Sonora Webster Carver
Encyclopedia
Sonora Webster Carver, February 2, 1904-September 20, 2003, was an American entertainer, most notable as one of the first female horse divers
. Webster answered an ad placed by William "Doc" Carver
in 1923 for a diving girl and soon earned a place in circus history. Her job was to mount a running horse as it reached the top of a forty-foot (sometimes sixty-foot) tower and sail down on its back as it plunged into a deep pool of water directly below. She was a sensation and soon became the lead diving girl for Doc's act as they traveled the country.
Sonora fell in love with and eventually married Doc's son, Al, who eventually took over the show in 1927, after the death of his father. Her sister Arnette Webster French followed in her footsteps, becoming a horse diver and joining the show in 1928.
In 1931, Sonora was blinded, a retinal detachment
, due to hitting the water off-balance with her eyes open, while diving her horse, Red Lips, on Atlantic City
's Steel Pier
, the act's permanent home since 1929. After her accident she continued to dive horses until 1942. Arnette left the show in 1935.
Arnette explained Sonora’s decision to continue riding after her accident in this way: "The movie
made a big deal about having the courage to go on riding after she lost her sight. But, the truth was riding the horse was the most fun you could have and we just loved it so. We didn't want to give it up. Once you were on the horse, there really wasn't much to do but hold on. The horse was in charge."
Arnette, who was 15 when she took her first horse dive, remarked in an interview that "Wherever we went, the S.P.C.A. (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was always snooping around, trying to find if we were doing anything that was cruel to animals. They never found anything because those horses lived the life of Riley
. In all the years of the act, there was never a horse that was injured."
Sonora's account can be read in her 1961 book, A Girl and Five Brave Horses
, and seen in the fictionalized movie version of her life, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
, starring Gabrielle Anwar
. She was, apparently, disappointed in the way that the movie depicted her life and career. She remarked to Arnette after screening the film that "the only thing true in it was that I rode diving horses, I went blind, and I continued to ride for another 11 years."
Sonora died at the age of 99 in New Jersey, on September 21, 2003. She lived in Pleasantville, New Jersey
at the time of her death.
Diving horse
A diving horse is an attraction that was popular in the mid 1880s, in which a horse would dive into a pool of water, sometimes from as high as 60 feet up.-History:...
. Webster answered an ad placed by William "Doc" Carver
William Frank Carver
William Frank "Doc" Carver was a late 19th century sharpshooter and creator of a popular diving horse attraction. He was born at Winslow, Illinois, to William Daniel Carver, a physician, and Deborah Tohapenes Carver . The parents had migrated to Illinois from Pennsylvania in 1849...
in 1923 for a diving girl and soon earned a place in circus history. Her job was to mount a running horse as it reached the top of a forty-foot (sometimes sixty-foot) tower and sail down on its back as it plunged into a deep pool of water directly below. She was a sensation and soon became the lead diving girl for Doc's act as they traveled the country.
Sonora fell in love with and eventually married Doc's son, Al, who eventually took over the show in 1927, after the death of his father. Her sister Arnette Webster French followed in her footsteps, becoming a horse diver and joining the show in 1928.
In 1931, Sonora was blinded, a retinal detachment
Retinal detachment
Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blindness. It is a medical emergency.The retina is a...
, due to hitting the water off-balance with her eyes open, while diving her horse, Red Lips, on Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
's Steel Pier
Steel Pier
Steel Pier is a amusement pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, located opposite The Boardwalk from Trump Taj Mahal.The pier was owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts until 2011, when it was sold to the Catanoso Family under the "Steel Pier Associates, LLC" name. The Catanosos previously leased the...
, the act's permanent home since 1929. After her accident she continued to dive horses until 1942. Arnette left the show in 1935.
Arnette explained Sonora’s decision to continue riding after her accident in this way: "The movie
Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken is a 1991 film about Sonora Webster Carver, a rider of diving horses. It is based on events in her life as told in her memoir A Girl and Five Brave Horses...
made a big deal about having the courage to go on riding after she lost her sight. But, the truth was riding the horse was the most fun you could have and we just loved it so. We didn't want to give it up. Once you were on the horse, there really wasn't much to do but hold on. The horse was in charge."
Arnette, who was 15 when she took her first horse dive, remarked in an interview that "Wherever we went, the S.P.C.A. (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was always snooping around, trying to find if we were doing anything that was cruel to animals. They never found anything because those horses lived the life of Riley
The Life of Riley
The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, is a popular American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a long-run 1950s television series , and a 1958 Dell comic book...
. In all the years of the act, there was never a horse that was injured."
Sonora's account can be read in her 1961 book, A Girl and Five Brave Horses
A Girl and Five Brave Horses
A Girl and Five Brave Horses is a memoir by Sonora Webster Carver published in 1961. It inspired the Disney film Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken which is based on, but does not exactly follow, the book. At the age of 20, Sonora Webster Carver joined William Frank Carver's Wild West Show which...
, and seen in the fictionalized movie version of her life, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken is a 1991 film about Sonora Webster Carver, a rider of diving horses. It is based on events in her life as told in her memoir A Girl and Five Brave Horses...
, starring Gabrielle Anwar
Gabrielle Anwar
Gabrielle Anwar is an English actress. She is known for her role as Margaret Tudor on The Tudors, for dancing the tango with Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and for her current role as Fiona Glenanne on USA's Burn Notice.- Early life :...
. She was, apparently, disappointed in the way that the movie depicted her life and career. She remarked to Arnette after screening the film that "the only thing true in it was that I rode diving horses, I went blind, and I continued to ride for another 11 years."
Sonora died at the age of 99 in New Jersey, on September 21, 2003. She lived in Pleasantville, New Jersey
Pleasantville, New Jersey
-Local government:Pleasantville operates under the City form of New Jersey municipal government, led by a Mayor and a seven-member City Council. The City Council consists of two members elected from wards to three-year terms, and five members elected at-large to four-year terms in office, all of...
at the time of her death.