Horse Diving Attraction Blasted in New Jersey
The famous diving horse at Atlantic City's Steel Pier has finally been retired for good after facing loud criticism.
A legendary attraction from the 1920s to the 1970s, a horse and rider would plunge 40-feet from a platform into a 12-foot-deep water tank. The act sparked anger and criticism from animal-welfare activists who protested the event.
After having considered bringing the attraction back, Anthony Catanoso, whose family owns the historic pier, decided against it.
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"We just felt that since Atlantic City is moving forward, we should move forward with it," he said, according to The Associated Press. "We should create new memories for visitors instead of recreating old ones."
The horse diving event helped make the Steel Pier world famous. In 1993 Catanoso had revived the act, but it shut down two months later after backlash from animal rights activists.
"That negativity -- we didn't want that to interfere with the positive things we're trying to do," said Catanoso, who is working toward refurbishing the Jersey Shore pier.
Over 55,000 people signed online petitions on change.com urging Catanoso to omit the horse diving act from the plans for the pier.
"We are pleased so many citizens spoke up and urged that this spectacle never get off the ground," said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States in a statement emailed to Reuters.
"Horse diving has the potential to frighten and injure and kill horses, and it rightly belongs in Atlantic City's history books," he concluded.
Atlantic City has suffered from the economic declines of today and its legendary casinos face growing competition from others on the East Coast. Also, the city is battling high crime rates.
