I decided to write about the Noble Horse Theatre after I read about the tragic event  that happened this morning. The Noble Horse Theatre is no longer in business. I have never heard of this theatre before and thought that it would be an interesting subject to all of my readers.

 

Noble Horse Theatre~

Site: http://www.noblehorsechicago.com

Location: Orleans Chicago, IL, USA

Noble Horse’s mission statement~
To preserve and promote the classic equestrian arts.
To preserve and protect North America’s oldest Riding Hall.

The Noble Horse Theatre was first a stable when it was created in 1871. It was used as a stable to  house the horses and carriages owned by the locals that lived there at the time.

In 1922, the stable was transformed in to a prestigious riding academy called ” Lake Shore Stables”. Still by the 1920’s the were literally about a hundred stables in the city with weaving bridle paths in the nearby parks.

As cars became the new means for transportation, riding horses went out of style and the stable closed down in 1972 until 1983 when Dan Samson bought the building and turned it into Noble Horse Riding Academy.  But, by 1999, the stable was in need of desperate  repairs. They had choice: They could sell it, or tear it down. Instead, they came up with a group of investors  and made it as what is it is known as today — the Noble Horse Theatre. It took four years to finish the repairs and by 2002, they had brought it back to “what it would have been like in 1922”.

UPDATE: 2/10/15

The Noble Horse Theatre has started a “Go Fund Me” page! If you are intrested in helping them, go to http://www.gofundme.com/HorseCarriage

Below is a little bit about their productions and photos~

Fire at  The Noble Horse Theatre~ 

Early this morning(February 6th)  around  1:a.m. fire broke out at the Noble Horse Theatre.  Forutneatly no horses or people were injured, though several carriages were engulfed in flames and others were charred or burned. A total of thirteen carriages were badly damaged.

A message spray-painted on a nearby wall has the Noble Horse Theater speculating that arson was involved.

“Freedom” and “Free Save the Horses”  were spray painted on two walls .

Jim Rogers, owner of Great Lakes Horse and Carriage said. “My whole business is gone, as far as carriages go.”

 

In September 2012, another suspicious fire occurred at the Theatre. No animals were hurt, but five carriages caught fire. That investigation was turned over to Bomb and Arson detectives. Kane said they determined that a “disgruntled employee” caused the fire in 2012.

 

About the Show~

The Noble Horse Theatre is proud to present the historic Nutcracker, a grand holiday treat for friends and family!
We are the only theatre in North America to perform the historic version of “The Nutcracker” on horseback.

This narrative performance features the beloved Clara, The Mouse King, The Sugar Plum Fairy, Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable music, and our own trick riders from around the world!

Be swept away by a story straight from a child’s dream.
See beautiful fairies on horseback, toy soldiers battling the mouse army, and our amazing white stallions.

 

The Nutcracker Photo Gallery~

 

 

About the Show~

Return to the elegance of 18th Century Europe. Experience the romantic bond between horse and man. Classical music is the language that connects the horses with the audience.

Quadrille is a spectacular live performance featuring 20 horses, daring Cossack trick riders, stunning Arabian horses and magnificent white stallions.

Noble Horse, the oldest Riding Hall in North America, was built in 1872, immediately after the Great Chicago Fire. This historic site was renovated in 2003 and now includes a climate controlled theater with a capacity of 290 seats, a gift shop and a Museum of the Horse.

Quadrille is a live indoor horse performance in Chicago’s Old Town, 1410 N. Orleans. The shows combine classic horses with exciting trick riders. The audience is very close to the horses, all seats have unobstructed views. The theatre has been renovated to include castle-style seating with Birchwood tables.

After the show, the audience is invited to meet the horses and riders, enjoy a horse-carriage or even ride one of the Cossack trick horses!

 

Photo Gallery ~

About the Show~

Noble Horse presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a spooktacular live performance with horses and riders from all over the world. The story comes alive as you have always imagined it, performed entirely on live horses in the oldest indoor performing riding hall in North America. There is simply no other Halloween event like this!

Sleepy Hollow combines daring Cossack stunt riders, magnificent white stallions, powerful trick horses and The Headless Horseman on his majestic steed. The performance closely follows the classic Halloween tale written by Washington Irving, first published in 1820.

As part of the fun, Noble Horse Theatre is decorated for the Fall season: cornstalks, pumpkins, colored lights and scarecrows are abundant throughout the hallways and arena.

Join us for the perfect Halloween treat: the eerie and haunting Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Photo gallery~

 

 

I went to Medieval Times years ago and think that this would have been a great thing to see.  For over 2 years, Antique Coach and Carriage has been the primary tenant of the stables once occupied by The Noble Horse Theater. Noble’s theater and carriage operation went out of business some time ago.I would have loved to see it!

Shya

Huh? What? Well, I will believe that when I see flying Shetlands !