of the Friesian horses featured in the show was injured.
Translation by Traci White
The show, which premiered this weekend at the WTC in Leeuwarden, features 100 live Friesian horses. During a stunt in the performance that involved two acrobats balancing on the back of a horse, the horse stumbled and remained on the ground for some time. The horse was eventually helped back into standing upright and was led out of the arena, clearly limping.
Director Jos Thie told the alarmed audience during the intermission that the horse had been taken to a horse vet in Emmeloord to be evaluated, where it was determined that the animal had not broken any bones, but that its leg was indeed bruised.
“De Stormruiter” is one of the highest profile events during the Leeuwarden-Fryslan Capital of Culture year and tells the story of the regions centuries-long battle against the elements and the unique origin story of the Frisian horse breed. The show, which is based on the German story “De Schimmelreiter”, features performances by well-known Dutch actors and musicians.
King Willem-Alexander and princess Beatrix were in attendance for the premiere of the show on Saturday. The show will have 22 performances in the coming months and 100,000 tickets have been sold.
Photo source: Wikipedia
